When pondering recent introspective albums, one realizes that Iggy Pop has been quietly recalibrating his on stage energy. He aimed to calm the crowd as he prepared himself for performance, and in doing so, he set the audience up to accept a more nuanced sound. The latest material blends sharp rock accents with avant-garde textures borrowed from German experimental scenes, all wrapped in a misty mood. The title track of the 2019 album Free, for instance, drifts on an electronic veil while distant trumpet lines thread through a calm, humming refrain about freedom.
To celebrate a peak moment in form, Iggy Pop, born in Muskegon, Michigan in 1947, has been in strong shape, tweaking his persona slightly for a European tour that signals a gentle return to Catalan stages after a decade away. The only concert on the Porta Ferrada Festival calendar took place in Sant Feliu de Guíxols on July 29. This tour marks a departure from the typical rock show, moving through intimate spaces across the continent. He has explored chanson influences on two notable albums, Préliminaires in 2009 and Après in 2012, and his recent performances echo a broader palette. A recent stop at La Halle aux Grains in Toulouse offered a vivid snapshot, with Iggy delivering a performance underscored by imperial vocal range, booming bass, and a commanding stage presence. Even at 75, the show hints that the man who helped mold modern rock still has plenty to offer.
more open repertoire
In recent years, audiences have seen him alongside The Stooges at major festivals such as Primavera Sound and Cruïlla. The current tour, however, leans toward larger theatres and more nuanced venues, inviting a different kind of listening than the stadium shows of the past. Freed from the full Stooges lineup, he is now able to mine the gaps between the group and his solo work, revisiting historical moments and bringing new textures to life in a live setting. A late 70s Berlin periodulet could appear in the set, reimagined as a collection of five songs that stretch the imagination and illuminate a less obvious part of his career.
To give audiences a fresh sonic layer, a seven-piece band has been assembled, including a keyboardist and two guitarists to enrich the soundscape with textures reminiscent of the album Five Foot One from New Values, released in 1979. The performer appears on stage in a sparse outfit, the persona of a restless aristocrat, keenly intense and unapologetically raw. The set flows from punchy anthems like TV Eye and The Passenger to moodier, more reflective pieces drawn from the recent releases Free and Loves Missing. The charity of age does not dull the edge; it sharpens the storytelling, turning every note into a snapshot of a restless artist who never stops pushing boundaries. The band’s collaboration with experimental guitarist Greg Faulkner and the textures introduced by Noveller, the guitarist and sound designer, offer a sonic texture that keeps the crowd engaged from the first roar to the final hush.
That dirty and poor bunch
In Toulouse, La Halle aux Grains, an exquisite concert hall that houses the national orchestra, provides an ideal frame for Iggy Pop at 75. The live set revisits the early material with a modern edge, letting the audience relive Lust for Life and Passenger in a new light. The moment also remembers the notorious Stooges era with the old, unabashed energy that fans love, including the defiant line up front that once defined a generation. The stage presence, unfiltered and intimate, brings the performer closer to the crowd than ever before.
Detroit-born rock carries its own weight: songs like I Wanna Be Your Dog and Search and Destroy cross paths with echoes of the German avant-garde. References to Neu! and cyberfunk textures add a layer of experimental resonance, while the emotional core remains anchored in the raw immediacy that defined his best work. The live performance blends grainy electronic textures with ferocious guitar solos, as the performer dances with the audience, sometimes in the glow of a single spotlight. Throughout, the sense remains clear: Iggy Pop has always been about fearless expression, and at 75 he continues to deliver it with gusto.