From: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org (jangle-poets-digest) To: jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Subject: jangle-poets-digest V5 #37 Reply-To: jangle-poets@smoe.org Sender: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk jangle-poets-digest Saturday, May 10 2003 Volume 05 : Number 037 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [JP] Kennedys - Nields 5/9/96 Bottom Line NYC [Nieldsforever@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 10:28:51 EDT From: Nieldsforever@aol.com Subject: [JP] Kennedys - Nields 5/9/96 Bottom Line NYC My first time seeing the Kennedys was 7 years ago today, 5/9/96, the 10:30 show at the Bottom Line. This was one of the Thursday night latenight NYC shows that I was just able to make in those days when my wife worked on Thursday nights and got home from work at 8PM. My so-called Nields Career was carved out of the rock of three rules: 1) No Thursday shows except the late shows at the Bottom Line; 2) Be at work at 8AM after latenight weekday shows; and 3) Work at my part-time church job on Sunday mornings, no matter what went on Saturday night. The main exception to 1) is that TN used to sometimes play Thursday night shows at the Iron Horse, and I managed to never miss any Iron Horse Nields shows from the beginning of my Nields Career in '95 to the present day. I was emotionally drained from a really horrible week, and I really had to force myself to make the drive into Manhattan on a Thursday night from my home in Cromwell CT. This was difficult. I was seeing TN in Boston the next night too. Fortunately the Kennedys supplied the "Pick Me Up" that helped get me through, with a really eye-opening performance on a redeye roadtrip Thursday night. For it was the first time I had ever seen TK, and as fate would have it, this was a full band show in promotion of their new album Life Is Large, with bass, drums, keyboard, and Pete blazing away on lead electric guitar. I was totally blown away by the Kennedys, and I thought on the spot that the Kennedys were better than the Nields, and that if fate had dealt me a different hand, it would've been TK that I would have been rabidly following all over the place for all those years instead of TN. Thoughts from the Tempter come to you in the weakened state of emotional overload on a latenight Thursday night in NYC. I was actually not to give in to the temptation to start following TK though, until 4/01, fully 5 years later. I really always wanted to give in to this temptation, but my Nields commitment prevented me. Then came 3/01 when N&K gave their last duo show in New Haven before Katryna was having the baby in May, and their last Nields show till FR '01 in July. I was left high and dry. In 4/01, I rendezvous'd with Conehead at a Kennedys show in West Hartford where TK played "Across the Great Divide" by Kate Wolf, who has long been one of my all-time favorite singer-songwriters. It turned out Pete had even played with Kate Wolf as her pickup sideman in days gone by. That was the turning point. I've been following TK ever since. This was one instance of giving in to temptation that I have never regretted. I'm actually kind of glad the Maggies chose about that same time to start fading away, cause I was now following Too Many Bands. I don't appear to have TN setlist for the 5/9/96 Bottom Line show, but I somehow managed to come away with TK setlist, the only Kennedys setlist I've ever absconded with, at my first Kennedys show. I don't take Nields setlists off the stage at shows anymore either, since Katryna started writing the setlists in a spiral notebook, just like Pete does. It was much easier when I could get an extra setlist from Hower, from Dave C, from Bob Potter, or later from Jason Raboin. Kennedys Full Band 5/9/96 Bottom Line Life is Large Velvet Glove Heart of Darkness House on Fire St. Mark's Square Same Old Way One Heart, One Soul Wall of Death Chelsea Embankment I'm sure I'm one of many Richard Thompson fans who were partly drawn in to TK by their cover of "Wall of Death." And Pete and Maura's Byrdsy, jangly guitar stylings, their catchy melodies, their crisp lyrics, the achingly beautiful lead vocals of Maura, and the stunning guitar solos of Pete --- wow, TK had so much appeal to someone like me who already liked TN. TN and TK both exude a retro-60's music sensibility, with great pop tunes, great lyrics, and delivered in a way-fun, goofy, joie de vivre elan sort of way, that really knocks my socks off. Once you're hooked, just try to imagine the world *without* either TN or TK. Nah. It just makes more sense to accept the world the way it is, and enjoy the hell out of both TN and TK being a part of this world, while we still have opportunity to do so. It's a Wonderful Life. Bruce Check out the Kennedys' Official Home Page: http://www.KennedysMusic.com/ Fab photos, the Official tour diary, dashboard Buddha haiku, groovy merchandise...what more could you ask for? ------------------------------ End of jangle-poets-digest V5 #37 *********************************