REVIEW: HENRY ROLLINS @ THEBARTON THEATRE

Rollins launched into one of his signature performances – a rapid-fire assault of life lessons, insightful socio-political commentary and the occasional humour-infused anecdote.

Words by Bob Sacamano

Henry Rollins is an intense individual and a legend to generations of fans across the world. In Adelaide, thousands of people lined up on Henley Beach Road in relentless rain – all so an angry 62-year-old American could yell at them for three hours.

Running (literally) on stage at 8pm, Rollins’ presence was met with huge applause from the near sold-out Thebby Theatre. You got the impression that he was genuinely grateful for the warm support.

Rollins launched into one of his signature performances – a rapid-fire assault of life-lessons, insightful socio-political commentary and the occasional humour-infused anecdote. You couldn’t fault his raw passion with a near-encyclopaedic knowledge of political and cultural issues. It was, he said, all part of his sole purpose in life, “to leave the century in a better place than I entered it.”

He apologised on behalf of America and his generation for the current state of the world’s affairs and emphasised that it’s the role of younger generations to turn the ship around. “We made a real mess of it,” he said in his trademark growl. “It’s up toyou guys to fix it up – and I’m fighting for you!”

Whilst Rollins’ targets were clearly ‘the system’ and those who would identify as right wing, he warned against an oversimplification of ‘good vs evil’ by recounting some morbid and often hilarious stories from his own life.

Like the time he had encountered a stalker in Los Angeles – actually a deranged fan from Finland. The stalker attempted to enter Rollins’ ‘compound’ on three separate occasions, before successfully scaling the walls and making his way into the garage. This woke Rollins (who sleeps fully clothed with shoes on) and they had a confrontation in the kitchen. Rollins found out the guy was homeless and mentally unwell, and actually drove the stalker in his car back to where he was squatting. Then things turned violent and police were called. But rather than press charges and ruin the fan’s life, he got in contact with the man’s parents. The Finn was sent back to his homeland to get the help he required and Rollins even ended up covering the man’s court fees.

To those who haven’t seen his work, Henry Rollins may come across as an angry guy (he is); but almost all of his themes are centred around empathy and the understanding of mental health. That empathy, he insists, should definitely extend to those who are directly opposed to your own views. Admittedly, he somewhat contradicted this point when he said he hoped a crowd of NASCAR attendees –“who are the worst people in the world” – would “die in a ball of fire”. But if you’re speaking for three hours straight, it’s only human to make the odd slip. 

Rollins conceded life is short and often made light of his age and impending mortality throughout the performance. “Live urgently,” he told the audience. After listening to him articulate his points with unrelenting conviction, it was hard to not take this message home. 

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