The Jesus and Mary Chain vs. Diana Krall

The Scottish noisemakers and the homegrown chanteuse briefly become neighbours

The once turbulent relationship between rock and aging ain’t what it used to be. When the first generation of British punks accused the likes of Rod Stewart and Mick Jagger of being fossilized embarrassments whose time had past, both were barely over 30. Nowadays, rock itself is virtually a senior citizen, and the notion of an expiry date for performers’ careers has long since been discarded. To wit: this year marks the 30th anniversary of Scottish noise terrorists the Jesus and Mary Chain’s epochal debut, Psychocandy, an ageless masterpiece built upon the accidental marriage of sweetly melodic pop songs and sheets of screaming guitar feedback. Group founders and one-time enfants terrible, siblings Jim and William Reid, are now 53 and 56, respectively, yet no one is complaining about them still treading the boards, still trying to look like the troublemakers at the back of the classroom, still singing about motorcycle death and girls named Cindy.At the same time the Reids and a reconstituted Mary Chain will be playing Psychocandy in its entirety (alongside favourites from their five other albums, the most recent of which was released in 1998) at the Vogue, homegirl Diana Krall will be a few doors down at the Orpheum, turning in an evening of music wholly informed by a time before rock ’n’ roll, when jazz-schooled crooners and “light entertainment” were all the rage. It’s the sort of thing the Reid brothers’ parents might have enjoyed in the years immediately after the Blitz. Krall is 50.There’s something to be said here about rebellion and dignity and cabaret, but we’re too confused to arrive at a conclusion just now. The Jesus and Mary ChainWednesday, May 13, 8pmVogue Theatre (918 Granville St.)Tickets $49.50 from northerntickets.com Diana KrallWednesday, May 13, 8pmOrpheum Theatre (601 Smithe St.)Tickets $79.50-$145 from ticketmaster.ca