Not To Put Too Fine A Point On It

A couple of weeks ago I saw Bright Eyes at the Sage. Amazing, right? Well, yes. I love the Sage; it's such a wonderful place.

Not my picture but a lovely one of the Sage, Gateshead

Matt Stalker & Fables played outside of the stages while I ate my scone and cake,

Matt Stalker & Fables are great!

the amazing Jenny & Johnny were the support

Jenny & Johnny

 and Bright Eyes played a lot of the old brilliant stuff.




Bright Eyes

 But I couldn't simpy relax and enjoy it because someone wasn't there. Actually he was there physically. We saw him nearby but he didn't come and talk to us. And he used to be one of my best friends.

It's too complicated a situation to go into but I miss him every day and when Mr. Oberst played "Bowl of Oranges" I just wept. It's funny how certain songs and bands remind you entirely of specific people and memories.
Later in the week I saw They Might Be Giants in London at the KOKO (another brilliant venue!). "Ana Ng" reminds me of the boy in question. I played him the song once when he was sad. The line "My apartment looks upside down from here" particularly struck him as he was obsessed with things being upside down. I don't know, we were seventeen and lying on my bed looking at the ceiling.

This isn't a Dawson and Joey type of memory. There is no romance there, never was. It's much more Dawson/Pacey.

"You said you hate my suffering
And you understood
And you’d take care of me
You'd always be there
Well where are you now?" - Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh, Bright Eyes

But here's a happier memory, one so early I don't know how much of it is real and how much I've just been told: me and my brother dancing to "Birdhouse In Your Soul". Lots. My parents had the record, I'm presuming it was the single. This song and "Ana Ng" are the only TMBG songs I know from my childhood. So I think that BIYS must've been my first favourite song. And They Might Be Giants were my first favourite band. I loved them before I'd ever felt sadness or known anyone to die.

TMBG

So seeing them was always going to be special. What made the gig especially special were the people I saw it with. Oh, and the sock puppets (portraying Rupert Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks). They were mad! I can't believe TMBG have been together for 29 years!! They honestly don't look old enough (they are pretty much my parents' age!).

They might be sock puppets!

Another memory: last time I was in the KOKO I was with the friend (let's called him Conor, he'd like that) and R. Seeing Bright Eyes. It was about five years ago and as a gig experience there were really annoying things about it (mainly a really pushy horrible crowd) but we had a few days in London together, hanging out. My best memory of the whole trip is of the three of us in mine and R's hotel room in bed together watching Question Time and drinking complimentary tea.

What really sucks is that the person he is with now appears to be trying to wipe out all of our shared memories (and the ones in bed would severely vex her, I'm sure!) which only serves to make me remember them better. I have to because she won't let him.

What I loved about TMBG (other than everything!) was that they stripped all this extraneous stuff away for a couple of hours - everyone I'd loved, all the complicated stuff of life - they reminded me of a time of total happiness and innocence. Which isn't to say that I didn't think about stuff at the gig; I did. I thought about the people I was with in that moment: three of my best friends. People who understand me now and people who, whatever happens, won't one day deny all the things we've ever done together.

Every gig has an emotional element. The entire room is full of emotions: yours, the performer(s)'s, the rest of the fans. At most gigs I have a quiet moment to myself and think that for someone in the room this gig is the best gig they've ever been to and for another person, it's perhaps, the worst. Maybe it's their first gig or maybe it's their last gig with the person they know they're about to break up with. There are a million things that can affect an indvidual's enjoyment of any given show.

Also, everyone will like the band a different amount and in a different way. Some people get possessive and put proximity to their idols before politeness; others get lost in awe seeing live music, breathing the same oxygen as their heroes.

So usually, I don't write about the emotional stuff. Often, it's too hard to. It's difficult to be eloquent about the things that are closest to your heart. I hope this wasn't too self-indulgent! Here's a less emotional account:

Matt Stalker & Fables were brilliant! I was really happy for them all that they got to play (sort of) supporting one of their favourite bands. It's a little strange having a band that you really like play when you're just having your tea. Usually, I don't notice the music playing before the shows (though it's always interesting) but because R and I really like MS&F we barely spoke to each other! Ha.

Jenny&Johnny did pretty much their whole album (which I love) and then a Rilo Kiley song (can't remember which one, know it was from the last album!) and a duet. I realy love them. (Though I miss RK!)

Bright Eyes is a hell of a performer and barely seems to have changed (or aged) since I've known (of) him!! He went a little hip-hoppy in places which amused me but wasn't musically what I was after. And his attempts to be psychadelic at the end were nothing compared to Sufjan Stevens or The Flaming Lips, he became rather self-indulgent and we snuck out for our bus as the finale wasn't showing any sign of ending.

It was nice to see him play and sing with Jenny Lewis as she and Mr.Rice came on stage before the end for a big group number.

Treefight For Sunlight were the support at TMBG. We missed most of them but we saw a few songs which were good and best of all the covered Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" which was AMAZING!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1MaLfpcpn4 (not my video!)

They Might Be Giants were brilliant! There are so many songs of theirs I don't know though. So I'm having a bit of a revival and have bought a couple of albums. (I just had "Flood" before.) Their set was amazing and they did three encores!!

The puppets added a extra dimension of madness. It was all so much fun - dancing, nearly being knocked over by the vibrations of the speakers as the bass drum sounded, hearing hilarious and brilliant songs I'd not heard before (and wishing I could sing along!).

I'm so glad I got to see them; I've always wanted to. I made a little birdhouse in my soul more than twenty years ago. It's still there.

(Note: I don't believe in souls. I do believe in poetry!)