Alison Mosshart of The Kills Remembers Mark Lanegan Tribute: “A Night Filled with Love and Electric Moments”

Thoughts on Mark Lanegan Tribute Show

The Kills’ Alison Mosshart expressed her reflections on last week’s star-studded tribute concert for Mark Lanegan.

• READ MORE: Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan on losing Mark Lanegan: ‘I had a feeling he was around for a while’

Celebrating a Music Legend

Mosshart, alongside notable artists such as Josh Homme from Queens Of The Stone Age, Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode, Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie, Chrissie Hynde, and many more, participated in a tribute show in memory of the late Screaming Trees frontman on December 5th at London’s Roundhouse, marking what would have been Lanegan’s 60th birthday.

The “Future Starts Slow” vocalist visited her official Instagram account to share a series of photos from the evening. A week later, Mosshart reflected on the event, saying: “It took me a week to digest this performance and I’m still dizzy. It was such an illuminating evening of love and adoration for Mark, for his music, and for the magical world of music. I can’t remember a time when I was so nervous before a performance. Six pages of lyrics swirling in my head, rehearsals, tempos, singing for days leading up to this, all in an attempt to completely immerse myself in the lyrics, letting them flow through me unimpeded.”

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Posted by Alison Mosshart (@amosshart)

Memorable Performances

Mosshart mentioned that she observed Bobby Gillespie “blame Marx’s songs without hesitation while I finished my drink, trembling,” before taking the stage to perform alongside guitarists James Walbourne and Troy Van Leeuwen, noting that she doesn’t recall much else.

“The four songs I sang just happened… right at the moment when I was praying… they flowed out of me without thought. Then I found myself back on the side, witnessing the rest of the show, as everyone turned up the gale force winds at the Roundhouse, their voices, their dancing, a beautiful crowd radiating joy,” she shared.

Mosshart highlighted her performance of “Come To Me” with Josh Homme as a standout moment, describing the experience as “like floating on your back in the ocean and gazing up at the stars,” adding that during that part of the show it felt like “some kind of holy communion.”

She reflected: “In my dreams for several days, Mark’s songs kept playing in my mind, alternating with poetry, these beautiful melodies. I can’t thank Rich Mashin enough for inviting me to join his team. It was an immense honor to be part of this night, an evening I’ll never forget. Mark’s legacy lives on, and he has left us an incredible library of music. Not a moment was wasted that night. What a beautiful evening.”

During his speech, Homme took a moment to share: “As someone who has been fortunate to spend much time with Mark Lanegan, I can say he would pretend to hate this,” Homme relayed to the audience, “but truly, he would appreciate seeing you all here tonight,” just before his duet with Mosshart.

After they embraced, Homme added, “This next song, when it’s my turn to go, at my funeral, which you’re all invited to (next Thursday), I want this song to be played.” He then welcomed his hero Gahan back for the powerful “One Hundred Days” to close the first set.

In a recent interview with NME, Gahan spoke about the effect of losing Lanegan, saying: “It’s a time for reflection; you start to think about time. I was aware Mark had health issues and he tried to take care of himself in various ways. Ultimately, everything just caught up to him. You reach a certain point when you question, ‘Why does it hurt?’ or ‘Why can’t I do this?’ In my experience, while you don’t feel older, you certainly sense it.”

“For me, losing Mark was akin to losing Bowie. You realize: tick tock, we are not invincible, we are not here forever; thus, it’s essential to make the most of our time. Spend more moments with loved ones and appreciate what you have. Mark battled his demons for years – as do we all, some more than others – but his songwriting, particularly his voice, has been a constant companion through the years.”