Ithaca, NY Show, March 7th

I’ll be at the Ithaca show tonight and am very excited. We had a huge snowstorm here yesterday and many things are closed today. If Lu and band are coming from Canada, I hope there is no problem getting here. That would be extremely disappointing!

Jes

From the State Theatre web site.

http://www.stateofithaca.com/lucindawilliams/index.html
This show will go on as scheduled.

Boy, I looked at the Weather Channel, Ithaca and environs got dumped with well over 20 “‘
Hope our former moderator Lefty makes the drive south from Syracuse ok.
By the way, the road warrior (stoger) told me Friday night in Toronto that he has never had the pleasure of meeting Lefty.
I know he was incognito at the Rochester show two years ago.

lwj

Your intrepid reporter/road warrior is high and dry in downtown Ithaca at moment, hitting town some 24 hours before the concert (I suspect the band and crew got here 36 or so hours ahead). It was simply a matter of taking the train from Toronto to Syracuse and then hopping a New York Trailways bus (same station) for what should have been a 1 hour 35 minute run to Ithaca. Well, it took about 2 and a quarter, our driver skirting multiple wrecks along the way. We were greeted with a locked depot in downtown Ithaca, the station employee himself hopping on the bus (which was going to try to make it on to Elmira) after wishing the dozen or so of us who de-bussed good luck and announcing that no cabs were running “to the hill,” much less local bus service. There seemed maybe one cafe type place open in sight, it being Sunday night. I verified that my motel was a mere quarter mile from station (good planning there) and prepared to hoof it when one cab did drive up, a couple of tearful Cornell coeds somehow talking the driver into trying the route. I hope they made it, as sometime overnight the sheriff closed all roads to non-emergency traffic until 8:30 a.m., and Cornell was opening on a delayed schedule with first class at 11:30. So the quarter mile seemed at least a half; hoisting my wheeled luggage, I moved on and was seldom so happy to see that yellow neon Super 8 sign through the blowing snow as last night.

I have officially declared today LAUNDRY DAY IN ITHACA. The laundromats (and the Chili’s franchises: late dinner well met last evening) do not close here; our Tennessee retailers would have shut down on Sunday afternoon under such conditions, half of such conditions.

Have I menioned how much I love doing all this?

The show is definitely on and we are here -we left about 2:00 am after the 2nd Toronto show and drove very slowly to Ithaca -it took a loooong time-but we made it early in the morning Sunday safe and sound.

Stoger, I gotta ask, by any chance did you happen to say to the barely post-nymphet Ivy League co-eds “Don’t Stand So Close To Me”? …I don’t think the Nabokov reference is too veiled. 😀

@stoger wrote:

Have I menioned how much I love doing all this?

Stoger you’re the best!!!

I was about to b*tch about being “tahred ‘n’ all” this morning, but then I thought of the undaunted & redoubtable stoger trudging off after the show to bide some time in the 24-hour diner before boarding a 1:30am bus to NYC, then on to Boston, then Portsmouth, again by bus. I salute you, sir!

Roger & I broke bread around the corner from the theater; finally, I had a FFer who could verify my existence! Afterwards, what better way to warm up for a Lu concert but to attend a book-reading by novelist Leslie Daniels with selections from her “Cleaning Nabokov’s House.” We were right in the thick of the People’s Republic literati, but couldn’t stay long, we had a date with Ms. Williams!

The State Street Theatre/Theater is a great old place with plenty of atmosphere. Dylan LeBlanc kicked it off with a handful of songs that show promise. His singing reminded me of Jim James’s (My Morning Jacket)just a bit, but he looks like Ashton Kutcher (why do I know that?!).

Anyway, around 9-ish the lady appeared and a great evening got greater. Quick fashion report: trim-fitting black leather jacket, knee-high black leather boots (Spanish leather?), jeans and a massive silver belt buckle. Lucinda looked terrific.

I’d never seen Val before; he didn’t disappoint me — really enjoyed his playing. “Ventura” batted third in the line-up and did well by me. Lucinda commented that she was settling down after being ‘nervous at the outset.’ No complaints whatsoever about the first half of the set, but the energy in the room seemed to be lacking. Possible snow fatigue on everyone’s part.

“I Lost It” seemed to find a hidden reserve that perked us all up, imho. Followed by “Well 3x” which always brings a smile to my face. “Convince Me” was another personal highlight; Lucinda really nailed it.

Stoger mentioned the sound problems — a pretty steady humm/buzz that was fairly annoying. It was “interesting” to see both David & Butch get up and have words with somebody. I was kind of expecting it to become more of an issue, but no.

Lu comments: “You’re so sweet” to us all after a heart-felt “Blessed.” “Fight for workers’ rights!” after a rousing “Joy.”

During and after the show, Roger worked the phones and got me my long-overdue meet’n’greet with Tom and Lucinda backstage. In a word, wonderful. They both could not have been nicer and left me with a terrific memory to carry around with me.

Be well, stoger. May the road rise up to meet you. 🙂