Oh crap, I have to try to write about the Meat Puppets/Bumps show last night.
I am still sort of reeling from it, so this is going to be rather stream of consciousness and probably incoherent. But, hey...it's the Meat Puppets, right?
What better tribute.
So first of all, a couple days ago I realized with horror that we had a very important kitchen meeting scheduled at the exact same time as the show. It was rough, but I knew that there was NO WAY I could actually miss my friend Mikey getting to play with his most favoritest band (well, the Dead not withstanding, but that is going to have to wait till we're all crowding around the pearly gates)
So I pleaded out, and sometime yesterday afternoon the excitement hit me.
It's like this with me and the Meat Puppets....I'm not one to think of pulling out my Puppies! mix tape, like, ever. But when I do hear them, it takes me so very fully back to a very innocent, carefree, sundrenched, hippie time in my life. I LOVE some of those songs not just because of the fantastic lyrical guitar ramblings or the fantastic lyrical lyrical ramblings or the sheer joy that is Curt Kirkwood's tinny voice. I love them for the way they transport me in time and space. I was sitting in my sundrenched kitchen eating a big bowl of tabouli and listening to the Meat Puppets, and the sheer BIGNESS of what was about to go down really hit me. I could not stop smiling.
I quickly checked the internets after my shower and saw that Paul Q was in need of a ride, so we headed over to the Melwood HQ to throw him in the back of the truck.
We got there really early, and sat at a small table with beers chatting and greeting friends who wandered in. Mikey came out at one point and seeing him just filled me with joy....he seemed a little shell shocked, but so very very happy. It was beautiful.
Before too long the Bumps took the stage and I headed up to the rail. I snapped 79 grainy sort of awful cell phone pictures because I need to get a different USB cable before I can use the digital camera.....but I wanted to document the historic event somehow. The Bumps sounded SO TIGHT---they PRACTICED more than once, for petessakes!--and were so smiley and happy. The sound was fantastic, and about three songs in T. jumped up on stage too for back ups. I was so proud. Just beaming. I looked back in the audience which was filling up quickly and saw so many friendly faces...people who knew how much this meant to the people on the stage and were there as much to support as to see the headliners. Community. Right on.
It was so good, and over before we knew it. Then the Only Children came on, and Paul and I discussed whether or not to hate them just because they were between the Bumps and the Puppies. Turned out they were pretty average and I spent most of their set sending my Bumps pictures to Flickr so I could clear the way for the Meat Puppets set. Ha.
Finally they were done and the set up for the Puppies started...and was done. The setup was a standard sized drum kit, already on the riser; two mike stands; a small Crate and a regulation sized Peavey. That's it. The Peavey was miked, the bass was direct into the board, I think, but that's it. Good lord.
It seemed like it took forever for them to come out, but it was probably 15 minutes at the most. "Never Tear Us Apart" played over the loudspeakers and I started weeping. I'm such a sap.
Baby hippies started to crowd the front of the stage and annoy me, and I struggled all night with feeling benevolent towards them. I was a baby hippie once, and I probably annoyed some old heads somewhere at one time or another. I don't think I ever acted like these baby hippies though...sort of carelessly flinging their lit cigarette hands around and whipping their long baby hippie hair in people's faces. Rude.
But, the Meat Pupppets came out on stage. Curt has grown his corkscrew curls back and was wearing an oversized tank top and sweat pants. He smiled like a buddha. I was in love from the moment he walked out. Chris looks like death warmed over, but was so excited and happy and energetic that I didn't feel terrible for him like I thought I would. They were having FUN.
I can't list everything they played, but the hilights were "Up On The Sun" which Chris dedicated to the Bumps, sending Leah and I into fits of joyful weeping; "Look At the Rain" which sent me to dance with Mikey and more joyful weeping; "Severed Goddess Hand" which I really couldn't believe they played JUST FOR ME, sending me into a hippie twirl trance; "Climbing" which is just one of my favorite silly little songs.....and so many others. I don't know the names of a lot of them, and honestly I can't remember a lot of them. I'll have to confer with the crew. I shouted and cried and danced and smiled and watched some of my favorite people, my tribe, my family, have one of the best nights of their lives. I couldn't ask for anything more.
I am still sort of reeling from it, so this is going to be rather stream of consciousness and probably incoherent. But, hey...it's the Meat Puppets, right?
What better tribute.
So first of all, a couple days ago I realized with horror that we had a very important kitchen meeting scheduled at the exact same time as the show. It was rough, but I knew that there was NO WAY I could actually miss my friend Mikey getting to play with his most favoritest band (well, the Dead not withstanding, but that is going to have to wait till we're all crowding around the pearly gates)
So I pleaded out, and sometime yesterday afternoon the excitement hit me.
It's like this with me and the Meat Puppets....I'm not one to think of pulling out my Puppies! mix tape, like, ever. But when I do hear them, it takes me so very fully back to a very innocent, carefree, sundrenched, hippie time in my life. I LOVE some of those songs not just because of the fantastic lyrical guitar ramblings or the fantastic lyrical lyrical ramblings or the sheer joy that is Curt Kirkwood's tinny voice. I love them for the way they transport me in time and space. I was sitting in my sundrenched kitchen eating a big bowl of tabouli and listening to the Meat Puppets, and the sheer BIGNESS of what was about to go down really hit me. I could not stop smiling.
I quickly checked the internets after my shower and saw that Paul Q was in need of a ride, so we headed over to the Melwood HQ to throw him in the back of the truck.
We got there really early, and sat at a small table with beers chatting and greeting friends who wandered in. Mikey came out at one point and seeing him just filled me with joy....he seemed a little shell shocked, but so very very happy. It was beautiful.
Before too long the Bumps took the stage and I headed up to the rail. I snapped 79 grainy sort of awful cell phone pictures because I need to get a different USB cable before I can use the digital camera.....but I wanted to document the historic event somehow. The Bumps sounded SO TIGHT---they PRACTICED more than once, for petessakes!--and were so smiley and happy. The sound was fantastic, and about three songs in T. jumped up on stage too for back ups. I was so proud. Just beaming. I looked back in the audience which was filling up quickly and saw so many friendly faces...people who knew how much this meant to the people on the stage and were there as much to support as to see the headliners. Community. Right on.
It was so good, and over before we knew it. Then the Only Children came on, and Paul and I discussed whether or not to hate them just because they were between the Bumps and the Puppies. Turned out they were pretty average and I spent most of their set sending my Bumps pictures to Flickr so I could clear the way for the Meat Puppets set. Ha.
Finally they were done and the set up for the Puppies started...and was done. The setup was a standard sized drum kit, already on the riser; two mike stands; a small Crate and a regulation sized Peavey. That's it. The Peavey was miked, the bass was direct into the board, I think, but that's it. Good lord.
It seemed like it took forever for them to come out, but it was probably 15 minutes at the most. "Never Tear Us Apart" played over the loudspeakers and I started weeping. I'm such a sap.
Baby hippies started to crowd the front of the stage and annoy me, and I struggled all night with feeling benevolent towards them. I was a baby hippie once, and I probably annoyed some old heads somewhere at one time or another. I don't think I ever acted like these baby hippies though...sort of carelessly flinging their lit cigarette hands around and whipping their long baby hippie hair in people's faces. Rude.
But, the Meat Pupppets came out on stage. Curt has grown his corkscrew curls back and was wearing an oversized tank top and sweat pants. He smiled like a buddha. I was in love from the moment he walked out. Chris looks like death warmed over, but was so excited and happy and energetic that I didn't feel terrible for him like I thought I would. They were having FUN.
I can't list everything they played, but the hilights were "Up On The Sun" which Chris dedicated to the Bumps, sending Leah and I into fits of joyful weeping; "Look At the Rain" which sent me to dance with Mikey and more joyful weeping; "Severed Goddess Hand" which I really couldn't believe they played JUST FOR ME, sending me into a hippie twirl trance; "Climbing" which is just one of my favorite silly little songs.....and so many others. I don't know the names of a lot of them, and honestly I can't remember a lot of them. I'll have to confer with the crew. I shouted and cried and danced and smiled and watched some of my favorite people, my tribe, my family, have one of the best nights of their lives. I couldn't ask for anything more.
posted by sheryl at 9:29 AM
1 Comments:
I totally love this post.
XO
WD
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