all things in time, all you'll ever need
So, hey, I'm back. Got back Monday night, but I've been too wiped out to post. And work got in the way as well. Bah, work. *cranky fist*
Anyway last weekend was amazing, albeit way too short.
Rosie (soultoad) already wrote about the trip from her perspective here and here, so I'll just touch on things briefly (well, my version of brief, which kind of isn't).
I got in to Atlanta late Saturday morning (so late, it was actually noon), after a pretty uneventful flight (spent rereading Good Omens). Rosie and I went back to her house and spent time with the doggies and watched stuff on her Tivo, including some Daughtry, Ryan Bingham and bits from this past season's American Idol (which actually wasn't that bad-wow, she really IS brainwashing me ;)). I've been trying to figure out who Kris Allen reminds me of. Freddy Rodriguez?
Oh, but! On the way to her house, we stopped by the exit where she feeds Sly and Cain, and I got my first good look at Sly in person! For once, he was out in the grass, instead of semi-hidden up in the woods. Such a beautiful dog. Of course, he quickly scooted up into the woods when we arrived, but still. Sly! :)
Later, we picked up Jari (chickenlover1) and headed off to a surprise graduation party for Rosie's daughter Julie (10dimensions). However, we got so lost that the "surprise" element of the party for us was that we actually found it at all. Still, lovely time.
On the drive back, I saw an armadillo! A live armadillo. It almost makes up for the several dozen roadkill armadillos you're more likely to see in Georgia.
Also, on Sunday, we saw a black snake on Rosie's driveway. I know Rosie doesn't like snakes, but I do and I thought that was really kind of awesome. I mean, yes, we have snakes here in PA, but it's not often that I see them slithering right in front of me. Not a lot of suburban snakes. Unless you're speaking euphemistically.
Sunday was Toad day. TOAD!
Around early evening, we met up with Nean and headed to Atlanta, making it to the Variety Playhouse by about 6 p.m. We were first in line! Well, Rosie was, as she held our place while Nean and I went looking for some dinner.
Euclid Avenue (I can't type that without thinking of Tom Waits' "Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis") seems to be a rather interesting, hipster-ish area. We walked up a block or two from the theater, past some starving artists who shall remain starving if they insist on begging so rudely: when we passed one a second time, coming back down the street, he said, "I don't want to have to break into anyone's car and steal their stereo." Yes, way to endear yourself to us. Of course I'll give you money now!
Nean and I ended up getting food at a Mediterranean restaurant (with a pretty cute beardy Greek guy manning the counter) right next to the venue. We ate outside, just around the corner from Rosie who'd struck up a conversation with a really sweet guy named David, who stuck around with us for the rest of the night. While we ate, several of the guys from Toad passed by (I saw everyone but Dean, although Rosie spotted him). You know, it's really difficult to eat your messy, falling-apart chicken gyro when you're hyperaware of several of your favorite musicians in the whole world walking by.
At this point, watching him walk by, I noticed how grey Randy (the drummer) is getting. Aw, our boys are getting older! It's hard to believe that Glen will be 40 next year. Which means... Todd, Dean and Randy must be about 42 or so. How did that happen? Why does time fly so quickly? Where are the reigns on this thing?
Anyway, by the time Nean and I finished, there was a small line forming behind Rosie. While we waited for the doors to open, we chatted amongst ourselves (with David). During this time, Rosie saw Joe, Toad's old tour manager, and we talked with him as well.
Obviously, once inside, we had our prime pick of places to stand. The theater is pretty intimate, with a small, standing-only area in front of the stage, ending in a seated area that inclines up toward the back of the room. We stood directly in front of the stage, front and center. I ended up just a little right of Glen's monitor.
Tony Furtado opened the show.
I was completely unfamiliar with him, and completely floored by him by the end. Err, by the end of the first song, I should say, not just the set. Because, wow, he was brilliant. No relation to that other Furtado, by the way-which he pointed out early on. Heh. His style was mostly folk/singer-songwriter, edged with a bit of blues and bluegrass. His gruff, foggy voice won me over first. But his near virtuosic fingerpicking on acoustic guitar and (even more impressively) banjo sealed the deal. I could barely keep my eyes off of his fingers, even though the angle proved awkward from my place in front of the stage, and even though most of the time his fingers were little more that a blur of flurried motion. I recall he did a John Prine cover, namechecked Tom Waits, mentioned recording with Alison Krauss and even namedropped Wallace Stevens (!!! he wrote the song "The Bawds of Euphony" based on the line-see title-in Stevens' early poem "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird"-instant bonus points!!).
Here's a video (not from our show) of Tony Furtado covering Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down A Dream" (which he also covered at our show).
I screwed up and didn't get any of Tony's cds, but I hope to rectify that soon. Before the show even started, I was at the merchandise stand, but obviously wasn't going to buy any of the opening act's cds without knowing the music first. However, while there, I bought a t-shirt: a pale blue fitted tee with the a silver-white graphic of a toad on it and Toad the Wet Sprocket beneath it. (I think that counts as my fourth Toad tee.) They also had Glen's last album, Mr. Lemons, and his latest EPs, Unlucky 7 and Secrets Of The New Explorers, for sale, but I already had those. Speaking of the devil... apparently, I had just missed running into Glen, as I'd wandered off to get a beer while Rosie and Joe were talking at the merch. table. Fuck my rotten luck.
So then.
Then there was Toad. TOAD!
As mentioned in a previous post, this was a big fucking deal. I mean, I've seen Toad before (first time was in 1994 and the last time was a year ago, with several other times in between). And Rosie has seen them before. But we've never seen them together. Considering that we owe our friendship to them, it felt really important to take this opportunity when it came up. I'm so glad we did.
Anyway, I'd forgotten how standing directly in front of the stage distorts your perception of the sound mix. The vocals were nearly inaudible a few times. But overall the guys were on fire. They pretty much blazed through their set. At their last Philly show, last June, they seemed to take a while to warm up. But not here.
From where I stood, I could see Glen's setlist almost perfectly. Here's a picture I took of it with my cell:
(Obviously flipped; it was upside down from my perspective.)
As you can see, it had typed notes after each song, along the lines of A-2, E-4 and so forth. I'm wondering if these were notes to help him remember the chord changes he has made in order to play the songs now. Basically, a little while ago, he fell through a glass coffee table, badly injuring his hand and arm. While he still has the use of his hand, playing guitar remains a challenge, and he's had to modify a lot of the songs to make them easier to play (for example, power chords are impossible for him right now). Poor Glen. The thing is, the changes to the music weren't noticeable at all. I couldn't help but watch his hands a lot during the show, and I didn't notice any obvious effects of the injury with his playing style, other than the simplification.
And, in case the above photo is too indecipherable, here is the setlist (exactly as is, because I managed to get Randy's setlist afterward [!], and they didn't deviate from it at all):
Something's Always Wrong
Whatever I Fear
P.S. (unexpected! and awesome)
Woodburning
Stupid
Good Intentions
Inside (!!)
Windmills (*happy sigh*)
Way Away (the first song off of Bread And Circus, which was released 20 years ago! :-O)
Know Me (with the Waterboys' "Spirit" intro. and the Replacements' "Unsatisfied" outro.)
In My Ear
Nightingale Song (with a bit of singalong)
Come Back Down
All I Want (more singalong)
Little Man Big Man (unexpected but lovely choice)
Brother
Fall Down
encore:
Come Down
Crazy Life (looove)
Walk on the Ocean (with unexpected, extended ending)
Besides the setlist, I also managed to get one of Dean's bass guitar picks! :) It was a total fluke. When the roadie threw it out, it appeared to arc past me, farther into the audience. Then I looked down at the stage, and saw it nestled-all innocently and unspectacularly-between some cables. Score! Everyone else behind me was searching the floor, scrambling around, and there it was. Actually, I wasn't certain whose pick it was, but figured it belonged to either Dean or Glen. So I made sure to ask after the show, and Dean confirmed it was his. Yay.
Here are some more pictures I took with my cell:
Glen
Randy
Todd
Alas, my picture of Dean didn't turn out at all. :(
And, here, HERE, is video of "Nightingale Song" and "Come Back Down." And it IS from our show!!!
So! After the show, we all waited around outside, waiting for the boys to come out. Rosie, being the gregarious one, did most of the talking when we got to them. Meanwhile, I hung back, because... so not good at this sort of thing. I've met Todd (once) and Glen (bunch of times, thanks to his solo shows) before, but never Randy or Dean. This time, I got to see Randy, but he quickly headed off to their van (yes, van, not bus). I get the impression that he's a shy one. Dean was hilarious, holding up some fan's autographed cd and going, "This is why I can't pay off my credit cards." Hee. I think when we were with Dean, Rosie talked to him the most, telling him about how we met thanks to Toad and so on. He said something about there being more concerts to come. Also? Dean is taller than I realized. Really tall.
I spent the most time around Todd. I can't remember precisely everything that was said. I know he teased me about rocking out and being infatuated with Glen-I think (maybe) he confused me with an annoying drunk girl who kept saying "Dean, I love you! I love you, Dean!" and the same for Glen, over and over again. Pain in the ass as she was, I think Glen and Dean got a kick out of it (in a "you're amusing, but please do shut up soon" kind of way). But I hope Todd didn't truly think I was her. When Rosie told Todd I'd come down from Pennsylvania, he said, somewhat dryly, "I hope you flew." *snerk* Anyway, Todd was incredibly sweet, which matches my experience with him the last time I saw him after a show, in 1997. When we were ready to say goodbye, he put out his hand and, in an uncharacteristically bold move, I asked if I could have a hug instead. And he proceeded to lean over, wrap his arms around me and give me, quite possibly, one of the best hugs I've ever had in my life. Seriously, this is a hug to measure all other hugs by. Todd doesn't just give you the we're-basically-just-strangers-so-I'm-going-to-give-you-an-amicable-but-polite-pat type of hug. He full on bear hugs you. We're talking rib-crushing, organ-rearranging, big, warm, squishy HUG. I was glomped by Todd Nichols. *big, doofy grin*
*wandery thoughts*
So, by now, the crowd was thinning out around Glen, and we made our way back toward him. Rosie had already spoken to him a few times that day, before the show, so she said that and walked away a little bit to let the rest of us be with Glen. David spoke with him a bit, I think. And then, well, I didn't really have anything to say. But when Glen looked at me and I looked t him, I just blurted out (probably way too fast, judging by the quasi-WTF look on his face), "Would it be okay to ask for a hug?" He goes, "Sure!" And, Glen hug! Which, honestly, was no match for the Todd hug. At all. Just the regular, expected kind of hug. But I never got a hug from Glen before, and now I have! Thanks to modmerseygirl for inspiring me to do so. :)
Toad hugs!
Now all I need is a hug from Dean and Randy each, and my collection will be complete. *grin*
So, yeah, that was probably the most expensive concert I've ever attended. But it was worth it.
Monday, there was sleeping in and hanging out for a bit before heading back home. I had a small freakout (which I inflicted on poor raynemaiden) at the Philly airport when I couldn't locate my dad who was picking me up. He'd accidentally gone to the wrong terminal. But, all in all, it only took about an hour for things to resolve themselves. Annnnd, now I'm home and back to the same old routine. No Toad, no dogs, no armadillos. (I was going to add "no Rosie," but it kind of messed up the whole animal theme. *is dork*)
p.s. For anyone unfamiliar with Toad, here's an all-too-brief overview via videos:
All I Want
Walk On The Ocean
Fall Down
Crazy Life
Anyway last weekend was amazing, albeit way too short.
Rosie (soultoad) already wrote about the trip from her perspective here and here, so I'll just touch on things briefly (well, my version of brief, which kind of isn't).
I got in to Atlanta late Saturday morning (so late, it was actually noon), after a pretty uneventful flight (spent rereading Good Omens). Rosie and I went back to her house and spent time with the doggies and watched stuff on her Tivo, including some Daughtry, Ryan Bingham and bits from this past season's American Idol (which actually wasn't that bad-wow, she really IS brainwashing me ;)). I've been trying to figure out who Kris Allen reminds me of. Freddy Rodriguez?
Oh, but! On the way to her house, we stopped by the exit where she feeds Sly and Cain, and I got my first good look at Sly in person! For once, he was out in the grass, instead of semi-hidden up in the woods. Such a beautiful dog. Of course, he quickly scooted up into the woods when we arrived, but still. Sly! :)
Later, we picked up Jari (chickenlover1) and headed off to a surprise graduation party for Rosie's daughter Julie (10dimensions). However, we got so lost that the "surprise" element of the party for us was that we actually found it at all. Still, lovely time.
On the drive back, I saw an armadillo! A live armadillo. It almost makes up for the several dozen roadkill armadillos you're more likely to see in Georgia.
Also, on Sunday, we saw a black snake on Rosie's driveway. I know Rosie doesn't like snakes, but I do and I thought that was really kind of awesome. I mean, yes, we have snakes here in PA, but it's not often that I see them slithering right in front of me. Not a lot of suburban snakes. Unless you're speaking euphemistically.
Sunday was Toad day. TOAD!
Around early evening, we met up with Nean and headed to Atlanta, making it to the Variety Playhouse by about 6 p.m. We were first in line! Well, Rosie was, as she held our place while Nean and I went looking for some dinner.
Euclid Avenue (I can't type that without thinking of Tom Waits' "Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis") seems to be a rather interesting, hipster-ish area. We walked up a block or two from the theater, past some starving artists who shall remain starving if they insist on begging so rudely: when we passed one a second time, coming back down the street, he said, "I don't want to have to break into anyone's car and steal their stereo." Yes, way to endear yourself to us. Of course I'll give you money now!
Nean and I ended up getting food at a Mediterranean restaurant (with a pretty cute beardy Greek guy manning the counter) right next to the venue. We ate outside, just around the corner from Rosie who'd struck up a conversation with a really sweet guy named David, who stuck around with us for the rest of the night. While we ate, several of the guys from Toad passed by (I saw everyone but Dean, although Rosie spotted him). You know, it's really difficult to eat your messy, falling-apart chicken gyro when you're hyperaware of several of your favorite musicians in the whole world walking by.
At this point, watching him walk by, I noticed how grey Randy (the drummer) is getting. Aw, our boys are getting older! It's hard to believe that Glen will be 40 next year. Which means... Todd, Dean and Randy must be about 42 or so. How did that happen? Why does time fly so quickly? Where are the reigns on this thing?
Anyway, by the time Nean and I finished, there was a small line forming behind Rosie. While we waited for the doors to open, we chatted amongst ourselves (with David). During this time, Rosie saw Joe, Toad's old tour manager, and we talked with him as well.
Obviously, once inside, we had our prime pick of places to stand. The theater is pretty intimate, with a small, standing-only area in front of the stage, ending in a seated area that inclines up toward the back of the room. We stood directly in front of the stage, front and center. I ended up just a little right of Glen's monitor.
Tony Furtado opened the show.
I was completely unfamiliar with him, and completely floored by him by the end. Err, by the end of the first song, I should say, not just the set. Because, wow, he was brilliant. No relation to that other Furtado, by the way-which he pointed out early on. Heh. His style was mostly folk/singer-songwriter, edged with a bit of blues and bluegrass. His gruff, foggy voice won me over first. But his near virtuosic fingerpicking on acoustic guitar and (even more impressively) banjo sealed the deal. I could barely keep my eyes off of his fingers, even though the angle proved awkward from my place in front of the stage, and even though most of the time his fingers were little more that a blur of flurried motion. I recall he did a John Prine cover, namechecked Tom Waits, mentioned recording with Alison Krauss and even namedropped Wallace Stevens (!!! he wrote the song "The Bawds of Euphony" based on the line-see title-in Stevens' early poem "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird"-instant bonus points!!).
Here's a video (not from our show) of Tony Furtado covering Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down A Dream" (which he also covered at our show).
I screwed up and didn't get any of Tony's cds, but I hope to rectify that soon. Before the show even started, I was at the merchandise stand, but obviously wasn't going to buy any of the opening act's cds without knowing the music first. However, while there, I bought a t-shirt: a pale blue fitted tee with the a silver-white graphic of a toad on it and Toad the Wet Sprocket beneath it. (I think that counts as my fourth Toad tee.) They also had Glen's last album, Mr. Lemons, and his latest EPs, Unlucky 7 and Secrets Of The New Explorers, for sale, but I already had those. Speaking of the devil... apparently, I had just missed running into Glen, as I'd wandered off to get a beer while Rosie and Joe were talking at the merch. table. Fuck my rotten luck.
So then.
Then there was Toad. TOAD!
As mentioned in a previous post, this was a big fucking deal. I mean, I've seen Toad before (first time was in 1994 and the last time was a year ago, with several other times in between). And Rosie has seen them before. But we've never seen them together. Considering that we owe our friendship to them, it felt really important to take this opportunity when it came up. I'm so glad we did.
Anyway, I'd forgotten how standing directly in front of the stage distorts your perception of the sound mix. The vocals were nearly inaudible a few times. But overall the guys were on fire. They pretty much blazed through their set. At their last Philly show, last June, they seemed to take a while to warm up. But not here.
From where I stood, I could see Glen's setlist almost perfectly. Here's a picture I took of it with my cell:
(Obviously flipped; it was upside down from my perspective.)
As you can see, it had typed notes after each song, along the lines of A-2, E-4 and so forth. I'm wondering if these were notes to help him remember the chord changes he has made in order to play the songs now. Basically, a little while ago, he fell through a glass coffee table, badly injuring his hand and arm. While he still has the use of his hand, playing guitar remains a challenge, and he's had to modify a lot of the songs to make them easier to play (for example, power chords are impossible for him right now). Poor Glen. The thing is, the changes to the music weren't noticeable at all. I couldn't help but watch his hands a lot during the show, and I didn't notice any obvious effects of the injury with his playing style, other than the simplification.
And, in case the above photo is too indecipherable, here is the setlist (exactly as is, because I managed to get Randy's setlist afterward [!], and they didn't deviate from it at all):
Something's Always Wrong
Whatever I Fear
P.S. (unexpected! and awesome)
Woodburning
Stupid
Good Intentions
Inside (!!)
Windmills (*happy sigh*)
Way Away (the first song off of Bread And Circus, which was released 20 years ago! :-O)
Know Me (with the Waterboys' "Spirit" intro. and the Replacements' "Unsatisfied" outro.)
In My Ear
Nightingale Song (with a bit of singalong)
Come Back Down
All I Want (more singalong)
Little Man Big Man (unexpected but lovely choice)
Brother
Fall Down
encore:
Come Down
Crazy Life (looove)
Walk on the Ocean (with unexpected, extended ending)
Besides the setlist, I also managed to get one of Dean's bass guitar picks! :) It was a total fluke. When the roadie threw it out, it appeared to arc past me, farther into the audience. Then I looked down at the stage, and saw it nestled-all innocently and unspectacularly-between some cables. Score! Everyone else behind me was searching the floor, scrambling around, and there it was. Actually, I wasn't certain whose pick it was, but figured it belonged to either Dean or Glen. So I made sure to ask after the show, and Dean confirmed it was his. Yay.
Here are some more pictures I took with my cell:
Glen
Randy
Todd
Alas, my picture of Dean didn't turn out at all. :(
And, here, HERE, is video of "Nightingale Song" and "Come Back Down." And it IS from our show!!!
So! After the show, we all waited around outside, waiting for the boys to come out. Rosie, being the gregarious one, did most of the talking when we got to them. Meanwhile, I hung back, because... so not good at this sort of thing. I've met Todd (once) and Glen (bunch of times, thanks to his solo shows) before, but never Randy or Dean. This time, I got to see Randy, but he quickly headed off to their van (yes, van, not bus). I get the impression that he's a shy one. Dean was hilarious, holding up some fan's autographed cd and going, "This is why I can't pay off my credit cards." Hee. I think when we were with Dean, Rosie talked to him the most, telling him about how we met thanks to Toad and so on. He said something about there being more concerts to come. Also? Dean is taller than I realized. Really tall.
I spent the most time around Todd. I can't remember precisely everything that was said. I know he teased me about rocking out and being infatuated with Glen-I think (maybe) he confused me with an annoying drunk girl who kept saying "Dean, I love you! I love you, Dean!" and the same for Glen, over and over again. Pain in the ass as she was, I think Glen and Dean got a kick out of it (in a "you're amusing, but please do shut up soon" kind of way). But I hope Todd didn't truly think I was her. When Rosie told Todd I'd come down from Pennsylvania, he said, somewhat dryly, "I hope you flew." *snerk* Anyway, Todd was incredibly sweet, which matches my experience with him the last time I saw him after a show, in 1997. When we were ready to say goodbye, he put out his hand and, in an uncharacteristically bold move, I asked if I could have a hug instead. And he proceeded to lean over, wrap his arms around me and give me, quite possibly, one of the best hugs I've ever had in my life. Seriously, this is a hug to measure all other hugs by. Todd doesn't just give you the we're-basically-just-strangers-so-I'm-going-to-give-you-an-amicable-but-polite-pat type of hug. He full on bear hugs you. We're talking rib-crushing, organ-rearranging, big, warm, squishy HUG. I was glomped by Todd Nichols. *big, doofy grin*
*wandery thoughts*
So, by now, the crowd was thinning out around Glen, and we made our way back toward him. Rosie had already spoken to him a few times that day, before the show, so she said that and walked away a little bit to let the rest of us be with Glen. David spoke with him a bit, I think. And then, well, I didn't really have anything to say. But when Glen looked at me and I looked t him, I just blurted out (probably way too fast, judging by the quasi-WTF look on his face), "Would it be okay to ask for a hug?" He goes, "Sure!" And, Glen hug! Which, honestly, was no match for the Todd hug. At all. Just the regular, expected kind of hug. But I never got a hug from Glen before, and now I have! Thanks to modmerseygirl for inspiring me to do so. :)
Toad hugs!
Now all I need is a hug from Dean and Randy each, and my collection will be complete. *grin*
So, yeah, that was probably the most expensive concert I've ever attended. But it was worth it.
Monday, there was sleeping in and hanging out for a bit before heading back home. I had a small freakout (which I inflicted on poor raynemaiden) at the Philly airport when I couldn't locate my dad who was picking me up. He'd accidentally gone to the wrong terminal. But, all in all, it only took about an hour for things to resolve themselves. Annnnd, now I'm home and back to the same old routine. No Toad, no dogs, no armadillos. (I was going to add "no Rosie," but it kind of messed up the whole animal theme. *is dork*)
p.s. For anyone unfamiliar with Toad, here's an all-too-brief overview via videos:
All I Want
Walk On The Ocean
Fall Down
Crazy Life