October 14 2005: The Mountain Goats, The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers, Bellafea – Empty Bottle, Chicago IL

Disappointment of the day: I am on Western Ave, waiting for the southbound bus to take me to the Empty Bottle. There are lots of cars driving around. There is lots of honking. There are lots of Catholic School kids waiting for the bus with me. It is approximately 3pm. And out of all of that I hear something that makes me think my name is being called. Whatever it is is barely audible, just enough to cause me to look up before remembering that I know exactly two people in Chicago and am probably just hearing things anyway. So then fast forward to me sitting at the bar at the Empty Bottle having just watched the Mountain Goats’ soundcheck, and John comes up and asks if I saw he and Peter yelling at me as they drove by earlier that day. Goddamn, I could have told my kids that I waved to the Mountain Fucking Goats as they drove by. Oh well, two days later it’s all the same anyhow when they drive by me as I’m thumbing towards Detroit.

But the soundcheck! I’m sure everyone at the show thought to themselves, Wow that’s a really good new song they played there. Lucky me being among the first people to hear it. But these people only think such thoughts because they don’t know that the band soundchecked the song (“Soil Babylon Springs”) multiple times and the first to hear it performed consisted of the bartender, assorted Prayers and Tears, assorted venue employees, and fuckin ME. And then the show itself ties with a Portland show I saw earlier that summer as Best Mountain Goats Show I’ve Ever Witnessed. The crowd was roaring after every song, and every song was amazing. A phenomenal take on Lion’s Teeth was performed with Franklin on keys again, and for the first time this tour the Prayers and Tears returned to the stage at the end of the evening, much to my relief, because I knew firsthand the combined power of the Mountain Goats and the Prayers and Tears, and I was really, really hoping that the first two shows were not to be indicative of the entire tour’s format. And the show fucking rocked. And the night was closed with John and Franklin doing “Memories” by Leonard Cohen. Fabulous.

And as an added bonus to the show I ran into this girl from Milwaukee who I keep running into at rock shows all over the place. First it was the Mountain Goats in New Orleans, followed by the Long Winters in Seattle, and now the Mountain Goats again in Chicago. Plus through the course of conversation we discovered that we have both spent a few nights on the very same sofa (Perry’s, to be precise). Always nice to converse with those of like mind. And further adding to the frenzy of the evening, Bellafea played again. And the Prayers and Tears pulled out “Raise Up You Celestial Choir” for the first time of the tour. I later heard through the rumor mill that David doesn’t like playing the song because he considers it their We’re Gonna Play This Now So You’ll Think We’re Good Even Though We Already Know We’re Good And We Shouldn’t Have To Prove It To Ignorant Shits Like You Song . Well, fuck him because I dig it and was glad to hear it played, no matter how ungroundbreaking it may be.