DC Show

[FreeRider]

Holy shit....where to begin? I'm pretty tired as it's about 3:40am. I waited about 45 minutes in the rain to meet Paul.

They were great, Paul added some changes in the set, and did these great segues into other songs. From Vampires directly into a bluesy Mr. Rabbit....he also did "Like a Rolling Stone". I can't remember which song it was, but towards the end, Paul sang the first line to the Stones, "Happy".

The surreal part was disappearing behind the amps and letting HOFs take over. On IOU, with no vocals, a drunken fan jumped up on stage to sing. After a few rambling drunken verses, and avoiding the roadie, the drunk guy was hustled off stage by security and thrown out. And in true rock and roll fashion, Jim tells security to let him back in and gets him up onstage to sing "Alex Chilton" and "Left of the Dial". They let the drunk guy live out his rock and roll fantasy that was only good in his own mind. It was drunken karaoke nite....Paul eventually came back and played "23 Years Ago". He said it was raining outside, so he decided to come back in.

The band had fun and Paul was in a playful mood, even asking the audience what he should play next. And then ignoring them. Lots to absorb. I'm still cold from standing the rain but it was a fun nite. He played a lot of stuff off of Folker, including "Breath Some New Life" and "Folk Star".

I think it was A Regular who said that you should see him as many times as possible cuz you never know what you'll get. And it's true, this was a lot of fun. now i gotta crash....

[Marz]

Sounds a bit Memphis redux, but w/ a happier Paul... Wish we could have met you there, Rider. Now, Meri heads to Philadelphia.

You can tell me, was the karoke singer *You*??

[FreeRider]

Marz,

hell no! I think you had to be drunk enough to want to bound onstage and take the mic. The guy, "Andrew" ,was stumbling around on stage, and he was off key. He was nice enough to stick the mic in someone's face in the front row and have them sing a few bars. It kind of comical in that Andrew even sang, "where the hell is Paul, we need him to finish up this song".

Damn, there was so much going on that I can't quite piece the song order. All I know was, this show was much different from Boston. The song segues were great, the way Paul arranged the tunes this time. As stated, he segued into Mr. Rabbit, making it a slow bluesy type number and then said to MichaelB "let's speed this f*cker up!" and then they kicked in to high gear.

I'm still trying to remember everything funny that they said onstage. I do remember Paul playing "Now I Wonder" on his knees. And when finished, he said something like, "Can you believe NBC wouldn't let us do this song? They said it was too sacrilegous. Do you think this was offensive? You tell me."

He also said, "Do you remember that little movie that was made awhile ago (refering to his DVD) where we filemd the beginning here and everybody came up here onstage to sing with me? You all were stahs of that piece of crap!"

ok, now I'm going back to bed....

[heyjohn]

Wow - for me this show was all over the place. And I'm pretty sure Paul was wasted. At the start, I thought it was going to be a great rocking show, but then I noticed Paul was bunking all the chords - and giving money to a dude in the audience to go buy him another drink. The band are such ace players that they held him up, but it was pretty sloppy - and I noticed a real malevolent streak underneath it all - during "Born For Me" after the "you could say you're my wife" was followed with "but then you'd have to be an evil conniving bitch," and ended with a couplet along the lines of "you'll never take him away, or I'll put you in a fucking grave." I don't want to read to much into that, but when you sing it in front of hundreds of folks, it begs some attention.

As the show went on, Paul seemed to sober up, and the playing got tighter, and the crowd got drunker. It was cool to see the rock and roll karaoke, but it seemed to me that the guy sang with such passion that it kind of made Paul look bad. I don't know, I'll have to decompress a bit, but overall a definite interesting experience, but I enjoyed Louisville a lot more.

Sorry to the board folks I couldn't meet up with for the pre-show - I was running late. Hope the weekend's going well.

[FreeRider]

Hmm, well that's an interesting perspective. I didn't get that sense at all that Paul was wasted. I think he was just having fun onstage. never heard him slurring his words at all and he was leading the band on some chord changes, calling out "one" and "four" "go to the minor", etc... as for being sloppy, isn't that also part of his sound? I only had one beer so I was pretty much stone cold sober and he sounded fine to me. yeah, I forgot about that part where he ad libbed some lines in 'born for me'. was he in "song character", his stage persona or was he throwing in personal stuff into the mix? I dunno and it's not my business.

I waited patiently (or stupidly, take your pick ) in the rain to meet him and he was very gracious. I wouldn't do that for anybody else except for him.

[Marz]

Oh good, you got to talk to him again. I think , like another singer you and I both like, PW sings songs as a character and sometimes it's personal and sometimes it isn't, but speculating, like you said , not our business. A train wreck show by PW is still more interesting than any show by almost anyone else.


Marz

PS Meri called, she can't hardly wait!

[Caroline]

Such a mixed perspective! I guess it depends on what you want to see and what you expect to see and where you seen it from. I was up in the balcony very close to the front and I could see alot of what was going on. I don't think it was too much of a train wreck. I don't think he was completely wasted just kinda lit up. He did ask for the drink but he nursed it through the night - no chugging whiskey bottles. I don't think he was stumbling around on stage but rather tripping over the wires and monitors. He was pretty free with the lyrics but that's typical - happened in 2002 as well. The band is great and there were times when it was brilliant - I was entranced. On the whole, it was fun and the set list was inspired. I'm in no way disappointed.

He had a lot of energy and I'm glad the house was packed. I think the audience was into it but perhaps because the demographic is aging with him, it's not as vocal. Several times I looked out into the audience and saw the wave of movement, bobbing of heads, smiles on faces, mouthing of lyrics. Of course, the people on the rail were completely into it - sometimes to an embarrasing degree but they were having a great time and that's what counts.

Was Paul playing sloppy? I would say loose. He seemed to really enjoy playing and had some good chemistry with the guys. My husband had never seen him play before (just listened to the CDs) and was impressed by Paul's playing (acknowledging the state of inebriation).

I didn't expect him to play for 2.5 hours! My back and feet are killing me today. I still can't believe I waited in the pouring rain until 2:35am to see him after (much to the DH's chagrin). (What am I nuts? Probably.) Paul seemed in good spirits, still lit but not sloppy drunk. My CD cover is drenched and warped but I can make out the Paul scrawl on the CD itself. I was drenched to the waist and would have liked to speak more but he came out without a coat (fortunately someone had a large umbrella for him to use) so I didn't want to keep him any longer. I was lucky to be the 2nd person in line.

As to the personal remarks. He did that in 2002, too. At the end of Things he made a lyric addition - "I pack my things today - and the little boy is coming with me". Last night's remarks were far more venomous but it struck me that perhaps it's just part of the persona. Or part of being away from home for such a long time. Who knows. I do think he gives the audience what he perceives they want to see/hear.

The interlude with the new "lead singer" alternate amused and annoyed the audience. The guy next to me boo-ed through most of it and was sincerely pissed. However, he was cheered on by a vocal contigent. Did he outshine Paul - no f-ing way. He didn't know most of the lyrics, couldn't sing on key, and had the stage presence of a drunk teenager immitating Fred Durst. He was somewhat amusing to watch. Don't quit your day job, kid.

I do wonder what sparked the interlude. I can't help thinking that Paul is probably sick of playing certain songs. Unfortunately, they are songs he knows people expect to hear so they stay in the set list. Personally, I don't think he should play anything he doesn't want to play. To hell with us - I'd rather he played for his pleasure than just play for obligation. If he played an entire evening of covers, I would still pay to see it.

Yikes - this is my longest post ever. I've had the day to recover and reflect so that helped. I don't think I could have written a cohesive sentence last night - and I don't drink. I was just wasted by Paul - with pleasure!

[deebee76]

Thanks for the review, Caroline, it's one of the finest I've read in a while...

[FreeRider]

Caroline said:

Such a mixed perspective! I guess it depends on what you want to see and what you expect to see and where you seen it from. I was up in the balcony very close to the front and I could see alot of what was going on.

I didn't expect him to play for 2.5 hours! My back and feet are killing me today. I still can't believe I waited in the pouring rain until 2:35am to see him after (much to the DH's chagrin). (What am I nuts? Probably.) Paul seemed in good spirits, still lit but not sloppy drunk. My CD cover is drenched and warped but I can make out the Paul scrawl on the CD itself. I was drenched to the waist and would have liked to speak more but he came out without a coat (fortunately someone had a large umbrella for him to use) so I didn't want to keep him any longer. I was lucky to be the 2nd person in line.

I was just wasted by Paul - with pleasure!

Caroline,

I think I was right behind you in line. Your pen didn't quite work so I told Paul I had a Sharpie and he was able to sign your CD so it looked like a signature? Yeah, it was pretty miserable last nite with all that rain. He tried to sign my ticket stub but the Sharpie and everything got wet and the ink was smearing from the rain. You're right though, it was kind of a shame that we couldn't really talk to him more. The line became more of a mob surrounding Paul instead. It was kind of funny because he came out eating a sandwich, real nonchalant.

I was down on the floor, stage right. I probably would've had a better view had I gone up to the balcony. And yeah, my lower back muscles are all tight from standing up all nite as well.

[tmcgovern]

When I saw Paul in Memphis, he was introducing "Dust My Broom" and he said something like, "We're going home tonight...I called home and my wife said she wants a divorce and for me to buy her a house..."

I thought it was his Grandpaboy blues persona speaking, but my friend said, no way...there was truth/hurt in his voice.

In NYC, he ended things by saying something like, "Does she want me to come home?"

Now this...

Makes you wonder...


Someone wrote:

At the end of Things he made a lyric addition - "I pack my things today - and the little boy is coming with me". Last night's remarks were far more venomous but it struck me that perhaps it's just part of the persona. Or part of being away from home for such a long time. Who knows. I do think he gives the audience what he perceives they want to see/hear.

[Caroline]

FreeRider said:

Caroline,

I think I was right behind you in line. Your pen didn't quite work so I told Paul I had a Sharpie and he was able to sign your CD so it looked like a signature? Yeah, it was pretty miserable last nite with all that rain. He tried to sign my ticket stub but the Sharpie and everything got wet and the ink was smearing from the rain. You're right though, it was kind of a shame that we couldn't really talk to him more. The line became more of a mob surrounding Paul instead. It was kind of funny because he came out eating a sandwich, real nonchalant.

I was down on the floor, stage right. I probably would've had a better view had I gone up to the balcony. And yeah, my lower back muscles are all tight from standing up all nite as well.

I had no idea that was you or else I would have said hi earlier. Thanks for lending the Sharpie. I had a large one in my bag but I mistakingly grabbed the fine point instead. Sorry about your ticket stub - is it salvagable at all?

I was a little concerned about the balcony but it turned out to be a great spot. I could really see what was going on for the first time I've been there. Since I was on the rail, I didn't feel so claustrophobic either. Being short sucks sometimes.

[FreeRider]

Caroline said:

I had no idea that was you or else I would have said hi earlier. Thanks for lending the Sharpie. I had a large one in my bag but I mistakingly grabbed the fine point instead. Sorry about your ticket stub - is it salvagable at all?

I was a little concerned about the balcony but it turned out to be a great spot. I could really see what was going on for the first time I've been there. Since I was on the rail, I didn't feel so claustrophobic either. Being short sucks sometimes.

Hi Caroline,

not a big deal, there was no way of you knowing who I was. I was late in getting to the club and didn't make the pre-show. So, it would've been impossible to find anyone from the board to say hello unless I had met them before hand. sorry about your CD cover getting warped and all; it's probably like my ticket stub. Paul tried writing on it, but the rain got the felt tip wet and so no ink was sticking to the stub! Somehow, he managed to get it to work for my copy of Folker, though, so I'm pleased about that.

Yeah, I usually go to the balconies since I'm a short guy as well. I thought I had a decent floor spot, but the crowd shifted and wouldn't ya know it? I got trapped within a spot where it seemed like all these 6 foot tall dudes were in front of me! Next time, it's back to the balcony.

FreeRider

[steve mac]

How long did the meet & greet last and what was Paul's disposition? My wife and I were going to wait but after the disappearing act and talking with Jim & Kevin after the show we figured it was risky. With the rain steady we grabbed a cab when we got the chance.

[Kathy]

fyi, Andrew will be along soon to fill us in on his gig with the band

[AndrewC]

When i first saw the mats in NYC in '91, some clown jumped up on stage during 'color me impressed' and paul gave him his guitar to try to finish the song but he didn't know how to play. Since then i've made it my mission to get into the same situation. Well, Friday night it happened. Towards the end of the show i worked my way up to the front and during 'IOU' paul walked away from the mic. So i nudged some guy next to me and said 'let's get up there and sing the rest'. He didn't seem interested but made way for me to climb on up, so i did. I tried a few 'whoa.. oh, whoa.. oh whoa's' of the chorus to IOU and was swiftly ejected by the security guard and shoved out into the rain on the street. I thought to myself 'that was dumb, now i'm out here in the rain, by myself, missing the best part.' 30 seconds later the door opens and the security guard says' they want you back'. Initially i thought my friend had begged them to let me back in but it was Jim that had asked him to get me. So i walked back in and he pointed to the stairs leading up to the stage, which i ran up and the band launched into 'Alex Chilton' It was do or die, so i grabbed the mic and started singing the song. It was all so surreal, i forgot the second verse (even though i've sang it close to a million times in the car, shower, etc...) and went up to a girl in the front row and shoved the mic in her face so i could get back on track. I could not believe that i was actually there but i could'nt see Paul anywhere so i sang something along the lines of 'where the hell's paul?' but to no avail. When the song ended they ripped into 'Left of the Dial' and i still had the mic. I could not believe that i was singing the encore in front of all those people. It was absolutely amazing. Details are blurry though from a combination of me actually being up there on stage and a quart of vodka washed down with a 6-pack of beer. So sorry to all you DC fans who didn't pay $30 bucks to see an idiot like me up there, stumbling around and slurring the wrong lyrics, but it was an amazing experience and i'm so glad i did it. I wasn't trying to look like "a drunkin' teenager imitating Fred Durst" (i'm close to 30), just i guy who f**kin' loves paul's music. I'm just disappointed paul didn't come out and i didn't get my hands on a guitar to play 'Color Me Impressed'.

michael B - if you stumble across this post... thanks to you and the boys for letting me sing with youand apologize to paul for screwing up but i learned it all from him. you made my year.

[AndrewC]

by the way, if anyone has either an audio or video recording of the show please email me at [e-mail]. Thanks!

[FreeRider]

steve said:

How long did the meet & greet last and what was Paul's disposition? My wife and I were going to wait but after the disappearing act and talking with Jim & Kevin after the show we figured it was risky. With the rain steady we grabbed a cab when we got the chance.

Yeah, it was a fairly short meet and greet, I suspect. The crappy weather really didn't help. The line originally had about, what, 25-30 people waiting. But as the rain continued and everybody was getting soaked, I think the line dwindled down to about 12 of us. I was right behind Caroline, so I got my autograph quickly as she was second in line. Everybody else was surrounding Paul and so you really couldn't get a chance to talk much to him or ask him something. Once I had my stuff signed, I just went back to the car and left. As I drove away, I saw a small crowd of about maybe 10 or 8 people around him. So it's doubtful there was much standing around and talking, unless someone tells me otherwise.

Paul's disposition was cool. Like I said in an earlier post, he nonchalantly came around the corner without any jacket or umbrella and said that he'd would meet us here rather than us going over to the bus. Plus, he was munching away on part of a sandwich. Some woman behind me asked him what he was eating and he said, "chicken. did you want a bite?" and offered the sandwich to her but she declined. He then made some joke about Popeye's chicken or something...I didn't catch it. But no, Paul was gracious and patient. I think some security guy asked him if he needed a jacket and he said, no, I'll just stand under this guy's umbrella, and so he shared the umbrella with another fan.

I missed meeting him in '02 and missed him afterwards in Memphis on this tour and I regretted it. This time, I vowed I would meet him, rain be damned!

[FreeRider]

AndrewC,

that's pretty funny stuff. Hey, they were cool enough to allow you to live out a rock fantasy. You gotta love Paul and the band for that, even if audience, uh, didn't care much for the encore. I've come to expect a certain amount of unpredictability with Paul, so it wasn't a big shock to my system to see they allowed you to do the encore.

It's a very cool thing for them to do, like when Keith Moon passed out once during a concert and Roger and Pete asked the audience if anyone could play the drums? And sure enough, they allowed a fan to come up and help The Who finish out the last few songs.

[Lady_J]

Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp? Seriously, fabulously entertaining, Andrew. I mean, what's ten minutes out of an almost three hour performance? And man, if I worked it like Paul, I'd need a breather as well. No worries from the crowd, between free bird, assaulting the drum set and you, I think most people just chocked it up to a good night out with the wildly eccentric Mr. Westerberg.

[earthdog70]

Andrew-congrats on having the balls to go up there and do it. But one song would have been enough ;D


Great show anyway, I thought Paul was loose but not bombed. The band was tight, although I thought Rowe was a little tenative on some of the leads.

Couldn't convince my buds to hang in the rain for Paul. I made them wait afterwards to see if there was a "surprise" encore like previously on the tour. Didn't happen though. Still worth every penny-lots of fun.

Side-note never trust the 9:30 website. Paul came on at 11:05. The website said 11:30. Luckily we didn't miss any songs