September 30 3007: The Mountain Goats, the Bowerbirds - Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge MA
With both an unbelievably vast amount of school work in real need of some ASAP attention and a ridiculously low and no-doubt unhealthy number of hours recently slept under my belt, I didn't study and I didn't sleep. I didn't take a night off to recharge the old mental-health batteries. I didn't think twice. I just drank beers with Sweeney in Cambridge and watched the Mountain Goats play.
And, in fact, not only with Sweeney but with Jared and Caitlin too! But those two didn't have tickets so it was just Sweeney and myself when it came down to business.
I figured if last year's show at the Middle East was any indication, I'd be wishing painful deaths upon most of the audience by the show's conclusion, so we stood up in that little bar area to the left of the stage, right in front of the speakers. The idea being that the closer we were to the speakers, the less we'd hear all the assholes in the room that we DIDN'T pay good money to hear sing. And we were rewarded for our forethought. Mostly. There was just nothing to be done about that guy behind us who felt the need to show off how he knew all the words to "Cobscook Bay."
Speaking of which, they fucking played "Cobscook Bay!" It was great. I really liked the bass part. And I really liked the "unmarked airplanes" line, but I knew that already going in. Really, that whole song. What a great song.
And they did, amongst others, "The Coroner's Gambit" (never seen before) and "Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod" (never seen with Peter) and "Up the Wolves" and "Grendel's Mother" and "Cubs in Five" and "Wild Sage." Sweeney reported being pretty much blown away by "Wild Sage," and I think I'd concur that it's one of their best live numbers.
And they did "Oceanographer's Choice," which I hadn't heard in almost two years. But I just can't hear that song live without wishing they had a full band backing them. But it was still great to hear. And they did that new one "In the Craters On the Moon" again, and another new one called "How to Embrace a Swamp Creature." And closed the set with "Nine Black Poppies."
Encore #1 consisted of asshole-singer favorite "No Children" followed asshole-singer favorite "This Year." And then "Shadow Song" for encore #2.
And fun times all around. It was only Sweeney's second time seeing them, and he called it the best show he's seen in a long while. And afterwards we got some Chinese food across the street from his new place, I slept on his futon, and I was only five minutes late to class on monday.
And, in fact, not only with Sweeney but with Jared and Caitlin too! But those two didn't have tickets so it was just Sweeney and myself when it came down to business.
I figured if last year's show at the Middle East was any indication, I'd be wishing painful deaths upon most of the audience by the show's conclusion, so we stood up in that little bar area to the left of the stage, right in front of the speakers. The idea being that the closer we were to the speakers, the less we'd hear all the assholes in the room that we DIDN'T pay good money to hear sing. And we were rewarded for our forethought. Mostly. There was just nothing to be done about that guy behind us who felt the need to show off how he knew all the words to "Cobscook Bay."
Speaking of which, they fucking played "Cobscook Bay!" It was great. I really liked the bass part. And I really liked the "unmarked airplanes" line, but I knew that already going in. Really, that whole song. What a great song.
And they did, amongst others, "The Coroner's Gambit" (never seen before) and "Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod" (never seen with Peter) and "Up the Wolves" and "Grendel's Mother" and "Cubs in Five" and "Wild Sage." Sweeney reported being pretty much blown away by "Wild Sage," and I think I'd concur that it's one of their best live numbers.
And they did "Oceanographer's Choice," which I hadn't heard in almost two years. But I just can't hear that song live without wishing they had a full band backing them. But it was still great to hear. And they did that new one "In the Craters On the Moon" again, and another new one called "How to Embrace a Swamp Creature." And closed the set with "Nine Black Poppies."
Encore #1 consisted of asshole-singer favorite "No Children" followed asshole-singer favorite "This Year." And then "Shadow Song" for encore #2.
And fun times all around. It was only Sweeney's second time seeing them, and he called it the best show he's seen in a long while. And afterwards we got some Chinese food across the street from his new place, I slept on his futon, and I was only five minutes late to class on monday.
posted by Peter Sohriakoff | 1:10 PM
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