The Orange Bus is Calling Us
Funny how I’ve been all introspective about playing out, and then when this show comes up, I start getting a cold. Sickness is just the kind of factor that’ll throw analysis and game plans out the window. Still, I’d had a good sick-practice the night before, so I didn’t feel like altering the set list to make things easier. And I had plenty of off-brand DayQuil and coffee to see me through. So at 8:05 sharp, I stuck to the script:
Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want (Smiths) / The Ballad of Roy G. Biv / Jay / Soda & Sympathy / Big Sister (I Never Had) / West of Western / He’d Be a Diamond (Bevis Frond) / The Oldies Station / September Gurls (Big Star) / Dumbing Down the Takeout / So Says the Captain / True or Lonely / Stunning at Something / Omigod
I stumbled at points, hearing a couple of drunk girls up front chattering, but that’s to be expected. (Here’s to me slowly learning to expect that.) And in all honesty, it could have been way worse. After the show, we sat with our friends Shawn and Larry, and Shawn gave us a history of the Cubby Bear. In the 80′s, they actually booked a bunch of punk bands, and in the early 90′s it was a regular home to the burgeoning power pop scene. It wasn’t until the mid-90′s that it started to succumb to its surroundings, turning into a typical Wrigleyville sports bar, only bigger than most, and with live music most nights.
So what I’m saying is that this could have been during the Cubs season, with tons of white hats in the place instead of just, like, six. Six I could handle. And with Larry and Shawn and Amy there, I cracked a fair number of jokes and stuff. And with this giant place being fairly empty (and Billy the sound guy being mad professional), I know I sounded good, all reverb-rich and pretty. (How’s that for looking on the bright side?)
Lastly, in the small-world category, it turns out that Joe, the fellow who booked the show, plays with Brighton MA, who we’re going to see playing at Canasta‘s CD release party in May. Knowing a dude with taste and talent was responsible for the evening as a whole made it that much more enjoyable. Amy and I had a guilty takeaway, ate that mess while watching Mad Men and then hit the sack. Just as I thought, the cold has moved into my throat for real, so here’s hoping I can shake it off before the next show…
