I haven't reviewed all the concerts I've been to…although I wish that I
had. From now on…I will.
Lupos, Providence, RI 10/25/97
OK! We'll see how much of this I can relate to you, and how clearly. The
show was a 7:30 show, with doors opening at 6:30.I got there at 4:00. It
was pouring and pretty cold out, but no matter. I listened to the sound
check through the door (I heard Dr. Worm three times), then listened to
the Lincoln sound check. The people next to me were on the guest list. It
turns out that they are the people making Lincoln's webpage. I also met
some friend's of Shana's who she put on the guest list (Rob and Amanda).
They ended up driving me back to Brown afterwards! I guess I looked cold
and pitiful. While I was waiting to get in a homeless guy came up begging,
and I gave him the change from my pocket and chatted with him for a little
bit, just to make him feel happy and like a real person. He kissed me.
EEEEwwwwww!! Oh, well then at 7:00 we got in (lots of pushing and
shoving), and I grabbed a spot right in front of Flans (or where he would
be). The concert began with Lincoln of course, who were really cool. I was
especially intrigued by the guitarist, who I was convinced I knew. Oh, I
forgot! Before we got in the lead guy from Lincoln came out and apologized
to me and the few people there (at 4:45 or so), saying that we couldn't go
in and hear the sound checks. He was really kind, and seemed to really
feel bad for us. OK, back to the concert. After Lincoln, the sound check
girl (who was damn cool...I talked to her later in the evening) came out
and did her thing.... which kept me entertained until TMBG. The club was
also playing Tijuana Brass, which coincidentally is really good stuff,
kind of like game show theme music. They started off with the instrumental
Triboro. This song rocks a lot and is a really great opener, in my
opinion. Then Linnell pointed to the confetti cannon, and introduced James
K Polk. They were playing...and it didn't go off. Tech people were running
around plugging and unplugging things, and afterwards Linnell looked
nervously at it and said, "It could go off at any time...that would be
kind of scary." Then Hal put his towel in the nozzle. Then he said "This
next song is from an older album of ours, titled "Damn, my cannon didn't
go off again!"...It is called Ana Ng" (Actually maybe he just said Ana...)
After that they turned off all the lights ("We like to play this with the
only light being the exit and fire ones, in case we need to make a
getaway", said Flans), and they played Pet Name. Ok...why don't I just
tell you the most memorable things and tell you the set list later,
because I can't quite remember, and need to think about it by CD. The
"new" songs they played were Dr. Worm, Rest Awhile, I Am Not Your Broom,
and Triboro, or course. They did not do the "audience member plays the
guitar during 'The Guitar'" thing, much to my dismay. The improv section
on Spy was quite long, and both Flans and Linnell took turns directing it.
I remember that they did Shoehorn with Teeth (glock courtesy of Dan), and
Lie Still Little Bottle with the stick. All was going smooth (well except
for the cannon thing) until Exquisite Dead Guy. The spot light guys
(especially the one on stage right!!!) were kind of incompetent, and could
not or would not put any light on Flans' puppet. He got more and more
upset and then kind of gave up and went offstage. That was bad. Then when
Flans came out, he said "Hey, Mr. Spotlight guys? Yeah, so, this is me
here? Spotlight on me! right here!" and he pointed to himself. Both lights
were on him, then the guy on the right cut out. No light except from the
guy on the left, who changed it to red. Flans was ripshit...absolutely
fuming. He played the whole next song (Birdhouse) with his back to the
audience, and he wasn't singing. I felt so bad. I realized after the
incident that I had my little Mag-lite...I could have given him some
light. Oh well. Other songs I recall: S-E-X-X-Y, Till My Head Falls Off,
Twisting, Don't Let's Start, Dig My Grave...that's all my mind is allowing
right now. After the show I went out and stood by their bus, again, in the
cold, which, again, I didn't really mind, until they came out. Rob and
Amanda were with me. I rested my foot on the hubcap of the TMBG bus, and
the little cover of the hubcap bolt fell off. I said "Oh, shit! I don't
believe it! I broke their bus!" I quickly kicked it back on…Rob seemed
very amused. Hal kept walking back on forth, appearing and disappearing.
One of the times he appeared he signed my shirt (he was getting upset at
me, in a joking sort of way, because I wasn't holding the fabric tight
enough). Dan came out, and I complimented him on the glock and had him
sign it too. Linnell came out a little later and I told him that they had
put on a wonderful show. Then I said "I'm originally from Lincoln,
Ma...where in the town did you live?"
"What do you mean..."
"Like what part?"
"Oh...I didn't realize Lincoln had parts" (he laughs, I say "well, not
really but...") He thinks a bit (this is on the stairs of their bus)"I
guess the middle part... Good night and thanks for coming."
Flans came out and immediately got on the bus. I guess he was still
pissed. Then, I went home. What a great day. I am definitely going to go
to New York!!!!
Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA 5/1/98
Been wondering where the hell I was? You weren't? Hmmm...well...I was in
Philly. Yes, I saw TMBG in Philly on 5/1. I took the choo-choo from
Providence to Philly, filling my time with TMBG bootlegs, Discover
magazine, writing poetry, and listening to the old guy behind me tell some
woman about how women are superior...in excruciatingly graphic detail. I
also saw a midget. That was just the train ride!!! I got to the station
and met Lawrence, aka zaph to those of you familiar with #tmbg. Then we
found Kyle and his friend Shan, and we all went to the Electric Factory.
Mike/TDK was already there, and we hung out with him for a while as people
gradually showed up, a lot of whom I know through IRC. It was a good time,
despite rain, and we had a sing-along. We also took some pictures, which
are [were] on TDK's site. Rob was
there, and I was glad to see him again. He's kept me company before,
during, and after multiple shows, and in return I act as a witness to
other people to tell them he isn't a psycho. :-) Pre-show inside was fun
and exciting, because I love talking to people. Sadly I got separated from
Kyle and Shan due to the reassembly of the line outside, but when I looked
over they both seemed to be doing great. Finally Lincoln came on, and
played a great set. This was the first time I'd seen them as a
threesome...I still miss Dan, but they were still great, albeit with a
different sort of sound. Here's the setlist:
Sucker; My Best Enemy; No Money, No Honey; Carversville; What Up; Shotgun
Supreme; Come On, Don't Be That Way;"Superfly" (short song without a real title); Wish You Were Dead; Unhappy;
Hideaway; Smashing (with the words "blowing someone in your new
sportscar") Then we waited again, and I socialized again, to the best of
my ability. I don't know how long we waited because I don't recall ever
looking at my watch. TMBG came on looking very very happy. Linnell had
traded his usual T-shirt for a stylish skater polo thing with a
zipper...maybe he was feeling confident due to his beauty. [spg: He had
recently won 9th in the People Online Most Beautiful Person poll.] We also
found out that the concert was being recorded for the radio. The setlist:
Snail Shell; NYC :-); Turn Around; James K. Polk (I ate some confetti...I
have no clue why.); Til My Head Falls Off; I Am Not Your Broom; Istanbul;
Battle for the Planet of the Apes; She's Actual Size; Dr. Worm; S-E-X-X-Y
(Flans: "This goes out to all those sexy guys in the audience." He had
also mentioned Linnell's contest previously... "There's still time to vote
for Mr. Linnell!" He scolded us for booing Leo DiCaprio, saying, "He's a
pretty attractive guy."); Spy (Linnell played a really cool thing during
his improvs...he also said
"Please...stay...clear...of...the...plastic...Corpse!...Corpse!...Corpse!"
(I thought he was saying 'cups!' however)); a random jazzy improv; Lie
Still Little Bottle; To All the Girls I've Loved Before (that Vocorder
thing is cool...); Older; Pet Name; Exquisite Dead Guy; Meet James Ensor;
Particle Man; Ana Ng; WDTSS?; Birdhouse In Your Soul; Guitar; No One Knows
My Plan (Flans introduced it by singing "Everybody conga....I'm not
fucking kidding....shy people conga...emotionally unavailable people
conga...guy in the glasses conga...everybody conga....I'm not fucking
kidding...");1st encore: They Got Lost; Twisting; Dig My Grave; 2nd
encore: Shoehorn with Teeth; Georgie Girl; How Can I Sing Like a Girl
After the show I delivered Kyle's They Got Lost storyboard to a trusty
roadie, and we all went to a diner to chill out for a while. It was one of
the best concert nights I've had so far.
Hatch Shell, Boston, MA 7/30/98
Well, let me tell you about my amazing day. After going to the gym and
consequently getting cleaned up, I set off to the TMBG show at the Hatch
Shell in Boston at 12:30. First, I stopped at the bank to get money, went
to CVS to get some last minute necessities (juice, camera), then filled
the tank on the Raider (aka "the golf cart" or "the dishwasher"). Then, I
hit route 3 to take me to the train station, so I could catch the T.
Sadly, the first station, Braintree, had a full parking garage, so I had
to go one more stop to Quincy Adams. Truthfully, I like the garage there
better anyway. The train, the lovely Red line, came almost immediately,
and I got on. (Ohh…surprising turn of events, Sara. Tell us more!) I
helped some kids find Quincy Market (which they called "Funeral Hall"…),
and then I got off at Charles/MGH. I saw a guy in a TMBG shirt and
complimented him on it in that awkward way that we always do when we see
one of our fellow TMBG-ers, but have little more to say to them on the
topic besides "nice shirt". It was like a Dockers ad gone awry. I walked
to the Arthur Fiedler footbridge so I could make it to the river side
without getting killed on Storrow drive. When I got to the Esplanade (the
field at the Hatch Shell), it was essentially barren. By now it was 2:00.
The show was scheduled for 6:00. I laid out my blanket somewhat to the
side (because it was still pretty early), pulled out my sunglasses and my
book (Grapes of Wrath), and enjoyed the lovely sunshine. A woman dressed
in biking garb (spandex…not leather) walked by with all sort of bags, and
put her stuff down front and center, right against the barrier. Then she
walked towards me and shouted "I went all the way home to get a sheet to
sit on and I forgot it. Can you believe it?" I looked up, nodded, said
"That sucks" and went back to my book. She muttered "I can't believe I did
that…forgot my sheet…" and walked off to the side. She returned with
newspapers and a plastic bag that I swear was out of a garbage can. It had
something pink at the bottom. She laid this out near her belongings, then
looked over at me. "Why are you sitting all the way over there? You can
see better from here," she shouted. I reasoned that if I put my blanket
right up front that it would get trampled. She patted the ground next to
her and said, "Come over here…you can see better." I gathered up my bag,
water bottle, book, and blanket and relocated to the space next to this
woman. (I never did find out her name…) I picked up the Grapes of Wrath
again, and she said, "Look at this…isn't this cool?" She pulled out an
army food pack out of her bag. I smiled politely. She tried to open it but
couldn't, so she passed it to me, and I opened it for her. She then
proceeded to show me all the contents. She selected the freeze-dried
chicken from the assortment and put it on some bread she had also brought.
While chewing, she said "The people at my church are f*cking assholes." I
tried to conceal my confusion.
"Maybe you should switch…" I offered.
"There was a talent show, and I was supposed to sing, but they rescheduled
it. I bet someone who is jealous of me did that so she could perform, even
though I bet she can't dance or sing. I can't help it if God gave me
talent. F*cking assholes…" She dug through the pile of army food and
opened up some pound cake. "Want some?"
"Uhh…no thanks." Then I saw Terry (TerryTMBG) and Jon (ziffie) coming
across the field. I had worn a lime green shirt so they could find me, and
Terry had worn a straw hat so I could find him. I stood up, mumbled "be
back" or something at the biker/army food lady, and dashed over to them.
We exchanged niceties and mutual excitement and observed the goings on,
which at that point was the soundcheck for Superdrag. Hearing
"One….two….check…" is a lot more tolerable when it is said by someone from
Britain. Terry, ziffie, and I spotted Nemo across the way, with her dad. I
was the only one gregarious enough to go over to confirm that it was
really Nemo, so I said hello, then Terry and ziffie trailed behind. We
chatted with her for a while, and then a woman who seemed very drunk
accosted us. "You got any matches?" she asked. We all shook our heads no.
"Doesn't anyone smoke?" Again, we responded in the negative. Once she was
out of earshot (trying to bum matches off the roadies), ziffie pulled a
lighter out of his pocket. I cracked up, and said, "Well, she did ask for
matches…" We found out later (thanks to nemo's dad) that she was bathing
in the Charles… More people started to show up, and I went to the Tower
records stand to buy STD in advance. Well, not actually STD, just the
booklet and a voucher for the CD, but still…I felt accomplished. I was the
first and that made me feel special. The five of us decided to go back to
my blanket. The army food lady was there, but she was very asleep. She
continued to fall asleep throughout the afternoon, with a lollypop in her
mouth, or a sandwich in her hand. I think she was narcoleptic. My friends
from the beach then showed up (Ben Wilcox, Moriah [his gf, my friend], and
Katie [my cousin]). They laid their blanket next to mine, and I made the
introductions. We all seemed pretty jovial, but that is quite
understandable. I spotted this guy in the crowd looking really happy, and
he was all alone. He was also a good Linnell replica, but with better
teeth. He became my diversion for a good amount of time. I snapped quite a
few pictures of him, and nemo was making fun of me. What can I say? He had
glasses, and a cool red patterned shirt on…(What's that? The concert? Stop
talking about mystery men? Ok…) Ah, yes…the sound check. The band came out
and played three songs for sound check: Dr. Worm (the new version), She's
Actual Size, and They Got Lost. After Dr. Worm, Flans asked if anyone had
any requests…Terry and I shouted On the Drag, and Flans said, " I don't
think Dan [Weinkauf] knows that one." I also noticed that Dan Hickey's
hair looked a little grey…but that may have just been my imagination.
After the sound check my "beach" friends left to find some more people
they were meeting, and Terry and I had an argument over whether some guy
was our friend Scott or not. Terry was the authority since I had never
actually met Scott outside the confines of #tmbg. It turns out it was him,
but he was with some other people so he didn't join us despite our optimal
position. I was leaning against the rail, scanning the crowd, and I saw
someone from Brown…or at least I was pretty sure. I employed my usual
technique. Look at them until you make eye contact. When this occurred he
waved, so I walked over. It turns out he was in one of my classes. I
chatted for about 2 minutes, which is probably the most I've ever said to
him anyway. When I returned, I noted that our little area was getting
crowded. Once, nemo stepped in front of the army lady (who we thought was
asleep), and she bolted upright and said "You don't stand in front of
me!". Nemo politely moved while trying to hold back laughter. Terry and I
noticed that there were two maternal looking women sitting on the side of
the stage, and we started to play "Which Mom is which?" We never actually
came to a conclusion. We tried to enlist ziffie's opinion, but he didn't
have much to say on the topic. My "beach" friends came back and claimed
their blanket, saying they were going in the back with the others. I
nodded and sighed. Oh well…what do I care what they were doing anyhow…I
was right up front and happy. The concert then began, with the traditional
"Julie Kramer" intro from WFNX. With just John and John on stage, they
played Lines Upon a Tranquil Brow. Then, Dan and Dan were called out, and
they played James K Polk. Adding to the stage population, Dan Levine and
Jim O'Connor came out, and the new Dr. Worm was played. After that, the
list went: She's Actual Size, WDTSS, Battle…Apes, Twisting, Ana Ng,
S-E-X-X-Y, Shoehorn with Teeth…then Flans mentioned the Time poll, and
tooted his own horn for a while. He then said "And Mr. John Linnell is
People's 11th Most Beautiful Person". Linnell said quietly, "9th." Then
they played Particle Man. After that, Spy. The improvs in Spy were
prompted by Flans yelling "Tell me what you want, what you really, really
want!" and included some lovely backwards singing by Linnell. After that
we heard Birdhouse, the Guitar, and No One Knows My Plan. Flans sang
"Everybody conga, I am not kidding, I would be swearing, if my mom weren't
here…" at the beginning, and Linnell sang the words "Why the (something
unintelligible), why the smell of Dan Levine…" Then, for the encore,
Istanbul, and Dr. Worm yet again, because they needed to practice it. Now,
during No One Knows My Plan, Rob and Amanda showed up (with…Dan?). I was
very happy to see them, of course. I had been wondering where they were.
After the concert I said goodbye to Terry and Jon, then set out across the
field. We went very quickly over to the line where the Johns were going to
be signing stuff. I even blew off someone from Brown in my haste to get
over there. When I got there, I got a place in line and waited. My stoned
friends came over and tried to cut, but then Flans said something about
signing stuff over on the other side of the field, so they went over
there. I stayed at the WFNX/Tower Records booth- the right place. I
chatted with Rob, Amanda, and Nemo, and we watched a guy get questioned by
the police because he was pretending to check the people for their
merchandise. Rob had reported him. When I got up to Linnell, I gave him my
liner notes from STD and asked if I could take a picture with him. He
removed his glasses, grinned, and posed with me. Then I moved to Flans. He
thanked me profusely for buying the album, saying, "Did you know this
isn't even for sale yet?" I said, "Yes, I know. I've been waiting very
patiently, and I'm really excited." I requested a picture with him too,
and being gregarious, hopped up on the table and put my arm around him. He
leaned in and grinned for the camera. While in this friendly embrace with
one of my favorite people, I guess both of us knocked over his Coke. It
spilled all over the table. Rob and I picked up various objects to prevent
them from getting "Cokified", but Flans was unfazed. He just walked around
to the front of the table and announced "I'm gonna work this angle now." I
told him I would be at his August 15th show at TT the Bear's, and he
seemed sincerely pleased. If only he had declared it "supercool." I was
really excited after this, of course, and I was wondering what I could do
to waste the next 12 pictures so I could develop my film. The four of us
(Rob, Amanda, Dan, and myself) then set out to where Rob had parked. He
was in the Washington St garage, which meant we had to walk up Beacon
Hill. When we got to the State House we briefly played in the sprinklers,
or at least stuck our faces in them. We got to the garage, and Rob
couldn't remember which floor he had parked on. "I think it's either 4th,
5th, or 6th…" We went to the fourth, and the car wasn't there. So, we
walked up to the fifth. It wasn't there either. When we got to the seventh
with no car yet, we decided it must be on the third. It was, and Rob was
very apologetic. We decided to go to a diner, and en route listened to a
tape that Rob's brother had made in 1982 by holding a microphone up to the
speaker. We especially gave special attention to "Jump." (Not the Van
Halen version, mind you.) We ended up at the Blue Diner. I ordered a tuna
melt and a lemonade, Rob the standard burger, fries, and coffee, and
Amanda and Dan shared chicken fingers. We also had lots of water, because
TMBG concerts are strenuous, and so is Beacon Hill. When my sandwich came
it lacked tuna, so it was deemed a grilled cheese. I really didn't care.
Amanda insisted that I look at the bathroom because it had one of those
caged work lights in it and a condom dispenser that must have been from
the 70's. Once our little meal and social time was over, we all decided it
was time to go to our respective places. I got my bag from Rob's car and
walked to South Station (it was nearby), got on the Red Line again, and
headed home.
Mono Puff, TT the Bears, Cambridge, 8/16
As is my usual protocol, I headed to the venue quite early, in
this case TT the Bears in Central Square. I got there at 6:30. Tickets
went on sale at 6:00, doors opened at 8:30. I waltzed in with an "I'm
supposed to be here" look on my face, bought my ticket, and went over into
the bar. There, lined up at the bar, I found DJ *****, Steve Calhoon, and
Dan Weinkauf. I waved casually but didn't go up to talk to them because
they were in the middle of eating. I sat down and observed the scene.
Then, Dan Miller came over, looked at me, and said, "Hey Sara!" all
enthusiastically.
I said "Wow, you remembered!"
He smiled his awesome smile and said "Of course…and you remember Dan
Weinkauf, right?"
"Yes, I do. It's great to see you again, Dan." Dan Weinkauf smiled and
waved.
"So how is your summer going?" Dan Miller asked, standing causally with me
by the entrance to the pool room.
"Oh, it's going great…I'm at my summer house south of Boston, right on the
beach."
"Are you working?"
"Well, I have an internship testing a local river for pollution and
stuff."
At this point Dan Weinkauf, who had been listening, piped in and said
"Pollution and stuff…is that the technical term or are you dumbing it down
for us?"
I got only momentarily flustered, and said, "OK…fecal coliform."
Dan Miller said, "Oh. Shit." I nodded.
Dan Weinkauf said, "Fecal what?"
"Coliform…kind of like E coli. It is a kind of bacteria." All the present
people make a slightly disgusted face, including Steve and *****
(actually, I'll call him Phil now)…Phil, who were in the background still
eating.
Then the sound guy came over and said "We're ready for you."
Dan Miller motioned for me to follow, and we all went over to the stage. I
pulled up a chair and watched the sound check. They had some trouble with
Phil's turntables because they weren't loud enough, and the sound guy kept
complaining that the power amp was brand new, and if he blew it he was
fired. They played "IFTS", a bit of "Creepy", and some of "Girls". After
the sound check, I chatted with Robin for a while about the area…she is
sooo sweet. They all packed up and got ready to leave, to go visit Steve's
friends from college (from Texas), and also to move the van. Steve came
out as the next band Helicopter was setting up, and said "Has anyone seen
a holster to a Leatherman?" I started looking for it, and after a good
scan of the area went up to Steve and said "Did you lose it around the
stage?"
"Yeah…I did."
"Well, tell you what. I'll keep looking, and if I find it, I'll let you
know."
"Oh wow, thanks! By the way, it's great to meet you…my name is Steve."
I shook his hand and said, "Sara." He grinned somewhat maniacally, and
left.
I had very little interest in the Helicopter soundcheck, so I decided to
go play pool. Now, I'm not a phenomenal pool player by any stretch of the
imagination…but I have enough skill to figure out good shots using
trigonometry. Usually I miscalculate, which results in a grimace that
seemed to delight the guys at the bar watching me. Two guys came in and
racked up at the other table. They were kind of watching me, so I smiled
at them and kept playing. Luckily I just then had a beautiful shot that
made me look and sound pretty good.
"Um…hey…are you here for Mono Puff?" one of them asked (Jeff, as I would
later find out).
"Yes I am."
"Yeah!! Dude!!! Us too!!"
"Great. It's nice to meet you. I'm Sara."
"I'm Jeff, and this is Dan." Dan nodded enthusiatically. As the
conversation progressed, I found out that Dan was from Rhode Island and
Jeff was from Minneapolis but was working in Connecticut. They both seemed
pretty nice. Dan had a serious lisp and kept calling TMBG "The Mighty
Giants" though, and Jeff kept slapping my hand and offering to buy me
drinks. Rob and Amanda showed up, and I introduced everyone and chatted
with Rob and Amanda for a while. You see, Rob was supposed to come visit
me at the beach, but he had car trouble. I actually didn't know that at
the time though, because he had lost my phone # and had sent me e-mail…and
it would be the one day I don't check my e-mail obsessively. They went to
go get dinner, and Jeff asked me to go listen to Helicopter with him. They
were OK, although their songs all kind of sounded the same to me…I
classify it as "tortured and angry chick singer" music. I left the area to
go sit in the bar. Rob and Amanda came back, and we hung out and played
with my Silly Putty, when suddenly I gasped and practically lept out of my
seat. "The guy" of Hatch Shell fame had walked in. (Recall that in my
Hatch Shell story, I had developed a long distance crush on a Linnell-ish
guy near me and had taken pictures of him…) I got very excited and was
moving all around and saying "Omigod! I have to go talk to him! I have to
do this!". He walked out the door and walked down the street. No, I didn't
follow him…I'm not that bad. I went over to the stage area while
Helicopter left and Hospital set up. "The guy" came back, and I
approached him.
"Excuse me…weren't you at the Hatch Shell?"
"Oh…yeah. I think I was in line right near you."
"Yeah, I had wanted to talk to you because you seem like a cool person."
"I'm not sure how I can substantiate that."
"Well, anyway…my name is Sara."
"Nate…well, Nathan."
Then I walked over to watch Hospital, and Nate followed. He showed me a
tape he had made with a friend of his, and asked if I could help him get
it to Flans. I told him I would definitely do that. He ended uop standing
next to me for the whole concert. Hospital was really good; I even bought
their CD. What was really amusing was that the two lead singers looked
like two board members…one looked just like Flaminchicken with a shaved
head (Rob agreed), and the other looked kind of like Ryan, but with blond
hair. That in itself made them amusing. They also had a cello. After
Hospital, we assembled right along the stage for Mono Puff. Jeff came
back, and he was really drunk. He had snuck into the dressing room and was
telling me about his exploits, while slapping me on the back and breathing
beerily on me. I cringed slightly and told him he didn't have to shout
into my ear, because the music had stopped. He proceeded to shout "Woo
hoo! John Flansburgh! Man of the Century! You are the
bomb!"…constantly…through the whole concert.
He also kept trying to get onstage, and I kept pulling him down. I
essentially blocked the access to the stage (cinderblock steps) so he
couldn't climb up. At one point Flans let him strum his guitar, perhaps
hoping that would make him shut up. Flans turned to Robin while I was
trying to keep him from going onstage one time and said "She's like my
bodyguard!"
I informed Jeff that he was distracting people and that he was making me
unhappy. "Dude…Sara…I am SO glad I met you." I smiled weakly and nodded.
Then he shouted "I am so cool! I got to play his guitar!" He spilled beer
and his arm and my leg, then slapped his beery hand across my back.
"No…that isn't cool, Jeff. Playing the guitar, yes, that was cool. Getting
beer on people and making them enjoy a concert less, that isn't cool." He
looked very apologetic and calmed down a bit.
Here's the setlist: 5 * Jam, Mr Hughes (this song is about Langston
Hughes), Unsupervised, Imaginary Friend, Backstabbing Liar, Devil Went
Down to Newport, Dr. Kildare (we all sang the words for him), Night
Security, Dedication Intro (Not only…), Fun To Steal, Girls, Creepy,
Poison Flowers, I Love Rock and Roll ( as in the classic tune…)
Well, after they played, T-shirts were for sale over in the corner. Flans
and Robin were selling and fielding questions. Some guy asked some sort of
question about fan dedication and Flans' answer was truly beautiful. "I
know it sounds corny…like bullshit…but it really is about love. I really
love all of you. I really love the band. There's no other way to describe
it."
I approached Dan Weinkauf and apologized for Jeff on behalf of everyone,
and said that I had tried my best to keep him under control, even though
it wasn't my responsibility in the first place. Dan smiled and said
"Well…we thought he was harassing you actually. We felt really bad. Thanks
for taking care of us though."
"You are very welcome." I said. Then he grinned very sincerely.
I had no interest in the last band, so I said goodbye to Nate, who said he
hoped he'd see me at the next show. Rob and Amanda walked me to the subway
stop, then we went our separate ways. All in all, a phenomenal night.
TMBG, Lupo's, Providence, RI, 3/13/99
The weather was cooperating with the fact that I was planning on
standing on the sidewalk for more than three hours; it was in the
lower 50's I'd say. I arrived at 3:35 for 6:30 doors, with my friend
Don and two ice cream cakes to serve to the masses. There were some
people there at the same time, one of which turned out to be
Eric/HLC from the Musings Board. He was pretty quiet, and didn't
talk to me much. He said Dave Mazzarelli, also from the board, was
coming, but I never got to meet him. Around 4:10 the guys got on
stage and started their soundcheck. Linnell was making up a song to
test the vocorder. At 4:25 they sang another song which I didn't
recognize at the time, because it was a new one. More people began
to show up. A group of people set out a checkers board on the
sidewalk, and a guy named "Hank" had his outline traced on the
sidewalk in chalk, with the caption "Died for the love of TMBG", and
a chalk gun and 40oz. A girl (Alison?) was blowing bubbles and
frolicking back and forth. Don went to go get me a sandwich. At 4:30
they played another new song, which I later identified as
Thunderbird. Next came Somebody Took My Eye. Meanwhile, I kept
trying to serve ice cream cake, and was making a horrible mess, but
everyone seemed happy about it. He next song on the soundcheck was
Cyclops Rock, which sounded really great even from outside. More and
more people showed up, I gave away more cake, and got harassed by
more drunks, homeless men, and drug dealers. Someone nearby
commented "Wow, the really do love you…" TMBG played Sing Like a
Girl, Finished with Lies, and Exquisite Dead Guy. The drug dealers
tried to figure out how all of us could be so happy and not have any
"doses" on us. Rob, Shana, and Todd showed up somewhere in there,
which made me very very happy because I finally got to meet Shana.
We all hung out and chatted, and I wondered where all the random
people who had said they were coming were, like Ben and his friends,
and Scott and his friends, and my friend Alyssa. At 5:15 or so, we
all were told to line up against the wall, in an orderly fashion.
Scott walked by and said hi, but I didn't have a chance to talk to
him for long. I also saw Nate (of "red sweater" fame from the Hatch
Shell and the TT's Mono Puff Show), who waved to me
enthusiastically, which made me happy that he remembered who I was.
At 5:45 or so, we went inside. I ran to my usual spot just to the
Flans side of center. I continued to chat with people, and the guy
next to me asked me if I knew Jish. I of course replied in the
affirmative, and we spent the time until Michael Shelley came on
discussing Jish and Thayer Street, since that's where we both live.
His name was Dave, and he goes to RISD. He gave me someone else
exciting to chat with during non-musical moments. I asked him out to
coffee because I liked talking to him. We'll see what he says. So,
anyway, Michael Shelley came on. Rob had said he was mediocre, but I
wanted to judge for myself. First he played Girl with the Light in
Her Eyes. (I may be making up these titles, by the way…) Then Baby's
In A Bad Mood Tonight (?). He introduced the third song, The Pill,
as being about teenage sex. I said sarcastically to no one in
particular, "But teenagers don't have sex…" Next some "I pushed you
away" song, then a song about a rollercoaster at Rocky Point. Then
he made a comment about all the balls people were throwing around,
but sadly I just wrote "Ball comment" in my notebook, so I forget
what was so cool about it. The next song seemed to be about a
roadtrip of some sorts. Before the next song he asked, "What's your
name?" He heard me clearly because he said, "Sara…" Then he went
into That Kind of Girl. Then they played Shrink Me Down All Over the
World. The last song was "about my imaginary girlfriend", and the
chorus seemed to be "Go Surfer Jill". All in all, not boring to
listen to, and some songs caught my ear, but not all out orgasmic in
any way. So, then they left, and Dave and I chatted about the
possibility of making his red T-shirt look like a staff shirt. Rob,
Shana, and Todd told their "You guys going to the GIG" story
again…because it never loses that amusing edge. (They met TMBG at a
rest stop, and that's what Linnell said to them.) I saw my friend
Grey diagonally across the stage, and waved. I copied the set list
off of the stage. Finally, after what seemed to be an excruciating
wait, TMBG came on to the "Roboto" theme or something along those
lines. Dan Miller was with them, and Dan Weinkauf was playing bass.
I love Dan Miller, let me just say for the record. He is so
talented. They played Sexxy, which of course was exactly that:
sexxy. Then, Istanbul, which was wonderful in person, as always,
because of how cool Flans looks when he throws his head back like
that. Dr. Worm was next, which was wonderful but really needs brass
to be pulled off correctly. It was off their "brand new record 6
months ago" and "the other title track". Then came She's Actual
Size, with a drum solo from Dan. Flans told him " the people want to
hear the funky high hat" and when he played it, Flans yelled, "fuck
yeah!" They played WDTSS, and I swear (and I've been to enough shows
not to make false claims) that Linnell was definitely making eye
contact. Dan was then introduced with a musicalized (is that even a
word?) version of the "born in a graveyard, raised in a garage…"
story, followed by Shoehorn, of course. Flans then asked a secret
showbiz question to Iggy, the lighting guy. "Did we bring the
cannon? If so, are we using it? Ixnay on the annonkay?" Instead of
the cannon, Rob and I threw bits of torn up paper from my notepad
during Polk (the next song.) Linnell then sang "Somebody took my
eye, it was the only I had, I DON'T HAVE AN EYE!" which segued into
Cyclops Rock, which kicks ass! I wrote "wicked cool" in my notebook,
so it must be good. Linnell then told us that the next song was
about "when you're in a club and the music is too loud and it hurts
your ears how loud your neighbor is yelling the word 'What?!'" It
was called So Loud. Then they were supposed to go right into Ana Ng,
but they didn't. Flans declared it " a fucked up recording
nightmare", and wanted to sing Sorry I Fucked Up the Show. Linnell
made him wait. They played it, then Flans told a story about how he
always used to smell a cheap pot smell about halfway through the
show, and questioned why the fans bought the cheapest pot. Then he
said it went away when their road crew changed. "It wasn't the fans,
it was our co-workers. So, to our new road crew, 'Enjoy yourself!
Mazeltov!'" Then they played NYC, and after that, Finished with
Lies. Flans instructed Linnell to tell us a story, so he went to the
center mike and told us that he had once been told that this place
called Haven Brothers (where when you get your order the guy says,
"YOU'RE all set.") had a special delicacy called "baby fingers". So,
Linnell went there, and "asked for baby fingers, but the guy just
stared blankly, and I felt like a FREAK!" They then performed
Particle Man. Flans said something about "faking it, or more like
phoning it in." The Johns then had an extended argument about who
was the good John. "I'm the sincere one, listen to me!" Linnell
declared. "No, don't listen to him, I'm the one who loves you. The
angry John. The one who swears a lot" Flans countered. Linnell said
about himself, "For John is mischievous and crafty…" They played
She's an Angel, which was orgasmic. Mmmmmmmmm…slide guitar. Next, a
song that "is about being in high school for the rest of your life",
Sing Like A Girl. Exquisite Dead Guy was after that, and we got to
touch the heads. Then they played Sorry I Fucked Up the Show. They
introduced the band, and they had a Dan Fast Jam. Dan Miller kicks
ass. That's what it says in my notebook. J Twisting was next, and
Flans pulled out all but one string. Last of all, they played Til My
Head Falls Off. A small break was taken, and then the first encore
began. They were going to play Mammal, but Flans said, "we probably
know this one better than our old one…which is pathetic." The song
they did play was Thunderbird. Flans was reading the chord sheet.
Then She Thinks She's Edith Head ("this is about a girl who I knew
in high school who went crazy and thought she was someone else. I
changed the names."), and Spider. Then, the Guitar. I climbed up on
the railing, and got to play the guitar twice, once for a pretty
long time, and the second time for not as long. Then, they left
again, and of course came back. Flans said they wanted us to go buy
T-shirts "before they turn on the disco music and make people leave
faster than people leaving an airplane", because the money goes to
them and "if we don't make this kind of music, who will?" They
played Older, and Birdhouse, and Spy. During the Spy improv, Linnell
was saying, "Thanks for your baby fingas." After the show I had to
corral the people staying with me (Rob, Shana, and Todd), and they
wanted to go get something to eat. Then I saw my friends from
Marshfield, my summer town, (Ben and his friends) so I wanted to go
say hi to them. After chatting with them for a while, Rob et al, 8
people total including Don, urged me to come to the cars so we could
get food. On the way there Scott and his girlfriend Julie were
standing on the other side of the street, so I went across to say
hello to them. I was being yelled at for taking too long, by Rob,
Shana, and the others, so I had to cut it short. At least I got to
talk to them for a little while. I took everyone to Seekonk, and we
ended up at East Side Marios. It has a lot of fake New York City
stuff inside. I was with New Yorkers. The self-esteem that I had
worked to build up ever since 7th grade was once again taken down a
few notches by their constant mockery. I can't recall ever wanting
to disappear so much. There were some amusing moments however, such
as the flashing light, which meant everyone was supposed to gather
under it, and Rob showing us his high-flying mint consumption
skills. After dinner, those going back to Brown did so, and the rest
went back to NYC. Overall, perhaps the best show I've been to ever.