Chicago Live Music Radar (Fall 2009)

So looking at the calendar for the Fall it looks like a lot of good shows coming up in Chicago (particularly at the Bottom Lounge). Not including what we are already going to see, here is a list of shows I'm thinking about or suggest someone should... check it:

September	21	The Antlers	Subterranean
September	25	The Weakerthans	Bottom Lounge
October	4	The Flatlanders	Chicago Country Fest
October	4	Living Colour	Double Door
October	5	Screaming Females	Hideout
October	23	Royal Bangs w/ Drummer	Schubas
October	26	Dead Confederates	Double Door
October	28	Jenny Owen Youngs	Reggie's Rock Club
October	30	Cage The Elephant	Cubby Bear
November	6	The Whigs	Bottom Lounge
November	13	Dirty Projectors	Bottom Lounge
December	1	The XX	Bottom Lounge

any others I'm missing?

-Riley



Digg this | Post to del.icio.us | Facebook

Mid-Week Boredom...

When you have nothing else to say post Guns N' Roses videos/pictures/songs ... right? Alright on with it.



Love the original version too...God only knows what Axl was doin listening to the Skyliners...



and now back to business...

Pitchfork is this weekend in Chicago and I know many of you are excited, I can't say I share your enthusiasm. I think Sunday Night is the Night though with The Walkmen + Blitzen Trapper + Grizzly Bear + The Flaming Lips.

I know, I know, I'm crazy because the National are performing Saturday and I'm choosing Sunday as 'the night to go' while I write for a blog named after one of the National's lyrics. The Dutchess & The Duke has my curiousity though for Saturday afternoon...but... I'll be ON A BOAT! or maybe just a dinghy.

Schubas has some good shows this weekend, you know I'm geeked for Those Darlins on Friday for $10, hopefully I make it over there. Cheap Schlitz on tap is always a bonus. Saturday night they got Plants and Animals who we've seen there previously along with another band new on our radar The Generationals.

Schubas website

Some other shows I think are notable or just funny:

Bell Biv Devoe is scheduled to come to the Chicago area 8/22 @ the Country Club Hills Theater

Drummer will be performing @ Schubas 10/23 (Patrick Carney, of the Black Keys, side project)
Rolling Stone's Smoking Section has more to say on the band and their new album 'Feel Good Together' along with sample track of the same name.

Grizzly Bear @ the Metro 7/27, 7/28

Immortal Technique @ Abbey Pub 9/26 ... Im as scared of this show as I am excited


Digg this | Post to del.icio.us | Facebook

Live Shows: Chicago

We missed Franz Ferdinand the other night, did anyone catch it?

I was diggin' in the Chicago Reader just now and saw lots of good things on the horizon:

5/10 • Gojira • Logan Square Auditorium

5/12 • Vetiver • Chopin Theater

5/26 • Yeah Yeah Yeahs • Riviera Theater - on sale 5/2

Jun 6- 7• Metronome Celebration • John Vanderslice, Here We Go Magic, Future Rock, Ezra Furman & the Harpoons, Justin Townes Earle, Deal's Gone Bad and others - Milwaukee between Armitage & Rockwell, 6/6-7 Metronome

6/12 • Pj Harvey & John Parish • Riviera Theater

6/19-6/21 • Taste Of Randolph Street • Dr. Dog, Tinted Windows, The Hld Steady - Randolph between Peoria & Racine

6/18 - 6/20 • X • Double Door

7/17 • The National • Pabst Theather, Milwaukee --- The National - Slow Show - Buy Album

Digg this | Post to del.icio.us | Facebook

The Saw Doctors @ the Vic 3/7/09 (Set List)

Got out there and celebrated St. Patty's day a lil' early, and at the last minute I decided to go to the Saw Doctors show @ the Vic. I went last year under almost identical circumstances and had a blast. Shows like these aren't so much about the music as they are about just having a good time. Singing and dancing and drinking, making friends with whoever is around. Who doesn't like to drink and sing about Ireland. I've heard these guys compared to Bruce Springsteen and I'd have to agree with that. Not so much on the basis of their sound but on their subject matter. Ballads about home, about the past, about teenage love, awkwardness, about sports, getting drunk, making mistakes, but having a goodtime, and every tune is a sing-a-long.

It can't all be progressive, some of it has to be just for fun, and the Saw Doctors have that figured out. They really are just having good honest fun, at one point just for kicks all the band members swapped instruments. Guitarists and singers, all the front men, moved to the back and hopped on the drums and keyboard while the keyboardists and drummer ran up front and took over the guitars and vocals. As an audience member you feel like the concert is a large party of friends and relatives coming together to shake off their troubles and worries. Its a sense of community usually reserved to long days at festivals like Bonnaroo, where sleep deprivation, heat exhaustion, dehydration, starvation, expensive beer, and good music bring everyone together.

They played all the hits, I especially liked Tommy K, and ofcourse N17. No pictures this time around...sorry.
The Saw Doctors

Oh God
Macnas Parade
Goodbye Again
Tommy K
Carnaiteena
Nevermind the Strangers
Carry Me Away
Mercy Gates
Some One Loves
Green and Red
Gallway and Mayo
Darkness
Echilerating Sadness
It Won't Be Twilight
Clare Island
On My Way
Why Am I Always Want You
Bless Me Father
Thats What She Said
:::Encore Break:::
Red cortina
Chips
Joyce Country Ceili Band
I Useta Lover
What a Day
Hay Wrap

A bluegrass band, Bearfoot, had the stage before the Saw Doctors. They opened for the Saw Doctors last year even and I was stoked when I saw they would be opening again. Im a sucker for all that picking, and a couple cute girls on the fiddle and bass never hurts. I bought their cd last year and it is well worth checking out.

Bearfoot Bluegrass

Dan Auerbach @ Metro 3/6/09 Setlist

Rockin' ass time last night. Dan Auerbach crushed it @ the Metro.

1. Trouble
2. I Want More
3. The Prowl
5. When I Leave The Room
6. My Last Mistake
7. Mean Monsoon
8. Oh Carol
9. Real Desire
10. Money and Trouble
11. Street Walkin'
12. When The Night Comes in
13. Whispered Words
14. Heartbroken
15. Keep it Hid
16. Inside Lookin Out
:::ENCORE BREAK:::
2 songs, one was a cover, not sure on the names of either songs.
**Update - 'Goin Home' was the first song for the encore (thanks Tom)**

Buy

Keep It Hid


Below are a couple of pics CLO snagged on his techy iPhone to wet your appetite. More pics and a full recap will be up soon.

Blast from the Past, Ben Harper + Jack Johnson @ UIC 2003

There were just days left until graduation. Our lacrosse season had ended with a marginal performances in the playoffs. My school day at this point was finished at 11:50 however I had no car and really nothing to do since most of my friends still had class in the afternoon.

I wandered the hallways as long as security would let me and would usually eventually find myself in our resource center. We were regulars in the resource center, and the supervisors hated it, but where could they send us instead? I was researching. For what no one knows. This research was usually a bunch of us playing games on Yahoo and watching music videos on Blastro or flirting with girls from other classes who had more legitimate reasons to be there. It was June 6th. My mindset had been on summer time since 2nd semester started. As we perused the internet CLO noticed Jack Johnson and Ben Harper were playing at UIC Pavilion that very night. On a whim, and a prayer that CLO could borrow his mom's car after school, we bought tickets. The details are fuzzy, although I probably could not have recalled it any better back then. I was a graduating senior, you know how that goes. At some point during that day we convinced our buddy Stone to join us.

The day ended and Colin was able to grab his 'rents car, just in time too as we almost gave up and took a cab. We sipped Beam and Coke on the way down but I recall us all being a little reserved since we were driving into the city so we didn't have much until we got down there and parked.

The show was unreal and our seats were surprisingly decent. We were on the far right side (facing the stage) 4 rows back. Our section was fairly empty so we moved down right onto the rail. Jack played great and we were loving it. We were on top of the world. Then Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals came on. The bassist, Juan Nelson, stood right above us a top an amp.

This guy could play and for us was the highlight of the night. Anytime he soloed it was like he was playing only to us since he was 2 feet away. He would go on an extended slap-fest and in the midst he would gesture to check his watch like even he couldn't believe how long he could keep up the solo. He played with great variety and seemed to just be loving it and having a blast. It made the show for us. We'd never been so close.

We drove back from the show thrilled. going on and on to each about how great a show it was. About how it was the best we'd seen. This wasn't really true of course but the show was quite good and we were on such a high at that moment it did seem that way. We made it back to Stone's house and shared stories with his mom before we went to his backyard and continued with some more substance abuse. We were up into the wee hours conjuring up illogical basketball plays and executing them and shooting lacrosse balls at each other. Some other friends met us over there but they couldn't get to our level.

I wish there were pictures, but we're probably all better off there aren't. Here is Jack Johnson's set list I dug up on googles, Im still in search of the Ben Harper and Innocent Criminals set list and will update as soon as I find it.

Times Like These
Losing Hope
Gone
The News
A Pirate Looks at 40 (I LOVE THIS BUFFET COVER)
Fortunate Fool
Drink the Water
Cookie Jar
Providence
Posters > Taylor
Tomorrow Morning
Bubbletoes > Stir it Up
Wasting Time
Never Gonna Give Up > Holes to Heaven
Middle Man
Mediocore Bad Guys
Flake
The Horizon Has Been Defeated
Brushfire Fairytales
Further on Down the Road / Ramble On
Mudfootball

Gipsy Kings - Chicago Theater - 2/21/09

What an exerience, what a sound. I started listening to the Gipsy Kings a while back in the early 90s. I was 6 or 7 years young when my grandfather gave me a cassete tape of 'Allegria.' Luckily amidst my love for Vanilla Ice, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Soundtrack, Marky Mark, and MC Hammer, I was able to appreciate the complex sounds of the Gipsy Kings. I remember listening to this on my walkman, in the car and on airplanes, traveling to various places. Since my introduction to them, my relationship with their music has always been about escape, adventure, and the excitement of the unknown.

It was this time last year that I was in Puerto Rico, hanging out on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and enjoying a few Medallas in an attempt to forget the brutal cold Chicago delivers in February. This year I wasn't so lucky. Stuck. Having to deal with winter this time around I've lived it up the best I could. One great thing about Chicago is the diversity of opportunity to see live music, something I obviously take advantage of. Last weekend I had the chance to finally see the Gipsy Kings, and to my surprise I was able to travel away, if only for a couple hours. I knew thi show would be different. Not just in the style of music, but in the atmosphere. I knew it would be different but I still did not know what to expect.

I was curious though, would the audience be older? Would it be lively? What about the band? I wasn't even totally sure what the Gipsy Kings looked like or how old they were. Would they play a lot of songs I'd recognize? My collection of their work is limited to 3 albums, all atleat 10 years old. I realized I had lost touch with this band that I knew I loved. Not that my appreciation for them had faded but my musical interests had taken me in other directions and in the excitement of getting to know new favorites I had neglected the Gipsy Kings.

I arrived at the show and sat eagerly waiting for them to take the stage, looking closely at the un-maned instruments. The crowd was everything you could hope for. They were young, they were old, they were snooty, they were chill. There were families, there were dates, groups of friends large and small and before a single note was played I could tell that everyone in the room had a passion for this music.

The band took the stage and what followed was one of the best performances I've witnessed. These guys are true musicians. There is nothing like hearing 6 guitars all playing together, with their sounds filled out by the textures of 2 drummers, a bassist, and a keyboardist. The energy and emotion from the band members transfered directly to the fans in no time. Women first stood up and danced at their seats, then another, then a couple would come down the aisle. Before long everyone was standing up, clapping along . Drinks were raised, people whistled and cheered. It was one of the most positive environments I've experienced. By the time they were returning for their encore (Bomboleo) women began flooding the stage and dancing with the band members, by the end there must have been 50 women on stage. Who could blame them, thats what good music does to you. It tickles your impulses and strangles your inhibitions, that and Im sure a little alcohol helped as well. The band played and they played well. Crisp and fast.

As for what else they played, there were songs I recognized and some completely new to me. Unfortunately I had become so distant with their music that I wasn't able to compile a set list. It is time to dive in to the Gipsy Kings music some more. I suggest you do the same. If you are well versed with there music already, if they ever come to your town, or even if they don't and you have to travel (as if a vacation would be all that bad) you have to see these guys play, no matter your taste you will not be let down.

Check out the pics below...Thanks Big D for getting up front and scoring some great photos...especially the ones during the Bassists solo!

Muzzle of Bees Blitzen Trapper Review

Muzzle of Bees seemed to agree with us about the Blitzen Trapper Show the other night. I was speaking with people that I went with and I think we saw the MOB crew afterwards buying that vinyl of Furr and showing it off. Always enjoyed that blog, funny to put a name with a face. They had a nice photo too, glad someone had a good pic from the show. Ours came out not so good, but thanks KZ for bringing your camera.

Read the Muzzle of Bees Blitzen Trapper review

Blitzen Trapper @ the Empty Bottle 2/19/09

Sacrificied seeing the opener for grabbing a bite to eat at Moonshine, and then made it just in time for Blitzen Trapper's first song. One of my favorites, 'Stolen Shoes + a Rifle'


Good times, they played as crisp and clear as they sound on their album. My only beef is their inability, or unwillingness, to jam away and rock on with their songs. I know they have another set to play later but come on, I expect a little more out of em. I could listen to the 3 minute versions of the songs on the album. Let loose, solo, go nuts, shit atleast some banter between songs. That said I don't want to make it sound like they played poorly. They still put on a heck of a show. I absolutely loved the bird call they incorporated into 'Furr'. What a great tune anyway. If you havent heard it look it up. Our friend CLO describes it like this,

"I hear that song and I feel like I'm riding through a field on a tandem bike, maybe a girl is with, me maybe not, but either way I just feel good."

Very true. It is one of those songs you just hear and you're in a good mood, it makes you feel like you're walking around in a movie when you hear it. All the side instrumentation was my favorite part.

Whether the bird call whistle, the recorder esque sound maker the guitarist had in his back pocket, maracas, or other various nature sounds or vibrations I was thrilled. Lead singer really expresses his full vocals with intense wails to start off 'Love U'...

Any way it was an impressive show just lacked anything exceptional. Here is the set list. We got a hold of the onstage set list (pictured at the top of this post) from a fellow blogger. We had our own, made the old fashioned way, by listening and taking notes with a pen and paper.

Anyone happen to check out the later show? or the opener that we missed?


1. Stolen Shoes + A Rifle
2. Sleepytime in the Western World
3. God + Suicide
4. Saturday Night
5. Furr
6. Lady on the Water
7. Country Caravan
8. Black River Killer
9. Murder Babe
10. Big Black Bird
11. Gold for Bread
12. Jericho
13. Love U
14. Echo
15. Asleep for Days
16. Fire and Fast Bullets
17. Canyon's Edge
18. Wild Mtn Nation

Delta Spirit V-Day Pics

Pictures from Saturday came out quite nice... Thank you Susan!

Delta Spirit @ the Double Door 2/14/09

Big weekend for the HGH crew. Here in Chicago we checked out Delta Spirit @ the Double Door. A folky rock band from sunny California. They're a little bit newer on the HGH radar but I know I'm already a big fan.

The night began at a hip pizza joint Crust, fancy pizzas and Robert The Bruce Beers...wish it was Edward the Longshanks but either way we got a kick out of the reference and the fact the beers came from Munster, IN.

Following food we checked out a favorite hang out for us heroes, J&M, a place that always entertains with its choice jukebox and cheap beer...good place to let loose. Arrived at the Double Door, purchased a couple 2 buck Nati Lights, and snaked our way up through the thick of the crowd into the 4th row...we like to be close but we also didnt want to be the "guys in the front row."

Delta Spirit really has fun and performs, a lot of emotion and energy, always a toss up going to see a new band, I knew they had good jams but theres always the risk they just lack the passion necesarry to keep a crowd interested throughout the set. Overall a well paced show, fast, slow, fast, slow, never found myself bored. Met some cute teachers standing near us, that was going well until I clowned em for drinking fancy stella artois, lets just say they werent amused, a little too upity. Typical no fun teacher that cant take a joke and takes away my recess.

They played a great show, DK will follow up with pictures and hopefully a few more details. Definitely check these guys out though, this was only the 2nd show on their tour, I think its St. Louis next, but look into it and get involved if they're coming to a city near you.

Delta Spirit

Trash Can
Strange Vine

Jonny Lang – H.O.B., Chicago, IL (1/29/09)

While most people this winter caught the flu or a cold from some lame co-worker who is too cheap to take a sick day rather than infecting their entire office, Riley Freeman (AKA Young Jeezy, Wild Bill, Banjo-a-saurus) and I caught the concert bug (side effects include: empty wallets and hangovers within 24 hours). Following a couple of stellar sets by MMJ to finish off 2008, ’09 got kicked off with some blues. We could think of no finer venue than the House that shares its name, right down in the heart of Chicago. The performer of record was 27-years young Jonny Lang, with opening act Jason Eskridge.

We started off the evening w/ beer, nachos, and tequila (oh tequila!) at the Elephant & Castle and then picked up a shoe shine on the LaSalle Street bridge on our way to the show. Inside, a good time was had by (most) all. Jason Eskridge was a little too mellow as an opener, but he has a great voice and he sat in on a number of songs w/ Jonny Lang, one time filling the large, horrible shoes of Mr. Michael McDonald, who was on the album version of ‘Thankful’. Jonny Lang’s set was heavy with material off his 2006 release, Turn Around, but he included some of his older stuff too. He’s got a good rhythm section filled with pros who allowed Jonny to take a solo whenever the crowd got a little rowdy. Bill and I were both severely hurtboxed the following day and attempted to relay the prior night’s happenings to Evan via electronic mail. The following is a summation of our story. In tribute to the blues music we heard, the re-telling of our tale will be done call-and-response style, via archived correspondence:

The Run-up, Pre-show chatter:

Riley Freeman: DK where you want to meet tonight before this show?
Dank: There's a joint right near me on Lake called Mid-Town that I've been meaning to check out for awhile, but that might be kind of a hike for you. Where's your office? I'm at Washington/Wacker.
RF: Im at Dearborn and Madison, MidTown sounds fine, they got grub there, burger or sliders would be nice before the show to accompany my guiness
DK: Looks a little fancier than I had previously imagined. Here's the menu, grub is on pg 2. We could always go back to Elephant & Castle where we went before MMJ, don't matter to me.
RF: elephants and castles works
DK: Tits, say around 6-ish? I'm probably on the clock until 5:30 or so over here. Doors open at 7:30 at the H.O.B. but Mr. Lang won't start til probably 9. There's an opener, but if we want to get relatively close to the stage, it's wise to get there sooner rather than later.
DK: Hey buddy, just meet at the bar at E&C and then we can put a name in for a table or something. Beer is more important than food anyways. And you can quote me on that.

It’s on. Just willingly suspend disbelief and believe me when I tell you we had a good pre-party and a great time at the show. We got up real close to the stage, Jonny Lang made his patented “O-Face” the entire night and tore it up on the guit-fiddle. Let’s jump ahead to the next day for the recap:

*editorial note: Evan had gone to the Kings of Leon show the previous night in NYC.

Evan Nielsen: keeek ace show. Sorry I missed you guys for a post concert round-up. I got the message. Wasn’t really in any shape to converse. How was the HOB?
DK: HOB was solid, bill got roadblocked from hitting on this broad by an old man who would not move. Decent show, that guy is pretty sick on the guit-fiddle. Got in a little Lie to Me for an encore. Met up with Vern-ography afterwards b/c she was out in bucktown. Got smashed. Nothing too crazy though. You get my text about the metal? I made myself laugh on that one.
RF: HURTBOXED...
things I learned:
I like Chicks with dagger tatoos on their ankles
NO METAL in the HOB including Metallica
CDs are not frisbees
O Bombs are never a good idea
JOHNNY LANG CAN PLAY THE GUITAR
EN: Wait wait wait. I got the text, but I honestly didn’t know exactly what happened. So, Bill got frisked and security found the Metallica CD’s and told him ‘No Metal’. Is that right? That’s f-ing hilarious but not sure I have that correct.
DK: That's correct soldier, no metal objects permitted in the HOB. Or frisbees. But he got through anyways, and your cds are safe.
RF: It was more I got frisked, and the detector wand was going nuts on my jacket. the guy said NO METAL, I said even mettallica? and he didnt really get my joke so he was like "what do you have? lets see it!" and got all serious
He looks at the cds and says you better not use these as frisbees...
cant really joked with those guys
we also each got 20 dollar shoe shines before the shoe
EN: Bill your spelling is on fire this morning. Please proofread that email and get back to me.
RF: thats because my gmail is fed up and the cursor is like 5 characters behined and the most recent letters dont show up...among other things like dyslexia
EN: Also, please fill in the details on $20 shoe shines. WTF? Was that a drunk decision?
DK: 20 dollar shoe shines were pretty much forced upon us by a street entrepreneur. He poured some gunk that looked like super glue on our shoes and told us it would last for a year. Then he told us "that'll be 8 bucks a shoe. And most people tip me 4 dollars". Dude has got his routine down.
DK: Just remembered another detail from last night. Remember that girl next to me who asked me to stop moving around so much we were packed on the floor in front of the stage? She was chirping me before they even took the stage and I said "It's gonna get worse once the show starts, I still move. Get ready for it." She moved. I hate other people.
RF: Yeh she was the worst...
forgot we ran into Mr. Fitzpatrick too....as I talk to him Dan runs out of bathroom yelling "lets go get fucked up"
alrighty then...good to see you Mr. Fitzpatrick as you can tell I have business to attend to, say hi to the family..."

Couldn’t find a proper set list yet on the interwebs, I’ll post an update if one turns up.

My Morning Jacket 12/28 @ Chicago Theater

Giddy up, Giddy up Again!
E flew back to NYC bright and early and Im trying to re-hydrate. Late one last night, great show, went to Pint afterwards in Bucktown. Met up with the whole crew, think there were like 30 of us from greater Chi area holding it down, I remember getting off to the side for a minute and talking to someone I didn't know as a refresher. She inquired if I was at the bar alone or if I came with friends, I looked around, and didn't want to sound like a dick but she was the only person I didnt know.

E had a bit of an Aye Aye Aye with Prospect management, I did what I could to aid and went next door to Flat Iron. Few PBRs and it was time to bail on the night. Ramble on eh? back to topic of post.

Time to do it Again, Nate Deezy, and I go pre-game down in River North with some kids. The Plan is to Meet Dan K and others at Elephant and Castle around 6 or so. Last night we went crazy, tonight its a "school night" so we plan on taking it easy. I brought my nice Nikon and am going to try to capture some nice photos since we are down in front tonight.


Nate is a newbie, hes never heard any MMJ songs, what a way to get to know a band. Time to get to the guts of this tale. Leave buddy's apt. We'll see them later at the show, head to E&C, few pops, some nachos, and into the show we go. I wasn't worried about my camera or anything because the night before I saw all kinds of kids snapping photos, and flashes goin' off all over. I walk in with ticket in hand and big Oo camera hanging around my neck. Security doesn't let me get far and begins asking questions about the camera and telling me I have to check it, that I can not bring it in to the show. A little annoyed now I check it at the coat check and go get a drink. Im not happy, I could have brought my smaller camera and it would have been fine, I could have just held the camera under my hoody and I probably could have snuck it in. Now I have to burden of being out with this camera all night if we go out after (yes I know we said we'd take it easy tonight) and I don't even get any pictures out of it. Miffed we go to our seats.



Shortly thereafter the show begins, and I am pleasantly surprised they open with "At Dawn" instead of the expected "Evil Urges". 3 songs in though I can't get over that they took my camera because it had a removable lense. In a huff I storm out of the show and walk straight over to coat check. I give them my ticket and say,

"Give me my camera"

"Sir, are you leaving?" they ask.

"Yes, this show bores me," I say.

I receive my camera, tuck it under my hoody, walk towards the exit with a peripheral eye on security, and when backs are turned I button hook roll and quickly walk back in. No stopping, no eye contact, left leg, right leg, I know if i get into the show and past the usher thats it I'll make it. Once inside the show I'll be lost in the crowd. You'd think I was smuggling drugs or a weapon...no just a guy trying to take a few nice pictures.

I made it. Back at my seat everyone cheers that I was successful. I take back anything I ever said about not learning anything at public school. Great show and got some great shots, I think 400+, probably only 50 or so really worthwhile but thats the way it goes. Oh and those guys put on another spectacular show. Rocked! and as for making it an early night because Dan had work and I had an early flight...well it was a good goal, our high from the show got the best of us. Went to an after party and then closed the bars. NYC here I come!

1. At Dawn
2. It Beats 4 U
3. Evil Urges
4. I'm Amazed
5. Gideon
6. What A Wonderful Man
7. Golden
8. I Will Sing You Songs
9. Lowdown
10. Sooner
11. Thank You Too!
12. Anytime
13. Remnants
14. Lay Low
15. Highly Suspicious
16. Off The Record
17. I Think I'm Going To Hell
18. Smokin From Shootin
19. Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt.2
20. Run Thru
----------
21. Look At You
22. Nashville To Kentucky
23. Steam Engine
24. Cobra
25. Wordless Chorus
26. One Big Holiday

My Morning Jacket 12/27 @ Chicago Theater

We'll start from the beginning in Chicago.
12/27 - Had balcony tickets and a solid crew of I think 8. Myself, E, CLO, and K Trash along with some friends and their friends rounded out the group. Went nuts at this one. After being with the family the past week and even going to church it was time to let loose.

Got aggressive with the pre-game and a little ahead of ourselves, we watched the Okonokos DVD and got a little weird. Unseasonably warm night in Chicago, a damp mid 40s, for last week in December this was like summer time, and we behaved accordingly. Would have liked to say I remembered to pace myself because I have a big week ahead of me.

2 beers each and too our seats we go. Balcony crowd is always a little bit different from those down on the floor. Chicago Theater is a beautiful building and sound is great but those seats always get in my way. WHo sits during a rock concert? Can't complain though thank the lord the show isn't somewhere like the United Center. Anyhoo we were not going to let the balcony audience slow us down, we were going to bring the floor to them. We shuffled around and negotiated a way for all of us to sit with each-other and from the first note of evil urges all the way through the encore we danced our faces off. Shortly into the set I had to urinate, I kept waiting song after song for a "piss break" song but none came, I was so excited during the encore break I never went. Maybe I forgot to go, maybe I forgot I had to go, but there was no turning back once the band came on and wordless chorus began. AAAAHHHHHHH! a favorite song among us, at-least recently, bladder is killing me and I jump around more and more to distract my mind. Made it, made it through "wordless chorus" and "highly suspicious" and that was it i could feel it, I had about 15 seconds to get to a bathroom or I would piss myself. I run down the aisle barely saying excuse me to anyone. My brother stares me down like what the hell are you doing there's only a song or two left...
I didnt care, nothing against "anytime" but I had to go. Made to the pissa and begin relieving myself...I hear cheering and hoots and hollers as I push to finish my business as soon as possible. Then right in the middle of my steady stream I hear the first notes of "one big holiday". I can feel Im no where close to finishing pissing, and shocked at how much urine Id been holding, there was nothing left to do, I knew of the pain that would come but I did not hesitate for an instant. CORK IT!...Wooo thats a rush, Sprint back up stairs and come flying around the corner into the aisle, no time to go back to my seat, Im jumping all over the place dancin' in the aisle, and soon enough friends see my return and fill in down into the aisle to join me....what a finish.

I tried to keep record of the set-list throughout the show, some pretty funny things written down as the night progressed, memory for the names of songs fades quickly along with my spelling as beers flowed.

"10 fire acostic" I assume means something off tennessee fire and it was acoustic....not sure what song I was thinking of but here is the accurate set list:

1. Evil Urges
2. Touch Me I'm Going To scream Pt.1
3. Off The Record
4. Aluminum Park
5. I'm Amazed
6. Thank You Too!
7. Sec Walkin
8. The Way That He Sings
9. Mahgeetah
10. Golden
11. Where To Begin
12. Librarian
13. Evelyn Is Not Real
14. War Begun
15. Lay Low
16. Phone Went West
17. Gideon
18. Dondante
19. Smokin From Shootin
20. Touch Me I'm Going To scream Pt.2
----------
21. Wordless Chorus
22. Highly Suspicious
23. Anytime
24. One Big Holiday