Had two drinx - half cider, and half.......oh what the hell, half Guinness. Sat next to yuppy types who totally retracted from me. Fuck, all I wanted to do was watch hoops - and that I did, as the feking Bulls blew a big lead. But I had my drink, looking up, and of course the yuptypes around immediately -though nicely - made sure I was not welcome. however, they made me so unwelcome that they abandoned a seat. nicely I asked, yesly they said, and I got to sit. Double drinx before it was time for me to leave the Grafton.
In the end, it cost me a song, but later...
The time came for me to return to Old Town to watch the second of six sets. Reentry and sat down, rite near front behind the row of tables in the first row of seats.
Claudia and Stephin noted the late arriving crowd by talking of the 'gaping holes' around where I was sitting. Rite then, a couple arrived - well, what we noticed was a hot chick and some dude - who took their place up front. Claudia thanked them, and I chuckled - maybe we just thanked the scrumptious little thing, and not the 'them'. Then Stephin and Claudia noticed schmucks like me who'd been to the earlier show when she pointed out to a couple that they'd sat to the table to the bands rite @ the earlier show - Stepin :"We don't like when people move". Immediately I got paranoid: does that mean I can't move about when my fave songs some on? Last stint @ the Old Town in 2004 I seriously wished I was in the balcony during some songs because I wanted to get up and danse. I'll bop in my seat instead.
And the band bantered on. Before the supremely lovely "take Ecstasy with me", they talked about how their record labels ("SM: Remember when there was record labels?") managed to put out two of their LP's out w/in a month of each other. The result: lots of reviews of their records were dual reviews, reducing the amount of pub each got. Of course if one of those LP's was "Holiday", the bestus and greatest of all MF LP's, then that is a crime. For that LP (Akin to "Aftermath", should have it's own national holiday, far as I'm concerned). They also had a nod to their stage banter from the early set: Remembering that they had said that they take no requests from the audience, somehow they sorta got into a conversation w/ the crowd (now, it wasn't request taking y'understand), and Stephin noted "What happened to not listening to the audience?". Although seeing the band six times in 54 hours mite seem extreme - it has its many rewards. Finally, they talked about the Spitzer deal in New York. Claudia was the one who wanted to talk about it - the others not so. She said that the scandal seemed to have disappeared from the news - I had wanted to pull out my copy of the NYT and show them the headlines belying that statement but was too afraid - and Stephin ritely noted that here in Illinois the problems of New York probably weren't that important. No talk of the lovely Kristen, just the haggard Spitzer.
Old songs, played again. Above I mentioned "Take Ex. w/ Me" - just a great take on this song. Again, the cello's to the fore, bumm bumm bumm bumm-ing deeply to drive the song (Claudia sings) before the exquisite lite part that made me fall in love with w/ the song last decade "Take................. Ecstasy.................... wiiiiiiith me ......... Bay-Beeeeee". "Book of Love", a very very soft and quiet song, just Stephin on guitar and John playing that slide guitar piece (the little metal finger cover that looks like the old A.P.B.A. dice roller), wasn't as revelatory as the first set. I closed my eyes to the band so I could concentrate on listening to Claudia's wondrous backing vocals, but again- not as transcendent as first set. No matter. Their last song of the set was also a quiet nice song - the "Marry Me" song, whatever it's title. These two songs makes me kinda squirm - both involve 'wedding rings' and marriage, and Gf is constantly on my mind. Constantly. I metaphorically look over my shoulder constantly.
Some of the best songs of the set made me think of lost loves: try as I may, both "All dressed up in Dreams" and "As you turn to go" both made me think of the broken heart I endured years back. Fuck - years back now?? still, sometimes hurt remains. "All dressed up..." was supreme and a great treat. As much as I love "Holiday", a close second great Merrit LP was the first "6th's" Lp that it's on. It's about someone being so happy in the new relationship get's 'all dressed up in dreams' - like I did - and then the other person splits ("You said you'd arrive at 8 /but you're 17 days late'). It made me return to the time I was teaching @ another school when "La Catastrophe" occurred. We move on, fer sure, and in major ways - but the past remains. Another song reminded me of the that time as well - "As you turn to go".
"All dressed up in dreams" was an especial treat to hear, and was one of the BEST performances of this set. I loved it, pain remembered notwithstanding. I already noted "THREE WAY !!!!". Then there was another personal fave that the Fields seem to do a lot from listening to boots and scouring set lists) = "Yeah oh Yeah". A full bodied song that plays between Claudia being and abused spouse and Stephin the murderous abusive husband. Again, lovely full bodied - no piano, since Claudia - unique in this set - actually gets up from behind her mike and takes front and center (like a folk set, the entire band doesn't move from behind their mikes @ all, 'cept to enter and exit). However, their is guitar and uke (?) strumming, as well as close to strumming on a cello as you can get. Wild ride this song. My favourite part is after Claudia sings a few stanzas about her hopeless love, Stephin's first of two stanzas comes in ((shift to massive deep instrumentalizing --CELLO!!-- during my added italics)) "When we first met I thought money was everything/ So I let you buy the house the car the ring / but I can't take your perpetual whining/ and you can't sing /eh eh eh eh eh eh eh/eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh / Yeah! oh Yeah!". This song always brings down he set, and it got the most applause.
But my favourite? This set, none of the above. It was a Future Bible Hero's Song (Stephin plays in like 10 different bands/names etc, and all are drawn from) that I do not know the name of - something about making all the same mistakes. It was ( again, what is it Blacky said that I liked? Rhythm or melody? From talking to him I know he really doesn't read the blog unless we converse and he remembers it, but next time I talk to him I'll get down his quote exactly. It's a good one.) a pounding song with drive. Love it.
.......................................
*= no, it doesn't mean The Trust
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