One Year

I started this crazy thing around a year ago... right around the time Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. It's been quite a ride, and one that just keeps getting better and better.

Lately, I'm unsure what direction to take this blog. It seems to be all over the map as far as content goes. For those in search of a stray haiku, I can't seem to cobble one worthy enough to share. Stay tuned.

Thanks for reading.
Cheers,
k.

Sweet Pea

Torrent Round Up

Tom Waits
2006 Orphans Tour on DIME

Aug 01 — Atlanta, GA NEW! UPGRADE.
Aug 02 — Asheville, NC
Aug 04 — Memphis, TN
Aug 05 — Nashville, TN
Aug 07 — Louisville, KY
Aug 09 — Chicago, IL [floor]|[balcony]
Aug 11 — Detroit, MI
Aug 13 — Akron, OH
Aug 13 — Cleveland, OH

Waits 08-13-2006 (HOB)

The definitive show of the 2006 Orphans tour
is available for download at DIME.

Tom Waits — House of Blues, Cleveland

A big thank you to all the tapers out there!

Ohio Redux

Tom Waits is larger than life, to be sure. His 2006 Orphans tour rolled into Ohio over the weekend, to play not one, but two shows. The Akron Civic Theatre is one of five atmospheric theatres (of its size) left in the United States. The ceiling is dotted with stars and clouds are in constant motion, giving the illusion of a night-time sky. It was like something out of a Harry Potter movie— a magical venue for the evening's first show.

Tom began with "Make it Rain" and with clenched fists and stamping feet, he preached his way through the song. Holding nothing back, Tom performed a full-on set that wasn't exactly a major departure from his other sets performed on previous nights, but not without its own signature. The highlight for me in Akron was comprised of Waits' piano portion of the show, which included such classics as "Tango Til They're Sore", "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" and "Tom Traubert's Blues."

During "Eyeball Kid" Waits pulled out some kind of lens which magnified his eye, which brought howls of laughter and smiles all around. I'd never seen anything like that before. He knows how to entertain, that's for sure. We were all rapt with attention.

A famous Akronite passed within a few feet of me on his way (presumably) backstage— one Jim Jarmusch. The snowy-haired filmmaker, whose 1986 film "Down By Law" features Tom, was hard to mistake in his dapper all-black suit.

There was a mad exodus out of the Civic, and within a matter of minutes, we were on the freeway, headed north to Cleveland. A few hiccups finding parking aside, it soon became clear that the show at the House of Blues was not going to start at the scheduled time. No worries. In line with the 'dogs, we talked about the show we'd just seen and speculated wildly about what Tom might do for the second show. Imaginations ran amok.

Flash forward to approximately 1:20 AM. The curtains are slowly pulled back on a motorized track, and there he is, band and all, pounding out the rhythm to "Goin' Out West." The crowd, now having waited in line for a couple hours or more, is re-invigorated as Waits clearly has a second round of mojo to spread around. Waits gave us our money's worth, and then some. Not a carbon copy of the previous show, he pulled out such gems as "I Wish I was in New Orleans" and "Johnsburg, Illinois." The latter, quite possibly the most poignant love song ever to clock in at around 1 1/2 minutes.

Clearly, he had us all in the palm of his hand for the entire night. He delivered the goods with sweat and vehemence. With eyes forced shut against the bright lights of the House of Blues, Waits gave us the show of a lifetime. He closed the show with "Buzz Fledderjohn" and invited us all to sing along with the "I ain't allowed... I ain't allowed..." portion of the lyrics. As the song closed, Waits pulled his hand out of his jacket pocket and spinning, tossed handfuls of metallic confetti about the stage & crowd. After doing this a couple times, he thanked us again, and then promptly disappeared.

A perfect ending to a magical night.

Akron setlist
Cleveland setlist

Waits 08-09-2006

Two Chicago torrents have surfaced.

"This one's for the balcony...

....and this one's for the floor!"

Tom Waits in Louisville

photo © Steve Mitchell, 2006

Superb photos from Waits' performance in Louisville, KY. Steve has captured Waits in his element—that is part carnival barker, part preacher— all showman.

See the entire gallery at MusicPix.net.

Waits 08-05-2006

Waits' performance at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium, available for download at DIME.
Keep on seeding!

Waits 08-02-2006

Asheville torrent available for download at DIME.

Asheville Redux

photo by Derek Anderson

The anticipation grew quickly with the playing about of shadowy figures on the yellow curtains. Intensely bright lights behind the stage cast long, upward shadows of the musicians, and each member of Tom's touring band came through singlely to the roar of 2,500+ fans. And then, there he was. There was no mistake-- with arms stretched out, as if readying to take flight, the gnarled fingers, which later would be playing beautiful piano medleys, were casting their own unique shadow upon the curtain. Waits paused, as the crowd whipped itself up into a frenzy, struck another pose, and then sliced through the curtain. What an entrance!

Tom promptly launched into "Singapore" and thus began a nearly two-hour set of a wide range of his material of his career. Having been in Atlanta the night before, I had a good idea of what to expect, but then again, this is Waits, and he is anything but predictable.

A little over a third into the set, starting with "Tango 'til They're Sore" Tom took a seat at the piano, and with Larry Taylor (who looks quite a bit like a younger Fidel Castro) plucking that dog-house bass, he tickled the keys of the old favorites. "Invitation to the Blues" from 1976's Small Change was one that I never thought I would hear live. Tom prefaced this with "This one's for my wife." I think everyone in the theatre that night was reverantly hanging on his every word for that song.

Often known for his witty stage banter, Waits remarked about how increasingly hard it is to get a bad cup of coffee, and how he's going back to instant-- "the key word being instant." Larry is big on instant coffee, apparently. Other highlights that are almost certainly out of order, was how Waits talked about the last time he was in Asheville, back in the 40's. He said it was for a film he was shooting with Gregory Peck, and how Peck wanted all of Tom's lines, and Tom gave them to him. He remarked about the good-looking crowd, and expressed desire to take us all on the road with him, and that the ushers were waiting to take our measurements so that he could have individual hard cases made for each of us, but he said that not only was it expensive, it was dangerous.

Tom gave the audience a double-shot of encores, leaving us with "Don't Go Into that Barn." The audience call back of "YES, SIR!" (and the lone "NO, SIR!") gives me chills when I think of it, even now. Tom has provided the soundtrack to roughly one-third of my life and while the tour has rolled on into Tennessee, the experience of seeing him live is absolutely unforgettable.

Asheville setlist

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Waits in Asheville

Tom Waits
02 Aug 2006
Thomas Wolfe Memorial Auditorium
Asheville, NC

Singapore
Make it Rain
Hoist That Rag
Shore Leave
November
God's Away on Business
'Til the money Runs out
All The World Is Green
Tango 'Til Their Sore
Invitation to the Blues
You Can Never Hold Back Spring
Clap Hands
Whistlin' Past The Graveyard
Heartattack and Vine
Who's Been Talkin' *
What's He Building in There?
Trampled Rose
Get Behind the Mule
Murder in the Red Barn
Goin' out West
Down In The Hole
Blue Valentine
Dont Go into that Barn

* this is actually a medley of Howlin' Wolf's "Who's Been Talkin'" with the line "Lie to me, baby" from another song. (thanks to Henk for clarification.)

photo by Derek Anderson

I went to Church on Tuesday...

and saw this man, right 'chere:

How fitting for Tom Waits to open up his 2006 Orphans tour in a converted Baptist church in Downtown Atlanta. The Tabernacle, as it is called, holds 2,500 and has towering 100' ceilings, 2 balconies, and plenty of floor space.

Lining up at 2:30 for an 8:00 show sounded like a fine idea, which paid handsome dividends. I was front and center, behind a single solitary person. The crowd didn't "rush" the stage which was a real blessing-- I thought it would get really compact once Tom came on, but no. It was going on 10 years in the making, but I was thrilled to finally get to see Tom live. "I know I been changed."

Here's the setlist:

Tom Waits
01 Aug 2006
The Tabernacle, Atlanta Georgia

Make It Rain
Hoist that Rag
Shore Leave
God's Away on Business
November
'Til the Money Runs Out
Blue Valentine
Lucky Day
Tango til they're Sore
House Where Nobody Lives
Don't Go into that Barn
Who's Been Talkin'
Whistlin' Past the Graveyard
9th & Hennepin
Trampled Rose
Get Behind the Mule
Murder in the Red Barn
Shake It

encore 1:
Singapore
Goin' Out West

encore 2:
Day After Tomorrow
Heartattack & Vine

photo by Matt