September 29 2006: The Long Winters - Bowery Ballroom, New York NY

There are times in a person's life when a horrible decision must be made. Say, for example, a criminal has broken into your home and is waving a gun around and is pretty dead set on killing someone you care about and is forcing you to decide whether that someone will be your best friend or your mother. You know what I'm saying? There are just certain decisions that a person must make when it's pretty much lose-lose either way. But then sometimes the criminal accidentally drops the gun into a sewer grate and you and your best friend and mother are able to kick the living shit out of this person and the tables have turned and life is good again.

I was recently faced with a situation such as the one described about. The Long Winters were playing in New York, and I was understandably excited. But then the Mountain Goats booked a gig on the very same night, and I was inconsolable. Because how on earth can a mortal be expected to choose between the two greatest bands in the known universe? Can such a decision even be made, or will the sheer magnitude of firing synapses cause the brain burdened with such a task to just melt? But then I looked a little closer at various internet pages and realized that the Mountain Goats show was an early show, scheduled to conclude no later than 1030pm, that the Long Winters were not scheduled to not hit the stage until 11, and that the distance between the two venues is easily negotiated in a timely manner for a $20 cab fare. So instead of living my life knowing that I chose not to see the Long Winters (because I really don't think I could have skipped a Mountain Goats show...), I was able to turn some seriously bitter lemons into the tastiest lemonade ever. Beautiful.

So I got in a cab and we sped across the Williamsburg Bridge to the Bowery Ballroom and I ran upstairs just as "Hindsight" was finishing up (unfortunately the Mountain Goats ran a little long, but all in all I'm not complaining). But I don't think I missed a whole lot of the show, because I caught a good hour of set. And it was fun to hear the new songs live, and it was fun to hear "Cinnamon" and "Medicine Cabinet Pirate" and "Scared Straight" and "The Commander Thinks Aloud" and other such songs again, and it was very fun to see "Ultimatum" performed by the full band in the acoustic style (as opposed to just John playing it solo, or the full band playing it all rock and roll like, previously the only ways I've seen it played). And John's growing a beard again, and I bought me a new t-shirt, and pretty much enjoyed that feeling which comes when the universe is working out just right and (coincidentally I'm sure) a very respectable amount of whiskey has been recently consumed.