Away We Go
Just so you know, I haven’t been posting with regularity due to some work drama. To make a long story short, it looked like I was out of work for a minute…and then suddenly it didn’t. And now I’m not really sure what my employment status is going to be past the next couple of weeks. It’s definitely crazy, but I can handle it. Meanwhile…
Last Monday, the newly-reunited Feelies were playing a free show at the Millennium Park band shell. Tom and Casey used it as an excuse to visit from Cincinnati, and I sat with Tom and the rest of the Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness (the erstwhile tribute combo I’m proud to’ve been a part of) in the pavilion after some lovely picnicking on the lawn with some other friends.
Yes, it was uncrowded enough to get into the pavilion — halfway towards the stage, actually — just as they started playing. At first, I thought they were a tad shaky, but they were really cooking by the fifth song or so, and it was heavenly. They did one new song, a truckload of favorites, and a surprise cover of R.E.M.’s “Boxcars” (which was actually a perfect fit). I couldn’t stop tapping my foot with each song. My calves got sore.
As with a lot of favorite bands, it’s hard to describe exactly what’s so appealing, and the difficulty’s greater with the Feelies. I mean, their songs are very repetitive, and with the best ones, the repetition is sort of the POINT. In some cases, it’s used to mesmerize (“When Company Comes,” “Let’s Go”), while with others (especially in the live setting), the repeating riff or jangle is like a track they lock into, and the ride just gets faster and faster (“Away,” “Slipping (Into Something)”).
The highlight of the show was easily “Crazy Rhythms.” During the extended percussion breakdown, people rushed the stage, clogging the aisles all the way back to where I was sitting. I like to think this was an outpouring of pure Feelies love — they might disappear for another twenty years, and we were relishing our last few minutes together. Couldn’t have picked a better night for it, either — no humidity in the mid-70′s, pink clouds dusting the skyline as night fell. A gorgeous night.
Small postscript: A couple nights later, Aselin had an opportunity to introduce himself to Chicago-based rock critic and famous Feelies-obsessive Jim DeRogatis. Jim remembered the Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness, and told John he’d mentioned us to the Feelies themselves, and they were sincerely touched by the tribute. He also said we should have told him we would be at the show — he’d have introduced us to them backstage. Shucks.
Anyway, even though he’s way off about Springsteen, DeRo (as they call him ’round here) is a-o-kay in my book.
