The Show You Saw Last Night: An Investigative Report

[Keith from TTIKTDA]

Well, I ended up becoming deathly ill last week, and missed all three Mountain Goats shows in New York.  Horrible, horrible disappointment, although I heard that the crowd at Southpaw was extra shitty and talked loudly throughout the set..

Yeah. Remarkably enough though, they shut up for Shadow Song, which seemed to give the moment quite a bit of power. So, wasn't all bad.

[TheNames]

I saw JBz, ratatatatat, and Mouse on mars last night. practically noone was there for  the jb set, which made me upset, plus their sound wasn't too good, but they played some new songs that kicked ass. I can't wait till their headlining their own tours and have better vibes at their shows. ratatat was ok. Mouse on Mars, as all of you who have seen them know, fucked shit up. It was a blast. I'd never seen the indie kids here dance so unreservedly. it was a warming sight. I got in a half-argument with some girl about why the jbz are 2465365 times better than postal service.

[The_Tourist]

like the thread starter, i saw mt. eerie last night at a coffee shop (moxies in chico, ca...john - come here i'll give you a show to play and a pull out couch to sleep on).

he ended up playing a very short set for some unknown reason, but it was definitely good while it lasted. songs went from one line and 5 seconds to the 5 minutes with some girls in the crowd scoring bonus indie points because he was looking for a place in redding to stay that night.

overall...good show, just short

[Keith from TTIKTDA]

there's another day of CMJ?

At this point, I am soooooo ready for it to all be over...

[convensive]

last night i saw Amy X Neuburg on the opening night of the local jazz festival... and tonight?... well, i just got back from seeing Amy X Neuburg playing a solo show at the local jazz festival...

this woman is amazing... number one with a bullet the greatest gig(s) i have ever witnessed... better than the time i saw the Dirty Three when i was 18 and Warren Ellis told the crowd that they had damn well better be in love... i wasn't, but i got talking to the girl next to me and she became my girlfriend and bandmate for several sweet months... until i killed her favourite potplant and she threw me out and i never saw her again, except for once in the street where she said 'hola' instead of 'hello'... better than Bonnie 'Prince' Billy last month, where he unironically sang about his "horny horn" and i felt warm inside while everyone else laughed...

[Jaiunchat]

Last night took me to the Black Cat 'erein Wershintin, DaySay.  
I saw the Highwater Marks, eh, they're from KY??  Nouf said, next!
The Sons and Daughters,  oh baby, oh baby. Scott Paterson, thanks for living UK rock. I'm sooooo hooked!
Clinic, gotta say, I was a little non-plussed and I wouldn't have minded if the Sons and Daughters had enough material to continue the final set.

[Lalitree]

I just got home from seeing Mission of Burma. Totally freaking amazing. I Clint Conley.

[TheNames]

I, like Missy, went to voodoo fest on saturday. And yes, it was glorious. The polyphonic spree were everything i'd hoped they'd be live. they really know how to put on an exciting show.  The killers were completely laughable and i nearly cried when i saw people around me really getting into it while singing the line "it's indie rock n roll for me" over and over again.  Sonic youth rocked the fucking boat, but i think i was one of the only people who really enjoyed their set. thurston jumped into the crowd at one point and just started wrestling people on the ground. plus i want to have jim o'rourke's babies, Junior style.  They broke into an awesome 5+ minute feedback drone at one point and put me into a warm coma.  Of course the highlight of the show was the pixies.  I danced and screamed along to pretty much every song. You know how sometimes when you're really rocking out to a song on the radio you kind of retreat to this blissful place in your imagination where everything's happy and right? That's how their whole set was for me. i didn't stay for green day or the beasties, but my joy quota was filled for the month.

[El_Josharino]

I saw Explosions in the Sky last night.  Holy crap.  They were crazy.  They played for almost an hour and a half straight, no pausing, just transitions from one thing to the next, and collapsed into heaps of rockin' on multiple occasions.  Hearing their music live was like being encased in pure sound.  It was nuts.  Awesomely nuts.

[TheNames]

Yes, they and Lightning Bolt share the throne for THE MOST ROCKINGEST LIVE BAND ON THE PLANET. i cannot encourage people enough to see them live. they are teh great.

[Andrew_TSKS]

a good friend of mine actually follows explosions in the sky on tour and tapes every show he sees. i think he's seen them like 25 times now, if not more.

[stephanie]

Though it wasn't last night.. I asked Eric Bachmann to play my good friend James' wedding on Saturday, and he did so with complete grace and courtesy, even leaving out a verse of "When U Were Mine" so as to not offend the more prudent among the revelers.

It was sort of a life-defining experience.

[Andrew_TSKS]

good god, i want crooked fingers to play MY motherfucking wedding! holy shit!

[stephanie]

good god, i want crooked fingers to play MY motherfucking wedding! holy shit!

Dude, I'm telling you:  it pays to be my friend.    It wasn't too hard, actually, cos Eric's one of the nicest people ever.. and bribes, even ones you can't afford, definitely help.  I just hope the whole deal went over well with the bride and groom.
Aside:  I'd rather die than get married, but on the off-chance I lose my mind and go against the only fundamental belief I've ever had, I want my wedding to be MC'd by Alan Sparhawk.

On a completely different note, I am super-bummed to've missed Explosions in the Sky in Chicago on Friday.  I had to be back in Milwaukee to get ready for the wedding before the first train from Chicago would've rolled in.  Sigh.  Next time!

[joegross]

De La Soul/Butta Verses/Jedi Mind Tricks/a bunch of local stuff

DLS: oddly, much, much better than they were in 1992, the last time I saw them, when they were bad beyond belief.

[Angus]

I saw Souled American last night.  

The drummer guy who bugged me when I saw them a month ago really bugs me now.  He plays 'abstract' wishy-washy crap over everything, EVEN SONGS THAT DID NOT HAVE DRUMS IN THEIR RECORDED VERSIONS!  But I'm sure he is playing what they want him to play.

You should still go see them, absolutely.  Grigoroff is one of my 3 or so favorite living singers, and he has been in spectacular voice both times I've seen them lately.  Joe Adducci is an incredible bass player.  You have to see that SA bass playing reproduced live.

[Lalitree]

You should still go see them, absolutely.  Grigoroff is one of my 3 or so favorite living singers, and he has been in spectacular voice both times I've seen them lately.  Joe Adducci is an incredible bass player.  You have to see that SA bass playing reproduced live.

Oh man, I really want to. Have a link to some tour dates?

[El_Josharino]

a good friend of mine actually follows explosions in the sky on tour and tapes every show he sees. i think he's seen them like 25 times now, if not more.

Not to be an imposing bastard or anything, but is there any way a fellow might get a copy of a show assuming your friend was, in fact, there?  I foolishly forgot my camera and the show was just far too great to not have some impression of it captured for later review.  And I would, naturally, be willing to offer imbursement in some way, shape, or form.

[justinh]

i saw explosions in the sky last year about this time and they were amazing.  what made it even better was that they were playing in this tiny basement club.  it was like the best of both worlds, seeing a band in a basement with a bar.  

i think i just missed them here a couple of days ago.  they were playing in a smaller town about 45 minutes south of minneapolis on a weeknight though, and i couldn't swing it.

[Andrew_TSKS]

josh--what show, specifically? let me know and i'll see what i can do for you (if he was there or can get a tape of it).

[El_Josharino]

October 17th in Omaha, Nebraska

Thanks a whole bunch.

[laurenmvb]

Well, I ended up becoming deathly ill last week, and missed all three Mountain Goats shows in New York.  Horrible, horrible disappointment, although I heard that the crowd at Southpaw was extra shitty and talked loudly throughout the set..

Yeah. Remarkably enough though, they shut up for Shadow Song, which seemed to give the moment quite a bit of power. So, wasn't all bad.

sorry this is an out-of-place post...i've been off the grid for a week or so, but i wanted to say that the shutting-up of the bar crowd at that particular moment in order for Shadow Song to come through was one of the more wonderous and amazing things i've seen happen at a live show.  i remember john joked around with the opening lines to Remix To Ignition and then he quickly said 'no, i want to play Shadow Song.' and then he started it, and an absolute, focused quiet fell over the room and it was powerful and good.  

and also i wanted to say what a thrill and a pleasure it was to be able to see John, JV, Scott, Peter and Dave kick it all together on stage, especially for Palmcorder Yanja, which just transmitted this insane energy out into the room.  there seemed to be a real joy between them at that moment, and it was really cool to be a witness to that.  

and i got a kick-ass Darnielle/Vanderslice 2004 shirt.  and picked up Peter's Diskothi-Q football albums. great night.

[Maaik]

Hoo boy, Vanderslice/Mtn. Goats @ the EARL, ATL Oct. 18th.

Vandy really pulled together a crack team.  Very tight.  Highlights for me were a bristling take on "Coming and Going on Easy Terms" and "Pale Horse" closing the set.  I've never heard him play so... loud.

John and Peter took the stage with John's newfound bipedal stage presence (Vanderslice told a funny story during his set about how they gave John a guitar with a strap and he didn't know how to wear it properly, hanging it around his neck rather than over the shoulder).  The request shouting began almost immediately, and John warned that his set list was comprised of a lot of his favorite quiet numbers.  After an update on the live Jandek performance in Scotland, the two eased into the best show I've seen them do yet.  He interrupted his set list to play some requests, and even taught Peter how to play "Color in Your Cheeks" so they could do that one.
Of course, the full band set closers were brilliant.  They tore voraciously into "See America Right" and "Palmcorder Yanja."  Then they did a cover of a song I haven't heard before, John dedicating it to everyone who's gone on a family vacation.  The chorus was "Rome wasn't built in a day."  What song is that?  It's a good one.  Has he been playing that in other cities?

There were two encores after that.  The first was just so beautiful.  He got Vanderslice back onstage to play "I Miss The War" with Solter on keys and John singing backup.  Hopefully it'll encourage him to play that one more often.
The third encore (!!!) was a full-on assault on "The Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton."  Horns aloft throughout the crowd, even my girlfriend getting her Satan Hailing on.  Perfect set, brilliant all-around.

I recorded it but haven't listened to it.  I'll let you know how it comes out.

[boganlux]

The third encore (!!!) was a full-on assault on "The Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton."  Horns aloft throughout the crowd, even my girlfriend getting her Satan Hailing on.  Perfect set, brilliant all-around.

I recorded it but haven't listened to it.  I'll let you know how it comes out.

I'm jealous! I saw him last Friday and he only did one encore and didn't play "The Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton" which is my favorite Mountain Goats song. I'm not that jealous because it was a great show. With the full band he,Aei sort of,Aei covered "I Will Survive" to the beat of the dance club next door to the venue as his encore.

[jebreject]

I recorded it but haven't listened to it.  I'll let you know how it comes out.

That sounds like it was a fantastic show.  If the recording sounds good, are you willing to share it?  Trade or something?