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Edit out anything you are not referring to. mad-mission-digest Monday, May 31 2004 Volume 08 : Number 138 Today's Subjects: ----------------- MM: Whitaker / Harrisburg ["Don Henn" ] RE: MM: Whitaker / Harrisburg ["Bonnie Lombard" ] MM: Pearl Street / Northampton ["Don Henn" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 31 May 2004 04:19:47 -0400 From: "Don Henn" Subject: MM: Whitaker / Harrisburg MMers , Left a day early so I wouldn't have to drive too much in one day. Packed up as many commercial CDs as I could b/c my car player doesn't play burns anymore , & headed off. Hung out with Dave the night before , & he crushed me on the pool table again , 7 - 1 . His smooth , practiced stroke belied his insistence that he hadn't played in awhile. # ^@#* hustler !! : ) Big thanks to Dave for staying on top of the Whitaker situation , & getting 8 of us Front Row Center seats. Picked up Karla , headed to the meeting place & picked up the local entertainment mag. For those fans & reviewers who found ID depressing & hard to listen to ( not me , I love the deep stuff ) , I have good news. The local reviewer pronounced it a " whimsical romp ". http://www.flymagazine.net/archive_bands_article.cfm?id=36c69813 Hmmm .... Dave , sister ERICA ! , & his buddy showed up , joined later by Murph & 2 of his lovely young daughters. Had to go back to my car for Cathy's ( pghpasta ) phone # , & was asked by a young lady at the elevator where she might get a quick beer. The word "quick" prompted me to ask if she were going to the Patty show. Indeed she was , & joined our Patty crew with her daughter. Think her name was Lori. Cathy made it in time to join us for awhile , not sure if Darcie's mother Diane did , but sat next to her for the show. Magic hung in the air from the first time I laid eyes on the Whitaker stage. The white bird-shaped kite suspended from the ceiling flashed me back 30 years to a time that I got my youngest a white styrofoam airplane glider , with a 4 - 5 foot wingspan. I liked it so much that I got myself one , & hung it from the ceiling with thread in the middle of my studio apartment. Stayed there for years , until I moved. Then midway thru the set Patty did "Useless Desires". I recalled that I first heard it when she opened for Steve Earle in Nashville , & marked it at the time , as one I'll want to watch for , & hear again in the future. Then my mind went to a loose , jazzy version of "Go Now" which she also did in Nashville , that I also marked as one to watch for & hope to hear again sometime. Seconds later she went into it , & a shiver ran thru me that Dave noticed. Whoa ! Patty came out with a skirt that had a photo imprint on it. I too , was fascinated. I've seen many of Billie Holiday's classic shots , & it wasn't one of them , but it looked enough like her that she was my best guess. Later learned that it was Rosa Parks , the brave , and/or tired black woman who was one of the catalysts for the civil rights firestorm of the 60's when she refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white man. Set list : Standing Love Throw a Line Rain Chief Blue Sky Kite Song / piano / solo ? Mother of God / piano / Doug Cold as it Gets Rowing Song Useless Desires Go Now Perfect White Girls When it Don't Come Easy Truth # 2 Top of the World Icicles Encore Mary Mil Besos Question mark indicates "not too sure", but I do recall that the first time I noticed Doug was on MOG , when I heard a sound that I knew wasn't coming from the piano , & looked to the left to see him on the guitar. Very subdued & supportive of the vocals. Loved to hear her open with "Standing " , but I've played it so many times , and gotten so used to every note , that any differences seemed like imperfection. Hopefully the live versions will grow on me. LTAL was fine. Vocals were fine on the next 3 , but the music wasn't yet up to previous versions. As is usually the case , things were fine until Patty went into her solos , then they got better. " Kite Song " took me away , then MOG even more so. Don't know who gets credit for that mood-changing ending , but it's a master stroke , made possible by the master - Patty Griffin. The next 4 sustained that high level of performance I have come to expect from Patty , but PWG brought me back down to Earth. Looks like the "kiss their asses" lines are gone for good. That , along with the loud , tricky beat , & Doug's short , intense riffs , reminiscent of "Shaft" , tells me that what once was a song of biting commentary has morphed into a novelty crowd-pleaser. Crowd pleasers don't irritate me the way they used to , tho. Now I figure that they open the uninitiated up to songs like " When it Don't Come Easy " , "Top of the World" , "Cold as it Gets" & Patty's other heart-targeting songs. Wasn't on Earth long , as " When it Don't Come Easy" just knocked me out. Shades of " Ruby's Arms " ! The live delivery of a real Patty Griffin completely overpowering the already great studio concoction of technicians & " experts ". Not easily impressed in general & , after almost 4 years of Patty concerts & rising expectations , don't often have them exceeded. But there she goes again : ) " Truth " as a number of previous songs , didn't have the benefit of a synchronous band that's been together awhile.Had the impression that Patty wasn't embracing the older songs with as much passion as the newer ID ones , until TOTW. Very powerful. Have a note that Doug did a bluesy solo , but not sure if it was TOTW. Heard " Icicles " live a few times before , & it's still growing. " Mary " seems to be becoming slightly bland to me. Don't know if it's mine or Patty's passion for the song that's fading. Maybe a little of both , or maybe it's that I still prefer the ethereal , almost hypnotic music of the FR arrangement. After " Mary " , Patty praised Murph for his work on her birthday drive with VVAF , & dedicated " Mil Besos " to him , saying "1000 Kisses to Murph ". Nice goin' Murph ! One more note , & I'll save the band introes for later. Introducing CAIG , Patty said that some people think it's inspired by current events ( Bush ) , but that a WW II documentary actually inspired it. Ah yes , & Michael's trumpet on "Rowing Song" sounded great. These are not shells of the sea These are the shells of the sky They took my baby away from me And no one has ever told me why They chewed him and spit him He never knew what hit him No little kisses goodbye Patty Griffin "Shells" Don ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 May 2004 08:03:34 -0400 From: "Bonnie Lombard" Subject: RE: MM: Whitaker / Harrisburg Don: It's always a pleasure to read your reviews. Your wear your impressions (like your heart) on your sleeve. The intimacy you've created in your descriptions captures the real feeling of the show. Thanks, Bonnie From: "Don Henn" To: "mad-mission" Subject: MM: Whitaker / Harrisburg Date: Mon, 31 May 2004 04:19:47 -0400 MMers , Left a day early so I wouldn't have to drive too much in one day. Packed up as many commercial CDs as I could b/c my car player doesn't play burns anymore , & headed off. Hung out with Dave the night before , & he crushed me on the pool table again , 7 - 1 . His smooth , practiced stroke belied his insistence that he hadn't played in awhile. # ^@#* hustler !! : ) Big thanks to Dave for staying on top of the Whitaker situation , & getting 8 of us Front Row Center seats. Picked up Karla , headed to the meeting place & picked up the local entertainment mag. For those fans & reviewers who found ID depressing & hard to listen to ( not me , I love the deep stuff ) , I have good news. The local reviewer pronounced it a " whimsical romp ". http://www.flymagazine.net/archive_bands_article.cfm?id=36c69813 Hmmm .... Dave , sister ERICA ! , & his buddy showed up , joined later by Murph & 2 of his lovely young daughters. Had to go back to my car for Cathy's ( pghpasta ) phone # , & was asked by a young lady at the elevator where she might get a quick beer. The word "quick" prompted me to ask if she were going to the Patty show. Indeed she was , & joined our Patty crew with her daughter. Think her name was Lori. Cathy made it in time to join us for awhile , not sure if Darcie's mother Diane did , but sat next to her for the show. Magic hung in the air from the first time I laid eyes on the Whitaker stage. The white bird-shaped kite suspended from the ceiling flashed me back 30 years to a time that I got my youngest a white styrofoam airplane glider , with a 4 - 5 foot wingspan. I liked it so much that I got myself one , & hung it from the ceiling with thread in the middle of my studio apartment. Stayed there for years , until I moved. Then midway thru the set Patty did "Useless Desires". I recalled that I first heard it when she opened for Steve Earle in Nashville , & marked it at the time , as one I'll want to watch for , & hear again in the future. Then my mind went to a loose , jazzy version of "Go Now" which she also did in Nashville , that I also marked as one to watch for & hope to hear again sometime. Seconds later she went into it , & a shiver ran thru me that Dave noticed. Whoa ! Patty came out with a skirt that had a photo imprint on it. I too , was fascinated. I've seen many of Billie Holiday's classic shots , & it wasn't one of them , but it looked enough like her that she was my best guess. Later learned that it was Rosa Parks , the brave , and/or tired black woman who was one of the catalysts for the civil rights firestorm of the 60's when she refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white man. Set list : Standing Love Throw a Line Rain Chief Blue Sky Kite Song / piano / solo ? Mother of God / piano / Doug Cold as it Gets Rowing Song Useless Desires Go Now Perfect White Girls When it Don't Come Easy Truth # 2 Top of the World Icicles Encore Mary Mil Besos Question mark indicates "not too sure", but I do recall that the first time I noticed Doug was on MOG , when I heard a sound that I knew wasn't coming from the piano , & looked to the left to see him on the guitar. Very subdued & supportive of the vocals. Loved to hear her open with "Standing " , but I've played it so many times , and gotten so used to every note , that any differences seemed like imperfection. Hopefully the live versions will grow on me. LTAL was fine. Vocals were fine on the next 3 , but the music wasn't yet up to previous versions. As is usually the case , things were fine until Patty went into her solos , then they got better. " Kite Song " took me away , then MOG even more so. Don't know who gets credit for that mood-changing ending , but it's a master stroke , made possible by the master - Patty Griffin. The next 4 sustained that high level of performance I have come to expect from Patty , but PWG brought me back down to Earth. Looks like the "kiss their asses" lines are gone for good. That , along with the loud , tricky beat , & Doug's short , intense riffs , reminiscent of "Shaft" , tells me that what once was a song of biting commentary has morphed into a novelty crowd-pleaser. Crowd pleasers don't irritate me the way they used to , tho. Now I figure that they open the uninitiated up to songs like " When it Don't Come Easy " , "Top of the World" , "Cold as it Gets" & Patty's other heart-targeting songs. Wasn't on Earth long , as " When it Don't Come Easy" just knocked me out. Shades of " Ruby's Arms " ! The live delivery of a real Patty Griffin completely overpowering the already great studio concoction of technicians & " experts ". Not easily impressed in general & , after almost 4 years of Patty concerts & rising expectations , don't often have them exceeded. But there she goes again : ) " Truth " as a number of previous songs , didn't have the benefit of a synchronous band that's been together awhile.Had the impression that Patty wasn't embracing the older songs with as much passion as the newer ID ones , until TOTW. Very powerful. Have a note that Doug did a bluesy solo , but not sure if it was TOTW. Heard " Icicles " live a few times before , & it's still growing. " Mary " seems to be becoming slightly bland to me. Don't know if it's mine or Patty's passion for the song that's fading. Maybe a little of both , or maybe it's that I still prefer the ethereal , almost hypnotic music of the FR arrangement. After " Mary " , Patty praised Murph for his work on her birthday drive with VVAF , & dedicated " Mil Besos " to him , saying "1000 Kisses to Murph ". Nice goin' Murph ! One more note , & I'll save the band introes for later. Introducing CAIG , Patty said that some people think it's inspired by current events ( Bush ) , but that a WW II documentary actually inspired it. Ah yes , & Michael's trumpet on "Rowing Song" sounded great. These are not shells of the sea These are the shells of the sky They took my baby away from me And no one has ever told me why They chewed him and spit him He never knew what hit him No little kisses goodbye Patty Griffin "Shells" Don ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 May 2004 16:57:49 -0400 From: "Don Henn" Subject: MM: Pearl Street / Northampton Forgot to mention that we saw Darcie after the Whitaker show. Disappointed that there was no blue hair. Or pink. Or even orange. It's was just .... sorta' normal. What's this world coming to ? Dropped Karla off at her home in Glenside , near Philly , & headed up the turnpike for New England , sweet New England. Was pursued by wild packs of hungry trucks up I-95 from NYC to New Haven , CT. Hungry for speed. Blowing by me in narrow work-zone lanes. I swear one of them scraped a Jersey barrier as he swung around me. After the first 2 packs ( for some reason they seem to cluster ) , when I saw the next one coming , I did the safe & prudent thing. Went up to 80-85 mph till I lost them , then sustained 65 the rest of the way thru the work zone. Stayed near New Haven for 6 days , being centrally located for the rest of the shows. Went to my car next morning to head for Northampton early ( GA ) , & discovered that my CD player & radio stopped working. Aaaargh ! Been having CD problems for a year , & now there's not even radio. Trapped in a Patty-less , music-less car. Fortunately , the trip was under 100 miles. Got there early , & passed drummer Michael heading the other way , shaking & tapping his tambourine. Homework , I guess : ) Met up with Becca & friends in line , so time flew while we were waiting. Bellied up to the stage & settled in. Disappointed when I noticed that there was no piano. Which probably meant no Kite Song or MOG. Set list : Standing Love Throw a Line Making Pies Rain Chief Blue Sky Cold as it Gets Rowing Song Useless Desires Go Now Perfect White Girls When it Don't Come Easy Truth # 2 Top of the World Icicles Encore Be Careful ( incomplete ) Long Ride Home Mil Besos Mary The regular set pretty much followed the script of Whitaker , with MP added , but w/o the piano songs. Again the highlights for me were the ID songs in the 2nd half of the regular set , with Go Now & PWG seemingly replacing Mad Mission as the " lightness break" in the set. Love the new arrangement of Go Now , as Patty's mood swings dramatically from somber to carefree. She really gets into the fun & light-heartedness of the song. Then after PWG , she swings dramatically again , with the powerful yearning of When it Don't Come Easy. She seemed to start Be Careful on the spur of the moment , but soon lost the words. The audience prompted her , & she started again , but then stopped & said "that's not it". Someone said they were following her , & she replied " oh , don't do that" Very funny & confusing. Then she finally gave it up , & said "let me play something I know" , & went into Long Ride Home. Surprisingly , there no were solos on guitar either , but it didn't bother me. I was happy with the set. Have a note that says Chad Butterworth , & have absolutely no clue what it refers to. Thought I was going remember a lot of things w/o notes , but I can't even recall the things I made notes on. Also forgot to mention opener Craig Ross at Whitaker. Have to concur with most comments I've seen & heard , & say I found his live set to be unremarkable. Was told that his CD was much better , due to his productions skills , so maybe I'll give it a listen. Since Patty raves about him , I'll have to keep my mind open , but I think that I already decided that Patty is now 2 for 3 in taking her homies on the road with her. My subjective opinion. Recent "Shells" quotes are prompted by Patty's great authentic folk song , Cold as it Gets , & by the mindless violence that's growing around the world. While meeting it with greater violence may temporarily contain it , only common understanding of the human condition can eventually eliminate it. The blood of these lambs speaks of the darkness And the blood of these lambs speaks of the rage Yes , the blood of these lambs is rolling to the sea It's writing your history on every single page Patty Griffin "Shells" Don ------------------------------ End of mad-mission-digest V8 #138 *********************************