Royal Family Ball, 10/2/10, Terminal 5, NYC Soulive, Lettuce, Nigel Hall and special guests John Scofield, Talib Kweli, Big Sam, Christian Scott, Maurice Brown, & The Shady Horns, + many more (To be honest with you- I lost count.)
Ha ha, ball!
Only a special occasion would get me to set foot (feet) inside Terminal 5 again. There's very little I like about the venue. Horrible sight-lines inside a generically industrial building with atrocious sound and the eery feeling you're standing in a death-trap. That said, when Mark texted me to go see the Royal Family Ball last week, a great lineup and good friends weren't enough to win me over. However, the words "all access" were. Perhaps I just needed to experience Terminal 5 like an Important Person rather than Some Regular Douchebag.
But first, dinner. And if you're out of the way over yonder in midtown West, that's reason enough to get some dinner at Daisy May's BBQ. Mark and I enjoyed our feast on the front counter.
from North to South: pulled pork sammich, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, pulled chicken sammich, sweet tea.
Then we headed over to Terminal 5 where we were made to stand on line with The Normies / Regular Douchebags (GASPS)! What is this? "Very Important People don't stand on lines, Mark."
The music started really early and we missed Nigel Hall's set for BBQ- a way good cause (did I mention the mac & cheese?). He would undoubtedly be jumping onstage throughout the night, so that eased the sads.
When we walked in, Terminal 5 was pretty packed and Lettuce already had the place getting DOWN. John Scofield came out and jammed for a few songs. Nigel Hall & Talib Kweli also came out and got the crowd nice and riled up.
Some drunk chick was raging-psyched and decided to explain to me (unsolicited) that "This is awesome and Soulive aren't anything like a stupid jerkface jamband and shouldn't be associated with that kind of shit^." I politely disagreed and decided not to point out that the band onstage at that moment was actually Lettuce. It's funnier that way. It was time to relocate.
Please note, the only reason I *did* get to see (most of) the stage for this set was because we were upstairs, adjacent to the stage, holding the black curtains open so we could watch. It was a pretty cool view, but who wants to hold a 70 foot velvet curtain back for 3 hours? Certainly not an Important Person like myself.
I couldn't see OVER, so I tried to see UNDER.
No, I had better things to do- namely, drink tequila out of thimble sized florescent orange shot glasses and wait for the perfect moment to snag an empty spot on the rail for the Soulive set. I've been to Soulive shows where I can't see the band and it's upsetting/traumatic. As it happens, Soulive hit the stage and *YOINK*. Spot secured. It was that easy. Great view too, but right next to the floating speaker stack. Sacrifices. Around the 3rd song my ear filters went in. Love those things!
Soulive played 3 or 4 songs off the Rubber Soulive record before inviting the extended Royal Family onstage for the rest of the night. The lineup was quickly switching off and basically starred everyone listed on the poster at one point or another. The size of the horn section fluctuated per song, sometimes 3, sometimes 7. At all times were they great. John Scofield took the reigns on a few solos and Nigel Hall rocked the vocals. It was a brilliant stage full of music.
And then Soulive invited another special guest onstage-- Warren Haynes, for Under A Bad Sign. Warren totally fucking shredded it while he and Nigel Hall split the vocals. It was a magnificent bluesy punch to the gut. Now that's a fucking cameo!
They completed the night with a James Brown medley, starring Nigel Hall, who took it over the edge and whipped the crowd into an absolute frenzy. Well done, Sir!
The typical Terminal 5 breakdown: shitty sight-lines, overpriced drinks, dodgy/uneven sound around the room, black lights in the bathroom (why?). There's apparently a roof deck now, but I didn't check it out. As far as having an All Access pass went, it was easier to move around and I can guarantee you it was the only reason I got to see any musicians with my own eyes. Also, the coat-check girl was kind of a @#%$ and I witnessed that without even having a coat to check. If I were a more judgemental person, I'd probably venture to guess that if I wore that much red lipstick and cut myself for fun, I'd probably have a shitty attitude too.
I have seen Soulive go from one of their very first shows in 1999, at a memorably sticky-floored sold out Club Metronome in Burlington, VT ($3 cover?), to being the heart and soul of this giant crazy night of music- The Royal Family Ball, 11+ years later. They've built an Empire and it fucking rocks! Though, sometimes I really miss the suits and short hair.Holla.
The Royal Family Ball: Soulive, Lettuce, Nigel Hall and special guests John Scofield, Talib Kweli, Big Sam, Christian Scott, Maurice Brown, & The Shady Horns + etc., etc., etc., 10/2/10, T5 (still bleah), NYC: 7.5^^ HUZZAHS!
LETTUCE: Blast Off Sam Huff Last Suppitt King of the Bergs Move Somethin w/ Talib Kweli The Blast w/ Talib Kweli Get By w/ Talib Kweli Break Out Relax The Flu w/ John Scofield Move On Up w/ John Scofield Makin My Way Back Home
SOULIVE Come Together Something In The Way Eleanor Rigby I Want You El Ron What You See Is What You Get w/ John Scofield Hottentot – w/ John Scofield Born Under a Bad Sign w/ John Scofield, Warren Haynes Do The 2 Too Much James Brown Medley w/ John Scofield
Pavement, 9/21, 23, 24/10, Rumsey Playfield/Central Park Summerstage, NYC
Before last week, the first and only time I had the absolute pleasure of seeing indie-rock legendsPavement live, was on 10/6/97 at Club Toast, in Burlington, VT. The place was packed and my friend Tyler came down from Montreal for the gig. Trey Anastasio from Phish was standing next to us. Pavement f#%ked our earholes with beautiful loud rock and I can still remember how amazing it felt at the end of the show. It wasn't enough. I wanted more. Jambands have spoiled me with 3 hour shows and I'm almost disappointed when I get anything less than that.
Pavement disbanded abruptly in late 1999 with no real official announcement or send-off, but a cryptic message on their website and the rumor that Stephen Malkmus (SM) had put a pair of handcuffs on his mic one night in Europe and announced "this is what it's like to be in a band". Thusly, most fingers pointed at SM's notoriously inflated ego/attitude as the main reason the band disappeared. All that really concerned me was that my magical Pavement had gone away (leaving a gaping hole in my musical diet) and no one knew if or when they'd ever play together again. Pavement fans were left to fend for ourselves. It was Unfair.
Despite being the probable cause of one of my very favorite band's unraveling, I've followed and enjoyed Stephen Malkmus' solo career. I've stood in pouring rain and lightning storms in Prospect Park and braved the sardine-packed Coney Island in the abysmal July heat to watch SM & the Jicks play 90 minute sets, which are never quite long enough- even in a monsoon. Sometimes, I'm not sure if he hates his fans or if he just doesn't care- maybe a little bit of both. Still, I will never fully understand how something so beautiful (Pavement) to so many people, seemed to become such a burden to him- but he's an eccentric genius-- that's their jam, man. Buy the solo record and move on, I guess.
After making a brief appearance at Bob Nastanovich's wedding in early 2009, last October, Pavement announced they'd be playing a single show in Central Park in September 2010. Friends made plans to fly down from Canada, up from Florida-- everyone would gather to experience Pavement live again. And I would buy tickets a full year in advance. When the Tuesday night show sold out (in 2 minutes), they announced a Wednesday night show. When the Wednesday night show sold out, they announced a Thursday night show. And when the Thursday night show sold out, they announced a Friday night show. When this ticket blitz was over (an hour later?), I had tickets to 3 of the 4 Central Park shows... that were all still an entire year away. And then came the waiting.
During the waiting, Pavement announced a full tour that would take place BEFORE all 4 Central Park shows. That was a little annoying. Still, the positive approach was that everything preceding Central Park, would simply be a soundcheck for Central Park.
In the Spring of 2010, Pavement started rehearsing... and talking to the press. Little by little we learned details of their demise. Speculation that SM's attitude/weirdness was ultimately behind the collapse of a band that meant so much to so many, was pretty much confirmed. Malkmus had even taken to riding the tour bus with a jacket over his head so he didn't have to communicate with his band-mates. Awkward. Supposedly, Spiral Stairs (SS, aka Scott Kannberg) was told to inform the other band members that Pavement was done. I imagine it went down exactly like the Painted Soldiers video. Also, now I want to give Spiral a hug for always being super awesome and writing some of my favorite songs (I ordered his solo album as a first step in coming to terms with the fact that I haven't followed his solo career as closely as SM's). And I want to hug Mark Ibold because he is Mark Ibold.
We also learned in the Klosterman GQ article that the other members of Pavement have wanted to reunite for years. Basically, it sounds like Pavement means more to the other band members than it does to SM. Shit, now I wonder if Pavement means more to me than it does to SM?
Their World Tour started in March 2010. Then in May, Pavement announced they'd be playing at the Brooklyn Waterfront the weekend before the Central Park shows... And I was officially pissed off at Pavement. That seemed like a real dick move. I refused to spend more money on them. This anger simmered for months. Bitter resentment, abandonment issues, and jealousy of everyone who got to see them before me. It made for conflicted anticipation as the shows grew closer. I had nightmares of them walking onstage, playing a robotic 90 minute set, flipping us all off, and leaving. So- mostly, I was hoping that I still liked Pavement when the Central Park shows were over. Talk about stress.
TUESDAY, 9/21/10
DAY OF SHOW 1!!!! FUCKING, FIIIIIINALLY!!!!! In the month/weeks leading up to the shows, it became clear that people were not flying down from Canada, or up from Florida. Nor were they driving from Massachusetts. And that the only people interested in my newly-extra'd tickets seemed to live in California. Essentially, I'd better derive sheer joy from Pavement's performances, because they'd over-saturated the market and I wasn't gonna make my money back. People couldn't give their extras away. Fuck it! Less tall people to block my view.
Pavement walked out from their trailer and onto the stage, to cheering fans who had been waiting a full year for this moment. It was actually happening!!! They opened with Shady Lane and I had immediately forgiven them. They sounded great, maybe a bit nervous at first, but it all loosened up and came together at some point quickly thereafter. Then it was just like rapid fire punches to the gut. Frontwards, Heckler Spray > Elevate Me Later (!!!!!!), Starlings, Stereo, Kennel District (siiiigh)... Loud, embracing, Pavement. Awesome. Warm mushy melty insides. Pavement. At last!
Mark Ibold and Spiral Stairs were running around smiling, Stephen Malkmus mostly stood guard over his mic and behind his hair (that's his thing), Steve West (who also rules) was climbing on his kit, and Bob Nastanovich was possessed.
Shit, who cared what they played, as long as they were playing it! Grounded, Rattled By The Rush (!!!), We Dance, In The Mouth of A Desert-- with those fucking scorching guitar wails. It was powerful and LOUD. They were having FUN. Perfume-V and Unfair. Which oddly enough, is when I could have sworn I was being pranked on film. Fran Drescher's retarded cousin who was shit-faced, plopped herself right in back of us. She was singing, but not the words, and always as if she were a set of bagpipes being stomped on with a steel-toed boot. Loudly. She disappeared or went mute after Unfair, cuz I managed not to notice after that. This was especially cool cuz a tall boy gave me his spot (thanks! That's *GOLD STAR CHIVALRY*!) and I could finally see the whole stage! I wasn't moving.
Fin was beautiful. Gold Soundz was more warmth and love. Debris Slide was abrasive (a good abrasive). Range Life (singalongs!), Trigger Cut (hooky, bright, energetic).
They had to start Cut Your Hair twice, which is cute considering they've probably played it every night this tour (and again over a decade ago). Some people seem to roll their eyes at Cut Your Hair, but I love that song. If it weren't for that song, I may never have heard Pavement at the right place & time to spark me into the Crooked Rain loving Pavement fan-girl I am today. The day I get tired of hearing Pavement sing Cut Your Hair, LIVE, in-person, is a day I welcome- because that would mean I'd get to see Pavement play at least a shit-ton more shows in my lifetime. "That's a pretty snazzy hair-cut!"
It was all good. Everyone was smiling. Dark, humorous, cryptic, twisting, beautiful adventures in every song. Ahhh, Pavement!
There were even some lovely extended jammy sections here and there. Perfect Depth, Fight This Generation, Box Elder (YES)... Encore: Date With Ikea (all smiles), Shoot the Singer, Conduit for Sale! (brash-- a good brash), Silence Kid, Heaven Is A Truck (haunting and great, with a nice pretty little jam at the end), and a wonderful Stop Breathin'. How are these guys not more popular amongst the jamband scene? Where is the appreciation? My head asplode.
All throughout the show, Pavement thanked the crowd for selling the shows out so quickly and for not losing their tickets. They also kind of apologized for booking a full tour before the Central Park shows, and announced that "these are the real first shows" (see?). More apologies about the excessive amount of extras floating around. I had already forgiven them (they had me at "blinded") for everything, but it was nice to hear these little things addressed directly. I may have suggested they buy my extra back (loudly), but that's neither here nor there.
Man, have I missed Pavement.
The band were smiling and so was the crowd. That's a pretty fucking satisfying (first) reunion show. I am still glad I bought tickets for these shows a year in advance. Missing this was not an option.
TUESDAY Shady Lane / Frontwards / Heckler Spray / Ell Ess Two / Starlings of the Slipstream / Stereo / Kennel District / Grounded / Rattled By The Rush / We Dance / In The Mouth A Desert / Perfume-V / Unfair / Fin / Gold Soundz / Debris Slide / Range Life / Trigger Cut / Cut Your Hair / Perfect Depth / Fight This Generation / Box Elder ENCORE: Date With IKEA / Shoot The Singer / Conduit For Sale! / Silent Kid / Heaven Is A Truck / Stop Breathin’ DL THE SHOW!! Thanks, NYC Taper! http://www.nyctaper.com/?p=3989 (not to be confused with NYC Tapir)
WEDNESDAY, 9/22/10
Wednesday I went to the Yanks/Rays game with my Mom. The bullpen was a total shit-show. There was a 2 hour 11 minute rain delay. I hear it rained in Central Park too.
WEDNESDAY Heckler Spray / In The Mouth A Desert / Perfume-V / Trigger Cut / Unfair / Range Life / Starlings Of The Slipstream / Spizzle Trunk / Shady Lane / Fight This Generation / Summer Babe / Cut Your Hair / Kennel District / Gold Soundz / Zurich Is Stained / Stereo **10 minute break as electrical storm passes over the park ** The Hexx / Two States / Spit On A Stranger / Grounded / Silent Kid / Father To A Sister Of Thought / Stop Breathin’ ENCORE: Date With Ikea / Feed ‘Em To The Lions (Linden) / Here // Conduit For Sale! DL THE SHOW!! Thanks, NYC Taper! http://www.nyctaper.com/?p=4009
THURSDAY, 9/23/10
Thursday morning I was soooo psyched for more Pavement! Friends came down from Ithaca for the show and we pregamed with margaritas at Harry's on the Upper West Side. Originally, we were gonna cab-it to the show, but Secret Service shut down the roads (UN in session + The President was in town all week = total clusterfuck in the city). So instead, we took a lovely walk through the park to the show. Once inside, it was a quick trip to the merch booth and we scored some great real estate at the inner-outer rail SM-side, the same spot I was able to see the entire band from on Tuesday night. FUCK YEAH, MOTHERFUCKERS!!!
Here's a good spot to mention that I really didn't pay any attention to the opening bands at any of these shows. Sorry. Nothing personal. *insert Sad Trombone sfx*
Also, no play-by-play for Thursday's show. The show was awesome. Being there (again) felt right. Highlights: a beautiful and heart-wrenching Spit On A Stranger, a noisy and moody Fight This Generation, a gorgeous Fin, they ROCKED Kennel District, Heckler Spray, & Box Elder.
The band was business as usual and in a good mood. SM sounded slightly slurry at times and confessed to getting a lobotomy earlier in the day. It was endearing. Classic Pavement. He told us why the song Cut Your Hair changed his life- he got to move out of a studio apartment and into a 1-bedroom and that is why he will always love it.
I was a little disappointed in the amount of songs repeated from Tuesday, but again- I'm completely spoiled by jambands and as a reunion show, they hit the Important Points. They did mix it up a whole bunch, peppered in some randoms, and in no way were any of these shows identical. However, there were so many more/other songs I would have loved to hear: Blue Hawaiian, Passat Dream (siiigh), Folk Jam, Painted Soldiers, ... and Carrot Rope! 3 nights of Pavement and I'm bitching about repeats. Someone call the WAAAAHmbulance.
Stacking it up: Thursdays' show was a ton of fun, but Tuesday's show had some really intense energy that will forever hold a special place in my heart. Tuesday turned my insides to goo. Thursday, my insides were full of tequila, which is awesome in it's own way.
Poor Heidi got a migraine mid-show, I tried to convince her it was the Universe's way of telling her she needed to come on Friday too.
THURSDAY Grounded / Gold Soundz / Silent Kid / Date With IKEA / Unfair / Spit On A Stranger / Rattled By The Rush / Stereo / Loretta’s Scars / Frontwards / Stop Breathin’ / Shoot The Singer / Trigger Cut / Cut Your Hair / Fight This Generation / Two States / Fin / Summer Babe / She Believes / Range Life ENCORE: Kennel District / Shady Lane / Starlings of the Slipstream / Our Singer / Heckler Spray - Mellow Jazz Docent tease / In The Mouth A Desert / We Dance / Box Elder DL THE SHOW!! Thanks, NYC Taper! http://www.nyctaper.com/?p=4017
Thursday's not-quite-full moon over Pavement.
FRIDAY, 9/24/10
Friday night I met up with Mark and Jenna. We talked of monkeys and hopped in a Suicide Cab^ up to the park -> blocked streets, Secret Service Agents, "International Incidents" involving the Gotcha Media, etc., etc..
The show started off with a really loud, loose, and dominant Heckler Spray. A huge start to a huge show. In The Mouth Of A Desert was really satisfying and passionate. The crowd was singing along loudly. It was Friday night and no one was holding back. There was a lot of love in the room. Frontwards was beautiful. Spit On A Stranger was a lovely kind of space-y.
Shady Lane and sometime around then we tried to find a better spot to stand. I couldn't see at all (sadness!) and there was a really loud backup singer to our right... We wandered and finally ended up in a fairly better spot: on the raised deck in the VIP section on SS's side. Yah, slightly better. Thanks, Marquis. Also, I just have to mention this cuz I've had a million tall assholes stand in front of me at all types of shows who end up obstructing my view- but at this moment on this night, my line of vision was perfectly clear *because* of the person standing in front of me: a little person standing on a chair. HUZZAHS!
Spiral belted out an amazing Date With Ikea and thanked NYC afterwards-- he meant it. Grounded was wailing. They were playing with their souls... and we were eating it up! This might have been when Pavement fell in love with their Central Park audience. They played an aggressive Cut Your Hair, Perfume-V, and an inspired Conduit For Sale! kept it going- this was a ton of energy. Steve Goss, the dude who won the Jimmy Fallon contest and got to play Unfair on-air with Pavement the previous night- helped Bob scream along. Father To A Sister Of Thought slowed things down a bit but Stereo brought the electricity right back up, the whole place was bouncing and singing along. Starlings was wonderful. I hoped that the Secret Service agents lining the streets at the fancy Function that had the street closed down were paying attention. Gold Soundz was brilliant, comforting, cathartic. I was *SO* psyched to hear The Hexx!!! Mark and Spiral were freakin' glowing. Even Stephen Malkmus was smiling!!!
During We Dance, Mrs. Bob Nastanovich came out and danced with her husband, which was quite adorable.
Then... THE BEST SILENCE KID EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!! We were rocking the fuck out! Unfair, with Bob going totally beserk. Awesomeness. No Life Singed Her, Trigger Cut (wonderful and everyone was singing along), Stop Breathin' (haunting, another huge singalong), Elevate Me Later (a super-spirited trip), and a sweet Here to close out the set.
The great energy continued through the encores, starting with a huge Rattled By The Rush, a hypnotizing space-y Heaven Is A Truck, and a howling Summer Babe in which I happily watched Mark Ibold singing along while grinning ear-to-ear.
Pavement stood on the side of the stage and waited for us to cheer them on for the 2nd encore. The showmanship! Encore 2! A dreamy Kennel District (starring SS), then a rockin Debris Slide. Range Life was a wonderful goodbye to their 4 night run in Central Park. They brought out their friend Bryce Goggin to play a mini keyboard (he played keyboard on the album version), and this closed out the show. With the ending note, Spiral fell over.
Again, all through the show, Pavement used every opportunity to thank the crowd and it was genuine. The love was particularly warm and mushy Friday night.
Friday's was the type of show that repeatedly gave me goose-bumps. It happened again as I listened to the recording. If there is any hope of Pavement ever making new music together or even touring again, that Friday night show in Central Park should be all the reason they will ever need. Well, that and money of course. Either way, I'm in!
FRIDAY Heckler Spray / In The Mouth A Desert / Frontwards / Spit On A Stranger / Shady Lane / Date With IKEA / Grounded / Cut Your Hair / Perfume-V / Conduit For Sale! / Father To A Sister Of Thought / Stereo / Starlings Of The Slipstream / Gold Soundz / The Hexx / We Dance / Silent Kid / Unfair / No Life Singed Her / Trigger Cut / Stop Breathin’ / Ell Ess Two / Here ENCORE 1: Rattled By The Rush / Heaven Is A Truck / Summer Babe ENCORE 2: Kennel District / Debris Slide / Range Life DL THE SHOW!! Thanks, NYC Taper! http://www.nyctaper.com/?p=4025
Summing up: Tuesday was really special. Thursday was awesome too. Friday was beyond epic. Friday was the **GOLD STAR NIGHT WINNER** of this run!
It was really refreshing to see them all up there smiling and enjoying themselves. They did a whole damn tour together and they're still happy, so there's no reason to believe it won't happen again. I will miss them for however long it is in-between shows. Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting... Dear Pavement, Thank you for 3 (more) beautiful nights of music. Come back soon (10 years is kind of a long time, yah?). I miss you already. Love, meWhat was also abundantly clear is that the Pavement crowd is kinda chock full of hotties. This left me wondering where they all scatter to when Pavement's not playing? Cuz I'm pretty sure like none of them are seeing moe..
Pavement (it still feels good to type that out), 9/21, 23, & 24/10, Central Park: 10 FUCKING HUZZAHS!
SATURDAY, 9/25/10
Saturday morning I woke up with the hiccups. It lasted all day and into the wee early hours of Sunday morning. Still experiencing random bursts of hiccups into the wee early hours of Thursday morning. Pavement withdrawal, perhaps? Surely the shakes must be next.
Do yourself a favor and DL these shows! Thanks again to NYC Taper, for the outstanding recordings!
^ You know that feeling at the exact moment you realize you've gotten into the wrong cab? Dying before the Friday night Pavement show would have sucked.
And now for my Ween review, featuring The Great Ticket Debacle of 2010 to start off the night. Months ago, Erika and I decided to trade +1's for 2 shows at opposite ends of the Summer. Primus Faith No More at the Williamsburg Waterfront and Ween at Central Park. She got the Primus Faith No More tickets and I got the Ween tickets. I had been well aware of this arrangement, even to go so far as putting it into my calendar with the note "Erika is our +1".
Yet somehow, DOS, I said to myself, "Oh, I don't have to bring any tickets to this show, cuz Erika has this one". I only realized that was wrong when standing outside the entrance to the concert, on the phone with Erika (who was speed-walking from Yorkville to the show, which totally started on time, cuz it's Central Park.), who declared incredulously, "No, Lynn-- YOU have the tickets!" Me: That's crazy talk, you have th--- OH FUCK! (as I pictured the envelope with the Ween tickets on top of my stereo, which I had written "ween x 2") -> me buying Kochman's & some random chick's extra. There would be no trip to the merch booth that night. Bad Lynn, no merch.
Side-note: I was wearing a purple Phish Summer 2010 Tour t shirt and was approached by a dirty wook out front who wanted to know if it was a Phish t shirt. When I replied "yep", he immediately offered to sell me drugs. I have no idea what type of drugs, because it was some wacky code-name ("you have what?") that the kids use, but I wasn't really interested in finding out. "No... Thank you?"
At 7:30, the line to get into the Ween show was all the way down and twisting around the Drive. It looked as if they had closed the gates for a little while (no idea why), but then the show started at 7:32 and the (at least) hundreds of people still stuck on this line were not happy. For me, I may be doomed to never make it into a Ween show on time ever again, so I'm used to this shit by now. You can hear everything from outside the gate at Rumsey Playfield, but you're not really at the show until you are being blasted by the music inside. We finally walked in during Take Me Away and it sounded great.
It's nearly impossible to get a clear view of the stage at Rumsey Playfield if you're short. It's a losing battle. And then of course, the Ween crowd was like 94% shit-faced drunk male*, so a short girl ain't gonna win. In fact, I would consistently rank Ween shows up there at the top of the list of Shows I Get Shoved Around At. This is also exactly why I try to stay "friends" with the Ween crowd- because it's really hard to tell if some of them are a split second away from punching you in the face at any given moment. Salvo had an interesting theory on it- Ween have 2 kinds of fans: FAN A) The fans who enjoy loud jammy guitar rock like Ween but also appreciate jambands like moe., Phish, etc. (ie- hippies like us.). And FAN B) The fans that hate hippies like us. If ever a fight were to actually break out- although I am a hippie like me, I would still want to be on whatever side the FAN B's were on. They scare me.
someone snuck a giraffe into the show!
Halfway through the show, Ween busted into a mind-boggling and out-of-control cover of Bowie's Let's Dance-- absolutely brilliant. Around this time, we found some more of our friends on the far outskirts of chuck.side. There ain't nothing like a happy crew of friends to enjoy a show with! I didn't take a photo cuz my flash is all wonky, but here's an artist's rendering that captures the love perfectly.
Baumy totally called Spinal Meningitis.
At some point in the night, the Gener was standing at the end of the stage, radiating his rocker wonderfulness-- and I was ever-so-happy he is alive. The setlist was strong, lots of variety. They were shredding. Fancy Pants was a bit too over-the-top, sometimes their borderline parody stuff eludes me. Mark later made a similar comment about the entire show. I enjoyed pretty much everything else!
Since you've already read the majority of this review, this seems as good a time as any to tell you that while my body was at the Ween show, all I could really think about was Pavement. 3 days with one of my favorite bands of all time was fast approaching. As I type out this review, I also have a copy of the Pavement review open-- because it's really all I'm thinking about.
After the show, we played everyone's favorite game: Is Salvo's Car Still There? And it was! Yaaay! Salvo 1, Gossip Girl 0! Suck it, Gossip Girl!
Have Ween ever used pyrotechnics? If not, they should seriously consider it, even if it's just for special shows. It would just feel right.
Sorry folks, the ol' A.D.D. has clearly kicked into full gear! Ween, 9/17/10, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, NYC: 6.9 HUZZAHS!
SETLIST Buckingham Green She Wanted To Leave Bananas & Blow Learnin' To Live Transdermal Celebration Up On A Hill Take Me Away Don't Get 2 Close 2 My Fantasy Even If You Don't Push Th' Little Daises Sorry Charlie Voodoo Lady Happy Colored Marbles Stallion Pt. 3 Ice Castles> The Final Alarm My Own Bare Hands Your Party Let's Dance Touch My Tooter You Fucked Up Stroker Ace Waving My Dick In The Wind Fancy Pants Waynes Pet Youngin The Goin' Gets Touch Johnny On The Spot The Mollusk Spinal Meningitis Mister Won't You Please Help My Pony Roses Are Free
A couple of days after moe.down xi, my friend Mark texted me and wanted to know if I was "doing anything Jew-ey on Friday night" (9/10). When I realized that Friday was Rosh Hashanah, the text made more sense, and I confirmed my clearance. I had planned nothing Jew-ey, aside from probably blowing my allergy-stuffed nose multiple times and possibly saving some money. Thusly, he invited me to go see Todd Snider and John Prine with him at Governors Island-- which was totes awesome, but also meant I'd have to get on a boat^. Oh lawdy, lawdy!
What was particularly cool about this show, is that I didn't know that I already knew who John Prine was (Mark was like, "You fucking know who John Prine is."), until I looked him up and saw who he was! Ohhhh, THAT guy! Fucking cool!!" John Prine is an American songwriting legend. Johnny Cash used to cover his songs. Dude wrote "Angel In Montgomery"! Famously covered by Bonnie Raitt, less famously (but just as wonderfully) covered by Murky Currents- Tom Pirozzi and Max Verna of Ominous Seapods. Also- Todd Snider is fucking AWWWESOME. Hot diggity damn, this show was gonna KICK ASS!
But first, the boat. Ohhh, the boat. I met up with Mark, a Mike, and then suddenly a gaggle of people and we were all slowly herded onto the boat. As soon as we launched, the 9/11 Towers Of Light Memorial switched on, which was a sad reminder, but also very beautiful. Annnnd-- I didn't puke (at all)! Which was the best! Suc-cess!
When we offloaded, Todd Snider was walking on stage and we had to waaaaaait on another line to get in. Fortunately, we could hear everything as the venue is right on the beach (across from the southern tip of Manhattan). However, I like to see Todd Snider too, so I wanted IN. The place was starting to pack in and people from this last Ferry-batch were finding their spots. We darted past the tacky flashing neon palm trees (???) into the GA seated section to absorb the Todd Snider portion of the evening. This was my 2nd time seeing him and he is just so freakin' spectacular. Honest songwriting, humorous rage, and beautiful stories to tie it all together. He's brilliant and typically barefoot, but not this night. Some guy from the crowd wanted to know "what's up with the shoes?" Snider's response was "it's fucking freezing out!" Hearts.
Soon it was time for John Prine, a teeny, jovial guy, who doesn't ever seem to stop smiling, and has a huge stage presence that locks-in the audience in and never lets go. I have a theory on this, and that is: he is a thin candy shell, filled with chocolate. He was singing Sam Stone, to quote Mark, "The saddest song you'll ever hear." It's about a War Vet who is addicted to Heroin and includes the lyrics, "There's a hole in Daddy's arm, where all the money goes." and everyone who is listening to this, is SMILING... Full of chocolate!
Prine plays with a bass player (Dave Jacques) to his left, and an additional guitar player (Jason Wilber) to his right. These guys were straight-up pros. You can tell they've been playing together for years- it was all really fluid and they were having a lot of fun up there too. They apparently weren't always a trio and I am really curious as to what they were like with drums, keys, etc.. That lineup probably rocked too.
Prine sang a song called "Space Monkey", about a heroic and culturally shocked Space Monkey who was shot up into space by the Soviet Union in the 50's and didn't come down til the '90's, after Communism had collapsed, and it was a whole different world. Poor Space Monkey. This song may have changed my life forever. More songs should end with the words, "Space Monkey".
Todd Snider came out to help sing one of the encores, Paradise- which is exactly when Mark and I ran to the front rail to take pictures, like 15 year old girls. WTF?
Even though we were in the seated area, we stood on the side for the entire set. Sitting felt weird and standing was also keeping the blood flowing- it was chilly! Being layered up at a Fall show rules!
The beach on Governors Island was a pretty cool venue. One thing that kept catching me off guard were the well-timed foghorns from the Staten Island ferries passing right by. There were also a couple of boats filled with people that had anchored right next to the venue to enjoy the show, which was pretty freakin' neat (though, I'd totally puke).
The crowd provided for some real interesting People Watching. There was a particularly shitfaced woman near us who was like the 8th Wonder of the World- because I don't know how she got to the island... Does the Port Authority ship transients down the river now? She must have been psyched when she heard John Prine was coming. When Sam Stone began, she screamed out "OOOHTHIS ISH DA FUCKING ONE!!! ... oh no it's not..." (It wasn't so much a speech impediment as it was The Sauce and some missing teefs.). Mark said, "y'know I really don't ever want to see her vagina", but I think he did miss her once she vanished into The Battery. *insert foghorn*
The show felt like I was witnessing musical history-in-the-making, so I'm going with that. Between Todd Snider and John Prine, it was country-folk rock-Americana American Songwriting personified. It was a really special night.
After the show was a real treat too, I got to meet John Prine and his band (passed Todd Snider in the hallway-- swoooon). Everyone was super-nice, but the best part of the entire night was when the one and only Mr. John Prine himself, read us the story on the back of his Popcorn, Indiana bag of popcorn (apparently, made in Englewood, NJ). Then he lifted the bag up and made it dance around to the words "Popcorn, Indiana!"... I SHIT YOU NOT. Filled with chocolate!
And then I had to get on a Water-Taxi. UGH.
So, I guess the answer was ultimately, yes, Mark. I was doing something Jew-ey on Friday night (besides blowing my nose and saving some money)- and that was: neurotically concentrating on trying not to get sea-sick on a 5 minute ferry ride to Governors Island... and then again on the Water-Taxi ride back. Supplemented by a morbid curiosity of whether John Prine would write a song about it, if I puked right there in front of him while we were passing the (monumentally well-lit) Battery Tunnel's ventilation facility... And I hoped that song would end with the words "Space Monkey".
Todd Snider & John Prine, 9/10/10, Governors Island Beach, NYC: 8 HUZZAHS!
SETLIST (KINDA). These are some songs that Mark remembers (thanks for the notes AND the +1, Mark!) John Prine playing, in no particular order: Spanish Pipedream That's the Way the World Goes Round Sam Stone Lake Marie Glory Of True Love Bruised Orange Donald & Lydia Hello In There Grandpa Was A Carpenter Christmas In Prison Fish & Whistle Sabu Visits The Twin Cities Souvenirs Angel From Montgomery Space Monkey Picture Show Bear Creek Blues Speed At The Sound Of Loneliness Sins of Memphisto Please Don't Bury Me (1st Encore) Paradise (2nd Encore w/ Todd S)
