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the crazy night of music
Oct. 30th, 2005 02:55 pmSo, I did it. I made two concerts in one night. I'm insane, I spent too much money, but it was all worth it.
First up: the Ascot Room, for Matt Nathanson, along with Matt Wertz and Kate Earl. Kate Earl wasn't my cup of tea - as Dre put it, she was a little too Norah Jones for my tastes. That's not a bad thing, per se ... I like Norah well enough, but she's mellow enough that I don't think I'd ever really want to see her in concert, and I definitely wouldn't want to see her in a standing room only venue. The only thing I remember about Kate's set, actually, was that one of her songs started with a piano line that I swear was lifted directly from "Stay On These Roads." Had it been an a-ha cover, I would have been much more impressed!
Matt Wertz looks like a young Brad Pitt. Or a young Jack Wagner. I kept going back and forth. There's something about his voice that didn't thrill me, but he's got banter and performance skills in spades. He also has the most random taste in cover songs - I'm not sure I've heard "King of Wishful Thinking" since I was in high school, and I know I've never been a part of a live "Man In The Mirror" singalong. Heh. All in all, I'd go see him live again. (By the way, Dre, we were wrong - he's from Kansas City! That's an accent I should have been able to place, shouldn't it? ;)) His guitar player frightened me a bit, though, only because he looks like the long-lost twin brother of coworker Mac.
Matt Nathanson continued 80s Night in the Ascot Room. He and the band tried to figure out if they knew any Judas Priest songs, which somehow segued into an entire discussion about how Def Leppard's "Foolin'" was a great single. Matt had a look on his face that spoke of a man slightly frightened by the knowledge that a good half to three-quarters of his audience is too young to have ever heard that song on the radio. But, the entire cracked-out conversation ended with the statement "... and so, if you're walking around with your nipples chafed and hard, blame Def Leppard. It's their fault."
In other words, yep, I get the whole Nathanson thing now. :) The Duran Duran cover has already been mentioned - he does a killer Simon LeBon impersonation. He and his guitar player also do a frightening BeeGees impersonation, too. Gotta love it. Took me about half of the set, but it finally occurred to me who Matt reminds me of - Voltaire. No, seriously. He kinda looks like him, and the way he talks onstage reminds me of him, too. And, somehow, I don't think Matt would be terribly averse to singing songs about beheadings and necrophilia, so there you go. Heh. (I'm odd, yes.)
I cut out of that show, however, right after "Hungry Like The Wolf", in order to run six blocks back to the State Theatre. That was a transition - went from the gritty faux-jungle atmosphere of the Ascot Room, surrounded by a bunch of rowdy mostly-college-age kids packed into each other like sardines, to the State, where people from age 8 to 80 sat sedately in an ornate theatre, waiting for Nickel Creek to go onstage. I was glad to be able to sit, though. My beat-up Chucks don't provide too much support any more. My gimpy knee wasn't terribly happy with sitting, though.
We were entertained pre-show, in the audience, by a man wearing a big sumo baby costume.
Nickel Creek. My initial reaction is to clap my hands together in fangirl glee and squeal "but they're just so CUTE!!" Because they are. All three of them. Also, breathtaking musicians. Just, wow.
( this post might be getting long )
First up: the Ascot Room, for Matt Nathanson, along with Matt Wertz and Kate Earl. Kate Earl wasn't my cup of tea - as Dre put it, she was a little too Norah Jones for my tastes. That's not a bad thing, per se ... I like Norah well enough, but she's mellow enough that I don't think I'd ever really want to see her in concert, and I definitely wouldn't want to see her in a standing room only venue. The only thing I remember about Kate's set, actually, was that one of her songs started with a piano line that I swear was lifted directly from "Stay On These Roads." Had it been an a-ha cover, I would have been much more impressed!
Matt Wertz looks like a young Brad Pitt. Or a young Jack Wagner. I kept going back and forth. There's something about his voice that didn't thrill me, but he's got banter and performance skills in spades. He also has the most random taste in cover songs - I'm not sure I've heard "King of Wishful Thinking" since I was in high school, and I know I've never been a part of a live "Man In The Mirror" singalong. Heh. All in all, I'd go see him live again. (By the way, Dre, we were wrong - he's from Kansas City! That's an accent I should have been able to place, shouldn't it? ;)) His guitar player frightened me a bit, though, only because he looks like the long-lost twin brother of coworker Mac.
Matt Nathanson continued 80s Night in the Ascot Room. He and the band tried to figure out if they knew any Judas Priest songs, which somehow segued into an entire discussion about how Def Leppard's "Foolin'" was a great single. Matt had a look on his face that spoke of a man slightly frightened by the knowledge that a good half to three-quarters of his audience is too young to have ever heard that song on the radio. But, the entire cracked-out conversation ended with the statement "... and so, if you're walking around with your nipples chafed and hard, blame Def Leppard. It's their fault."
In other words, yep, I get the whole Nathanson thing now. :) The Duran Duran cover has already been mentioned - he does a killer Simon LeBon impersonation. He and his guitar player also do a frightening BeeGees impersonation, too. Gotta love it. Took me about half of the set, but it finally occurred to me who Matt reminds me of - Voltaire. No, seriously. He kinda looks like him, and the way he talks onstage reminds me of him, too. And, somehow, I don't think Matt would be terribly averse to singing songs about beheadings and necrophilia, so there you go. Heh. (I'm odd, yes.)
I cut out of that show, however, right after "Hungry Like The Wolf", in order to run six blocks back to the State Theatre. That was a transition - went from the gritty faux-jungle atmosphere of the Ascot Room, surrounded by a bunch of rowdy mostly-college-age kids packed into each other like sardines, to the State, where people from age 8 to 80 sat sedately in an ornate theatre, waiting for Nickel Creek to go onstage. I was glad to be able to sit, though. My beat-up Chucks don't provide too much support any more. My gimpy knee wasn't terribly happy with sitting, though.
We were entertained pre-show, in the audience, by a man wearing a big sumo baby costume.
Nickel Creek. My initial reaction is to clap my hands together in fangirl glee and squeal "but they're just so CUTE!!" Because they are. All three of them. Also, breathtaking musicians. Just, wow.
( this post might be getting long )
