Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Good, accurate setlist, Nigthawk: a happy show for Lucinda. At the risk of seeming a “curmudgeon,” however, I must qualify your praise of the venue and its patrons, to some degree. It is certainly new, as you say: the fresh paint was pungent throughout, and when I showed up for will call around 5, a couple of electrician types were finishing up some wiring just off the main entrance. Later, the venue offered free drinks throughout the show, which seemed to be some Customer Appreciation gesture–but Security set me straight: the caterer had just lost his license, so the Minglewood kitchen could serve no food and thus could not sell drinks without food sales. Still, free drinks.
Butch gave a shout-out to merch person Susannah, which corrects my misunderstanding of her name (probably still not spelled right). Chet managed four syllables after a fine Buick 6 set: “Thanks a lot, y’all.”
Susan Marshall (‘homegirl”) joined Lu for the last two encore numbers. It was great to hear the tour debuts of “Plan to Marry,” “Are You Down,” and “Memphis Pearl.”
OK, I have to continue my venue rant. I was surrounded by some pretty rough trade, though I thought first “row,” hand on stage, would be great. Lots of jostling for position, some accusing others of taking up their previous space. People throwing Mardi gras beads on stage during songs (harmless enough I guess), but also one chick begging Lu to accept her beads personally, this speech happening at full volume while Lu was introducing a song. Once I was tapped on the shoulder during a slow song and told to pass a note to the stage, handed it in fact. Then there was that slurred request at one point for the old Lu standby “Just in Time.” Periodic cacklings from Sorority Row on my left flank were annoying too. What I’m saying here is that these were not the folks you’d meet in the same spot of First Ave. Minn. or Fillmore West, put it that way. When the techs peeled the setlists off the floor at end, elbows were being thrown to claim them. The woman from the local CBS affiliate to my right couldn’t take all this and left after about a dozen songs–can’t blame her. I realize people were still in a Fat Tuesday mood (so was Lu), but I was much more in an Ash Wednesday frame of mind by evening’s end, wishing I had hung back or to the side as in other recent shows. Or, to put it more positively and to look ahead, yearning for a reserved seat venue a la Alabama Theatre. As Scott Miller sings, “there ain’t no ‘ham/like the Birmingham.” Onward ho.
Thanks to tOverby also for New Orleans setlist.
Lefty and David, thanks for the continued dialogue. I’d say Erika’s no “kid,” but yes, a quasi-fatherly stance towards her seems the most sensible, realistic one for males of our generation. David, good to see some of our posts can alter your stance vis-a-vis Lu 2009. I failed to mention that “Joy” had a bit of a false start in Houston, someone (Butch I think) launching “2 Kool” instead, maybe thinking back to Austin’s setlist. But Lu smiled it off, and the song more than lived up after being righted.
Well, I prefer the more ambiguous “brunette,” but yes, I’d say “black” if not “jet.” She listed three new things at one point between songs: new guitarist, new hair color, and new suit (Chet, in fine threads). Love to see a link to that Dallas review, Tony: the weekly paper had a nice preview/interview piece, and The Austin Chronicle (by Margaret ________ forgot her name, but she’s an old pal of Lu’s) has a two-page formal interview.
Lefty, is the frontwoman of the Heartless Bastards in Austin, likely to attend? Randy Weeks got a sidebar in the Chronicle piece and will no doubt be there, first song again with him in mind maybe.
David, is La Zona Rosa sold out? Last I heard, that one was lagging a bit in sales. Must try to get there early then. . .
Tom and Laf, Good news for Lu. Wasn’t there some earlier discussion about this venue vs. The Luckie Tavern (or something like that), the latter being a bit bigger? Will the show get moved, reckon?
Sorry everyone, probably should be private-messaging, but it’s easier to answer TN Tracy here. “Bama bound” indeed, it’s about the same distance from me in TN as for you, just in a different direction. The Alabama Theatre was a nice show in fall of ’07, but we shouldn’t expect too many upscale bars or lounges for a pre-show libation in the immediate vicinity. Reserve seats I do believe, though I wouldn’t mind a War Memorial Auditorium-like scramble (which turned into a crawl, with almost too many options, as you know). Will she do “Where Is My Love” there, reckon?
@tntracy wrote:
@stoger wrote:
To interested parties: I’m on the floor for Atlanta Tabernacle!
…or maybe the Variety Playhouse. 😉
Pollstar.com just listed Lucinda as playing the Variety Playhouse as does High Road Touring, while Ticketmaster continues to stubbornly sell tickets to a show the same night at the Tabernacle. I have a theory. At approximately 1100 capacity, the Variety Playhouse will be the venue if ticket sales do not exceed that number. On the other hand, if they do, the venue will be the Tabernacle, which holds about 2500. I don’t know how long there would be this flexibility until a commitment to one venue or the other would have to be made, but this is what I think is going on for the time being.
Tom
Well, I’ve called Ticketmaster a lot worse than “stubborn”–we’ll see. My decision not to drop the big nine bucks for that Tabernacle reserved parking slot is lookin’ pretty good at moment. . . .
So will you work the I-20 corridor and make a [Lu]weekend of it?
Tom, Well, I can’t speak for paul in los angeles (though I am pretty clear on the issue of whether he is going to Australia), but as for me and my house (of one), we’re Atlanta-bound. Is there a Sheraton bar hard by the Tabernacle so we can reprise our Nashville pre-show? I’m sure there’s an equivalent. Guess the Tabernacle survived that tornado damage after all. Let’s go let’s go
Paul, how do you ferret these things out? At least High Road is partially on to this; it has listed only North American dates in the past I think. Would that my US spring break coincided with this early Aussie fall slate. . . Can we count on your attendance and reports?
Tim (or anyone),
Can you make any sense out of that “various addendem” or “attached schedule” stuff on High Road? I found April dates but no cities!
Thanks to Stu, Inside Job, and others for all this. I failed to mention that Lucinda compared Orpheum Madison to Fillmore SF and Minneapolis 1st Avenue during the height of the proceedings. Not too shabby praise, since she loves those clubs.
You beat me to the punch, Stu: well done on the report. I was one of the “annoyance
” among the fans who showed up relatively late and strolled frontward, but a sign in the foyer which read “Dancing is Allowed. For best view, please sit near back of theater” gave me license. I’d like to bottle that, and strongly considered ripping the sign off the wall for future posting at certain Lu venues. Let’s hope the many of us up front by 9:20 didn’t get you too riled. I do sympathize with your seat-claiming, which went south in some ways later. You’re absolutely right about the quality of the show. Merch guy Rob had told me Lu showed up for sound check in Madison and ran through both “Lafayette” and “The Night’s Too Long,” so it wasn’t surprising to get the latter, a wonderful treat. Aside from that, it was a similar list to Minneapolis set two, true. Lu called it a “special setlist” upon walk-on. In front of the AC-DC cover she dedicated it to “the next president of the United States,” and announced that next Tuesday would mark the release of the 4-song EP “Lu in ’08.” She paused during “Come On” to tell us “it could be a political song,” going on to compare unsatisfying sex with unsatisfying politics. Smooth sailing, great energy. As Lu said, they get a ten-day break, and Madison was the last show prior to the election. Rock the vote.
