Addendums: nostalgia!
Shit, I was drunk.
Shit needs to get out of my top five list of best shows. First of all, r.e.m., huh? It was gross arena rock. Maybe if I saw them in '86 at the Oriental with Camper Van Beethoven. Supporting Fables of the Resconstruction and Life's Rich Pageant. When they put out an album a year. And were good. So: show expunged!
Side note: it's really depressing when a band you spent your formative years with goes sour. See: "Around the Sun."
But most still apply. However, there are two shows that need to fit along somewhere in there:
a) Magnetic Fields in support of "69 Love Songs" in the Twin Cities. Fucking tops. But it didn't make me cry.
and
b) Um, Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control in Madison? Jeff Mangum was cool as hell, and this was the downtime between "On Avery Island" and their masterpiece. I do think "Aeroplane," twenty years from now, will be considered a classic of the late 20th century. I mean, the indie press already think so, but I'm talking Rolling Stone and Spin.
On that note, it was great to see/hear songs like "Two Headed Boy" for the first time. And there was virtually no turn out. I got to say hi to Jeff and he was super nice. I can't say the same for the Olivia Tremor duo, though I still highly regard both dusk at cubist castle and black foliage. I had to shout out "holiday surprise" dozens of time. Though I think they were somewhat glad that someone there actually knew their songs. Another tangent: we actually found out about that show while seeing Pavement with the Apples in Stereo opening. THAT show on the other hand, was pretty sucky. Bad, bad sound. And it was in support of Brighten the Corners. (Better than Terror Twilight, though.) Speaking of Pavement, I still need to get/download that Crooked Rain reissue.
More pavement: I don't get you kids. Crooked Rain is superior to Slanted, in my mind. I mean, sure: there's the thrill of being some kid hearing Slanted for the first time and saying "What the Hell is this?"
But, Crooked Rain, songcraft-wise, is better. I won't say more refined, but there aint no "gold soundz" "cut your hair" or "range life" on "Slanted."
Runner-ups I forgot: Sebadoh in Chi-town. "Dramamine!" Matthew Sweet in support of "Girlfriend" in Milwaukee, with the then-awesome Jayhawks opening, in support of "Hollywood Town Hall." Front row with Matt Gumz. Great times.
Shit needs to get out of my top five list of best shows. First of all, r.e.m., huh? It was gross arena rock. Maybe if I saw them in '86 at the Oriental with Camper Van Beethoven. Supporting Fables of the Resconstruction and Life's Rich Pageant. When they put out an album a year. And were good. So: show expunged!
Side note: it's really depressing when a band you spent your formative years with goes sour. See: "Around the Sun."
But most still apply. However, there are two shows that need to fit along somewhere in there:
a) Magnetic Fields in support of "69 Love Songs" in the Twin Cities. Fucking tops. But it didn't make me cry.
and
b) Um, Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control in Madison? Jeff Mangum was cool as hell, and this was the downtime between "On Avery Island" and their masterpiece. I do think "Aeroplane," twenty years from now, will be considered a classic of the late 20th century. I mean, the indie press already think so, but I'm talking Rolling Stone and Spin.
On that note, it was great to see/hear songs like "Two Headed Boy" for the first time. And there was virtually no turn out. I got to say hi to Jeff and he was super nice. I can't say the same for the Olivia Tremor duo, though I still highly regard both dusk at cubist castle and black foliage. I had to shout out "holiday surprise" dozens of time. Though I think they were somewhat glad that someone there actually knew their songs. Another tangent: we actually found out about that show while seeing Pavement with the Apples in Stereo opening. THAT show on the other hand, was pretty sucky. Bad, bad sound. And it was in support of Brighten the Corners. (Better than Terror Twilight, though.) Speaking of Pavement, I still need to get/download that Crooked Rain reissue.
More pavement: I don't get you kids. Crooked Rain is superior to Slanted, in my mind. I mean, sure: there's the thrill of being some kid hearing Slanted for the first time and saying "What the Hell is this?"
But, Crooked Rain, songcraft-wise, is better. I won't say more refined, but there aint no "gold soundz" "cut your hair" or "range life" on "Slanted."
Runner-ups I forgot: Sebadoh in Chi-town. "Dramamine!" Matthew Sweet in support of "Girlfriend" in Milwaukee, with the then-awesome Jayhawks opening, in support of "Hollywood Town Hall." Front row with Matt Gumz. Great times.