Scream for Me San Antonio

Review submitted by KK

(Iron Maiden review 21-May-2008 Verizon Center Selma, TX)

I got to the parking lot about 5:30 and it was filling up but still pretty empty. No bad traffic even through the main entrance (we took side road way to get there to avoid traffic). Very pumped about the show since 1) its Maiden and 2) its "Somewhere Back In Time" tour consisting, mainly, of Powerslave material and a redo of the 84 tour. Cooler filled with Budlight and a flask of Evan Williams. Drank a few beers in the parking lot but the scene was definitely not "HeavyMetal Parking Lot" though the cars and trucks were mainly vintage and lots of people wearing gear. Being San Antonio, and knowing how SA loves their metal, there was a lot of Hispanics ready to party. It was really like a family reunion. Literally, I was surprised how many multi-generational groups there were. One truck next to mine had a grandma, parents, and little kids. Lots of kids, even some young ones, with their parents or dad there also. Glad to see the next generation is learning to appreciate Iron Maiden, though I was sorta surprised (it was a heavy metal concert and a school night after all).

Opening act was Lauren Harris, yes, daughter of Steve Harris (wonder how she got the gig, huh?), I hung out by the beer lines and got my drink on. Rumors were flying that Anthrax was opening but this was just a rumor. She was pretty good though I didn’t watch it. I went to the back fence to peak around and see if I could see the sets, busses, etc. I saw 3 roadies, I think, hanging out by the concession area and fence wearing blue Rangers FC jerseys. Toothless and pale, like many a Scotsman. I went over and complemented them on the good showing during their recent UEFA Cup loss in Manchester (the now-infamous hooligans who rioted and fought pitched battles with the police. Manchester had to clean up 100 tonnes of refuse after the riots consisting of primarily "alcohol containers" according to news reports.) They nodded and we laughed about the events.

As it was approaching go-time we went to the seats. My seats were next to a young Hispanic kid with an amazingly large, older white girlfriend, and hair on her upper lip. The kid was tatted also but around 19 or 20 years old. It was a weird couple. Nice though. I talked with the kid about the show and he lamented to me that "nobody in SA likes metal anymore" and the "younger kids just don't appreciate Maiden or 'the Priest'". I said people were showing up late and also encouraged him to like Motorhead which he then explained to his wife/girlfriend was “really old school” but “awesome”. I was also getting worried because there were a lot of empty seats. It is a sure sign of the apocalypse if Iron Maiden doesn't sell out in SAN ANTONIO! Of course the Spurs were playing that night also, but still…

Luckily the world is not ending. The place soon filled to capacity and the sun went down, stage lights dimmed, and the opening with Churchill's famous speech sent chills down my spine and the first strains of "Aces High" kicked in. Everyone went nuts. Beers were swilled and the Evan Williams flask was quickly emptied. The set was awesome, of course. The Egyptian motifs from the album. At one point Bruce Dickinson called out a guy smoking weed which was pretty funny: “we do have our own smoke machines”. Someone caught the exchange on YouTube. Like that stopped anyone! In fact I sorta went into a still-standing, but precariously swaying, haze during "Moonchild" & "Clairvoyant" but was revived by the frightening appearance of the cyborg Eddie! Friggin’ awesome. The mummy Eddie was also in FULL EFFECT during “Iron Maiden” which got everyone screaming and going nuts. Nobody sat for the whole show and pretty much everyone knew the words to all the songs and was shouting the whole time. Awesome pyrotechnics also, of course. One funny aspect is that instead of lighters illuminating the crowd seemed like everyone was holding cellphones and digital cameras, their blue screens having a similar effect like the old-school lighters held aloft.

Recap: Though aged, Iron Maiden still really rocks and had a lot of energy. Running around everywhere and getting the crowd into the show. Great show. You can find more clips, of varying quality, on YouTube. I wish I coulda gone to the Houston show yesterday also….

Set List:

01. Aces High
02. 2 Minutes to Midnight
03. Revelations
04. The Trooper
05. Wasted Years
06. The Number of the Beast
07. Can I Play With Madness?
08. Rime of the Ancient Mariner
09. Powerslave
10. Heaven Can Wait
11. Run to the Hills
12. Fear of the Dark
13. Iron Maiden
14. Moonchild
15. The Clairvoyant
16. Hallowed Be Thy Name

Wilco - Stubb's - May 11/12 2008

The #1 thing I learned from these concerts is that I don't know near as much Wilco as I thought I did.

The #2 thing I learned is that, like Ron said at ACL Fest last year..."Wilco is the greatest rock band in the world right now."

That's a video from my crappy camera from the second encore on Monday night. But that's the end. Let's start at the beginning.

I've had my tickets for Wilco since the day they went on sale. I was sitting at Third Base watching the first day of NCAA March Madness when they were ordered.

Our tickets were for the Sunday night show. Stubb's Outdoors. Mother's Day. 5/11/2008.

The best concert I've ever seen was at Stubb's Inside. Todd Snider and the Bottle Rockets. I think it was Todd's birthday. Todd brought the Bottle Rockets back on stage for the encore. They did 45 minutes of nothing but Lynyrd Skynrd songs. Awesome.

May 11, 2008.

Back on track. We got there right before Retribution Gospel Choir started up. Meh. It was okay. It was a lot better the second time around. More on that later.

The doors opened at 6. Wilco started at 8:15. Right on schedule.

Honestly, I didn't really know what to expect. I'd only seen Wilco once live at ACL Fest last year. That's a totally different experience.

It was better than I expected. Even though I didn't know half the songs.

Sunday night's show started off with an acoustic version of Sunken Treasure. And quickly went into 11 songs that I didn't know or recognized but didn't know what song it was.

h

The two Wilco albums I haven't listened to that much are "A Ghost is Born" and "Summerteeth". Of course these made up a good portion of the first part of the show.



This graph is from Wilcobase.com. A must see site for all Wilco fans.

The rest of the show hit on a lot of stuff I knew really well. Stuff from A.M., Being There, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and Sky Blue Sky.

Some highlights:

• Impossible Germany- Nels Cline's guitar blows my mind.
  
• That's Not The Issue - So good to hear that.
• Misunderstood - A hell of a way to start the first encore.
• The back and forth guitar solos on Spiders (Kidsmoke)
  
• Second Encore - Hate it Here, Casino Queen, and Outtasite (Outta Mind)
• More weed than I've smelled at a concert in a long time
• The banter. Jeff Tweedy said he'd never been cheered when he buttoned his suit before. ("Not a suit! Just a jacket.") Shoutout for all the Mothers on Mother's Day.
  

Sunday's Setlist

• Sunken Treasure (acoustic)
• You Are My Face
• Remember the Mountain Bed
• Company in my Back
• Handshake Drugs
• Pick Up the Change
• Hummingbird
• On and On and On
• Pot Kettle Black
• A Shot in the Arm
• Summerteeth
• Jesus, etc.
• Impossible Germany
• It's Just that Simple
• That's Not the Issue
• Walken
• I'm the Man Who Loves You

Encore 1

• Misunderstood
• Poor Places
• Reservations
• Spiders

Encore 2

• Hate it Here
• Heavy Metal Drummer
• Casino Queen
• Hoodoo Voodoo
• Outtasite (Outta Mind)

Of course, right then and there I decided I was going back for Monday's show.

May 12, 2008.

I got there early enough to see Retribution Gospel Choir's set up close. It was much better the second time around. Mostly because I recognized their songs.

For the main part of the concert I hung out in the back. Sound was bad. Visibility even more so. I went up as close as I could get for the encores.

This show was completely different. Maybe a third of the songs were the same from the night before.

I think this playlist was a plant. Specifically, a plant to fool me. It was on the table by the side soundboard. I totally thought that I had found an inside secret of some sort.

Not so much.

The playlist was nothing like this.

Via Chicago first. Followed up by Hummingbird, Ashes of American Flags, Airline to Heaven, and You Are My Face.

Hell of a way to start a show!!

Immediately, I was glad I came to the second show.

Unfortunately, there were a lot of yahoo's there, compared to Sunday. High school kids from what I could tell.

I can deal with that. Jeff Tweedy had a heyday with them.

That was one of the funniest things. Hearing Tweedy call them out every time they yelled for a song.

The best part was when they played an ominous drum beat.

"I found out last night that Karl Rove was staying at the same hotel as me. I was scared. Whenever you hear that sound, you know Jenna Bush is getting married somewhere close by."

"Seriously, Karl Rove was staying at the same hotel. We got kicked out."

Or something to that effect.

Highlights:

• Box Full of Letters
• Passenger Side - Great freakin' song.
• California Stars in the second encore with Retribution Gospel Choir
• The entire second encore.

Setlist:

• Via Chicago
• Hummingbird
• Ashes of American Flags
• Airline to Heaven
• You Are My Face
• Box Full of Letters
• A Shot in the Arm
• Side With the Seeds
• War on War
• Handshake Drugs
• Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway(again)
• Jesus, Etc.
• Impossible Germany
• Shouldn't Be Ashamed
• Passenger Side
• Theologians
• I'm The Man Who Loves You

Encore 1

• Cars Can't Escape
• Spiders (Kidsmoke)

Encore 2

• California Stars
• Hate It Here
• Heavy Metal Drummer
• Walken
• Kingpin
• Red-Eyed and Blue
• I Got You (At The End of The Century)
• Monday

Amazing two-day set. I probably won't see something like it ever again

Son Volt at Gruene Hall

And we've all been told

My blog is of course named after the Uncle Tupelo song New Madrid. This is a song about Iben Browning's prediction along the New Madrid fault in Missouri.

On Friday, the wife, me and some friends were going to see Son Volt down at Gruene Hall. Ironically (maybe not so Ironic? Maybe I should ask Alanis. She seems to have a pretty good handle on it), early Friday, a 5.4 magnitude earthquake rocked the heartland.

Unfortunately, not a New Madrid quake. But, still the first thing I thought of that day. And, with a much anticipated show at Gruene Hall that night, it fit just perfectly.

I've only been to Gruene Hall once. And ashamed that I haven't been more. We saw Ray Wylie Hubbard. Probably around 1994 or so. Don't remember a whole lot of it. Didn't remember a whole lot of it at the time either. All I really knew of Ray Wylie Hubbard is that he had written the Redneck Mother song that Jerry Jeff Walker sang so well. So well.

As they say, that video is worth the price of admission. As I've grown older and started to appreciate music and songwriters, Ray Wylie has become a much bigger part of my music library.

Enough remembering. This night is about Son Volt and the fact that I would get to see them in a classic Texas Dance Hall.

I've seen Son Volt twice before. Once at ACL Fest 2006 and 2007 at Stubb's. The ACL Fest show completely turned me on to the greatness that is Son Volt. After the performance of Tear Stained Eye, I was completely hooked.

That led me back to Uncle Tupelo, and then to Wilco. More on that after May 11 at Stubb's.

We arrived at the Gristmill at just before 7. Our goal was to eat dinner and get to the show around 8. As we walked by Gruene Hall, we saw a line 10 deep. Uh oh. Then we realized gates didn't open until 7. 10 people. No problem.

This is the first time I've been to the Gristmill. Like I said before, my previous visit to Gruene was riddled with lost memories.

The night was perfect. Maybe 70 degrees. Blue sky. Full moon. Just like the Pat Green show. Live music on the patio. Outhouses. Gristmill serves double Jack Daniels in a mason jar. They also serve double Jack Daniels w/ Coke and a splash of Sprite in a mason jar. Not because it was requested, but only because our waiter was a little slow.

Queso burgers, fried jalapenos, quesadillos, artichoke dip. A good base as my friend Speaker would say.

We saw a guy in a ridiculous green jumpsuit and headband at dinner. Turn out he was the bassist for the Bobby Bare Jr. band.

Went to Gruene Hall right at 8. Bobby Bare Jr. was opening up. Pretty unknown to me, but one of songs was really good: Kill Your Valentine. Plus, he told a great story. "If you ever order pizza in Nashville and one of us shows up, remember when you saw us here."

Chris Masterson, the lead guitar from Son Volt, joined them onstage for a couple of songs.

Son Volt came on around 9:15. Becky and I immediately went up close, but were stuck in front of the speakers. We stuck it out and quickly moved up to a great position almost right in front of the stage.

They opened up with Bandages and Scars.

I've never been this close at a Son Volt show. And it was awesome.

Some highlights:

• The Picture had no horns. Just a harmonica playing that part. I hated the horns, so this was perfect.
• Slate. Uncle Tupelo Song.
• Jet Pilot. Love this song. "Only trouble is, word gets around."
• Are You Sure Hank Done it This Way was the encore. This is on the re released version of Anodyne from Uncle Tupelo.

Being up close was seriously cool.

Pretty much my favorite Son Volt song. (and in my top songs ever) Windfall.

Gruene Hall is cool because there really is no backstage area. Backstage is on the way to the bathroom.

They cut if off right at 11. Must have been a city ordinance. I read other reviews where they played a 4 song encore including Tear Stained Eye. That song was an obvious exclusion from this show.

The setlist represents what I could piece together. Songs I didn't know I tried to get some lyrics from. Those with a * I didn't know or they are a best guess. Good chance they're wrong.

• Bandages and Scars
• Live Free*
• Gramophone
• The Picture
• Hanging Blue Side
• Big Sur
• Underground Dream
• Exurbia
• Creosote
• Slate
• * (Jay broke his A string on this song)
• Highways and Cigarettes
• Methamphetamine
• Ipecac*
• Jet Pilot
• Automatic Society*
• * (Mighty wings ofsound?)
• Afterglow 61
• *
• Medication
• Windfall
• Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way

Wow. An awesome show. Jay Farrar isn't the best showman, but that doesn't matter because the music is so damn good. I bet they don't play a lot of places anymore like Gruene where people are playing pool during the show.

Tons more to say, but I'll just close out with the lyrics to New Madrid. (Yes, I know it's a Tweedy song. But it's still Tupelo. And Jay Farrar.)

All my daydreams are disasters
She's the one I think I love
Rivers burn and then run backwards
For her, that's enough

They all come from New York City
And they woke me up at dawn
She walked with me to the fountain
And she held onto my arm

Come on, do what you did
Roll me under New Madrid
Shake my baby and please bring her back
'Cause death won't even be still
Caroms over the landfill
Buries us all in its broken back

There's a man of conviction
And although he's getting old
Mr. Browning has a prediction
And we've all been told

So come on back from New York City
Roll your trucks in at dawn
Walk with me to the fountain
And hold onto my arm

Come on, do what you did
Roll me under New Madrid
Shake my baby and please bring her back
'Cause death won't even be still
Caroms over the landfill
Buries us all in its broken back

Full picture album is here.

Raw notes from the show:

Bobby bare
Valentine
Pizza deliv
Chris masteerson joinewd th
Woodie guthrie61stay in deltsa blues

3 generations
No horns! Harmonica instwadf
Say hello to
Big sur
Hollywood
Gapimg hole in the sky
Widesprerad changes
Violin farcvical force workin halls of shsame slate
Don't know broke string
Breakaway string
Take me back n caro

Leave behind
Hword gets around jet pilot
Nothing matters
Mighty wings ofsound
61
Not surew small eyeds
Medication
A jam
Bathroom
Pool
Down in this valley winter cold
Doug sahm? We used to walk thjru thr park
Windfall
Encore
Hank done it this way

Feist at the Palladium Ballroom

Wednesday night in Plano. Having dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, which I always do when I'm up there for work. Reading through the Dallas Morning News' Quick. (If you've never read Quick, it's a mini version of the DMN, with more entertainment stuff. Perfect to read over dinner.)

I saw Feist was playing at the Palladium Ballroom. I didn't know too much about Feist except for the Apple Nano commercial. And that various publications were big on her. So, a gametime decision. Nothing else to do that night, so a $25 concert sounds good. Luckily, I avoided the stupid ass Ticketmaster fees by buying directly at the venue.

As far as I can tell, Gilley's Dallas and the Palladium are the same thing. I think they just reuse the concert hall or something like that.

Hayden opened up for Feist. Someone I had never heard of. I only caught the last half of the show. It was just him and a guitar and a piano. I bought his CD In Field and Town. Still listening to it, but the song "Lonely Security Guard" is awesome. Reminds me a lot of Josh Ritter.

I got settled in with a decent spot where I could sit down on the ledge between acts. Kinda wedged between a trash can and some passed out chicks. That, or they were just resting their eyes.

I quickly realized there were three types of people there: Hipsters, Lesbians, and Me. Luckily I don't care if the Hipsters and Lesbians even noticed me. In my khakis, button down solid blue dress shirt, and dress shoes. (Yes. That Guy.)

The show started off with a sheet attached to a frame. And a bird show of some sort. And a lantern.

The lantern silhouetted Feist when she came out and sang the first song. (I'm not even going to try and piece together the set list from this show. Too much I don't know.)

Some random thoughts from the show:

• On a few songs, she sounded a lot like Jenny Lewis. And I LOVE Jenny Lewis. Seriously. I gotta crush on her.
• Feist engaged the crowd pretty good. There was a great bit about the Mythical Place Called Canada.
• There was a huge canvas background behind the stage. Instead of showing video or a light show, there was a couple of girls (I call them the Feist Art Girls) doing a great show with random objects (feathers, parchment, hands, rocks, jewels) that was projected up on the screen. It was all real-time, not taped. They also would take the camera around tape random stuff like the pedal hitting the bass drum. However, that kind of looked obscene. A little bit. If you have a dirty mind, I guess. (I do.)
  
• It's always amazing when I see a show in Dallas how dressed up the women are. High Heels. Cocktail Dresses. Preposterous.

One thing I got out of this show is an amazing new song: The Park. The simple guitar, the vocals, and the lyrics together are very powerful. The band all played some very light horns on this song during the show. It was a great live interpretation of the song.

My raw notes from the show: (On my blackberry as usual. Yes, I am also that guy. But it looks like I'm texting. So that makes me cool with the Hipster and Lesbian set.)

Hayden singalong
Big canvas background
Weird sheet canvas frame
Lantern
Lean there
Horrible sound
I am girl
Disco ball in the corner effect
Mythical olace called canada
Redemption. Sounds like jenny lewis
Other soing I've heard
Some kind of organ
Xlyophone
Birdcalls?
Crawl? French horn sax big trumpet
Girl shinig stuff on screen
Art screen awesome
Feel it out (all)?
Some sort of camera/canvas thing with two girl artists
Totally a good idea for bg of pc video
Hipsters lesbians and me
Slow in the middle
Dallas chicks in cocktail dresses and high heels
Back to the future onstage romantic game on hump day
Lesbian giveaway. Keys on carabiner on belt
1234 sesame street?

Pat Green at Nutty Brown Cafe

Pat Fuckin' Green.

At least that's what anyone who's been to a live show knows him by.

"I've been Pat Fuckin' Green so long, I don't remember what my middle name is anymore.' Or something like that.

Nutty Brown Cafe is a classic Austin landmark. A place "way out in the country" that is only 20 minutes from downtown. Okay. Maybe 25. On the way to Dripping Springs. A restaurant with a huge backyard with a stage and tons of trees and open space. The best part is that it's pretty much right around the corner from our house.

I've been a big Pat Green fan for awhile now. Way before he went Nashville. Back when he lived in a little house in South Austin with his wife. Not that I'm trying to establish my PG street cred. Just saying that my familiarity with his music is the stuff that he wrote while living in Lubbock and performed around the state. George's Bar and Dancehall Dreamer and the Billy Bob's CD. He came out with 3 Days which was great. Some new stuff and some new versions of some old stuff. Then, Wave on Wave. His big Nashville break. Wave on Wave was good, but the other stuff. Meh. I hadn't heard anything from his later albums.

When Becky told me Pat was coming to Nutty Brown, I jumped at the chance. After I know that we had a babysitter, at least. :) Turns out our friends Neil and Leigh were also going, along with some others we know. Leigh posted about the concert at her Once upon a Photo blog. I'm going to steal that photo from her.

We quickly realized the beauty of shared babysitters. The Browns (no relation to Nutty) would drive to our house. Neil and I would go to the concert and stake our claim on the lawn. Becky and Leigh would wait for the babysitter and then join us at the show with pre-staked seats. Simple.

Right?

Snag 1: Gates open at 7. Show starts at 8. Neil and I got to Nutty Brown around 6:30 and parked. Packed. Okay, some early arrivers. I'm sure that parking will be fine for the girls.

Snag 2: Will Call line. I had two will call tix. Neil needed to meet someone to get his tix. I figured I could just use our tix to get us in and then Neil could get the other tix and pass them to the girls. Wrong. The Will Call was probably 50 people long. Maybe more. The A-M line was at least 50. The N-Z line had maybe 10. Bad last name leveling on Nutty Brown's part. Luckily, Neil saw his buddy with their tickets, so we went in, leaving will call to the girls. Surely the line will die down by showtime.

Snag 3: Nutty Brown was way underprepared for the crowd at this show. Thankfully we had scarfed some pizza before leaving. There was 1 food line and it had probably 100 people in it. Pretty much a cluster trying to get by it.

Snag 4: Will Call line never died down. The girls had to wait about 3o minutes to get in. I tried to get their tix and pass them over to them (they were in my name), but, no go. I did get to stand in the beer line right behind US Senator John Cornyn. Of course I didn't know that until Becky pointed it out. I'm clueless.

Snag 5: General clusterfuck. Too many people. This was easily the biggest crowd they've ever hosted.

We did stake some ground, and it was central to the stage, about 40 yards back. Really good seats. There is a concrete area up from there that is standing only, and then a gravel section behind that. We were at the back of the gravel section. Behind that is some deck areas and some more open areas.

Ryan James opened up the show promptly at 8:00. I got a free CD of his latest album, Directed, simply by signing up for an email list. I have yet to get an email. Or open the CD.

Don't take that as a knock on Ryan, however. He was great. This was by far the biggest crowd he'd ever played in front of and he was loving it.

He played a good song that he wrote for his wife. I don't remember the name. Beyond his own songs, he had some memorable covers.

• Freebird - He has some sort of shtick about this song. Something to do with jackasses yelling it from the crowd. Yes. Sometimes I am that jackass. Good song, though.
• Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way - A Waylon Jennings Song that is timeless. And done by so many people. Steve Earle. Kinky Friedman. Uncle Tupelo. An eclectic list to say the least.

Pat came on around 9:00. He opened with his response to the Nashville Sellout thing (Mr. Defensive???) by saying "They say I've sold out. But everytime I come to Austin it's a SELL OUT!!!" Kinda cheesy, yes.

Will go down to El Arroyo have some tacos and beer, yeah and let ourselves go. My favorite line from one of my favorite songs. This is what he started with. Carry On.

I thought this night might be kind of special. Pat has been playing MUCH larger venues lately. Verizon. Arenas. Festivals. This place only seats around 2500. And that's wall to wall.

The show didn't disappoint. On the second song, Pat brought up Django Walker. Django is Jerry Jeff Walker's son. That's a whole 'nother story.

"Texas on My Mind" was written by Django and include on Three Days by Pat. Yes, it's pretty much a London Homesick Blues redux. But it's his own. And a damn good song.

Django seemed thrilled to be up there. Pat was having a great time as well. He brought up his daughter and danced with her. His wife Amy didn't seem as thrilled as he was, but he was obviously loving it. Handled her just like a dad does a small child. Threw her over his shoulder and carried her off the stage upside down. :)

Pat told a story about Django writing that song for a class at Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute. "He got a D in the class. I bought him a Jag."

Next he played "Cannonball". All I know about that is that I think it's his new album. And, I got a pretty sweet hat.

Neil told me he almost got the same hat. But it was too NASCAR.

So, yes, it's pre-stressed. And the stitches are on the outside. And it has aggressive lightning bolt things going on. But NASCAR? I think not.



Okay. Maybe a little bit.

"Three Days" was next. Followed by "Who's to Say". With a nice 'whatever' jacking off motion by Pat to accompany the "Who's to Say" lyrics.

Back to his Lubbock days. Not that anyone would want to go back to Lubbock. But this is where "Here We Go" came from.

Next in my notes on my Blackberry I have:

Pg aerobics guitar solo
Barney sog
Tarrytown mcconghey bongos

I have no idea what that means. I can only piece together that he played some sort of active guitar solo followed by the "I love you, you love me" song followed by a story about living in Tarrytown with Matthew McConaughey as his neighbor.

No details. Jack Daniels.

He did bring his wife Amy onstage. At least that name sticks in my mid because it's my sister's. She was reluctant, but he grabbed her anyway.

"Take Me Out to a Dancehall."

Pat called out Joe Ely. "That mother scratcher. He only live a couple miles from here. I hope he can hear this."

Coworker: ...and me and Bill are patrolin' down 9-mile.
H.I. McDonnough: Bill Roberts?
Coworker: No! Not that mother-scratcher, Bill Parker.

A Joe Ely great. "Billy the Kid."

And then, the encore. (Becky and I have some disagreement about this. I contend that it wasn't a real encore. She says it absolutely was. Again, I blame Jack .)

Pat came out and told a story about his bus breaking down at 2am on the way to the show. I have a feeling he's told this story this before.

"Songs About Texas" was the result of this story. Sing me one more song. About old San Antone.

This quickly segued into one of the best songs of the night. A cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City". Kind of disappointed that the crowd knew nothing of it. Damn Westlake Kids.

The night ended with "Wave on Wave" with Pat bring Ryan James up on the stage to sing it with him.

Definitely disappointed that he didn't sing "#2" or "George's Bar". Oh well.

This is the best picture of the night, courtesy of Leigh. (This is the photo stealing part.)

The full moon behind Pat and Django is just perfect.

Pretty much sums it up.

Rocky Votolato at House of Blues Dallas

A while back, I was in Dallas. It worked out perfectly, because Rocky Votolato was playing at the House of Blues Cambridge room. October 18, 2007.

I went to the Austin City Limits Festival in 2006. Rocky played on Saturday, so I missed it because I only went on Sunday. However, they gave out iTunes sampler cards. This sampler included White Daisy Passing by Rocky Votolato. This song has one of my favorite lyrics ever:

I'm going down to sleep on the bottom of the ocean
Cause I couldn’t let go when the water hit the setting sun

I immediately bought the album this song was on. Makers. White Daisy Passing, Makers, and Portland is Leaving are simply outstanding songs. From Makers:


The bones inside your mind were all broken
The keys that open any answers were all stolen
Fillin' and refillin' up the glass with makers
We both agree, your final moment
The sweetest remedy, to ever be delivered
Heaven or heavenless
We're all headed for the same sweet darkness

Sums up my life. Liquor and lack of faith.

I actually first saw that Rocky was coming to Austin. I tried to recruit several people with no luck.

I've written about the House of Blues Dallas before. This show was in the Cambridge Room. It's upstairs and a much smaller venue. But just because it's smaller doesn't mean that HOB hasn't done it up right. The sound system is great and the room is awesome. Couches and rugs line the sides of the room for relaxing in between shows. Big bar across the back. Artwork everywhere.

I got there around 8:10. The show started at 8, and the website didn't show any opening bands. Because of the venue, I thought it might be a one band show. However, there were two opening bands. Of course.

When I walked in, it was kinda surreal. Two guys sitting on stage with Beatles Maharishi era beards. People sitting around on the rugs. Very few people standing by the stage watching the show.



The band was The Great Depression. The music was a blend of guitar and harmony that you don't hear enough of anymore. Reminiscent of the Grateful Dead. Not the songs so much, but the music.

You Could Be Queen and Kings of Dixie Highway are two great freaking songs. Kind of a royal thing going on, but, you know, whatever works. I bought the album. I love it. I bought the lead singer Tim shots later. I don't think he appreciated it.

Next was Portugal of Men. Could have done without them. One guy had a One Day at a Time Schneider pornstache. Another guy looked like Ari from Entourage, wearing a white leather vest.

A note here. Two girls I noticed were wearing, in order, leggings with patent leather flats, and a black velvet dress with a red scarf. Really? Is that the fashion now in Dallas and I just don't know?

Portugal of Men actually ended with a cool version of Helter Skelter which they mixed in with whatever song they were playing.

Rocky finally came on around 10. The show was amazing. Because of the size of the venue, I was able to get to within about 15 feet of the front with no issues.

Rocky's voice is so unique. I'm not sure anyone else could sing his songs with the same impact. Sometimes the pacing of the lyrics don't make sense when you look at them, but when he sings it it flows perfectly.

Set List:

(Full Band)
The Night's Disguise
Before You Were Born
Tennesse Train Tracks
The Wrong Side of Reno
Postcard from Kentucky

(Solo)
Streetlights
Suicide Medicine
Mix Tape / Cell Mates

(Full Band - Halfway thru first song)
Montana
"Unidentified song"
Portland Is Leaving
White Daisy Passing
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - Tim from Great Depression guest singing
Tinfoil Hats Makers

(Encore)
Plastic Jesus
I'll Catch You




I'll admit that my knowledge at this point encompassed "Makers" and "Brag and Cuss". The songs Suicide Medicine and Mix Tapes/Cell Mates made me research his older albums.

Suicide Medicine is an outstanding album. Currently one of my faves.

The show was great. Being so close. Great sound. Great everything.

After the show, I took Jim Beam shots with these two guys.



Tim on the left is the lead guitarist from Great Depression while the guy on the right is Chad, the bassist from Rocky's band.

I finished up the night at Fuel City. Picadillo. Unsettling how good they are.

David Allan Coe at House of Blues - Dallas

Alone in Dallas with nothing better to do on a Wednesday night, it seemed like a perfect time to revisit the greatness that is the Longhaired Redneck. David Allan Coe.

Now, people define greatness in many different ways. All I know is that anyone who can draw a crowd where bikers stare at cowboys who are laughing at the hippies, and then 20+ years later still draw frat boys everywhere as well as play at the House of Blues and draw shaggy headed high school seniors with decently good looking girlfriends from Little Elm (who both dip either Copenhagen or Skoal Straight) and release at least 20 greatest hits albums....that's greatness.

I was introduced to DAC my freshman year at college, and haven't stopped listening since. I don't listen all the time, but I will include a couple of songs in a playlist for my tailgates or when friends and I get drunk and re-live old times. I even learned how to play Longhaired Redneck on the guitar. Sort of.

I just happened to hear on the The Ticket that DAC was playing at the House of Blues Dallas with Boys Named Sue and 100 Damned Guns. Time to cowboy up and make the trek from Plano to Downtown Dallas. Of course, that's a trip I'll take every time for some good music or a good time.

The Area

Seriously, West End is Dead. The "Marketplace" is closed. Dallas Alley looks like a ghostown. I'm not even sure if it's open anymore. Dick's Last Resort moved across the freeway to Victory Park, behind Hooters, across from the House of Blues. This is where I started my night.

Dick's is overpriced and somewhat annoying with their "rude" servers. At least in San Antonio they are. When you're the only non-staff in the restaurant at 6pm, they're kinda nice and accommodating. They're still overpriced, though, so I just had one quick beer before heading over to Hooters for some quick wings before doors opened at the HOB at 6:30.

The best thing about Hooters (besides the Owls and the great food) is that everywhere you go, Hooters is basically the same. Same price. Same menu. You know what you're getting. I know that sounds pretty lame and old of me, but, c'mon, I'm talking about Hooters. Not Applebee's.

Victory Park is doing some amazing things for the Downtown Dallas area. Cranes everywhere. Condos. Restaurants. $69 Margaritas. Fancy ass Ghostbars at the W. (I've never been there, but I'm guessing that it's got nothing on the Ghostbar in Vegas. I have been there, and there's some crazy ass shit that happens.)

The Venue

The House of Blues Opened in May 2007, and it has to be an artist's dream. Big full elevated hardwood stage. Killer soundsystem. Good acoustics. Lots of seating (SRO floor as well as balcony seats). Just a brief look at the upcoming schedule is a testament to the acts they're getting in there. I'm not real familiar with the Dallas music scene, but it seems like this is an important addition with its 1600-2000 venue with great seating, sound, etc...

The HOB is great about putting some awesome artwork in the music halls. Much of this was on the main floor, but, since I got there 45 minutes before the first band started, I had plenty of time to check it out.

For this show, I bought box seating. It was twice as much as regular seating, but I thought it would be worth it to have a nice seat on the front row of the balcony to kick back and listen to the music. I planned to be there early enough to catch all the opening bands and wanted a good place to relax and take it all in. It was a great place. Leather individual seats. Waitress service. Maybe not worth twice as much, but I did get to sit next to the previously mentioned Skoal/Copenhagen dipping high school seniors. Interesting to say the least.

100 Damned Guns

The first band up was 100 Damned Guns. The only way I know how to describe them is a cross between the Soggy Bottom Boys and No Depression era Uncle Tupelo. Complete with a lead singer that looks a bit like George Clooney and a super aggressive version of Red River Valley. In concert they are a lot more aggressive than on their album, Songs of Murder, Pain, and Woe. Good rockin' bluegrass .

Boys Named Sue

Boys Named Sue are a Tuaca lovin' East Dallas party country band. They encourage the crowd to buy them shots of Tuaca. And the crowd does. A lot. And they drink it all. Old Country, Rap, party songs. They played them all.

Towards the beginning of their set, they played what they called the "Balls and Pussy Medley". This started off with Big Balls in Cowtown and incorporated the 2 Live Crew Anthem "We Want Some Pussy" as well as Prince's "Pussy Control". Later they threw in the King of the Hill theme and The Pixies' "Where is My Mind". Not to mention all the hits off their album such as "Amber Friend" and "In Tha House". You pretty much can't not have fun at their show. One time I'm in Dallas, I need to see them at Adair's or Lee Harvey's.

David Allan Coe

Where do I begin? I guess with what he didn't play. My two favorite songs. "Longhaired Redneck" and "If That Ain't Country". Besides that, his show exceeded my expectations.

He started off by coming out by himself with only his guitar. He sang a couple of songs, medley style. Not traditional medley, but the whole song running into the next song. Every song sounds like it's about to kick into "If That Ain't Country". He was only joined on stage by some stage lackey that had a perm and dealt with feedback whenever DAC summoned him. (He also wiped the sweat off DAC's arms whenever requested.)

He was soon joined by a couple of guitarists which I affectionately called Carrot Top and Fall Out Boy (maybe bassist). Carrot Top (identified later as DAC's son!) had a mop top and rocked the guitar. Fall Out Boy (green sleeveless shirt?) pretty much just hung out.

One thing of note...no drummer! Also, DAC's hair kind of looks a little like a British Judge's. He was wearing 2 long ass beard braids and one black and one red tennis shoe. And I'm pretty sure by his first couple of songs that he has some "issues" with his parents.

He really played a great set.

• Jerry Jeff Walker "Desperadoes Waiting for the Train"
• Neil Young "Southern Man"
• "The Ride"
  
• "Please Come to Boston"
• Willie Nelson "Always on My Mind"
• Earl Thomas Conley "Holding Her and Loving You"
• "Tennessee Whiskey"
• "Ride 'Em Cowboy" (I've always been the Rhinestone Cowboy, I don't care what Glen Campbell has to say)
• "Mona Lisa"
• Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider"
• "Willie Waylon and Me" (My name is David Allan Coe and I'm from Motherfuckin' Dallas, Texas!)
• Waylon Jennings "Are You Ready for the Country"
• "Jack Daniels If You Please"

And throughout all this, the Kid Rock Fetish kicks in.

I love Kid Rock. Don't get me wrong. DAC seems to have an obsession, though.

DAC had a couple of songs on Kid Rock's 2003 album Kid Rock, "Single Father" (which he sang) and "Son of Detroit", a "Son of the South" rewrite. But he's taken it to extremes.

He played "Only God Knows Why" and "Picture", as well as Uncle Cracker's "Follow Me" and Dobie Gray's "Drift Away" (which Uncle Cracker covered). And then, he closed his show with "American Band", a Kid Rock favorite that he played on the VMA's once.

I'm just sayin'...

Of course "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" got played. It was a ridiculous version that you could tell he wanted nothing to do with. Some stuck up folk by me left as soon as he played that song.

At one point, someone brought out a "gift" for DAC's September birthday. A rebel flag 1980's hair band flying V guitar. Sweet.

DAC rules. And he's old. But this is the best show I've seen by him in awhile.

ACL Fest 2007 - Day 3

Where to start with Day 3. I guess with the beginning. We had planned to park at Austin High School, but the lot was closed for some church. So we scrambled and found a $10 parking spot at the Mean Eyed Cat.

It was actually a really good spot. Took a walk across the hike and bike bridge under Mopac over Lady Bird Lake which dropped us off right by the north entrance to ACL Fest. It's a pretty cool walk by Johnson Creek under several overpasses. We figured the shuttle buses after Dylan would be a nightmare. This was easy in easy out with no waiting.





Our goal was to get there in time for Robert Earl Keen, and we made it in plenty of time. Parked our chairs at the AMD stage. This was our biggest group of the weekend...11 of us.

Robert Earl must have thought we were at Bonnaroo, because he broke out his jam band set. Started out with a 9 minute version of Dreadful Selfish Crime and ended up with a 13 minute version of The Road Goes on Forever. After several songs, one of our group commented "he sure didn't check with me when he made the playlist..." He did mix in many of his favorites: Corpus Christi Bay and Feelin' Good Again. The oddest moment was when he told a long story about being accosted by grandma's from Comanche in the parking lot for not playing Merry Christmas From The Family. This song definitely did not fit in the 90+ degree heat.

He was also dressed in a somewhat ridiculous outfit: cowboy hat, t-shirt, khaki's tucked into boots, and a Kenny Rogers beard.

Headed over to watch a little Common as well as watch some Cowboys vs. Dolphins in the air conditioned AT&T Digital Oasis. (Cowboys win!) Air conditioning creates lines. Once we were in, though, sweet, sweet cool air. Checked my fantasy football. (I win!)

Because Bloc Party was right there at AT&T stage, I watched a couple songs while Becky got us Salt Lick.

mmmm. Salt Lick.

Once we got back to our camp, I was offered a wristband to go backstage for Wilco! We went to get in line, but, alas, the only thing I got out of it was this:

After hearing about 45 minutes of the show standing in line to get backstage, I decided I wasn't missing any more and went back to our seats. Lance Armstrong of course had no problem getting in... Thanks for thinking of me with the pass, KG! Too bad it didn't work out.

Fortunately, I caught the best 3o minutes of the whole weekend. The end of Wilco's show was amazing. Jeff Tweedy played the combo of Red Eyed and Blue and I Got You from Being There and then closed out with a really strong set. The sound was really tight from our seats and we had a great view. At least I got to see the best part!

After relaxing for a bit from Wilco's show, we went to grab some seats for Bob Dylan. What a cluster.

Imagine 65,000 people all going to the same place at the same time. With limited space to walk and trying to navigate around the Decemberists' show to get there. And everyone stopping to take piss and get a beer on the way.

We finally found an open spot pretty far from the stage. Basically gave up trying to walk any further. The Decemberists were wrapping up and we could hear really well from our spots. Because we were so far back. O Valencia! is a freakin' great song and we could see/hear perfectly.

Once Dylan started, the place became a mad house. The volume was low and nobody could see. Couple that with not being able to understand Dylan anyway. And, for some reason, the video screens only showed two shots: a far away full stage shot and a not as far away half screen shot. No closeups at all. About half of the people decided this was the time to move closer, and they took any means necessary to do it. Moving chairs. Moving people. Anything to just get a little closer. The walkways were in complete gridlock, so the only way to get closer was to go through the crowd.

About 3o minutes into the show, suddenly the exodus began. The walkways reversed and people streamed out. It was like the tide had shifted from High tide to Low tide. You know how it is. The tides they are a changin'. For the next 15 minutes thousands and thousands of festival goers left. It just went on and on and on. The good thing is this allowed us to get close enough to see and hear! So, see and hear we did. The last half hour of the show was great. The crowd was really into it. The people who didn't care in the first place were gone.

The show was good but it was absolutely the wrong setting for Bob Dylan. Wrong for his fans. Wrong for the festival. Wrong for everybody.

With everything done and everybody hot, sweaty and just generally beat from the weekend, it was time to go home. (With a Whataburger detour of course.)

Can't wait for next year!