ON DECEMBER 7, 1987, the Replacements played a show at Portland’s Pine Street Theatre. It did not go well. The show was such a disaster that Paul Westerberg wrote a song about it (“Portland,” which appeared on a B-sides collection), and the runout groove of the Replacements’ 1989 album Don’t Tell a Soul has the words “We’re sorry Portland” etched into the vinyl.
The Young Fresh Fellows opened that fateful gig, along with many other ‘Mats shows—and they’ll be opening Friday night’s show at the Crystal Ballroom, the first Portland performance since the Replacements’ 2012 reunion. YFF’s Scott McCaughey tells us—as best as he can remember—about that particular evening and the long-standing relationship between the two bands.
THE REPLACEMENTS AND THE YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS: a match made in hell. We were two somewhat like-minded combos, but that doesn’t mean we were always good for each other.
Our first meeting was in Providence, Rhode Island. We thought we were opening the ‘Mats show at the Living Room and were overly excited at the prospect. Arriving at the club we were informed that there were three other bands on the bill, none of them us. Undeterred, we joined Paul [Westerberg], Tommy [Stinson], Bob [Stinson], and Chris [Mars] backstage and massacred a bottle of gin and about 100 “greenies” (‘Mats-speak for bottled Heineken) while the local bands plied their trade onstage.
When the headliners got their turn, they were not fully up to the task. After 45 floundering minutes they aborted the mission, and Commander Westerberg, resplendent in marinara sauce, announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, the Young Fresh Fellows!” to thunderous silence. We leapt up and took over, giving the puzzled crowd a full 10 minutes of rabid incompetence. God, it was loud. Show over.
Paul took to saying great things about the Fellows in numerous interviews, and even convinced the Replacements’ booking agency to take us on as well. So it came that we embarked on a West Coast tour together in July 1987. The ‘Mats had just signed a major label deal, swapped maniac guitarist Bob Stinson for the more grounded Slim Dunlap, and were to play two big sold-out shows in front of the label honchos and new management in LA.
The band responded enthusiastically with a very poor showing the first night. No doubt inspired by our intense opening set, which included a moving rendition of “Your Mama Don’t Dance,” the Replacements’ set was a shambles. Chris Mars, often the more sensible imbiber in the group, had completely incapacitated himself and abandoned the drum throne after a few songs. YFF sticksman Tad Hutchison donned a black wig and tried his best as a replacement Replacement, but he wasn’t in much better shape. Heads rolled. Both bands rebounded with beguiling sets on the second night, however, as Nicolas Cage and Tom Waits looked on.