Shame. Yes, those of you who did not show up last week — and there are multitudes — missed Tanya Donelly singing the Beatles “Long Long Long” and her own beautiful, aching song, “This Hungry Life.” And then you missed where all of us took a break to go upstairs and enjoy the miraculous comeback by the Red Sox (alas! they have come up short this year). And then you missed us going down again and ripping it up on “Dirty Water.” And you missed an expanded rockestra that saw Matt Pynn on pedal steel, Sean Staples on mandolin, and Joe G. from the Click 5 on guitar.
(Thanks to Cathy P. for the photos)
You see what you miss when you decide 10:00 on a playoff night is too late? I shall not tell a lie; it was all friends and family last week. And I am, as Husker Du sang, hardly getting over it, hardly getting used to getting by.
Well, there are 2 more shows. Tomorrow, the 23rd is bound to be a night of sublime beauty and raucus rock music. I have no idea who is coming to join us. Then, the 30th will be the last live gig, perhaps ever for me. I may be giving up the music thing. Music is for kids. And for successful elder musicians.
OK, that’s not true. But what if it were? Would October 31, 2008 be the Halloween the Music Died?
Clearly it is time for me to end this post.
If I wasn’t there the night that Eddie Vedder showed up I would swear I miss all the great nights. Except such musings would leave the impression that the other nights are not great. Such is not the case at all.
I must admit that I believed I made the right choice going to the mecca of canned fun, in the state that has given you lefties so much consternation and us real conservatives constipation, after each loss in games 2, 3, and 4. We left the park and headed for a TV when the phone flashed that Papi had struck again. My only regret was missing a good show at the Lizard. Now it appears I missed more. Watching the magic in a Boston bar during a great show is a magic that the descendants of Walt just can’t create.
I must report that 90’s faves the Smithereens were playing the odd hour string at Epcot over the weekend. When I heard they were playing I figured it would be the lead singer with a band of hired hands crisply waltzing through a string of well rehearsed hits. I was surprised to find 3/4 of the line up was in tact including the drummer who I remembered as being quite the pro. The other surprise was Pat DiNunzio was pushing 375 lbs.. He was always the skinny angular performer with a balanced edges of melancholy and anger when performing matching the mood and theme of his songs. Now he was the jolly big man which struck an odd contrast with the edgier songs like “Wall of Sleep”. It works for Disney I guess. They played the hits and a few surprises and he smiled though the whole set. I got the impression on the flight down there he was worried he would be playing to a bunch of kids born long after his last major label efforts who would have danced to him playing Green Acres Theme. It was a mixed crowd but it was clear people showed up just to see them and those who stumbled in had “oh yeah I know this” reflections and decided to stay.
Tanya Donnelly is hot, sorry I missed her and her lovely voice.
Bill I hope being one of 2 conservative fans that if I show to one of the last pre-election shows that I will not be abused.
Never not enjoyed a BT/BJ performance…
Fear not MM. Bill doesn’t abuse. He just makes a stining hit and run comment and then heads to the santuary of the stage. Hmmmm…. sort of like the change to the blog format. Well that isn’t fair but it did take a gun toting tart from the tundra to pull Willam back in to engagment.
Mike – “Tart?” I can’t believe how sexist you are. She is a maverick – I know because she said so. Why do you hate America? You even live in one of the non-real-America parts of the country.
These Thursday nights are lots of fun – last week’s particularly so. Tanya Donnelly sounded amazing and Sean Staples always adds a lot (and the pedal steel was nice too – I didn’t catch his name). When Bill went to the break and word got around that the game had been tied, that room emptied in about 8 seconds.
Cathy and I were the last people in the Lizard (because they won’t let you bring a beer the three feet across the hall to the bar upstairs) – there was literally no one left. No band, no bartender. Weird. We downed our beers and watched the 9th upstairs. Fortunately it didn’t drag on for 5 more innings, and we all went back down to the sounds of Bill and the band working out “Dirty Water.” Someone bought the house a round (anyone know who that guy was? I don’t know if I’ve seen him before) – it was good times.
Sexist? I guess you didn’t get the memo that it is ok for the member of an abused minority group to make fun of itself even with off color terms and language. Perhaps we have unwittingly stumbled across yet another liberal double standard? Seems impossible there actually could be another as there have been so so many this election season that the selection of Mrs. Palin exposed. I half kid.
Funny enough this strange journey now sees “Mr. Foreign Policy Experience and Duende” hiding from the third estate. Mr. Gaffe-a-day hasn’t had a presser since Sept 14th yet Caribou Barbie has been available on the plane and and campaign stops on a regular basis according to several news outlets. Is the man who will help Obama stare down any International Crises really afraid of the press? What is he hiding? Does he not know the answers? Please do not insult me by saying that Sen. Plugs has been vetted and should be free from inquiry during a presidential conquest. What gives?
uhh, Mike, I was kidding.
Once you push my “hate America” button I just slip in to auto pilot Mike. You should know that.
Bill-I promise if you play over the holidays with BT or solo in Boston, I will be there, since I will be in town from DC. So start booking!