Red Roses For Me: The Pogues At The Boston House Of Blues March 20 2009 [concert review]
And so.
(The HoB did not allow cameras inside and my phone doesn't have a camera function, so none of these pictures are mine; all are taken from here and are by tinnitus photography. No infringement intended, I just like having illustration. Also, in some of the crowd shots you can kind of see me! Look for the shock of white hair in the front row; that's my dad, I'm the brownish hat to his right.)
We got to the club around six and the doors weren't open yet so we hit the HoB restaurant. Well, the bar. My dad got a couple beers, and I got felt up by a pretty Irish lady. Okay, it was an accident, but still. Pretty Irish lady!
As soon as we realized they were letting people in, we beat it inside. Early enough to stake out prime rail position, just barely to the left of center. I also hit up the merchandising table and bought a t-shirt and a tote bag and one of the guys manning it saw "Elizabeth City" on my ID and knew where that was so we got into a bit of a conversation about NC and my spending the morning on planes to get to Boston for the concert. The other guy did not know where EC was, but didn't let that stop him:
GUY #1: You came all the way from North Carolina just to see the Pogues?
ME: Totally worth it.
GUY #2: Oh, yeah, Elizabeth City! We're playing a show there next week. It hasn't been advertised much but --
GUY #1: Really?
ME: No.
GUY #2: No, it's just a joke I like to make when I hear about people coming ridiculous distances to see the band. 'Oh, yeah, we're playing in your hometown next week, didn't you hear?'
ME: Although if you were I would totally go and be thrilled. Tell 'em. Elizabeth City. Next year.
Then I went back to the rail and told my dad the story. He thought it was funny and went over to ask "which one of you was trying to pick up my daughter?" Apparently Guy #2 vigorously denied it, while Guy #1 was like, "We-ell..." Also my dad thinks $40 is too much to pay for a T-shirt. Not invested enough in the band, yo. (Okay, I paid $30 for a t-shirt and $15 for a bag and declined the same t-shirt because of the price. Point still stands. Spend some money!)
The shirt and bag on the far left are what I walked away with. The long-sleeved shirt in the bottom right corner of the back wall (under the second green t-shirt) is what my dad declined to buy.
We got into a conversation with the guy next to us (the one who was dead center, curse his luck). He'd flown in from Ohio for the concert, we argued good-naturedly about who'd come further. We talked about previous Pogues shows we'd seen -- both of us were at the Avalon two years ago, albeit on different nights. We discussed what we were most looking forward to that night.
Tom Gabrel (of Against Me!) was the opening act. He was pretty awesome. Not what I came to see, but very good. I kept getting distracted by the fact that he kept his eyes closed while he was singing. He seemed to be a Pogues fan and aware of how utterly awesome it is to get to open for them, even if the audience isn't interested you, they just want Shane.
Some of the idiots in the crowd started coming out during the break between Tom and the Pogues. Most of it was fairly standard -- people thinking any time there was a lull in the house musing, that meant the band was about to come out. For the record: when they start playing "Straight To Hell" and the stage goes dark, that means the band is about to come out. Nothing else. There was one particular Drunk Idiot (who will henceforth be called Drunk Idiot, capital letters) who made a rush for the rail. When people shoved him back, as people are wont to do when you try to steal their place in the crowd, he started a fistfight. Security broke it up and were threatening to drag him out, but his friends intervened and he apologized and they took his bracelet so he couldn't drink anymore and let him stay. (Keep him in mind. He comes up again later.)
At about 9:15, "Straight To Hell" finally broke out, and the crowd went wild for like five minutes while we waited for our boys.
Set list:
Streams of Whiskey
If I Should Fall From Grace With God
Broad Majestic Shannon
Turkish Song of the Damned
A Pair of Brown Eyes
Repeal of the Licensing Laws
Cotton Fields
Greenland Whale Fisheries
Sayonara
Tuesday Morning
Kitty
Sunny Side of the Street
Boys From The County Hell
Body of an American
Lullaby of London
Thousands Are Sailing
Dirty Old Town
Bottle of Smoke
Sickbed of Cuchulainn
Encore:
Sally MacLennane
A Rainy Night In Soho
Irish Rover
Second Encore:
Poor Paddy
Fiesta
Shane was in brilliant form, the most sober I've ever seen him, and he looked like he was having a good time. Phil was amazing and had me practically in tears on "Thousands Are Sailing". I cannot say enough wonderful things about Spider. The entire band was completely on, and it was great.
"Streams of Whiskey" is always a great opener, and this wasn't an exception, it totally set the mood. Shane's howl during "If I Should Fall From Grace" was epic, it sent chills down my spine.
Around "Turkish Song of the Damned" was when the Drunk Idiot first made his reappearance. He made another play for the rail, this time made it all the way up to behind Jeff (the guy next to me, the one from Ohio). When he couldn't force his way any further, he tried to sell a sob story about having come all this way and paid for his ticket and really wants to be at front. Jeff said, okay, then you probably should've got here earlier and staked out a place at the rail, 'cause nobody here is gonna give up their spot for you. Drunk Idiot stayed in the second row.
"A Pair Of Brown Eyes" was fucken brilliant. People were breaking out lighters. Had I had a lighter, I would've done the same.
Spider took Shane's mic for "Repeal of the Licensing Laws" while Shane wandered offstage to refresh his drink. Always a fun number. Got people dancing and shoving and just generally being happy idiots. Somebody in the crowd yelled at Shane for leaving, but whatever.
I was actually really surprised to hear "Cotton Fields" because I somehow hadn't registered that it was back on the set list. (Apparently got put there during the DC run, replacing "Metropolitan".) I'd never heard them do it live before, and it was brilliantly done, sounded as sharp as the studio recordings.
"Greenland Whale Fisheries" I spent hanging over the rail screaming "And for Greenland sailed away!" and "And we did not catch that whale!" and the like everytime the mob let up on my back enough for me to inhale.
I was distracted from "Sayonara" by Drunk Idiot again making a play for the rail. This time when he couldn't break the line he started yelling at Jeff, calling him an "elitist prick" and similar things.
Spider took the mic for "Tuesday Morning", and...well, there were tears. That's such a lovely song and he sings it so well.
"Kitty" and "Sunnyside" both had the unfortunate honor of being when the idiot crowdsurfers started. I think over the course of the night four people got dragged over the rail and hauled out by security for crowdsurfing, and a fifth came thisclose but his friends saw security and pulled him back to the floor before they could reach him.
"Boys From The County Hell"! I knew ahead of time that this was just added on the setlist from the DC run and was utterly thrilled, because I fucking love that song. There was a lot of screaming and joy and fuck-you and, well, "we'll eat your friggin' entrails and we won't give a damn"!
I missed most of "Body of an American" which I am incredibly pissed about because "I'M A FREE-BORN MAN OF THE USA!" is one of the most epic moments of any Pogues-in-the-States show. I missed most of it because security was dragging Drunk Idiot over the rail and he was not going quietly or cooperatively. His physical and verbal abuse of the people around him had gotten to a point where security had decided he was no longer somebody they wanted in their club. But his friends were like holding him back and he was crying and begging security to let him stay and bringing up the fact that he'd bought his ticket and apologizing and most of us were very WTF if you wanted to stay and watch the band maybe you should have listened to the first warning you were given instead of getting your friends to buy you more drinks and acting like an increasing asshole. Anyway it took most of the song but they pried him out and made him leave. We applauded the security guards. I shook the hand of one of them and I wasn't the only one. Then we got to catch the last verse of "Body Of An American" so at least we didn't miss it all.
After this three security guards stayed staked out right in front of us until the end of the night to bitch out anybody getting too violent as well as the crowdsurfers. I appreciated this as my dad was very much not appreciating getting smashed.
"Lullaby" was brilliant. "Thousands Are Sailing", as I said, made me cry. "Dirty Old Town" is so much more epic when Shane is being backed up by several hundred fans singing their hearts out, and it's already incredibly epic. "Bottle of Smoke" involved more being suffocated by the mob and the rail but was totally worth it.
"Sickbed of Cuchulainn" is one of my favorite songs of ever, no lie, and they definitely did not disappoint. Shane growled and slurred and shouted his way through it and it was brilliant and the band was so fucken on and omg I love them so much and Jeff blew Shane a kiss and Shane blew him one back and it was just such an incredible time and I have no words.
They left the stage and I don't think anybody left the club. I'm sure there were a few people who thought the show was over -- I actually heard a girl ask that very question -- but I'm sure all of them were informed, as said girl was, that there would be an encore. Lots of chanting, clapping, and banging on the rail ensued. Finally they came out again and played "Sally Maclennane" (which is what my laptop is named after 'cause I is a dork yo) and it was epic. Then they played "Rainy Night in Soho" and at the opening notes Jeff turned to me and went, "Hey, it's your song!" because I had told him at the beginning of the night how much I was looking forward to Rainy Night. This was also the most respectful the crowd on the floor got; I don't think I got a single elbow in my back during this song. I was leaning over the rail, practically in tears, singing along, listening to Shane pour his heart into it, and so fucking feeling it. Brilliant. Best moment of the night. Afterwards Shane started to introduce the next song as Rainy Night In Soho and got corrected by Spider and they played "The Irish Rover". Shane lost the lyrics at one point and the audience provided them for him until he got back on track.
Left the stage again. Newcomers were again informed that the show's not really over until they play Fiesta. more chanting, clapping, cheering, and banging on the rail until the band finally made their way back onstage. They played "Poor Paddy", which I love but can't sing along to because I just cannot wrap my mind around that stream of words ("I was wearing courdory britches digging ditches pulling switches dodging pitches as I was working on the railway"). Shane started with "I'm sick to my death of the railway, the fucken railway" in the first verse, which was kind of amusing. They followed it up with "Fiesta", ending the show with a bang as always; the band always seems to have so much fun with that number. Spider on the beer tray remains one of the best moments of the show. James was all over the stage, he was brilliant, I don't know how many pairs of pants he must go through in a show with all the sliding on his knees that he does. Shane wound up pouring most of the wine down his shirt during his chug-a-bottle moment. He also picked up a beer tray of his own and tried to keep time with Spider. He wasn't quite on the beat, but omg I love him so much and he was trying and it was wonderful. At the end they threw the beer trays into the crowd. Shane's didn't quite make it, it fell between the stage and the rail. One of the security guys grabbed it, hesitated, and at the urging of the crowd finally threw it into the audience. Which almost prompted a fistfight.
I didn't walk away with either beer tray. I wish I had but alas was not to be.
The band left the stage again, the house lights went up, people started making their way out. We stayed in place for a bit to let them clear out. The floor was covered with smashed beer cans and plastic cups. We hung out at the rail for a while, discussing the show; Jeff asked one of the security guards if there was a possibility of getting something off the stage, but he wasn't allowed to touch anything up there so suggested we wait for the roadies to come out. We did. They didn't seem inclined to grant souvenirs.
We wound up leaving around 11:30 (which I think is the earliest I've ever left a Pogues concert?), bruised, battered, aching, and (me at least) elated. My dad was still pissed about the idiots in the crowd, but conceded that the band was fantastic.
By the next morning, I had massive bruises on my knees and right hip and my arms looked completely mangled and I still ache all over but OMG SO WORTH IT I LOVE MY BAND SO MUCH.
(The HoB did not allow cameras inside and my phone doesn't have a camera function, so none of these pictures are mine; all are taken from here and are by tinnitus photography. No infringement intended, I just like having illustration. Also, in some of the crowd shots you can kind of see me! Look for the shock of white hair in the front row; that's my dad, I'm the brownish hat to his right.)
We got to the club around six and the doors weren't open yet so we hit the HoB restaurant. Well, the bar. My dad got a couple beers, and I got felt up by a pretty Irish lady. Okay, it was an accident, but still. Pretty Irish lady!
As soon as we realized they were letting people in, we beat it inside. Early enough to stake out prime rail position, just barely to the left of center. I also hit up the merchandising table and bought a t-shirt and a tote bag and one of the guys manning it saw "Elizabeth City" on my ID and knew where that was so we got into a bit of a conversation about NC and my spending the morning on planes to get to Boston for the concert. The other guy did not know where EC was, but didn't let that stop him:
GUY #1: You came all the way from North Carolina just to see the Pogues?
ME: Totally worth it.
GUY #2: Oh, yeah, Elizabeth City! We're playing a show there next week. It hasn't been advertised much but --
GUY #1: Really?
ME: No.
GUY #2: No, it's just a joke I like to make when I hear about people coming ridiculous distances to see the band. 'Oh, yeah, we're playing in your hometown next week, didn't you hear?'
ME: Although if you were I would totally go and be thrilled. Tell 'em. Elizabeth City. Next year.
Then I went back to the rail and told my dad the story. He thought it was funny and went over to ask "which one of you was trying to pick up my daughter?" Apparently Guy #2 vigorously denied it, while Guy #1 was like, "We-ell..." Also my dad thinks $40 is too much to pay for a T-shirt. Not invested enough in the band, yo. (Okay, I paid $30 for a t-shirt and $15 for a bag and declined the same t-shirt because of the price. Point still stands. Spend some money!)
The shirt and bag on the far left are what I walked away with. The long-sleeved shirt in the bottom right corner of the back wall (under the second green t-shirt) is what my dad declined to buy.
We got into a conversation with the guy next to us (the one who was dead center, curse his luck). He'd flown in from Ohio for the concert, we argued good-naturedly about who'd come further. We talked about previous Pogues shows we'd seen -- both of us were at the Avalon two years ago, albeit on different nights. We discussed what we were most looking forward to that night.
Tom Gabrel (of Against Me!) was the opening act. He was pretty awesome. Not what I came to see, but very good. I kept getting distracted by the fact that he kept his eyes closed while he was singing. He seemed to be a Pogues fan and aware of how utterly awesome it is to get to open for them, even if the audience isn't interested you, they just want Shane.
Some of the idiots in the crowd started coming out during the break between Tom and the Pogues. Most of it was fairly standard -- people thinking any time there was a lull in the house musing, that meant the band was about to come out. For the record: when they start playing "Straight To Hell" and the stage goes dark, that means the band is about to come out. Nothing else. There was one particular Drunk Idiot (who will henceforth be called Drunk Idiot, capital letters) who made a rush for the rail. When people shoved him back, as people are wont to do when you try to steal their place in the crowd, he started a fistfight. Security broke it up and were threatening to drag him out, but his friends intervened and he apologized and they took his bracelet so he couldn't drink anymore and let him stay. (Keep him in mind. He comes up again later.)
At about 9:15, "Straight To Hell" finally broke out, and the crowd went wild for like five minutes while we waited for our boys.
Set list:
Streams of Whiskey
If I Should Fall From Grace With God
Broad Majestic Shannon
Turkish Song of the Damned
A Pair of Brown Eyes
Repeal of the Licensing Laws
Cotton Fields
Greenland Whale Fisheries
Sayonara
Tuesday Morning
Kitty
Sunny Side of the Street
Boys From The County Hell
Body of an American
Lullaby of London
Thousands Are Sailing
Dirty Old Town
Bottle of Smoke
Sickbed of Cuchulainn
Encore:
Sally MacLennane
A Rainy Night In Soho
Irish Rover
Second Encore:
Poor Paddy
Fiesta
Shane was in brilliant form, the most sober I've ever seen him, and he looked like he was having a good time. Phil was amazing and had me practically in tears on "Thousands Are Sailing". I cannot say enough wonderful things about Spider. The entire band was completely on, and it was great.
"Streams of Whiskey" is always a great opener, and this wasn't an exception, it totally set the mood. Shane's howl during "If I Should Fall From Grace" was epic, it sent chills down my spine.
Around "Turkish Song of the Damned" was when the Drunk Idiot first made his reappearance. He made another play for the rail, this time made it all the way up to behind Jeff (the guy next to me, the one from Ohio). When he couldn't force his way any further, he tried to sell a sob story about having come all this way and paid for his ticket and really wants to be at front. Jeff said, okay, then you probably should've got here earlier and staked out a place at the rail, 'cause nobody here is gonna give up their spot for you. Drunk Idiot stayed in the second row.
"A Pair Of Brown Eyes" was fucken brilliant. People were breaking out lighters. Had I had a lighter, I would've done the same.
Spider took Shane's mic for "Repeal of the Licensing Laws" while Shane wandered offstage to refresh his drink. Always a fun number. Got people dancing and shoving and just generally being happy idiots. Somebody in the crowd yelled at Shane for leaving, but whatever.
I was actually really surprised to hear "Cotton Fields" because I somehow hadn't registered that it was back on the set list. (Apparently got put there during the DC run, replacing "Metropolitan".) I'd never heard them do it live before, and it was brilliantly done, sounded as sharp as the studio recordings.
"Greenland Whale Fisheries" I spent hanging over the rail screaming "And for Greenland sailed away!" and "And we did not catch that whale!" and the like everytime the mob let up on my back enough for me to inhale.
I was distracted from "Sayonara" by Drunk Idiot again making a play for the rail. This time when he couldn't break the line he started yelling at Jeff, calling him an "elitist prick" and similar things.
Spider took the mic for "Tuesday Morning", and...well, there were tears. That's such a lovely song and he sings it so well.
"Kitty" and "Sunnyside" both had the unfortunate honor of being when the idiot crowdsurfers started. I think over the course of the night four people got dragged over the rail and hauled out by security for crowdsurfing, and a fifth came thisclose but his friends saw security and pulled him back to the floor before they could reach him.
"Boys From The County Hell"! I knew ahead of time that this was just added on the setlist from the DC run and was utterly thrilled, because I fucking love that song. There was a lot of screaming and joy and fuck-you and, well, "we'll eat your friggin' entrails and we won't give a damn"!
I missed most of "Body of an American" which I am incredibly pissed about because "I'M A FREE-BORN MAN OF THE USA!" is one of the most epic moments of any Pogues-in-the-States show. I missed most of it because security was dragging Drunk Idiot over the rail and he was not going quietly or cooperatively. His physical and verbal abuse of the people around him had gotten to a point where security had decided he was no longer somebody they wanted in their club. But his friends were like holding him back and he was crying and begging security to let him stay and bringing up the fact that he'd bought his ticket and apologizing and most of us were very WTF if you wanted to stay and watch the band maybe you should have listened to the first warning you were given instead of getting your friends to buy you more drinks and acting like an increasing asshole. Anyway it took most of the song but they pried him out and made him leave. We applauded the security guards. I shook the hand of one of them and I wasn't the only one. Then we got to catch the last verse of "Body Of An American" so at least we didn't miss it all.
After this three security guards stayed staked out right in front of us until the end of the night to bitch out anybody getting too violent as well as the crowdsurfers. I appreciated this as my dad was very much not appreciating getting smashed.
"Lullaby" was brilliant. "Thousands Are Sailing", as I said, made me cry. "Dirty Old Town" is so much more epic when Shane is being backed up by several hundred fans singing their hearts out, and it's already incredibly epic. "Bottle of Smoke" involved more being suffocated by the mob and the rail but was totally worth it.
"Sickbed of Cuchulainn" is one of my favorite songs of ever, no lie, and they definitely did not disappoint. Shane growled and slurred and shouted his way through it and it was brilliant and the band was so fucken on and omg I love them so much and Jeff blew Shane a kiss and Shane blew him one back and it was just such an incredible time and I have no words.
They left the stage and I don't think anybody left the club. I'm sure there were a few people who thought the show was over -- I actually heard a girl ask that very question -- but I'm sure all of them were informed, as said girl was, that there would be an encore. Lots of chanting, clapping, and banging on the rail ensued. Finally they came out again and played "Sally Maclennane" (which is what my laptop is named after 'cause I is a dork yo) and it was epic. Then they played "Rainy Night in Soho" and at the opening notes Jeff turned to me and went, "Hey, it's your song!" because I had told him at the beginning of the night how much I was looking forward to Rainy Night. This was also the most respectful the crowd on the floor got; I don't think I got a single elbow in my back during this song. I was leaning over the rail, practically in tears, singing along, listening to Shane pour his heart into it, and so fucking feeling it. Brilliant. Best moment of the night. Afterwards Shane started to introduce the next song as Rainy Night In Soho and got corrected by Spider and they played "The Irish Rover". Shane lost the lyrics at one point and the audience provided them for him until he got back on track.
Left the stage again. Newcomers were again informed that the show's not really over until they play Fiesta. more chanting, clapping, cheering, and banging on the rail until the band finally made their way back onstage. They played "Poor Paddy", which I love but can't sing along to because I just cannot wrap my mind around that stream of words ("I was wearing courdory britches digging ditches pulling switches dodging pitches as I was working on the railway"). Shane started with "I'm sick to my death of the railway, the fucken railway" in the first verse, which was kind of amusing. They followed it up with "Fiesta", ending the show with a bang as always; the band always seems to have so much fun with that number. Spider on the beer tray remains one of the best moments of the show. James was all over the stage, he was brilliant, I don't know how many pairs of pants he must go through in a show with all the sliding on his knees that he does. Shane wound up pouring most of the wine down his shirt during his chug-a-bottle moment. He also picked up a beer tray of his own and tried to keep time with Spider. He wasn't quite on the beat, but omg I love him so much and he was trying and it was wonderful. At the end they threw the beer trays into the crowd. Shane's didn't quite make it, it fell between the stage and the rail. One of the security guys grabbed it, hesitated, and at the urging of the crowd finally threw it into the audience. Which almost prompted a fistfight.
I didn't walk away with either beer tray. I wish I had but alas was not to be.
The band left the stage again, the house lights went up, people started making their way out. We stayed in place for a bit to let them clear out. The floor was covered with smashed beer cans and plastic cups. We hung out at the rail for a while, discussing the show; Jeff asked one of the security guards if there was a possibility of getting something off the stage, but he wasn't allowed to touch anything up there so suggested we wait for the roadies to come out. We did. They didn't seem inclined to grant souvenirs.
We wound up leaving around 11:30 (which I think is the earliest I've ever left a Pogues concert?), bruised, battered, aching, and (me at least) elated. My dad was still pissed about the idiots in the crowd, but conceded that the band was fantastic.
By the next morning, I had massive bruises on my knees and right hip and my arms looked completely mangled and I still ache all over but OMG SO WORTH IT I LOVE MY BAND SO MUCH.