tonyg

I might go the other way and enter lurker mode. 😕

Great report!

We spent another cold day killing time before the show. Good thing there are bars showing football games. After the excellent Patriots victory we (Stoger, Tim, GrumpyMama) went to the theater. It’s a cool, small joint decorated in Art Pueblo style. I just made up “art pueblo” but it fits. Walter did his set. Lu and Doug hit the stage at 8:43. Excellent People Talking. Jackson on guitar not pedal steel. Another long intro to Drunken Angel. Come On was interesting as a duo and Lu cracked up laughing before the verse ” Dude you’re so fired” and it took a while to dial that one back in but they did finish it. House of Earth came to her as an unfinished Woody Guthrie song that she wrote a melody to. Very unusual song but she did a good job.

All in all I thought this was an ordinary but good show until they played Blessed, which I was hoping for. Great version and Doug played a killer guitar solo accompanying himself using his tape loop machine, Boomer Rang. Then they played Rarity and Lu sang the shit out of it and Doug was again Mr. Wizard with his tape looped guitar part and then with the spacey loop playing he put his guitar down and went to the pedal steel and laid down an immense, otherworldly part. This is where the show left the ground for me and it may be my top Lu/Doug performance that I witnessed. If I were on acid I would have melted and started running down the aisle. Luckily I was not. The show ended at 10:30.

It was a fun 4 shows but I am beat and it is time to return to normal programming and higher temperatures. Thanks to everyone for putting up with us. Tonyg out.

We walked into the Belly Up at 7:15 and the place was already packed and the opening act, Marlon, was on stage. Tall skinny kid, uncombed hair, singing into his too loud mic and finger picking his too loud electric guitar. Both were distorted. I enjoyed his songs very much, despite the buzz. He told me after he lived in Hollywood and played at the Hotel Cafe sometimes. GrumyMama and myself each made a mental note to go see him. His ultra pretty singer friend was good and I wouldn’t mind seeing her again either. Insert dirty old man joke here. They finished at 7:50 and by the time Lu hit the stage at 8:40 the mosh pit was packed and a tad overdone. I was perhaps 10 feet in front of Lu. Good times.

Lu began solo with Lake Charles and then Doug joined with Side of the Road. We were off and running. Lu rocked out with Happy Woman Blues, dancing and jumping around with Doug. Bitter Memory was played with a new bridge in the middle, Lu explaining it was at the request of T Bone Burnett for the TV show Nashville. I liked it better without the bridge.

There was a very nice couple of women standing next to me; a tiny gnome-like older woman at her 4th Lu show and her younger friend who was attending her first. A space materialized about halfway between Lu and myself so I talked this poor woman into moving closer, practically shoving her into the space. All was well for a while. I think it was during I Don’t Know How You’re Living that I noticed I couldn’t see the top of her head anymore. As it turns out, she was laying flat on the ground, seemingly out cold. Not good times. Tim had to go fetch security and by the time they arrived she was ready to get up and they moved her back to the other end of the bar where she could sit down and watch on TV. Oh dear. Shortly after this while Lu was talking about one of her songs, a woman next to me put her face right into the poor bastard standing next to me and screamed “Shut the FUCK UP” as loud as possible. I’m sure Lu heard it and may have thought it was directed at her. At this point I beat a hasty retreat back to the bar and watched the rest on TV with the poor woman I almost killed.

The first perfect moment of the show was a tremendous version of Ugly Truth, with Doug on pedal steel. Big winner.Nothing in Ramblin was a rare selection; I don’t think I ever heard it performed before. All in all a fun night and I look forward to our flight to Phoenix tomorrow. Tim and Stoger are at my house and all is quiet as I type and nap time has arrived.

It was great to see GrumpyMama as always, as it was to see Steve Poltz and Tim Flannery, 2 of Doug’s very good friends. Both are great musicians, and Tim adds World Series Champion to his resume as third-base coach of the San Francisco Giants. The band and crew were also kind enough to visit with the likes of us and ply us with beer.

I look forward to Tim and Stoger’s reports.

Welcome back. 😆