Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The culmination of....a really long time.
Cross-posted from Facebook:
Chances are if you're reading this, I've tagged your sweet, sweet ass. I forewarn you that this will be long, I will babble at times, but if you've got the tenacity to trudge through it all, there's a definite reward at the end. It will all become justifiable, I assure you.
I was a little late to the whole Ryan Adams game (which I am to almost everything, if you know me). I fell into fandom by sheer coincidence, an aligning of the stars, if you will. (Maybe someday, when you're older, I'll tell you the story. It's pretty neat.) Over the last week and a half since I've been home, I've been wrestling with the state of transition that my life has been immersed in for the last 6 or so months. All around me, the people I know are breaking up, getting engaged, staying in love, uprooting their lives, moving on, having babies, getting sober, getting drunk and getting on with the day to day circus that life somehow manages to be. Seems as good a time as any to be writing this, as this marks the end of a four year chapter for me. In those four years, my life has been defined by working and saving vacation days to fly to the ends of the earth to see a band that has become like a bad junkie habit. What follows are four years of memories of what I've seen, what I've done, how I've changed, and who I've known along the way. If your name is in this note, there's a definite chance that there's a memory (or two, or three...) in here about you. If there's not, you'll most likely identify with some of it. You've lived it too. A good majority of you have become like my surrogate family. I talk to most of you more than I talk to my real life friends. We've probably been to a show or two together, laughed at the same shit, or maybe you're just a voice on the phone or an email in my inbox. Regardless, I'm sharing this with you because you've been there, done that...just like I have.
"There's this kid, Ryan Adams...you ever heard of him?", Elizabethtown (the movie), Winding Wheel (first listen), "My brother is a fag for Ryan Adams.", discussions about Gillian Welch and Kim Richey in between shots of Old Crow, "When you live in the shadow of insanity, the appearance of another mind that thinks and talks as yours does is something close to a blessed event. Like Robinson Crusoe's discovery of footprints in the sand.", message board song breakdowns, name twins, English (Irish, really) guys (and girls for that matter), the kind acts of strangers (Orestis!), front and center (short but stacked), 13-minute What Sin cherry breaker, "That new bass player guy sure smiles alot...is he stoned?","No more love on the run...", romance novels and plans for the new "Chicken Is Da Bomb" eatery, "On a freezing Chicago street...", crazy cab drivers and their lost Manilow/Diamond/Streisand tape collections, Mulligan's, Jameson, texting across the table, my dog's obvious affinity for Irish men, staying up late to read setlists, harmonicas chocolate cupcakes and Barry Manilow records, porch sitting listening to the Elizabethtown Sessions on someone else's iPod, Patron and Neko Case, the 5am bar blitz at Midtown Billiard's, returning the Louisville karma to Orestis, Carolina Rain blue cave, "This is a girl's skate only.", getting stoned and walking to the Santa Monica Pier, swimming in the dark, Mango margaritias, cravats and frilly shirts, Abuelita's in Topanga, Red Stripes and Jamaica, War Memorial on a rainy night, Doug and Tara, wine and skyline in Brooklyn, Union Square, searching frantically through all the sex shops in Greenwich to buy hooker heels, " ...of red devil wigs and eyelashes", Michele, Kevin, Chip, Sheikh, Chrissie, Darth Hipster, the Greenwich Village Halloween parade, my better half's awesome other half, Doug's balloons, "No, the Stanley Cup is bigger.", Letterman at 11th Street, Phil Lesh at Nokia, Bob from Cape Cod, running into random friends in random places in Manhattan, the drunk flight home, clutching Kevin through Ryan's Salem buzzsaw of a show, Mockingbird shout outs to Michele, tripping on High Street post-show, "You look just like my room mate. It's so weird, I think it's freaking me out.", "Here, let me light your cigarette. Going to Seattle? Good. I'll be looking for you to light your cigarette again, ma'am.", actually getting said promise standing on the corner outside the Paramount, warm fuzzies second row, Down In A Hole, never seeing Michele as beautiful as she was dancing in the dark corner, 8 rum and cokes and a dance party back at the hotel, heartbreaks and heartmends, people that don't get it, people that get it better than you'd expect, keeping Shangri-La in business, running unexpectedly into friends at every show you go to, Cold Roses on vinyl (specifically Meadowlake Street, on a record player on the front porch with a bottle of whiskey and a pack of Camel Lights), Santa-fucking Cruz, Ludwigshafen (!!!!), Exit/In, Hatch show print, Wilmington, Shane, the Plant/Krauss show that never happened, tattoos, blog updates, blog meltdowns, Neal's pictures, Jon's pictures, Oh(io)!, song improvs, skinny scarves and sunglasses, Indiana, 5 hour energy shots, "Indianapolis: the Paris of the midwest!", conversations about poop (don't ask), overflowing glasses of Guinness and Stella, gum garnishes on drink glasses, lucky shirts, texting exclamations mid-show, Meadowlake Street 9/29/08, "And she's got the brown eyes, yeah and they're pretty as hell...and they'll burn through your shirt if you're holding her still...", Michele: "Twinkle, twinkle!", Changes (official tour mascot), Dave, Shannon & Matt, Graboff's shoes, "That Sink Ships is a pretty tune.", gyros on Broadripple, the genius that is the iPhone, Bartering Lines (every single fucking time), Tennessee (home), "The end is nigh!", War Memorial part 2, Jen & Angie, button down shirts and cowboy boots, promises of Jameson consumption, dancing so frantically to Shakedown that I had the shakes for the rest of the night, Francesca & Susan, "While it may be nostalgic to those raised in Nashville's nascent indie scene, my first impulse upon reacquaintance with Shadow 15 is to turn on today's youth to this under-appreciated band.", Marna Taylor is quite possibly the most beautiful and endearing woman I've ever met, Elizabethtown (a great place to stop and pee), The Brown Hotel, beer for lunch, lucky lighters, obsessive gum chewing, Stones '73 European tour, bbq, St. Patrick's day, retardedly ridiculous tricked-out pimp rides, bowling shoes still smell funny, Jethro Tull karaoke, Pentax cameras, Killian the Silky O'Sullivan mascot, running into ex-boyfriends at shows, earnest misunderstandings, running into people at gas stations (hello Joel!), scotch and those that sip it, speeding tickets, the long horrible drive to Mobile, The Battle House hotel, the acoustics in the Saenger theater, "That's what the fucking presale was for...idiot...", drinking free Heinekin on the street corner, piano bars, texts of encouragment, hugs and cheek kisses, trudging til the end with every fiber of strength and grit, my cousin and his beautiful new fiance, crossed fingers, 4th row carnage with Carrie and Joel, Brad drumming like a man possessed, ridiculously sick-o pedal steel, Goodnight Rose and the tears that followed, a most graceful final bow if I ever saw one, raiding the minibar, Monteagle TN, home.
Love you all. It's been a helluva sweet ride. I'll be seein' ya.
"...and if I close my eyes, I can still see you dancing, laughing loud and undiminished."
As pretty as a song
A song could ever be
Like Christmas on a river
Without a boat or Christmas tree
This afternoon with you was something like a letter
The kind that someone writes but never sends
And when you look at me
You remind me that someday it's gonna end
And when you pass on
I bet you miss your friends
As simple as a breeze
Tugging hard upon the sail
Been moving through these streets forever
From Baltimore to Amsterdam
This afternoon with you was something like a letter
The kind that someone writes but never sends
And when you look at me
You remind me that someday it's gonna end
And when you pass on
God, I bet you miss your friends
As pretty as a song
A song could ever be
Like Christmas on a river
Without a boat or Christmas tree
This afternoon with you was something like a letter
The kind that someone writes but never sends
And when you look at me
You remind me that someday it's gonna end
And when you pass on
God, I bet you miss your friends
Miss your friends
God, I bet you miss your friends
Chances are if you're reading this, I've tagged your sweet, sweet ass. I forewarn you that this will be long, I will babble at times, but if you've got the tenacity to trudge through it all, there's a definite reward at the end. It will all become justifiable, I assure you.
I was a little late to the whole Ryan Adams game (which I am to almost everything, if you know me). I fell into fandom by sheer coincidence, an aligning of the stars, if you will. (Maybe someday, when you're older, I'll tell you the story. It's pretty neat.) Over the last week and a half since I've been home, I've been wrestling with the state of transition that my life has been immersed in for the last 6 or so months. All around me, the people I know are breaking up, getting engaged, staying in love, uprooting their lives, moving on, having babies, getting sober, getting drunk and getting on with the day to day circus that life somehow manages to be. Seems as good a time as any to be writing this, as this marks the end of a four year chapter for me. In those four years, my life has been defined by working and saving vacation days to fly to the ends of the earth to see a band that has become like a bad junkie habit. What follows are four years of memories of what I've seen, what I've done, how I've changed, and who I've known along the way. If your name is in this note, there's a definite chance that there's a memory (or two, or three...) in here about you. If there's not, you'll most likely identify with some of it. You've lived it too. A good majority of you have become like my surrogate family. I talk to most of you more than I talk to my real life friends. We've probably been to a show or two together, laughed at the same shit, or maybe you're just a voice on the phone or an email in my inbox. Regardless, I'm sharing this with you because you've been there, done that...just like I have.
"There's this kid, Ryan Adams...you ever heard of him?", Elizabethtown (the movie), Winding Wheel (first listen), "My brother is a fag for Ryan Adams.", discussions about Gillian Welch and Kim Richey in between shots of Old Crow, "When you live in the shadow of insanity, the appearance of another mind that thinks and talks as yours does is something close to a blessed event. Like Robinson Crusoe's discovery of footprints in the sand.", message board song breakdowns, name twins, English (Irish, really) guys (and girls for that matter), the kind acts of strangers (Orestis!), front and center (short but stacked), 13-minute What Sin cherry breaker, "That new bass player guy sure smiles alot...is he stoned?","No more love on the run...", romance novels and plans for the new "Chicken Is Da Bomb" eatery, "On a freezing Chicago street...", crazy cab drivers and their lost Manilow/Diamond/Streisand tape collections, Mulligan's, Jameson, texting across the table, my dog's obvious affinity for Irish men, staying up late to read setlists, harmonicas chocolate cupcakes and Barry Manilow records, porch sitting listening to the Elizabethtown Sessions on someone else's iPod, Patron and Neko Case, the 5am bar blitz at Midtown Billiard's, returning the Louisville karma to Orestis, Carolina Rain blue cave, "This is a girl's skate only.", getting stoned and walking to the Santa Monica Pier, swimming in the dark, Mango margaritias, cravats and frilly shirts, Abuelita's in Topanga, Red Stripes and Jamaica, War Memorial on a rainy night, Doug and Tara, wine and skyline in Brooklyn, Union Square, searching frantically through all the sex shops in Greenwich to buy hooker heels, " ...of red devil wigs and eyelashes", Michele, Kevin, Chip, Sheikh, Chrissie, Darth Hipster, the Greenwich Village Halloween parade, my better half's awesome other half, Doug's balloons, "No, the Stanley Cup is bigger.", Letterman at 11th Street, Phil Lesh at Nokia, Bob from Cape Cod, running into random friends in random places in Manhattan, the drunk flight home, clutching Kevin through Ryan's Salem buzzsaw of a show, Mockingbird shout outs to Michele, tripping on High Street post-show, "You look just like my room mate. It's so weird, I think it's freaking me out.", "Here, let me light your cigarette. Going to Seattle? Good. I'll be looking for you to light your cigarette again, ma'am.", actually getting said promise standing on the corner outside the Paramount, warm fuzzies second row, Down In A Hole, never seeing Michele as beautiful as she was dancing in the dark corner, 8 rum and cokes and a dance party back at the hotel, heartbreaks and heartmends, people that don't get it, people that get it better than you'd expect, keeping Shangri-La in business, running unexpectedly into friends at every show you go to, Cold Roses on vinyl (specifically Meadowlake Street, on a record player on the front porch with a bottle of whiskey and a pack of Camel Lights), Santa-fucking Cruz, Ludwigshafen (!!!!), Exit/In, Hatch show print, Wilmington, Shane, the Plant/Krauss show that never happened, tattoos, blog updates, blog meltdowns, Neal's pictures, Jon's pictures, Oh(io)!, song improvs, skinny scarves and sunglasses, Indiana, 5 hour energy shots, "Indianapolis: the Paris of the midwest!", conversations about poop (don't ask), overflowing glasses of Guinness and Stella, gum garnishes on drink glasses, lucky shirts, texting exclamations mid-show, Meadowlake Street 9/29/08, "And she's got the brown eyes, yeah and they're pretty as hell...and they'll burn through your shirt if you're holding her still...", Michele: "Twinkle, twinkle!", Changes (official tour mascot), Dave, Shannon & Matt, Graboff's shoes, "That Sink Ships is a pretty tune.", gyros on Broadripple, the genius that is the iPhone, Bartering Lines (every single fucking time), Tennessee (home), "The end is nigh!", War Memorial part 2, Jen & Angie, button down shirts and cowboy boots, promises of Jameson consumption, dancing so frantically to Shakedown that I had the shakes for the rest of the night, Francesca & Susan, "While it may be nostalgic to those raised in Nashville's nascent indie scene, my first impulse upon reacquaintance with Shadow 15 is to turn on today's youth to this under-appreciated band.", Marna Taylor is quite possibly the most beautiful and endearing woman I've ever met, Elizabethtown (a great place to stop and pee), The Brown Hotel, beer for lunch, lucky lighters, obsessive gum chewing, Stones '73 European tour, bbq, St. Patrick's day, retardedly ridiculous tricked-out pimp rides, bowling shoes still smell funny, Jethro Tull karaoke, Pentax cameras, Killian the Silky O'Sullivan mascot, running into ex-boyfriends at shows, earnest misunderstandings, running into people at gas stations (hello Joel!), scotch and those that sip it, speeding tickets, the long horrible drive to Mobile, The Battle House hotel, the acoustics in the Saenger theater, "That's what the fucking presale was for...idiot...", drinking free Heinekin on the street corner, piano bars, texts of encouragment, hugs and cheek kisses, trudging til the end with every fiber of strength and grit, my cousin and his beautiful new fiance, crossed fingers, 4th row carnage with Carrie and Joel, Brad drumming like a man possessed, ridiculously sick-o pedal steel, Goodnight Rose and the tears that followed, a most graceful final bow if I ever saw one, raiding the minibar, Monteagle TN, home.
Love you all. It's been a helluva sweet ride. I'll be seein' ya.
"...and if I close my eyes, I can still see you dancing, laughing loud and undiminished."
As pretty as a song
A song could ever be
Like Christmas on a river
Without a boat or Christmas tree
This afternoon with you was something like a letter
The kind that someone writes but never sends
And when you look at me
You remind me that someday it's gonna end
And when you pass on
I bet you miss your friends
As simple as a breeze
Tugging hard upon the sail
Been moving through these streets forever
From Baltimore to Amsterdam
This afternoon with you was something like a letter
The kind that someone writes but never sends
And when you look at me
You remind me that someday it's gonna end
And when you pass on
God, I bet you miss your friends
As pretty as a song
A song could ever be
Like Christmas on a river
Without a boat or Christmas tree
This afternoon with you was something like a letter
The kind that someone writes but never sends
And when you look at me
You remind me that someday it's gonna end
And when you pass on
God, I bet you miss your friends
Miss your friends
God, I bet you miss your friends
Friday, March 27, 2009
She came here from Memphis...
I can't recall a better time I've had in Memphis than this one. St. Patrick's Day. Music and shiz going on. So stoked I was able to play tour guide with some new people around town. This was everyone's day off, band and followers included. Which was a sweet reprieve from driving all over God's green earth.
Highlight of the entire night/day: watching some random dude do Jethro Tull's Locomotive Breath at a karaoke dive on Beale, complete with flute parts and everything. Yes, he brought his own flute. This dude meant business.
I was way too ambitious with my drinking plans, and pushed the envelope way too far. Which meant that I didn't end the night with my usual ritual of ending up on the roof of the Peabody admiring the river and Autozone Park. I ended up facedown on my bed back at the hotel, dreaming/hallucinating that some guy at said karaoke bar had done a song and played an accordion. Oy vey. How was I ever gonna explain this one to myself in the morning?
That said, the next day I spent a good majority of the morning/afternoon driving back home to take care of a few things that I'd let slip past me before I left for Nashville. Got back soon enough, and got ready for the show.
I knew Minglewood Hall was bad news the first time I ever laid eyes on it. The place is set up so wiggity-whack, and there were too many things going on at once for it to be conducive to a good show. The last time I was there was for their grand opening/Old Crow Medicine Show/Felice Brothers. I remember only the beginning of the show, as I had had only *A* beer, the rest of the night was a blank. I spent the next three days recovering from leg cramps and a hazy memory, took myself to the doctor and had a drug test done. Somebody had dosed my drink. I do, however, remember the cheeseburger I had on the way home. It was decent at best.
Moving on....
Whit and I decided not to wait in line for the GA section. I knew it was gonna be crowded and hot, and we spent only the first few songs somewhere in the middle of the crowd. The venue was serving food, as well as 4 or 5 different lines for beer. There were random sections of seats set up around the place, and even a section of tables and chairs for folks to sit at. What the fuck was going on in this place? I'm pretty certain a good half of the crowd spent the entire show outside smoking, as I came up for air once to go outside and smoke during the set break and had to shoulder my way in between people to make it to the balcony railing for a decent breath of fresh air. 16 songs and a mere hour and a half later, it was all over and done with. I've been to a shit ton of shows in Memphis, and while the crowds for decent sized acts teeter between model-like indifference and just downright rude behavior, this crowd took the cake for the most appallingly bad crowd I've ever been a part of. People were pissed for sure coming out of the show, but I found myself not being able to blame the band. I'd have probably done the same thing if I was in their position. They should have been playing somewhere set up for their kind of show. This was a friggin' three ring circus. This show wasn't even a drop in the bucket compared to when the boys were here in '07 doing their blue cave runs. That show was stellar, included Carolina Rain, and a super-attentive, thoughtful audience.
Setlist via Brandon (thesweetillusions.blogspot.com) and RAA.
Minglewood Hall
03/18/09:
SETLIST
On Stage: 8:38 pm
1. Let it Ride
2. Two
3. Mockingbird
4. Goodnight Rose
5. Fix It
6. Peaceful Valley
7. Evergreen
8. Grand Island (NC)
9. Beautiful Sorta
10. Blue Hotel
Set Break approx 9:40 pm
On Stage 9:53 pm
11. Everybody Knows
12. Come Pick Me Up
13. Freeway to the Canyon (NC)
14. Natural Ghost
15. Shakedown
16. Easy Plateau
17. Magick
Off Stage 10:26 pm
A better day was a'comin'...
Highlight of the entire night/day: watching some random dude do Jethro Tull's Locomotive Breath at a karaoke dive on Beale, complete with flute parts and everything. Yes, he brought his own flute. This dude meant business.
I was way too ambitious with my drinking plans, and pushed the envelope way too far. Which meant that I didn't end the night with my usual ritual of ending up on the roof of the Peabody admiring the river and Autozone Park. I ended up facedown on my bed back at the hotel, dreaming/hallucinating that some guy at said karaoke bar had done a song and played an accordion. Oy vey. How was I ever gonna explain this one to myself in the morning?
That said, the next day I spent a good majority of the morning/afternoon driving back home to take care of a few things that I'd let slip past me before I left for Nashville. Got back soon enough, and got ready for the show.
I knew Minglewood Hall was bad news the first time I ever laid eyes on it. The place is set up so wiggity-whack, and there were too many things going on at once for it to be conducive to a good show. The last time I was there was for their grand opening/Old Crow Medicine Show/Felice Brothers. I remember only the beginning of the show, as I had had only *A* beer, the rest of the night was a blank. I spent the next three days recovering from leg cramps and a hazy memory, took myself to the doctor and had a drug test done. Somebody had dosed my drink. I do, however, remember the cheeseburger I had on the way home. It was decent at best.
Moving on....
Whit and I decided not to wait in line for the GA section. I knew it was gonna be crowded and hot, and we spent only the first few songs somewhere in the middle of the crowd. The venue was serving food, as well as 4 or 5 different lines for beer. There were random sections of seats set up around the place, and even a section of tables and chairs for folks to sit at. What the fuck was going on in this place? I'm pretty certain a good half of the crowd spent the entire show outside smoking, as I came up for air once to go outside and smoke during the set break and had to shoulder my way in between people to make it to the balcony railing for a decent breath of fresh air. 16 songs and a mere hour and a half later, it was all over and done with. I've been to a shit ton of shows in Memphis, and while the crowds for decent sized acts teeter between model-like indifference and just downright rude behavior, this crowd took the cake for the most appallingly bad crowd I've ever been a part of. People were pissed for sure coming out of the show, but I found myself not being able to blame the band. I'd have probably done the same thing if I was in their position. They should have been playing somewhere set up for their kind of show. This was a friggin' three ring circus. This show wasn't even a drop in the bucket compared to when the boys were here in '07 doing their blue cave runs. That show was stellar, included Carolina Rain, and a super-attentive, thoughtful audience.
Setlist via Brandon (thesweetillusions.blogspot.com) and RAA.
Minglewood Hall
03/18/09:
SETLIST
On Stage: 8:38 pm
1. Let it Ride
2. Two
3. Mockingbird
4. Goodnight Rose
5. Fix It
6. Peaceful Valley
7. Evergreen
8. Grand Island (NC)
9. Beautiful Sorta
10. Blue Hotel
Set Break approx 9:40 pm
On Stage 9:53 pm
11. Everybody Knows
12. Come Pick Me Up
13. Freeway to the Canyon (NC)
14. Natural Ghost
15. Shakedown
16. Easy Plateau
17. Magick
Off Stage 10:26 pm
A better day was a'comin'...
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Onward, not upward
Ok, so I'm totally updating each post by city. So as not to confuse anyone. The big shebang will come later down the road, as I attempt to collect my thoughts and feelings about this hurricane of a trip. Still waiting to get with the picture "thang", but alot were mysteriously missing from my SD card, of which I'm quite sad. I had some gems. But c'est la vie, words will have to suffice. Though I warn you, I make no apologies for being long-winded.
Day 2: My old Kentucky home.
Made it to Louisville in record time. Checked into the Brown Hotel (which, if you're a Ryan fag, you'll remember how it was prominently featured in Elizabethtown.), found a lovely outdoor beer joint to help us ease into the locale. Ran into the lovely Jen/Angie combo by chance (no pictures exist of us together! How is this possible??????), met up with a friend back at the hotel for pre-show drinks. SHOW-emeffin'-TIME. Started off with Beautiful Sorta, which to me signals a good night. I savor the moment in the second verse where Ryan wails "so far past sad, I'm crazy and saw-ryyyyy! (though the last word is refuted to be scary. I pretend otherwise)" God, brah. For real. This show wasn't near the nugget that Nashville turned into. But it was still stellar, nonetheless. By this point, I realize that this could be the tightest I've ever heard the dudes before. Loads of highlights from the show, including Blue Hotel and Neal's epic Grand Island, which I was quickly and surely falling deeply in love with. The show was over before I had a chance to realize how into it I was. Spent much of the time texting exclamations back and forth with a friend, mostly one-worded responses like "Crushing!". Not much to speak of as far as after-show antics, although most of the bars were getting ready for all the St. Patty's day kit 'n' kaboodle the next day. We'd made it out alive and sober. Disco, for sure.
Loo-uh-vull setlist, via Brandon and RAA:
Palace Theater
03/16/09:
SETLIST
On Stage: 8:44 pm
1. Beautiful Sorta (sho 'nuff!)
2. Fix It
3. Born into a Light
4. Come Pick Me Up. (as the tour progressed, this sounded richer and richer)
5. Cobwebs
6. Two
7. Freeway to the Canyon (NC)
8. I see Monsters
9. Let it Ride (mine and Whitney's anthem. The whole Tennessee/Carolina thing....well, you're not dumb. You get it.)
10. Goodnight Rose
Set Break 9:34 pm (then we will play until curfew)
Back 9:50 pm
11. Grand Island (NC)(bestill my cold little heart. LOVE this jam)
12. Mockingbird (for my soul sister, Michelle. Terribly missed on this trip)
13. Please do not let me go.
14. A Kiss Before I Go
15. Cold Roses.
16. Games (nice surprise!)
17. Peaceful Valley (always a pleasure)
18. Evergreen
19. Lost Satellite (NC)(seriously, Neal is my hero. Such a beaut.)
20. BLUE HOTEL!!!!!!!! (This song always makes my heart ache, regardless of the arrangment) (Louisville pronunciation)
21. Why Do They Leave?
22. Sink Ships
23. Wonderwall (which I text-dedicated to my girl Nat.)
24. Magick
Off Stage 11:06 pm
Day 2: My old Kentucky home.
Made it to Louisville in record time. Checked into the Brown Hotel (which, if you're a Ryan fag, you'll remember how it was prominently featured in Elizabethtown.), found a lovely outdoor beer joint to help us ease into the locale. Ran into the lovely Jen/Angie combo by chance (no pictures exist of us together! How is this possible??????), met up with a friend back at the hotel for pre-show drinks. SHOW-emeffin'-TIME. Started off with Beautiful Sorta, which to me signals a good night. I savor the moment in the second verse where Ryan wails "so far past sad, I'm crazy and saw-ryyyyy! (though the last word is refuted to be scary. I pretend otherwise)" God, brah. For real. This show wasn't near the nugget that Nashville turned into. But it was still stellar, nonetheless. By this point, I realize that this could be the tightest I've ever heard the dudes before. Loads of highlights from the show, including Blue Hotel and Neal's epic Grand Island, which I was quickly and surely falling deeply in love with. The show was over before I had a chance to realize how into it I was. Spent much of the time texting exclamations back and forth with a friend, mostly one-worded responses like "Crushing!". Not much to speak of as far as after-show antics, although most of the bars were getting ready for all the St. Patty's day kit 'n' kaboodle the next day. We'd made it out alive and sober. Disco, for sure.
Loo-uh-vull setlist, via Brandon and RAA:
Palace Theater
03/16/09:
SETLIST
On Stage: 8:44 pm
1. Beautiful Sorta (sho 'nuff!)
2. Fix It
3. Born into a Light
4. Come Pick Me Up. (as the tour progressed, this sounded richer and richer)
5. Cobwebs
6. Two
7. Freeway to the Canyon (NC)
8. I see Monsters
9. Let it Ride (mine and Whitney's anthem. The whole Tennessee/Carolina thing....well, you're not dumb. You get it.)
10. Goodnight Rose
Set Break 9:34 pm (then we will play until curfew)
Back 9:50 pm
11. Grand Island (NC)(bestill my cold little heart. LOVE this jam)
12. Mockingbird (for my soul sister, Michelle. Terribly missed on this trip)
13. Please do not let me go.
14. A Kiss Before I Go
15. Cold Roses.
16. Games (nice surprise!)
17. Peaceful Valley (always a pleasure)
18. Evergreen
19. Lost Satellite (NC)(seriously, Neal is my hero. Such a beaut.)
20. BLUE HOTEL!!!!!!!! (This song always makes my heart ache, regardless of the arrangment) (Louisville pronunciation)
21. Why Do They Leave?
22. Sink Ships
23. Wonderwall (which I text-dedicated to my girl Nat.)
24. Magick
Off Stage 11:06 pm
Monday, March 16, 2009
Of the sick funk and two-for-one-beers...
Made it to Nashville yesterday around 1:45 to collect my better half. Got to the hotel finally and checked in only to find our room directly over the War Memorial plaza. Within 5 minutes of checking in, standing on our balcony smoking, we caught Ryan wandering up the street, signing stuff and taking pictures and making general niceties with everyone who approached him. Atta boy. He seemed in a good mood, and we hoped it was a sign of bright things ahead for the night. Got settled and changed and wandered over to the hotel across the street to meet up with some new gals, Jen and Angie (still jealous of their awesome button down shirts, which we have yet to acquire), grabbed a quick dinner of fries and beer and headed over to stand in line. We had the distinct honor of sharing our line time with a Vince Vaughn Swingers-era wannabe, complete with the tag line "It's so money..." As we were waiting, Brandon from the Archive (the official setlist updater, via his blog at http://www.thesweetillusions.blogspot.com) met up with us. The line moved in pretty quick once the doors opened, and we made our way as close to the front as possible, so as to accomodate my pocket-sized self. Just so happened that we were standing in the crowd with some fellow on-liners from the Archive (Francesca, Susan, and the one who's name I never caught...it was so much fun to catch that show with you!). The show started, and Ryan was in an obvious good mood. Almost three hours and thirty three songs of sugary, jammy goodness later, we parted ways with our comrades and ended our night at a sportsbar a cab ride away from the venue. By this time, it was after midnight, I'd had too many cigarettes, and my sinuses felt like they were stuffed with cotton. Four rum and cokes, seven two-for-one Bud Lights, and a pack of gum later, we were done. Stick a fork in us.
I won't even attempt to dissect this setlist, as I think it speaks for itself. And holy camel toe, encore! Look at that! A perfect show in a perfect spot in the crowd to be able to take it all in, regardless of being almost suffocated by the two Amazon twins standing in front of me. Credit to Brandon for part of the commentary that I thought befitting.
War Memorial
03/15/09:
NIGHT 2
SETLIST
1. I See Monsters
2. Fix It
3. Everybody Knows
4. Crossed Out Name
5. Come Pick Me Up
6. Cobwebs
7. Two
8. Freeway to the Canyon
9. Same Shirt as Me (improv)
10. Beautiful Sorta
11. Let it Ride
12. Natural Ghost
13. Grand Island
14. Band Intros
15. Born into a Light
16. Stars go Blue (super mellow version)
17. Evening Joke w/ Graboff
18. Goodnight Rose
19. Lost Satelite
20. Rescue Blues
21. Oh My God, Whatever, Etc. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
22. The Sun Also Sets
23. Why Do They Leave
24. Bartering Lines
25. Shakedown on 9th Street
26. A Kiss Before I Go
27. Magick
Off: 11:42pm est
ON: 11:44pm est
Set 2
28. Wonderwall
29. Sink Ships
30. Cold Roses
31. Mockingbird>
32. Dear Chicago
33. This is It (dear Jebus! I had to let out a serious collective sigh after this one)
Saturday, March 14, 2009
And so it begins....
9am sharp tomorrow morning, I'm on my way to pick up my better half in Nashville. Thus begins a week of new friends, old friends, finding the cool bars, being witness to the last ever tour of Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, and best of all....two Whitneys in the same room.
-little Whitney
-little Whitney
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