Reason No. 194 to Love NPR

Glitter And Doom: Tom Waits In Concert
Hear A Stunning Performance, Recorded At Atlanta's Fox Theater
By Robin Hilton

NPR.org, July 28, 2008 - A trip through the world of Tom Waits can be disorienting. His ramshackle story-songs, with their creaky instrumentation and dusty poetry, usually leave listeners with more questions than answers, and his persona outside of his music revolves around a playful but guarded mix of fiction and reality.

[continue reading from NPR.org]

The concert will be available at 12 a.m. ET.

Tom Waits — Atlanta, GA

05-Jul-2008, Atlanta
Fox Theatre

Even Waits needs to celebrate Independence Day... and with the generous offer of a stellar pair of Raindogs Tom and Sherry, we celebrated the holiday halfway between Birmingham and Atlanta, in a town called Oxford, AL. It was one of the best 4th of Julys I've ever had!

So after a wake-up in our rented motor lodge, we were once again on the road to Atlanta.

It's very clear that Tom cares about his fans. Even the ones that are still outside waiting to enter, as it became very evident this show wasn't going to start on time. No matter—none of these shows started at 8:00 PM. I'm cool and the gang with that. But for the punctual, I think there were some slight grumblings that he didn't start at the scheduled time.

For the show to be a tour closer, I was halfway expecting a slightly different show, but looking back, it was not much of a departure from previous stops along the way. But, it's still Tom, and sharing the room with such a commanding presence is reason enough to drive 6 hours.

I would be remiss in failing to mention the sax player Vincent Henry, who quite literally "doubled on sax" as he skillfully played two at a time during several points of the night. He was also behind the harp and could certainly give a Mr. Musselwhite a run for his money when it comes to playing harmonica.

Casey Waits has certainly matured as a drummer in the last two years. He was, in fact, the only returning member of this incarnation of the band. Waits' rhythm and tempo changes are frequent and can often change at abrupt moments during any given song, and Casey followed along near flawlessly as his father played the role of conductor, often giving very slight body movements as visual clues to the musicians.

All in all, this band played very very well together. Though I have never witnessed a searing Marc Ribot guitar solo, I find myself very content with the musicians Tom picked for his touring ensemble. It's the mark of a good band leader to surround himself with good musicians, and I applaud his choices.

Oh, one other thing... the version of "Eyeball Kid" played in Atlanta featured a brilliant mime of Tom plucking his own eyeball from its socket and tossing it up in the air. The band, who certainly had rehearsed this—they were spot on—provided sound effects to the playful tossing, juggling, and yo-yo-ing of the imaginary eyeball. At someone's shouting: "Go DEEP!" Tom did indeed throw the eyeball wayyy into the audience, and just as a yo-y0 would behave, pulled back on an imaginary string to retrieve the thing. It was brilliant, and brought a lot of laughs.

[edit: Here's a great video of Tom doing this bit in Paris.]


And while the tour has been over for me for a number of days... I still find myself thinking back to this final night, when all was seemingly right with the world. From the anticipation leading up to the show, to meeting 'dogs from all over the world, there was certainly no place I would have rather been on this night.

Sadly the road called me home, and quite possibly with the divine help of a tiny, bonafide St. Christopher, (courtesy of Dorene — It's still riding with me, too!) I chased storms all the way back to North Carolina.

Till next time...

---

Atlanta Setlist:

Lucinda / Down to the Well
Down in the Hole
Falling Down
Chocolate Jesus
All the World is Green
Cemetery Polka
Cause of it All / 'til the Money Runs Out
Such a Scream
November
Hold On
Black Market Baby
9th and Hennepin
Lie to Me

(at piano)

Lucky Day
On the Nickel
Lost in the Harbour
Innocent When you Dream

(off piano)

Hoist that Rag
Make it Rain
Dirt in the Ground
Get Behind the Mule
Hang Down Your Head
Jesus Gonna Be Here
Singapore

(encore)

Eyeball Kid (w/ mime)
Anywhere I Lay My Head

Once again... this set is courtesy of the inimitable Raindog-of-the-Year in my book, Shane C. via The Eyeball Kid.

Tom Waits — Birmingham, AL

03-Jul-2008, Birmingham

"The memories are short, but the tales are long."

Once again, the road beckons. Tom Waits, having wound his way through the constellation Hydra, was now in the deep South for the final two nights of the North American tour. Me and my good buddy Jason, a long-time fan (I take credit for his conversion) converged upon the city of Birmingham, he from Florida, me from North Carolina.

Once we were settled in our rented room, and with growing anticipation, we left our hotel and had a spirited walk through downtown Birmingham, cutting through Lion Park on our way to 3rd street. The Alabama Theatre is a gorgeous original grand theatre of yesteryear, and it's very evident why Tom chose such a venue for this stop in Birmingham.

Waits and his band were in full stride from the first song, and as he stomped his way through the raucous, but predictable "Lucinda / Down to the Well" medley, each boot stomp raised a dust cloud from the platform and hung in the spotlight like smoke.

The divinely inspired flamenco intro on "All the World is Green" by Latin guitarist Omar Torrez didn't immediately register, but nonetheless, the flurry of notes melded beautifully into the familiar, slow progression of the song from 2000's Blood Money. It was a beautiful addition, and I think even Tom bowed in his direction and barked: "Omar Torrez" just in case we didn't know who was playing such beautiful guitar.

Waits performed over two hours again on this stop, allowing us to ride with him as he took us on an imaginary trip, complete with off-beat characters, such as the never-before-performed "Poor Edward", and the somewhat of a rarity: "Frank's Wild Years" (performed 3 times on this tour of 13 dates.)

Birmingham Setlist:

Lucinda / Down to the Well
Down in the Hole
Falling Down
Hold On
Chocolate Jesus
Cemetery Polka
Poor Edward
Lie to Me
Hang Down Your Head
All the World is Green
Black Market Baby
Frank's Wild Years
Misery is the River of the World

(at piano)

Tango 'til They're Sore
On the Nickel
Always Keep a Diamond in Your Mind
Innocent When You Dream

(off piano)

Jockey Full of Bourbon
Make it Rain / band intros
Jesus Gonna Be Here
Cold, Cold Ground
November
Hoist That Rag

(encore)

Singapore
Dirt in the Ground
Come on Up to the House

setlist provided by Shane and The Eyeball Kid
to be cont'd...

Tom Waits — Knoxville, TN

29-JUN-2008
Knoxville Civic Auditorium
Knoxville, TN

The anticipation for Waits had plenty long to stew. For some, the wait had been a lifetime of listening, for others a couple of years, and for a lucky few, a matter of days. Be that as it may, the crowd in Knoxville was nearly overflowing with eager fans even when the hour of 8 PM came and went, and our idol didn't show.

"The anticipation will all disappear" I said, "once he takes the stage."

Knoxville was richly rewarded for their collective patience on Sunday night. All at once, the theatre grew very dim. There was movement on the stage... musicians taking their respective places... and then, the unmistakable chapeau, the scarecrow movements, the contorted fingers... and there he was.

What followed for close to 2 1/2 hours was nothing short of a carnival of sorts. Waits preached to us his own sort of gospel: "Way Down in the Hole", "Jesus Gonna Be Here", and "God's Away on Business." Stamping his feet on the raised platform, kicking up dust like a depression-era traveling evangelist, he took us through an inebriated travelouge that was at times very poignant "On the Nickel" (!) "Come on Up to the House" (please note: I want that song played at my funeral), and "Lucky Day".

Much like a cobra charmer, Waits has that rare capacity to completely captivate his audience, and he did just that in Knoxville. Though the set list relied heavy on "Doom", "Glitter" certainly did make an appearance. During "Eyeball Kid" Waits replaced his bowler with a mirrored Stetson hat and, with spot lights on cue, cast a disco-ball lighting effect upon us all. And true to the song "Make it Rain" he summoned a shower of silver confetti that covered the stage.

"Fannin Street", was a beautiful encore, followed by an equally beautiful rendition of "Come on Up to the House." Once the lights came up... the spell had lost some of its hold, as we were released into the Knoxville night, but the Raindog post-show gathering allowed us to relish the event we all were privilidged to see.

See you in Birmingham!

---

Lucinda/Ain't Goin Down to the Well
Way Down in the Hole
Falling Down
Hang Down Your Head
Chocolate Jesus
God's Away on Business
Get Behind the Mule
Metropolitan Glide
Trampled Rose
Cold Cold Ground
The Part You Throw Away
Black Market Baby
Rain Dogs/Russian Dance
On the Nickel
Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
You Can Never Hold Back Spring
Lucky Day
Innocent When You Dream
9th and Hennepin
Lie to Me
Jesus Gonna Be Here
House Where Nobody Lives
Eyeball Kid
Make It Rain

Fannin Street
Come On Up to the House

setlist via Shane / The Eyeball Kid

Tom Waits Receives Key to El Paso

I didn't even know they did this type of thing anymore, but apparently Tom Waits can now come and go as he pleases in the city of El Paso, TX.

From online accounts, as Tom was sitting down to tickle the ivories in a fashion that is all his own, a peace officer came out on stage to "serve him". Tom then started ad-libbing alibis for himself, when a woman came out and presented Tom the above plaque with the key to the city.

R.E.M. Redux

10-Jun-2008
Walnut Creek

It's been a long time since I've been on an R.E.M. high like this one. I suppose the last one peaked in my High School years, when Out of Time was released and "Losing My Religion" was all over MTV and the airwaves. That was back when the Public Library still lent LP Records... and subsequent cassette tape copies of Life's Rich Pageant, Document and Fables of the Reconstruction road shotgun in my first car.

In the days since R.E.M.'s latest tour brought them through the city of Raleigh, I've been on another binge. Each commute to work and home again has been peppered by the old songs, as well as some of the new.

I realize that I'm over a week late in posting any thoughts on this show, but this is more or less written for my own benefit, as well as any others whose memory will likely fail them when trying to recall little nuances of the show.

The one-time quartet of original members is now a trio with a couple of other musicians on stage, when on the road. Stipe performed in a bona fide suit, that was without a doubt very uncomfortable, as we were in a heat wave down in NC, with temperatures in the high 90's and even 100's. I didn't envy his attire in the least. But heat or not, Stipe put on a showman's show, and held nothing back. He even came off stage and into the crowd (although there was a barricade in place on the crowd level) nearing the close of the night.

The band treated us to several chestnuts during the course of the evening. Most notable to me were: "1,00o,000", "7 Chinese Brothers" and "Sitting Still". (I still don't know exactly what Stipe is singing on this one. I still get it wrong to this day singing: "Silly try for the big hill... wasting time, sitting still.") Good old Murmur. There's never been a more aptly titled R.E.M. album. Another highlight was a sweet rendition of "Let Me In" that was performed around a single mic, with Mike Mills at the piano. (I think this was the song, please correct me if I'm wrong on that.) And of course... seeing my long-time guitar idol Johnny Marr join them on-stage for my all time favorite R.E.M. song: "Fall on Me" was a moment I won't soon forget.

R.E.M. has such an extensive catalogue, that every time I've seen them (this was the 4th time around) I've been left wanting more. Be that as it may, they delivered the goods, and then some.

Long may you run.
Long may you run.

---

Harborcoat
Living Well's The Best Revenge
Bad Day
Whats the Frequency, Kenneth?
1,000,000
Man-Sized Wreath
Welcome To The Occupation
Accelerate
7 Chinese Brothers
Hollow Man
Imitation of Life
Houston
Electrolite
Walk Unafraid
The One I Love
Final Straw
Find The River
Let Me In
Horse To Water
Auctioneer (Another Engine)
Orange Crush
I'm Gonna DJ

Encore:
Supernatural Superserious
Losing My Religion
Pretty Persuasion
Fall On Me (w/Johnny Marr)
Sitting Still (w/Mitch Easter and Don Dixon)
Man On The Moon

[More info on the Raleigh show]

Tonight in Raleigh...

My first love in music.

A Concert-Goers Taxonomy

I lifted this from a Washington Post article from a number of years ago, but things really have changed very little since then, so this entire lexicon is still accurate—except for maybe all the smoking.

---

Just One Request
Going to A Concert? Don't Play The Fool.

By David Segal
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 20, 2004; Page C01

Nick Lowe has just finished 90 minutes of solo music at the Birchmere, a set that included all of his best-known songs -- except one. The silver-haired daddy of British pop hasn't played "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding," a track that he wrote and that helped make Elvis Costello famous in the 1970s. So everybody knows what's coming when Lowe returns to the stage for an encore. He strums the opening chords and a ripple of delight rolls through the room.

Then stops. A man in a striped shirt has wobbled up to the stage, a hand-drawn sign in one hand, a drink in the other. He edges so close to the spotlight that Lowe has no choice but to ask what he wants.

"Zmmuphhmen," comes the reply. Or something like that. Lowe looks baffled.

"What?" he asks, politely.

"Zmmuphhmen!" There's a Web address on the sign, and Lowe gamely tries to read it out loud. By now, whatever spell had mesmerized this room is gone, replaced by confusion, which is soon replaced by rage. All at once, fans realize what has happened. Their joy has been killed -- at least for the moment -- by a Concert Fool.

There is no escaping the Concert Fool. He (and every once in a while, she) is the chronic carbuncle on the butt of rock, an inflammation that makes it hard to really get comfortable. The Concert Fool is either unglued by music, or drunk, or unaware of the invisible line that separates civilization from anarchy. Or aware of the line but past caring about it. Mostly, the Concert Fool is having a great time because these guys rawwwwk and because it's a concert and up top, dude. Rock and roll!

Ultimately, the Concert Fool is confused. He believes that the rules of courtesy have been suspended during showtime, which isn't exactly true. Though it's not entirely false, either. At a typical rock concert, you get far more leash than you do at, say, the theater or the symphony. The Concert Fool, however, misconstrues limited license for an excuse to vomit on your girlfriend's pants.

Decorum at a rock concert is actually venue-dependent; what will fly at the 9:30 club, where bands skew loud and young, will get you tossed from the Birchmere, where the acts are generally quieter and pitched to adults. You need to sit down and zip it at the Birchmere and halls like it, which seems proper for a singer like Nick Lowe, whose distorted-amp days are well behind him. But even at 9:30 -- as well as the Black Cat, MCI Center, Merriweather Post and other venues -- you need a set of manners, even if those manners fall somewhere between the standards of decency for a baseball game and the standards of decency for a kegger. Most fans settle comfortably within that fairly broad range, finding a way to exult in the show without thrashing the collective buzz.

The Concert Fool, on the other hand, finds inventive ways to annoy. A wide variety stalk the nation's pop venues, and during my years as a pop-music critic, I've seen them all. So here's a field guide to what's out there -- a taxonomy, if you will, of show-going morons. Avoid them if you can.

The Singer wants to the world to know he's got a great voice. So he sings. Really, really loud, during the lulls, during the shrieks. All the time. Fans of James Mercer met a prime example of this genus of Concert Fool last year at Iota, when Mercer, the lead singer of the Shins, closed a showcase for the Seattle label Sub Pop. Toward the end of his set, Mercer played "New Slang," his most popular tune, but suddenly you could barely hear the guy. A Singer had chimed in -- eyes closed, shot glass hoisted -- at a volume loud enough to drown out the man everyone had paid to hear.

The Reckless Smoker -- A cigarette is a dangerous weapon around people packed together tight. At a Guided by Voices show in New York -- before that glorious smoking ban went into effect -- fans were so jammed one night at a club called Tramps that you had to applaud with your hands above your head. This didn't stop a guy behind me from lighting up -- and then singeing some unlucky fan standing in front of him. "Sorry, man," the Smoker said. No doubt this made the burn victim feel a whole lot better.

The Angler -- They arrived late, and they don't want to stand in the back. So the Anglers connive to get close to the stage, which is tricky -- and rude -- at a show that's sold out. The most inventive Angler I've seen waited till right before the first song and pretended to be on the verge of vomiting as he waded toward the lip of the stage. People leapt out of his way. When he got to the front, he just smiled.

More recently, at a Bob Dylan show, a woman murmured "That's my husband" as she nudged her way to a place at a forward section on the floor of the 9:30 club. She slipped an arm around a tall man and smiled as if greeting her mate. Which he wasn't. The man gave her a confounded look and a polite brushoff. Why she thought this would work is a mystery, but I had the sense it wasn't the first time she'd tried the gambit. In this instance she retreated, muttering: "What a jerk."

The Requestaholic -- They came for one song, and they're going to hear that song if it kills them. Which it nearly did at a couple of Bruce Springsteen's solo shows during his "Ghost of Tom Joad" tour in 1996. The Boss asked fans at the outset not to shout for tunes, and in those cities where the Requestaholics wouldn't stop, Springsteen threatened to ask fans nearby to take matters into their own hands.

For performers, you can imagine the frustration, especially at a show for an album like "Joad," which was somber and low-key. Anyway, most set lists are cooked up well before a tour hits the road, so shouting is nearly always pointless. It's just annoying. One of the few things I remember about the Steve Earle show at the 9:30 two years ago is a twit who screamed "Jackalope Eye!" at least 25 times over the course of the show. Earle tried to shut him up by doing a belittling impersonation of him. But the true Requestaholic won't let a little humiliation get in the way.

"Jackalope Eye!" he screamed during the very next break.

The Talker -- The bane of nearly every show. A shocking number of ticket buyers regard rock concerts as ideal moments to catch up with friends. I can remember a pair of women nattering through a My Morning Jacket concert, a guy flirting shamelessly with a mini-shirted damsel at a Peaches show, a half-dozen drinkers at Iota who didn't seem to realize a band was in the room. The most stupefying Talker I've seen was at a Melissa Etheridge show at the Warner Theatre, a woman who called a friend on her cell phone just as Etheridge hit the stage.

"I'm at the show! Yeah, Melissa just came on! Yeah! Can you hear me? What? Can you hear her? What?" There were murderous stares from everyone in her vicinity -- and then verbal threats -- but it didn't matter. The dedicated Talker doesn't care.

The Stander -- Ordinarily, this is not a big deal. But if everyone else is sitting, it can lead to violence. At a Peter Gabriel show at MCI Center, one Stander, a thirtyish woman in jeans, had the misfortune of blocking the view of a true Concert Fool (see Grabber, below) who slapped her rear end when she refused to have a seat. She ran for the cops, and he hustled out of that section of the arena, presumably to watch the show from another seat.

The Grabber -- One who grabs. See above.

That's the list. If you recognize yourself in any of these categories, let me ask a favor on behalf of everyone else who loves live music: Stay home and wait for the DVD.

Even if there won't be a DVD.

Pretty please?

---

original article link

Wilco — 19/20-Feb-2008 — Nights Four & Five

As I'm writing this, I'm on a comfy couch back in my home state of NC. The Residency shows are still being played over in my mind, and, lest I forget, I want to write a few lines about the last couple of nights.

Tuesday was frigid. I think the wind chill temperatures on that day alone put all the others to shame. Something like minus 19 Fahrenheit. If you're dressed warm... it doesn't kill ya. While stamping out the cold in line, there was a snaggle-toothed jolly old chap armed with a bottle of vodka, and a never-ending cigarette that made his way up and down the queue of concert-goers. He was quite a dancer, too. It was all good.

The show on Tuesday was broadcast on the web for the masses, and one thing was soon evident: the "free-range" Andrew Bird wasn't on stage. Perhaps it had to do with a music labeling issue. The show was bookended with the same song, essentially: "Outta Mind (Outta Site)" (slow) and "Outta Site (Outta Mind)" (fast). I'm not sure if they'd ever played both in a single set before now. Only Wilco could pull that off!

At the end of the night, fatigue was beginning to set in, and with one more show left to go, many opted, myself and companions included, to forgo any late-night festivities and head on to bed.

We rested some more on the following day, choosing to conserve our energy and nursing our developing colds in order to maximize on the rocking later that night. At this point, many of our new friends were coughing and sniffling, and there were even reports of flu-like symptoms going around. (An aside: We are all sick a week later.)

To those keeping score, we knew that Wilco had played 90-some percent of the promised catalog, and we were really poised for an off-the-hook show for the final night. And that's just what we got.

A few highlights for the night: "Pieholden Suite." In all honesty, I never imagined this song could sound as good as it did. The "Total Pros" horn section really drove this ditty home, and I have a newfound appreciation for this Summerteeth track. "When You Wake Up Feeling Old" seemed especially apropos on this night, for reasons already mentioned. "Blood of the Lamb" from the Mermaid Avenue recordings was a sweet gospel song that would have made Woody proud.

Nels brought back this Macramé-d owl during the latter part of the show. I first saw this back in June, 2007 at Charlotte. An unexpected surprise came when John, who usually eschews blatant rock-star moves, actually jumped off the half-stack during "I Got You" (I think.) At this point, it's all blurring together, but all of us down front simply erupted with screaming and yelling. They were putting on the finishing touches to an historical series of shows, and had energy to spare. It was utterly contagious.

The night didn't end w/ the raucous "Dreamer in My Dreams" although that was the last track they played. We made it down the block to the Fat Cat where we celebrated for a couple hours afterwards. Dehydration had begun to settle in, and it was simply too early to call it a night. Our new-found friends were all there, although some of them regrettably had to get an early start on the trip home. In the end, the warm relationships formed over the Residency were no match for the Chicago winter.

---

Night Four

Outta Mind (Outta Site)
I Must Be High
Impossible Germany
Radio Cure
Leave Me Like You Found Me
Company In My Back
Handshake Drugs
War On War
Shake It Off
Summerteeth
In A Future Age
ELT
A Shot In The Arm
Poor Places
Reservations
Spiders
On And On And On

-break-

Hotel Arizona
Too Far Apart
Was I In Your Dreams? (w/ horns)
Misunderstood
Someday Soon
California Stars
Hate It Here (w/ horns)
The Thanks I Get (w/ horns)
Walken (w/ horns)
I'm The Man Who Loves You (w/ horns)
I'm A Wheel (w/ horns)
Kingpin
Outta Site (Outta Mind)

-encore-
The Late Greats

---

Night Five

Sunken Treasure
One By One
Shouldn't Be Ashamed
You Are My Face
Side With The Seeds
Pot Kettle Black
War On War
Pieholden Suite (w/ Andrew Bird & horns)
Muzzle of Bees (w/ Bird)
It's Just That Simple
Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway (Again)
I Thought I Held You
What Light (w/ horns)
When You Wake Up Feeling Old
Summerteeth
Jesus, Etc. (w/ Bird)
Walken (w/ horns)
Hummingbird

-break-

Via Chicago
Blood Of The Lamb (w/ Bird & horns)
Can't Stand It (w/ Bird and horns)
Boxful of Letters
Heavy Metal Drummer
Hate It Here (w/ Bird & horns)
The Thanks I Get (w/ Bird & horns)
Just A Kid
Red Eyed & Blue (w/ Bird)
I Got You (w/ Bird
Casino Queen
I'm A Wheel
Less Than You Think (13 minute drone w/ Bird)
I'm The Man Who Loves You (w/ horns)

-encore-

Dreamer in my Dreams

Wilco — 18-Feb-2008 — Night Three

Night Three.
After a restful Sunday to recharge our batteries (or thaw out, however you want to look at it) we were fired up to brave some bone-chilling cold (minus 5 degrees F with the wind chill) to stand in line once again. The friends we have made along the way were a welcome sight as we anxiously chattered on about the previous two nights of Wilco goodness.

Lining up early has always paid huge dividends, and tonight was no exception. Once the doors opened, we were able to score spots against the front railing, just in front of Pat.

Some highlights I scribbled down from last night:

The interplay with Nels and Andrew Bird during "Hesitating Beauty."
Jeff testifying on "You are My Face" "I have no idea how this happens...."
Nels on "Shot in the Arm" jumping up and down, acting like a crazy man.
During "Kamera" Jeff was smiling wide at Nels playing the 12-string electric.

Between songs, Jeff quips "This next one is from our first record." To which the crowd replied with applause. Nels directs him to check the setlist... and Jeff covers by saying: "This is from our first record you bought." This brought some jeers, and then Jeff says something to the effect that he "...always has to shit in the punchbowl." I shot a glance over at John, who was smiling and shaking his head in agreement. It was pretty funny. The band then launches into "Jesus, etc."

After "Pick up the Change" Jeff kept wearing the harp brace (which looks like some kind of orthodontic device) just to keep the crowd pleased. I think he said something to the effect that he might start just wearing that around all the time, since it brought great applause.

Horns on "Walken" — Holy canoli! Those guys were good! Pat's rock star moves during "Walken" are just getting better and better. The lighting effects on Pat really allowed him to bask in the spotlight during this song.

Leading up to the last song prior to the break: "I'm the Man Who Loves You" Jeff strikes the first note... and quips that it would be the last song of the set. They were doing it the way the "Dead used to do..." and that we could use the break to pee, get a beer, whatever. Then he said that that note, and he played it again, actually makes them have to pee.

During "Via Chicago" the cacophony coming from Glen's drumkit was paired with a vicious light show that shot red and white lights all over the stage and into the audience, only to halt in time with Glen.

"Monday" rocked my freakin' socks off.

Blue-Eyed Soul
Remember the Mountain Bed w/ Andrew Bird
Bob Dylan's 49th Beard
Hesitating Beauty w/ Bird
That's Not the Issue w/ Bird, Pat on banjo
Wishful Thinking
You Are My Face
Side with the Seeds
A Shot in the Arm
We're Just Friends
Kamera
Handshake Drugs
How to Fight Loneliness w/ Bird
Jesus, Etc. w/ Bird
Should've Been in Love
Pick Up the Change
Theologians
Walken
I'm the Man Who Loves You

-break-

Via Chicago
Impossible Germany
She's a Jar w/ Bird
Say You Miss Me
Box Full of Letters
I'm Always in Love
Hate It Here w/ Bird, horns
The Late Greats
Red-Eyed & Blue
I Got You (At the End of the Century)
Monday
My Darling

-encore-

Can't Stand It with horns
Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway (Again)

Wilco — 16-Feb-2008 — Night Two

Night Two.

Lessons learned from night one-- if we wanted to continue to have a good vantage, we'd still have to line up early outside the Riviera. No worries, we were in great company with VC'ers and our newly-minted friends from Day One were also stomping the cold from their feet and the anticipation for what Wilco would do launched many a conversation.

Lining up a little over 2 hours ended up paying great dividends, as the club quickly filled up with a veritable sea of people shortly after the doors opened.

The show opened with Tweedy coming on-stage alone, and, armed with an acoustic guitar. At first it seemed he might open the night with a solo song, but the remainder of the band joined him and they began with a subdued Someone Else's Song. It was clear this wouldn't be a carbon copy of the previous night's set, even though there were several repeats from night one.

A surprise entrance by violin and whistling virtuoso Andrew Bird was in store for tonight as Bird joined Jeff for a whistle duet during "Red-Eyed & Blue". Bird lent his classic violin-playing skills for several songs throughout the night.

Other highlights:
Pat Sansone's rock star moves on "Walken."
Jeff's guitar shredding on "I'm the Man Who Loves You." On this song, this is *all* Jeff, as Nels takes a breather from the frenetic fret board action.
A rocking "Casino Queen" from the band's debut... which led to a perennial crowd pleaser: "Kingpin." Jeff mentioned that since we were a hometown crowd, we already knew what to do, but he still needed to remind us to scream at the top of our lungs during the call-back portion of the song. (an aside: My throat still hurts.)

My personal highlight of the evening belongs to "Dreamer in My Dreams." They've obviously rehearsed this 1997 track well, and I have a great feeling this one will be entering in the regular rotation at post-Residency shows in the coming days. Just when you think it's over...

At the shows closer, Jeff said he'd see us on Monday, and after nearly 2 1/2 hours of playing, the band exited the stage. The only problem was: we were not going anywhere. I spied Sue Tweedy in her private box doing the rock show cat call, and we simply yelled to the top of our lungs until the band came out once again. A *true* encore!

The band gave us a pair of songs to close out the night, the last an awesome rendition of "Hoodoo Voodoo" which featured Pat and Nels trading off some of their best kick-ass guitar licks a la Dueling Banjos-style which conjured up a Guitar Hero "battle" in my mind. They had given us everything and more. With the past two nights behind us now... it's difficult to guess what they'll have in store for us on Monday.

Setlist:

Someone Else's Song
Hell is Chrome
Handshake Drugs
Muzzle of Bees
Via Chicago
I'm Trying to Break Your Heart
Hotel Arizona
Shot in the Arm
Impossible Germany
Its Just That Simple - John on vox
When You Wake Up Feeling Old
Too Far Apart
Jesus Etc. w/Andrew Bird
Forget The Flowers w/ AB
Dash 7 w/ AB
Christ For President w/AB
Walken w/ horn section
Im The Man Who Loves You

-break-
The Late Greats
Heavy Metal Drummer
Red Eyed & Blue
I Got You w/ AB
A Magazine Called Sunset
Monday w/ horn section
Casino Queen
Kingpin

-encore-
ELT
Hoodoo Voodoo

Wilco — 15-Feb-2008 — Night One

So... I'm in Chicago, waking up after the first night of Wilco's five-night stand at the Riviera Theatre. During this stint, they are endeavoring to play every song they've released on the official recordings, plus a smattering of b-sides, Mermaid Avenue tracks, and surprises.

I'm still reeling.

More thoughts to come later, but I really just wanted to dust off the cobwebs of this blog (contrary to what folks might think, I'm still breathing) and gather my thoughts on what will very likely be the one and only time that Wilco attempts such an undertaking.
Set list for Night #1:

ELT
Shot in the Arm
Side with the Seeds
You are my Face
I am Trying to Break Your Heart
Pot Kettle Black
At Least that's What You Said
What's the World Got in Store
When the Roses Bloom Again
Airline to Heaven
Ashes of American Flags
Either Way
Jesus Etc
Too Far Apart
Can't Stand It
Sunken Treasure
Spiders (Kidsmoke)

-break-
Misunderstood
Far, Far Away
Why Would you Wanna Live
Impossible Germany
Sky Blue Sky
Please be Patient with Me
Cars Can't Escape
Hummingbird

-encore-
Hate it Here
Walken
I'm the Man who Loves You
Heavy Metal Drummer
Candyfloss
Outtamind (outtasite)

"... and I couldn't be any closer to you now"

Wilco
20-OCT-2007
Charlottesville, VA

This young lady made yet another appearance on-stage at last Saturday's Wilco blowout in Charlottesville, VA. That's right, Lilac Rain joined Jeff Tweedy on-stage during "Hummingbird" and sang right along with him, much to the delight of all those in attendance. I was proud to be able to capture the moment once again, as I was up close—front and just left of center.

My Wilco-mate and I lined up well in advance, and it paid handsome dividends, as we knew it would. Charlottesville is the last stop on the North American tour (if you don't count the Voodoo festival in N'Orleans, which is a truncated set) and they pulled out all the stops on this one. It seemed to me that this show was a real gift to the fans—a 2 1/2 hour long set to tide us over until 2008.

[further reading] More Lilac Rain moments & photos from Charlotte, 2007 and Chapel Hill, 2006.

The setlist was as follows:

---

Sunken Treasure
You Are My Face
I am Trying to Break Your Heart
Shake It Off
Handshake Drugs
Impossible Germany
Sky Blue Sky
It's Just That Simple (w. John Stirratt on vocals)
Muzzle of Bees
A Shot in the Arm
Side With the Seeds
Hummingbird
War on War
Via Chicago
Jesus, etc.
Too Far Apart
Walken
I'm the Man Who Loves You

Encore 1:

Misunderstood
Hate it Here
Heavy Metal Drummer

Encore 2:

Red-Eyed and Blue >> I Got You (At the End of the Century)
Casino Queen
Outtasite (Outta Mind)
Hoodoo Voodoo

Encore 3:

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

---

For much of the show, I was torn between watching Tweedy and watching Nels Cline. He is without a doubt, their secret weapon on the electric guitar. He'll enter a near-trance during songs such as "Impossible Germany" and "Spiders" attacking the strings (up & down the fretboard) with various objects, including a screwdriver, and some other kind of whirly-gig device. Add to that a myriad of pedals which he operates with his hand and multiple electric guitars, and you have a formidable musician which adds layers upon layers of electric frenzy to the songs.

John took center stage, and sang his "It's Just That Simple" drawing back some 12 years ago, while Jeff picked up the bass and let John have the spotlight for a change. This rarity produced immense applause, and a genuine smile of humility crept across John Stirratt's face as he accepted it. An updated (read: rocked-out) "Too Far Apart" and "Casino Queen" were also sweet tracks coming from A.M.

It's Just that Simple.mp3
Wilco 20-OCT-2007, Charlottesville, VA

Jeff commented about the audience being "off the hook" and the band really seemed to feed off of our energy, which was no doubt markedly different than that of previous nights. This due in large part to the fact that it was a GA show in a college town—not the kind of show one sits down for, nosiree. In fact, the entire second encore was a blistering crowd pleaser that ended with one of my favorite tracks from the Mermaid Avenue recordings: "Hoodoo Voodoo".

The night wrapped up with the epic "Spiders" and had it not been for the curfew, I believe the band could have gone on for a little longer. This was certainly one of the musical highlights of my year. I can hardly wait to hear whats next.

John Vanderslice | Bishop Allen Redux

John Vanderslice
Duke Coffeehouse Durham, NC
21-SEP-2007

It's hard to follow up such a bolus of music that ACL provides all at once. It's like eating a Thanksgiving dinner, three days in a row, and then going out for a snack a little while later. Be that as it may, the much-blogged and much-loved artist known as John Vanderslice was coming to Durham and I was bound and determined I wasn't going to miss him. I was literally shocked when I found out that he was playing at Duke Coffeehouse, a student-run venture that serves no alcohol, and will allow maybe 200 people inside, only if they don't breathe or move around so much. The number is probably closer to 175 or less. So yeah, I was not going to pass up the opportunity to see an artist of such big renown in a small intimate venue.

Bishop Allen opened up the night with a really great set. Drawing most recently from their stellar release The Broken String they really got the crowd's blood flowing with songs such as "Click, Click, Click, Click", "Flight 180" and "Rain". The touring version of the band I saw was a sausage party. Much to my dismay, this cutie did not come with the piano. But no matter, these boys rocked, and put on a very energetic set to prime our ears for JV.

John Vanderslice opened with my favorite song from the new record: "Kookaburra". I have grown to really embrace this song and all its metaphors for that fateful day in September, 2001. You know the one. Vanderslice has captured an emotional time-capsule from those events in the envelope of not one, but two albums. Other songs that speak openly of these events "Exodus Damage" and "Trance Manual" were also in tonight's set.

The aforementioned "Exodus Damage" is just as powerful today as it was two years ago. Consider the lyrics:

So you hope that one person
Could solve everything
And for me, that's you
Sometimes that dream
Is a sad delusion
But sometimes it's true

There's loads of truth in its simplicity.
Hear for yourself: John Vanderslice — Exodus Damage.mp3

At the close of the show, JV with acoustic guitar in hand, along with entire band, left the stage and brought the music to center of the audience. He himself stood on a coffee table next to me, and I couldn't resist firing off a couple of shots with the digicam. He's an intense performer, as illustrated here.

After the show, he was available to chat at the merch table and was amiably greeting fans and signing records. It was an intimate venue, and an intimate show, which I greatly appreciated after coming off of ACL. It had a house-concert feel to it, and I was very glad to be there. I only hope John Vanderslice makes his way back in town sooner than later.

For more 'Slice:
check out the video performance of "Kookaburra" courtesy of JV and Stereogum.

on Amazon:

[John Vanderslice – Pixel Revolt, 2005]
[John Vanderslice – Emerald City, 2007]

ACL Day Three - The Poet Laureate of Rock and Roll

Austin TX, Austin City Limits Music Festival
Day Three, 16-SEP-2007

There was a sea of people in motion crowding around the AT&T stage nearing the close of ACL 2007. Having just left the Wilco set, I considered my hunger for a moment, and realized it would be a shame if I left Austin without having a BBQ sandwich from Stubb's. After satisfying my hunger, I tried making my way close, but it was painfully evident I would be nowhere near the stage, and the screens would likely be the size of postage stamps, but I was there, I was going to hear Dylan, and that was good enough for me. I opted instead to hang back, and enjoy the show from afar, and in doing so, preserve some semblance of personal space around me.

photo by: Jay Jenner, Austin American-Statesman

I could barely make out that Dylan was playing guitar, but there was no mistaking that it was him in the center of the stage, playing his Fender Strat at least at the beginning of the show. Dylan's re-working of essentially his entire catalog is well-documented. Anyone who has ever seen him live in recent years can attest that oftentimes his songs are unidentifiable until he begins to sing. Tonight was no different.

Dylan's set included a pair of songs from my all-time favorite: Blood on the Tracks. Rumour has it that Bob played "Buckets of Rain" at the pre-show set the night before at Stubb's BBQ. Highlights for me included "Summer Days" during which I watched a couple of older couples swing dance on the lawn very playfully. I rather enjoyed seeing that spark of spontaneity. "Ballad of a Thin Man", "Things Have Changed" and the closer "I Shall Be Released" were other high points for my ears.

For those who were unable to attend the show, or want to relive the concert experience, I offer the show to you. The mp3's are encoded at the highest bit rate possible. The only thing I ask is, don't circulate burned copies for trade— such copies pollute the gene pool when it comes to trading shows. If you are torrent-savvy then look for it at the Trader's Den. That said, Enjoy!


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Bob Dylan
16-SEP-2007 Austin City Limits Music Festival

01. Intro
02. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
03. It Ain't Me Babe
04. Watching The River Flow
05. Spirit On The Water
06. The Levee's Gonna Break
07. Tangled Up In Blue
08. Things Have Changed
09. Workingman's Blues #2
10. Highway 61 Revisited
11. Nettie Moore
12. Summer Days
13. Ballad Of A Thin Man
14. [crowd noise]

Encore:
15. Thunder On The Mountain
16. Like A Rolling Stone
17. band intros
18. I Shall Be Released

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

ACL Day Three

Austin TX, Austin City Limits Music Festival
Day Three, 16-SEP-2007

My aunt graciously dropped me off on S. Lamar Blvd. amid all the other concert-goers, depriving me of the joy of riding the Capitol Metro Bus for the third day. In all honesty, I had grown accustomed to the random people I met on the buses, and liked the anonymity of riding. But I digress...

The first issue of the day was to attempt to get some kind of medical attention for a bloody wasp sting that I had acquired the day before. My middle finger had swelled to about twice normal size, and when the only advice I got from the medical tent was: "Well, we can take you to the hospital." I quickly said "No thanks" and turned on my heel. There was no way I was going to miss any of the acts today.

While making my way to the AT&T Blue Room stage for The National, I caught some familiar tunes by Yo La Tengo. I didn't think I'd get there early enough, but I was glad to hear at least a bit of their set. But for me, the stage was setting for The National, a band that has quickly captured my attention in the coming months leading up to ACL. I jockeyed for position amid the growing throng, and sweated along with the rest of them. It was most probably the hottest part of the day, but when the band started up with the beginnings of "Start a War" I swear I had goose bumps; it mattered not that it was in excess of 90 degrees. Drawing exclusively from their last 2 albums, and most heavily from 2007's The Boxer (not that I minded) The National really wowed me for such an early show. I was proud to have been amoung those who caught their set. Matt Berninger's smoky smooth baritone was the perfect way to jump right in to day three here at ACL. It was with some trepidation that I left the crowd early.

photo by: danfun

It turns out that leaving The National early paid huge dividends when it came to seeing Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Having been turned on to their release just a few weeks ago, I was thrilled to find that I had made my way all the way up front, without being a prick about it. I literally walked all the way up front. Grace Potter's sound is an amalgam of rock, blues with a touch of gospel. She and her band really tore up the WaMu tent during their hour-long set. Bonus points: she plays a Gibson Flying V.

photo credit: disheveled

After Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, I made my back over the park to see Lucinda Williams. While milling about, friends from 2 nights before recognized me and I was glad to see some familiar faces for a change. Charlie and Christiana were having some cold white wine, but that didn't really appeal to me since it was so hot... but we chatted about politics and the bands we'd seen while waiting for Ms. Williams to take the stage.

To be honest, I thought her set was uninspired. Having seen her 3 times now, I can make an easier decision to see someone else the next time. But mostly I was glad I was in the vicinity for the next act on the bill: Wilco!

photo by: David Mead

Jeff Tweedy and the band took the stage roughly an hour later, and I had to break away from my friends who wanted to hang back a little farther than I'm used to... so I made my way up closer, but it soon became apparent the crowd was just too compact up front, so I looked for a spot behind some shorter folks, and patiently waited. I met another couple who are stage actors in Austin, Tom and Robin. They were Wilco newbies, and were very excited about seeing them the first time. I shared in their excitement and we chatted a good bit before the show started.

Jeff came onstage sporting a spiffy cowboy hat (which didn't stay on his head long.) They started off the set with "You Are My Face" which is one of my favorites from the new record. They drew deep from their catalog, with songs from 1995's A.M.: "Casino Queen" and "Too Far Apart". The latter, I'm fairly certain I've never heard live before now. And I've seen them 16 times. They also played several choice cuts from the 1996's Being There "Red-Eyed and Blue" >> "I Got You." Probably my 2 favorite songs that run back to back on the album. I was glad that Tom and Robin were treated to a good mix of old and new. It brought joy to me to see them so happy and full of enthusiasm at seeing them for the first time. Afterwards, I bid them farewell to them, but not before exchanging information.

Next up: Bob Dylan.

ACL Day Two

Austin TX, Austin City Limits Music Festival
Day Two, 15-SEP-2007

With yesterday's fire a distant blip on the radar (and maybe after delivering some replacement Port-a-Sans) today's lineup proved just as white-hot. Actually there was a fire today, at the Arcade. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

For me, the day started with a set from Steve Earle. A longtime fan, I have missed more than one opportunity to see him live (even had a ticket for a show once that I never used - long story) but it was good to hear such classics as "Ft. Worth Blues", "Tom Ames' Prayer" and the perennial crowd favorite: "Copperhead Road." Earle was joined on stage with his wife Alison Moorer for several numbers. A surprising closer to the set was a cover of Tom Waits' "Way Down In The Hole." Perhaps the most notable thing about Earle's set was that the first 1/2 of it was just him and his acoustic guitar, and the other 1/2 included a DJ on stage. This is the direction he has taken on his latest album; I'm not sure I like it. Be that as it may, I'm glad I finally got to catch Steve Earle live.




















photo credit: flux-rad

The next act for me was a "sleeper" hit for me: Andrew Bird. Aptly named, Bird can whistle and warble like a bird. It's an instrument all on its own. A talented multi-instrumentalist, Bird primarily stuck to the violin and plucked the strings on this instrument, as if it were a tiny 4-stringed guitar, and alternated with a rosined bow as well. I had never heard any of his songs save for "Imitosis" but I'm glad I took a chance and caught his set. The ethereal "A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left" from 2005's Mysterious Production of Eggs translated well to the large festival audience. Having seen Andrew Bird live, I can now say I am an instant fan of his work. I look forward to catching a full set from him in the future. Here's a free mp3 from his website:
Andrew Bird — Heretics.mp3

photo credit: Mark C. Austin

Just up the hill at the AMD stage, Sheffield, England's finest export: Arctic Monkeys took the stage. These young lads rocked the crowd with their wholly British observations. I was further back than I wished, but thanks to the giant screen left of the stage, lead singer Alex Turner's expressions were not lost. Particular song highlights were: "Fake Tales of San Francisco" and "When the Sun Goes Down" which they played coincidentally, as the sun was going down. I expect the Arctic Monkeys arc of fame to continue to rise.

Now to the fire I alluded to earlier... Arcade Fire took the stage after the Monkey's departure. There was a sea of people vying to get close to the stage for this one, which didn't surprise me at all. Having seen them 2 years prior, I knew that they would bring an unrestrained energy that would blow us away. Drawing heavily from their latest record: Neon Bible the 11+ (I'm still uncertain just how many musicians there were) members of Arcade Fire made the very most of the 75 min. set.

photo credit: Jay Janner, Austin Statesman

Particular highlights of their set were "Keep the Car Running", "Intervention", "Windowsill" and "Rebellion." Win Butler didn't smash his acoustic guitar (like he did on the SNL appearance) but it did have the same Creole proverb lettered in tape: "Sak Vide Pa Kanpe." [An empty sack cannot stand up]

One thing that I need to point out– all these musicians are really talented, and are proficient in several instruments. Case in point, Régine Chassagne played keyboards, accordion and even rocked a full drum kit. (In fact, she looked as comfortable as Meg White behind the drums.) Near the end of the show, one of the rotating percussionists jumped into the no-man's land that separated the crowd into left and right hemispheres and banged on his drum up and down the strip while ardent fans tried their best to touch him. A nightmare from a security standpoint, but this guy just banged on his drum with reckless abandon up to the very end. Absolutely amazing energy. If they could have swung from the rafters, they would have.

Day Three on it's way...

ACL Day One - Hotter than a Trailer on Fire

Austin TX, Austin City Limits Music Festival
Day One, 14-SEP-2007

A little after my arrival at Zilker Park, a fire broke out in a food service trailer . Soon, an ominous black cloud of smoke was seen from all points in the field. There were some injuries reported by the news stations (4), but what with the potential for propane and propane accessories to rupture and explode, it could have been far, far worse. Honestly though, the Texas heat wasn't nearly as bad as it was two years ago. The 94 degrees or so was quite bearable.


In some kind of sequential order, here are some of the highlights of Day One for me:

• First act of the day for me: Joseph Arthur & the Lonely Astronauts. These guys really rocked. I caught about 1/2 of their set, and it whetted my appetite for the musical smörgåsbord ahead of me. Arthur has some ace guitar chicks in his band.
  
• After JA's set I caught some shade and a bit of Spiritual fulfillment from the sounds of: The Wonderful Harmonizers in the WaMu tent.
  
• Caught a full set by Blonde Redhead, followed by an autograph session with the band at the Waterloo Records tent. All very gracious, not to mention very patient artists. They said they were coming back to Chapel Hill soon to my joy.
  
• While waiting in line at the auto tent, caught the familiar 80's sounds of Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over." I love the song, but honestly, it was the only one I wanted to hear. It's also the only Crowded House song I know.
  
• Saw a bit of Joss Stone's act, but mostly walked about, milling about killing time before...
• Spoon! Playing to essentially a hometown crowd, Britt Daniel and company really put on a great set, drawing a good deal from their latest Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. Bonus: I met a really cool couple from Bee Cave, Lance and Jill.
  
• Afterwards, we made our way to the food court and hung out while listening to Rev. Horton Heat spread his evangelistic mix of psychobilly voodoo. I heard that the good Reverand was a late addition to the line-up... and I for one, was glad of that.
  
• Somewhere along the way, the Texas sun decided to set, and after getting some refreshing beverages, we made our way over to the AMD stage for The Killers. We met some more cool people and opted to simply hang out while the throng of people made their way to the exit.
  
• The walk down Barton Springs which brimmed with a cacophony of conversation, some en Espanol. People seemed very happy and also very tired. A few sleeping children were being pushed along in strollers, some with rosier-than-normal cheeks.
• A cinnamon sno-cone from Molly's while waiting for the CAP Metro bus.

Day Two is on the way... I'm quite tired and unable to type effectively due to a bloody bee wasp! sting on my left middle finger. Joy.

Cheers,
b.s.

What would we be without wishful thinking?

The New York Times should redo their masthead:

"All the news that's fit to print — and some that's not."

I regretfully contributed to the blasphemous rumor that Wilco would be performing alongside Billy Bragg on 17-Oct when I wrote this post on Woody Guthrie. It appears the band will be in Detroit that very same evening. Billy Bragg will be performing the songs of Woody Guthrie, but without Wilco.

My apologies.
– b.s.

Saving Grace

I received the most glorious treat in the mail today. It was the sort of package that can actually change the mood of one's day. Yes, dear reader. Great mail can change the outlook on a day. It can add a bounce to one's stride and provide that much-needed light at the end of the proverbial work-week tunnel.

For me, that light, just happened to be a nocturnal sort of light... as in Grace Potter and the Nocturnal's latest release: This is Somewhere.

Though but twenty-four, Grace has the presence and vocal range of a seasoned musician twice her age. The album's opener, "Ah Mary" is a politically-charged rocker, but only revealed as such near the end of the song when ah, Mary becomes 'America.' Brilliant!

Fans of Tift Merritt's brand of vocal stylings would instantly fall for Grace Potter. Her voice easily lends itself to rockers or piano-type ballads, as evidenced by the opener "Ah Mary" (see video below) and "Apologies" a love-gone-awry ballad that is tender, but firm.

"It hurts me that I didn't figure it out before,
and now it's too late for a soliloquy
way too late for dignity
it's time for apologies."

The album brims with a blend of genres, ranging from roots-y blues rock to gospel. A very solid offering from a band that is really turning this newfound fan's ear on its edge.

I look forward to catching their set at Austin City Limits Music Festival next week. They play 2:30-3:30 at the WaMu stage on Sunday, 16-September. Put the sunscreen on, and show up early. I promise you it'll be worth getting there early. See you there.

+ Grace Potter & The Nocturnals — Ah Mary.mp3

Grace Potter performing "Ah Mary" on Leno:



[Grace Potter & The Nocturnals on MySpace]
[buy the record, already]