🔘 Looking For Love – Lou Reed Live Review

The February 10, 1973 NME review of Lou Reed’s Alice Tully Hall concert.

🔘 Overview

In early 1973, Lou Reed was navigating the strange new territory of post‑Velvet Underground fame, solo acclaim, and glam‑era expectations. This NME review captures a moment where Reed’s audience arrived hungry for danger, decadence, and theatre — but instead found a subdued, tired performer leaning heavily on Velvet Underground classics. The piece also spotlights Garland Jeffreys, an emerging singer‑songwriter who opened the show and quietly won over a restless crowd.

🔘 Source Details

Publication: New Musical Express

Date: February 10, 1973

Issue Context: One‑page live review

Provenance Notes: Transcribed from original newsprint; cleaned and formatted for GlamSlamChronicles.

🔘 The Story

Lou Reed’s early solo years were defined by tension — between his past and present, between audience expectation and his own disinterest in spectacle. This review captures that tension vividly. Reed appears in a black leather suit but no makeup, performs mostly Velvet Underground material, and keeps his eyes half‑closed for much of the set. The audience, however, is devoted: cheering, offering flowers, and shouting back lines.

The critic, expecting either glamour or depravity, finds neither. The band is under‑rehearsed, the energy low, and Reed himself seems exhausted. Yet the audience remains loyal, responding most strongly to “Sweet Jane,” “Vicious,” and “Heroin.”

Garland Jeffreys opens the show to a cold reception that gradually warms as the crowd realises they’re hearing a serious talent. The review ends by positioning Jeffreys as an artist to watch — a rare moment of optimism in an otherwise ambivalent night.

🔘 Key Highlights

• Lou Reed performs at Alice Tully Hall in New York.

• Setlist is 95% Velvet Underground material.

• Reed appears tired and disengaged; band struggles to connect.

• Audience remains devoted, offering flowers and shouting encouragement.

• “Vicious,” “Heroin,” and “Sweet Jane” receive the strongest reactions.

• Garland Jeffreys opens the show and gradually wins over the crowd.

🔘 Article Text

LOU REED: “LOOKING FOR LOVE…”

I guess I can’t stall any longer. I’m gonna have to tell you about that disappointingly conventional Lou Reed concert at Alice Tully Hall last week.

Judging from the looks of the audience at the early concert we attended, as well as those who were going into the late show as we disconcertingly departed (pun intended, but not quite made), Lou Reed gets the same crowd that turns out for the Dolls — actually, his audience is a lot straighter‑looking.

In contrast to the cover of his RCA Transformer album, Reed did not wear any makeup. He did, however, sport a marvellous black leather suit which fitted him like kid gloves.

Ninety‑five per cent of his set was old Velvet Underground material, with a few numbers from Lou’s two solo albums.

Several of the songs were considerably slowed‑down versions of the originals, and his vocal mic was down too low.

He didn’t really open his eyes all the way until the fourth number, “Sweet Jane.” This song received substantial cheers from the audience, which was definitely on Reed’s side.

Several times during the set various females moved up to the stage and laid flowers at his feet.

Reed didn’t bother to introduce his backing quartet, who never quite got it together, either. He didn’t talk much, although he did introduce “New Age” as being another song “about being over the hill right now, and looking for love.”

The creeps in the row behind us, between noisy slurps from their bottle of Scotch, stomped on the floor and yelled back, “I’ll be runnin’ to ya.”

“Vicious,” from the Transformer album, and “Heroin,” from the Andy Warhol‑produced “pink banana” album on MGM‑Verve, were his most successful efforts. The audience knew the words and nodded along.

I suppose they got what they came for, but I didn’t. I expected more — like more excitement, more movement, more glamour, more energy, or more depravity. Like, maybe he’d kick himself around the stage or something while singing “Vicious.”

The band worked reasonably hard to impersonate getting a “rush,” but the total effect didn’t get off the ground. (The band are not the musicians that have played on the two RCA solo albums.)

Reed looked dead tired, but did churn himself up from time to time in response to demands from his loving audience, who seemed to be out for his blood, guts, and anything else they could get.

Opening the show for Reed was Garland Jeffreys, whose first album will be out shortly on Atlantic. Garland is a singer‑songwriter I’ve been following for some time through his appearances at Village clubs, particularly at Gerde’s Folk City.

Reed’s audience was not immediately receptive to Garland. They laughed at the sad parts and kicked at the chairs. Eventually, however, they began to listen to his songs and relate to them, and some actually realised they were hearing a very good singer interpret a selection of his own quite effective material.

Once his album breaks, we should be hearing more about the talented Garland Jeffreys. He’s been sharing the bill with Lou Reed on several bookings, so remember we told you about him in his “early stages.”

L.S.

🔘 Closing Notes

This review captures Lou Reed at a moment of transition — caught between the underground legend he had been and the glam icon some wanted him to become. The audience adored him, even when the performance faltered, and the night ultimately revealed as much about Reed’s myth as his music

🔘 Sources & Copyright

All original text and images remain the copyright of their respective publishers and creators. This post is presented for historical, educational, and archival purposes only.

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