Meeting Bell X1!
Yesterday we got to attend a long-anticipated show: seeing Bell X1 at the Larimer Lounge in Denver. We wanted to arrive in plenty of time so we could scope out the venue and get as close to the stage as possible. Turns out, this wasn’t going to be a problem: the Larimer Lounge is a very intimate (i.e. tiny) venue. When we arrived, the place was the definition of dead… Paul, Tasha, and I took up some barstools and drinks to pass the time. A few beers (for Paul and I) later, the opening act came on and played his set.
A few more people trickled in, eventually we moved into the other room so we could take up a favorable position near the stage. While we were milling around, some of the stagehands helped to set up the equipment but I thought the guy tuning the guitars looked familiar. It turns out it was Dave Geraghty, the guitarist for Bell X1 tuning his own equipment. Shortly after that, the rest of the band took the stage and launched into a great setlist. They played one of Tasha’s favorite songs, “Bad Skin Day” as the second song of the night, so that was pretty great. But that was nothing compared to the eighth song in the set. Paul Noonan, the lead singer of the band, said “we pay this one only for Josh” and then they launched in to “Eve, The Apple of My Eye”. Tasha and I were pretty sure that they were going to play this song since it was their first big hit in the US, but the dedication made it really awesome. There were a bunch of pleasant surprises in the rest of the setlist, and they encored with two songs from their new album.
After the show was done, we watched a girl run up and grab a few of the setlists that the band had strewn around the page. She missed one, which was taped up next to the drummer. Tasha pointed this out and I ran up and grabbed it. We decided that we wanted to wait around and get to meet the band, so we struck up a conversation with the keyboardist for the opening act while we waited. I saw Dave Geraghty head out to the beer garden to have a cigarette, so PW and I went out to visit with him. I was glad to have PW there, since he could help translate Dave’s soft voice and thick accent. For a bit, it sounded like a bunch of mumbling, then laughing, then a few recognizable words like “guitar” and “Old Country”… eventually my filter kicked in and I was able to understand Dave pretty well and had a nice conversation with him.
Meanwhile, Tasha was up at the stage meeting the lead singer, Paul. We brought an 8×10 photo of Eve and shared our story with them, asking them to sign the photo as a keepsake for the baby. They were happy to oblige signing the photo, our setlist, and even posing for a group photo after their gear was all packed up. The whole band is made up of some very genuine and great guys. They swapped parenting stories with us, talking about their own children and how being on the road is hard for them. We talked about music at length, how they come up with a setlist, and the Rory (the drummer) explained to Paul and I what happens when songs are omitted or added to the setlist and how difficult it can be to get that communicated throughout the band.
I had been so used to seeing these guys on YouTube and on DVDs playing to large venues loaded with people, it was very surreal to get to see them in such an intimate venue. It was even more surreal to meet and converse with them and have them show an interest and appreciation of our story. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience getting to see this band perform, what an exceptional group of guys. I hope they come back to Colorado soon. If you’re not familiar with Bell X1, check them out.