Opening Act: Lavender Diamond

8:00 PM

I had not actually heard of The Decemberists until six days earlier, but my sister needed to review a rock concert for her History of Rock’n'Roll class, and given that I had the faintest impression that I had heard the band’s name somewhere, maybe Live 105, and the Warfield is aces for me as a venue (all about the seats), so this show was perfect on its face.

The opening act, Lavender Diamond was . . . interesting. Actually my first gut impression was that they were very L.A. The lead singer was a little loopy, with a high pitched speaking voice that made her very childlike. The songs weren’t too bad, but suffered from that classic young band ailment of skills (vocal and intrumental) that are not matched by the quality of the songwriting.

The Decemberists were quite the revelation. There was a certain old-world-esque charm. It was a bit like being a kid at a circus with the sheer variety of instruments that graced the stage - electroacoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, mandolin, maracas, violin, xylophone, accordion, upright bass, cello, Hammond organ, clarinet, tambourine, banjo, and a few others I couldn’t identify. Their songs were catchy but different. The variety in the songs themselves was impressive too - from melancholy to romantic to sinister, hitting resignation, longing, and bouncy optimism along the way.

I listed to their albums after the show and was surprised that I recognized so many songs, especially given that I’d not heard a single song of theirs before the show. Some favorites include O Valencia! (not just because it’s set in San Francisco), Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then) (not just because I love history), and the very long The Island. I’m definitely now a fan, and was glad that I happened into finding them, even if there were over $20 in Ticketmaster fees involved.

You and Me Acoustic Tour - 8:00 PM

I have frequently proclaimed that I am too old to go to concerts where I cannot sit down and thus refuse so to do. Sadly, the musicians I want to see live do not agree and insist on playing the various, relatively interchangable, mostly SRO clubs like Slim’s, Bimbo’s, Bottom of the Hill, The Fillmore, The Independent, Cafe Du Nord, and, of course, The Great American Music Hall. (Of note, my favorite current venue is the Swedish-American Hall. So pretty, so full of seats. Unfortunately, a little too intimate for those with big aspirations.)

I had not been to the GAMH since seeing Michelle Branch there just before she broke (in my unintentional Michelle Branch double summer), opening for the sweet, apparently forgotten Evan and Jaron. Unlike my last visit, Pete Yorn was playing to a sold out audience, which meant that the 30 minutes between doors and the show was a tad optimistic. We were all properly packed in like sardines by at least 8:30, but Pete didn’t take the stage until 9. (Possibly he was late due to the in-store accross the Bay? He left long after I did.) This gave me plenty of time to notice that the GAMH has all this very ornate, old-world looking detailing, but upon examination it all kind of really looks a bit cheap and rushed.*

Pete was fantastic. He started off solo acoustic, then invited Dirty Bird Joe Kennedy (who does a mean It Isn’t Easy Being Green) onstage after 4 full-length songs to play piano and provide some backing vocals. Eventually, they were joined by Minibar drummer Malcolm Cross and bass player Sid Jordan, the latter looking far more farmer than drunk rocker than when I saw Minibar last. The mix of new songs, “rare” songs, and new songs was just right. Pete sang Closet, what I think is the best song on musicforthemorningafter, admitting he had no idea what the song was about. Long Way Down, the best song on Day I Forgot made an appearance as well. Those almost make up for me never seeing him play EZ (a request for which was shouted (and not by me)), which he apparently did perform the previous week. He also told the very interesting story that apparently the label didn’t want June on the first album and people hate it, even though it’s one of the quality songs that powers through the strong middle of mftma.  He also, because he really just has to now, played Burrito, which is an excellent song when you ignore the entire burrito portion of it.

During the encore, he gave us a little more alone time to start before bringing back the band. Unfortunately, by this time my lack of having had dinner (rushing over from the in-store and all) combined with a late-developing case of claustrouphobia (chiefly caused by the 4′9″ and 4′11″ girls in front of me progressively backing toward me all night until I was effectively penned in), made me start to feel rather sick and I uttered to Matt words I never thought I would at a Pete Yorn show, “Whenever you want to leave, I’m ready to go.” Realizing I must have been really ill to say such a thing, Matt suggested we move to the back. That brilliant idea allowed me to survive the encore - it was far less crowded and the cool air from the open doors was much more breathable. Also, I was in a better position to grab (ok, really, ask Matt in my most pitiful, “I’m sick” voice to grab) a poster for the show from one of the columns. I needed a momento given that Virtuous does ticketless ticketing.

All in all, a great show, worth every penny, and I can only hope that when he comes through again in the fall after Nightcrawler drops on August 29, he plays, oh, let’s say, The Warfield.

Setlist:

PY solo acoustic:
Intro > For Nancy
Hunter Green
Burrito
Life on a Chain

PY & Joe K.:
Lose You
Closet
June

Full Band:
Alive
Pass Me By
Just Another
When You See The Light
Long Way Down
Black
Bandstand in the Sky
For Us
Murray
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (The Smiths cover)
Ask (The Smiths cover)
Crystal Village

Encore:

PY solo:
Friend of the Devil (Grateful Dead cover)

Full Band
Lions
The Good Advice
Strange Condition
Suspicious Minds (Elvis Presley cover)
I Feel Good Again (Junior Kimbrough cover)

PY solo:
A Girl Like You

*There was also very nearly a short person revolt in the interim - I still have no idea why clubs are designed so that everyone pays the same, but must strategically position themselves and fight to see who they came to see, and the vertically challenged always get screwed.

July 31 - 5:30 PM, Rasputin Records, Berkeley, CA 

I saw Pete Yorn perform yesterday afternoon at Rasputin Records in Berkeley. As usual, I was running late. I got there in plenty of time, found a parking space near my old place six blocks off campus and four blocks from the store, and discovered that parallel parking ability really is a use it or lose it skill. Unfortunately, I needed to find the facilities, and despite being on a college campus, the first several buildings I tried were either locked or had only locked bathrooms - damn summer hours! I made it to Dwinelle Hall and after getting turned around a bit, I found what I was looking for and got out.

I made it to Rasputins about 5 minutes late, but Pete was even later. If I had been thinking, I would have pre-ordered my copy of his forthcoming Nightcrawler release before he began to play, but I’ll get to that. Pete was about 15 minutes late, which worked out for me. I had time to cool off - it was warm in Berkeley and I was the only one with a long sleeve knit top. The back room where they keep the DVDs was a funny place for the performance because everyone had to crowd in between the three aisles. It was an unnatural clumping, but amusing to see such an expectant, earnest crowd.

Pete finally showed up, in a hat, a fedora? I dunno. I don’t know from hats. He played five songs, just the right length. First up, the unreleased Baby, I’m Gone, and he was naively surprised someone knew it. Heck, even I have that song and I don’t have time to be an obsessed fan. Then Life on a Chain, including the story of how he wrote the song the very morning it got him signed to Columbia Records. Next, The Man, with a cute bit where he pretended that Natalie Maines, who backs him on the album, was there but reluctant to join him onstage. Then, I Feel Good Again, a rollicking good number. Finally, he closed with a slow The Golden Road, which is a fitting end, but a little bit of a downer to end the set.

After the set ended, Pete sat down to sign copies of Westerns, the EP that was complimentary along with a pre-order Nightcrawler. The pre-order also included a copy of a recording of the in-store. I kind of thought it would be more neat to have an in-store recording I never heard. It was all very impractical for me to put down my five bucks for a coupon for the album given that it would be a pain for me to make it back to Rasputin sometime after classes start for the sole purpose of picking up a CD I probably could get for less elsewhere and a live recording that I probably didn’t want. But I was a sucker for the instant gratification of owning Westerns.

I got my coupon and realized that had I done that while waiting for Pete, I would have been at the front of the line to get Westerns autographed. Instead, I had to tell the Rasputins folks I didn’t “want to get my copy signed” so I could circumvent the very long line in getting my copy. Surely, it would have been nice to get the autograph, but then I would be late getting back to the city and the concert I’d paid to see. It’s all right, of course, as I already met him when I lived in L.A. and he (and Marc Dauer and the very pretty Simon Petty) signed my Trampoline Records sleeve.

With this new page I’m trying to preserve ties to the past while running headlong into the future. Mostly I don’t want to do any time consuming work moving files and information so here’s links to all the concerts from the old page:

2005

Michael Andrews, Inara George, Rhett Miller

2004 

50 Foot Wave, The Advantage, Cake, Heather Combs, Sarah Harmer, Hayden, Tyler Hilton, Gary Jules, Mike Doughty’s Band, The Pixies, Matthew Ryan, Keaton Simons, Kelley Stoltz

2003

Boy Skout, Phil Cody, Dialing Zero, Mike Doughty, Gingersol, The Hang Ups, Happily Ever After (and again), Peter Himmelman, Idlewild, Imarobot, Jukebox Junkies (and again), Mavis, Melodine, Minibar (and again), The Minus 5, Morello, Nadine, Pearl Jam, The Pieces, Rusty Truck, Some Girls, Jeff Trott, Pete Yorn (and again), The White Stripes

2002

Blanket, Cake, Phil Cody, De La Soul, The Flaming Lips, Evan Frankfort, Gingersol (and again), Hackensaw Boys, The Hang Ups, Happily Ever After (and again), Juliana Hatfield, Peter Himmelman, Jukebox Junkies (and again and again), Gary Jules, Tommy Keene, Kinky, Mavis, Minibar (and again and again), Modest Mouse, Rusty Truck, Some Girls, They Might Be Giants, Jeff Trott (and again), Noe Venable, Pete Yorn (and again and again)

2001

Better than Ezra, The Blake Babies, Michelle Branch (and again), Evan and Jaron, Juliana Hatfield, Judith Owen, Wheat

2000

Black Eyed Peas, Macy Gray

1999

Better than Ezra, Cake, Fleming & John, Jewel, Old 97’sScrotum Pole, Sixpence None the Richer, Jeremy Toback

1998

A6, Erykah Badu, Chumbawamba, Shawn Colvin, Ana Gasteyer, Indigo Girls, K’s Choice, Lhasa, Tara MacLean, Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant, Billie Myers, Sinead O’Connor, Tia Tejada

1997

Nada

1996

Oasis, Third Eye Blind