Hatfield's Audience Striken by Heat

There used to be a time when you couldn't turn on MTV without seeing Juliana Hatfield's face. Whether it was Beavis and Butthead commenting on her masochistic video for "What A Life," her 1993 "buzz track" for the scathing "My Sister" or her turn as a homeless angel on everybody's favorite teen-angst drama My So-Called Life, Juliana was a pervasive presence on the airwaves. Add in hot rumors about her relationship with cuter-than-thou Lemonhead Evan Dando and also her supposed virginity, and Juliana was prime Kurt Loder fodder.

However, like a child who grabs for the shiniest, newest toy on the shelves despite the piles of playthings strewn about the floor at home, capricious MTV's embrace of her music slowly faded away. However, that doesn't mean her music has lost any of its gusto, as shown by her performance at The Middle East Saturday night.

"It's hot in here!" she cried before launching into a rocking "You Are The Camera" from her new album Bed. Indeed, the insufferable heat was the biggest deterrent to this particular concert. Water bottles were thrown into the audience after almost every song, and this reviewer saw at least one person almost pass out due to extreme heat. Had the club been many degrees cooler, the concert would have been significantly better.

Which is not to say the heat completely affected Juliana's playing ability. A searing version of "My Sister," and two songs from 1995's Only Everything, "Fleur de Lys" (sung entirely in French!) and a spirited "Live On Tomorrow" were tight, focused rockers. Similarly, the new song "Down On Me" was as angry and biting as "My Darling" was mellow and delicate.

However, not all of the songs maintained her early energy. As the show went on, many started to drag, including the new compositions "I Want To Want You" and "Bad Day." Even the popular "Spin The Bottle" (as featured on the Reality Bites soundtrack) couldn't completely capture the fancy of the crowd, despite Juliana's assertion that it was a "song about Robert Redford."

Coincidentally, the heat in the club grew increasingly unbearable as the music's energy waned, tainting the otherwise excellent playing and gorgeous melodies between Juliana and her guitarist. Only her last song, the crowd favorite "Girl In A Box," a song by her former band Blake Babies, started an upswing in energy. However, by that time it was almost too late, as the temperature sent many people, including this reviewer, home before the encores started.

Overall, veteran rocker Juliana Hatfield knows how to put on a polished, powerful rock show. MTV be damned; in a different venue with better ventilation, her talent and skill will be truly appreciated.