the title speaks for itself. I saw 3 bands that i like in 5 days. starsailor, gomez, and super furry animals. the beautiful thing about the twin cities is every venue is very close. first ave, the quest, and the fineline are all on the same strip of road, so you can string a good week without leaving downtown, plus the target center for those phish shows is also on the same road. around the corner is the state theater. well, anywho! let me tell you about my story. let's just say, i am broke, i met alot of people and the bands, i think i am still hung over, and my main source of nutrition is skittles.
starsailor
photo(s) by n8o
(l. to r.)james walsh, a couple in the crowd, james stelfox
out of the 3 shows, this was the one with the less expectations of a goodtime. i saw them open for the charlatans uk a year and a half ago, and i was cool with the music than, but i was like "when are the !$%&%#' charlatans gonna go on?!", so i really didn't pay much attention to them. let us just say, they made a believer out of me! word of advice, do not goto a show after an alnight happy hour, funny story! check it, they just open a gameworks(own by the same people that run dreamworks), it's half price everything, and that day was payday, bad combo. i was alil' loopy, and bam! at the show, went up to the front, and the place was packed to the point where i couldn't even check my coat. i missed the opening band, but i will get over it. who was it? jonathon rice? whatever!
n8o in the crowd, silence is easy
they played alot of songs off the new album silence is easy, including the title trax. they also played some old fav. as well, goodsouls, fever, lulliby to name a few. i had the chance to "jam" with the band during the song born again. i was jamming along w/ the band during the song on "air drums" and they freaked out that i was mocking the drummer to the tee, so they shoved a moraca in my hand and bam! playing along, but they annouced my name as "nick" and not "nate".
overall, fun was had by all, the band was happy that everyone responded well with the music, and i met angela, she was cool, but i had the setlist in my hand, and an autograph t-shirt, i was alittle pissed(brit speak for "drunk") and offered to give her the t-shirt, but she was getting weird, so i just said "f*^&% it, here is the setlist". she was cool about the setlist, she's not use to going to shows and hording the stage like n8o.
next up:gomez in 3 shows in 5 days part 2
hey babies! what is going on?! n8o here, and here is a continuation of 3/5 pt.1.
gomez
if you read 3/5 pt.1, you may have remembered me mention the term "pissed". just a recap, pissed in brit speak, means "drunk". i've seen gomez 3 times before that night's show. once in new york city and twice in the twin cities, all those times, i had a shot of jack d. and a pint at various times during the show. well, let's just say the tradition continues. pissed indeed!!!
gomez.co.uk, v.i.p. view,
once again i missed the opening band, but it was actually a good thing. i was back at happy hour and it ends at 7:00 p.m. and that is when the music started, so if you apply show calculations, gomez hits the stage at 8:15 p.m. cheers mate!!
n8o w/ gomez
the coat check line was crazy, there was 5 people in front of me, and it still took 20 minutes. after that, straight to the bar for the one/two punch. gomez hits the stage and opens with "get miles". if your a new fan and think in our guns is the frist album they put out, and not an old schooler like the kid here, it is the opening song on their first album bring it on. it is the anthem of the vibe that is gomez. very soulful and sad yet wants to kick your arse by the end of the song. they played the following off the first album. get miles, whippin' piccadilly, 78 stone wobble, love is like a warm trumbone, and get myself arrested. that right there is worth the $15.00 right there. i love the older songs, because they jam out on them the best.
the played alot of tunes off the other albums too. on liquid skin,they played the song bring it on, Revolutionary Kind, bring It On, we haven't turned around/ the x-ray, Fill My Cup, rhythm and blues alibi. from in our guns, they played shot shot and in our guns. they also played 3 songs off the new albums split the difference, including the first single catch me up.
in the spirit of shows, i wanted to meet the band and take a snap shot to remember how excellent the show ended up, so i waited in the -5 degree snow by the tour bus for 15 minutes. finally someone came out and let me backstage to meet the band, i got the picture(above) and was very happy to meet them again. they came here to the twin cities for the first time with mojave 3. that was a fun show too...enough of the "going down memory lane" stories. shout out to my winnipig peeps, their foto coming soon! thanks for tuning in....
next up:the super furry animals in 3 shows in 5 days part 3
the super furry animals
the fifth day has arrived, time for the last band. wondering what i did on the two days betwen gomez and SFA? worked my ass off!! worked like a mad man! to be honest, i was thinking about passing up the show, but really curious on the new stuff...phantom planet.
i have this funny story about the lead singer, gruff. last time they were in town, i wasn't @ the show due to lack of funds, so i went to the local bookstore, shinders. as i was walking out, gruff was walking in. weird! i didn't want to crowd him, so i just gave him a quick shout, and left. anywho! earlier that day, i learned of an all ager, at let it be records, and let me tell you! that place is everything brit pop. it was a very intimate setting, with all 30 of us there. they are a funny group, with spontanious story telling on the meal they ate in chicago, and while gruff was telling the stories, you hear an odd comment from the guitarist,huw bunford.
gruff and huw @ let it be, gruff
they were so unprepared for the instore, that their set list was all request. i requested the turning tide, and they played the song. after the set, gruff thanked me for the request. i really dig the song.
funny girl, kim
after the instore, i decided to buy my ticket thinking it would be somewhat sold out, but no! i got there on time, the doors were at 8:00 p.m. music at 9:00 p.m. papa m from kentucky open the show. it was weird, because the lead guy sounds like neil of mojave 3 fame. it was o.k. though. the girl that was on violin was cute, but the music was up there, like vinyl unisom.
the show was excellent to the upmost! they played all the fav. that i like. do or die, man don't give a f---, and ring around the world. they did alot off the new album, phantom planet.
the set was long as piss, but it was so much fun! i ran out of film when they came out on stage dressed like big foot. i met this girl, kim. no funny business here, just she was cool to hang out with. she was so funny! it was her birthday, so her friends brought her to the show, she told me that it's not her kind of music(she likes world music, and hip hop), but she liked what she heard.
that's that! if you ask me if i'll do that again, i would say...."hell yes!!!". it was so much fun, and i met some really nice people, and this was all outside my back door. i have other stores to tell you about the people that i met, but i will spare you the agony...
