??????

So, I've taken this long hiatus from the blog because...life, laziness...I don't know. Now that I revisit it and find that this is the stub that I stopped on I somewhat understand. I've been searching the internet for the past 45 minutes trying to find any information about this show and I cannot find anything. I found someone's picture of their ticket stub but that's not helpful. It's like this never existed. In my mind I only saw one band at Navy Pier and that band was They Might Be Giants so let's pretend like that was this show. 

If we're working under that assumption then I went with my brother and we hung out near the back and we danced and bounced around and ran to the front for a second and ran into a couple of my friends from Peoria who were doing the same thing. The sound was bad but the band was as fun as you'd expect. I didn't leave disappointed. 

When You Are Able

Do you remember when I said that all the Flaming Lips shows blur together. I really meant it.

My journal is no help. The internet is no help. This is basically a throw away post. Sorry, guys. 

Cash In Our Collective Memories

Surprise headliner? You had me at Burning Airlines.

The full lineup of this show was Burning Airlines, Hey Mercedes, Shiner and Blue Tip so the surprise headliner was...um, I'm not sure. On the Metro's history site it says that Burning Airlines was the headliner and that was certainly why I was there. Yes, I listened the the rest of the bands but my love of all things J Robbins was far greater.

Proof, this happened two days later and I did that too. I remember more about standing in the weird alley waiting for this to happen than I do about the show at the Metro. I guess I went to a ton of Metro shows but not so many alley shows.

All Your Friends And Family Think That You're Lucky

A boy I dated on and off for years took me to this show in a possible attempt to win me back. Years of experience have proven that I'm unwinable

As per usual, I remember very little about this other than I was excited about the show, cautious about the boy and we sat in the balcony, which is not really my style. I found the entire show, audio only, on youtube. Thank you, internet. Feel free to listen if you'd like.

Setlist:

Dogs of lust
Helpline operatorSoul catcherHeartlandThis is the dayGlobal eyesIcing UpSwine feverLove is stronger than deathArmageddon days are here againInfectedPhantom Walls

I Ain't Sure But I've Been Told

Isaac Brock once called my phone and then came to a party at my house.

A car full of us made the drive down the Champaign from Chicago for this and it was so much fun. I remember wandering around a lot once we got in and ending up close to the stage. The energy in there was amazing. This may or may not have been the set list (found on the internet)

trucker's atlas
paper thin walls
doin' the cockroach
teeth like god's shoeshine 
trailer trash
lives
polar opposites 
broke
3rd planet
tiny cities made of ashes
alone down there
custom concern
i came as a rat

Oh I Have Loved

My first time, possibly my only time, at Park West

I always think of Park West as a fancy venue but I never think of Smog as a fancy band. I do love me some Bill Callahan and at the time my friends and I seemed to be listening to a lot of Smog. Well, I was listening to a lot of Dongs of Sevotion and hoped they played nothing but that album. If I remember correctly, and I never do, they did not.  

I don't remember who I went to this show with, although I could make guesses. I do think there were tables, which is normally weird, but was alright for this one. I remember leaving slightly disappointed. 

I Don't Want To Be A Sensation

Maureen and I were just talking about how we've seen Sonic Youth and probably don't need to see them ever again. 

There was a line around the building to get in. I ran into my 3-D design teacher who I had a crush on. He was with his wife. Stereolab and Quix*o*tic opened (man, Stereolab. I used to love them).  We got there as early as possible to see all the openers but I don't think we did a great job. 

The Setlist: Burning Spear White Kross Free City Rhymes Nevermind Side2Side Kool Thing Mote Small Flowers Crack Concrete The Ineffable Me NYC Ghosts & Flowers -- Lightnin' Tom Violence -- Schizophrenia

Was That It?

I remember this one!

My older brother and I went. It was my first time at the World Music Theatre and we were way in the back, practically the last seat before you're on the lawn. I, of course, wore my "Cure Dress." My brother and I, as always, didn't agree on this show. It seems like he was never happy but I guess he was at the show they recorded for the album Show so you can't really beat that.  I'd watch this setlist again, I think.

This was full on Bloodflowers tour and it's not my favorite album of theirs but it's not the worse thing ever.

Out Of This World
Watching Me Fall
Want
Fascination Street
Open
The Loudest Sound
Maybe Someday
Like Cockatoos
From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea
Inbetween Days
Sinking
The Kiss
One Hundred Years
End
39
Bloodflowers

Encore 1:

Plainsong
The Same Deep Water As You
Disintegration 

Encore 2:

All Cats Are Grey
Drowning Man
Faith 

Encore 3:

Jupiter Crash
Lovesong
Just Like Heaven
A Forest

I Bet You'd Be Disappointed

I remember nothing. I could make some guesses...blank. 

I have searched my journals, which was painful, for any information. I got plenty of insight into my 22 year old sad puppy brain but nothing about this show. I am so sorry.

Not What You Want

I'm sure I was here with Maureen.

I'm also sure we were up near the front, although I have no memory of this show at all so I have nothing to say about it. In fact, looking at the stubs that follow this I have very little memories of this time. Just an advance warning. 

The Way You Live Your Life

Mark Sandman died. I still hate that. 

I love Morphine. I still love them, I love laying with my eyes closed listening to Mark Sandman's low voice in my ear. I could have seen them once, on New Year's Eve 1998 (maybe) but I didn't. I instead went to some ridiculously expensive dinner with my good friends, so that was alright. My roommate went and said it was amazing.   

In my mind these things happened the weekend of this show but my memory is somewhat fuzzy about basically everything. I got into a car accident in Michigan on my way to a baby shower thrown by a mutual friend who didn't show up because, well, she was unreliable. I had to get back to Chicago for this show so I borrowed my mom's car to get there and got a ticket.

I know a few things for sure, I was uncomfortable during the show because of the accident and that I had some sort of pain killers because I had to beg the bartender for a glass of water. I sat in the balcony because of this discomfort, which was unheard of during this time of my life.

Despite the fact that they were playing without their singer/bass player, Orchestra Morphine was pretty amazing. They replaced Sandman with a couple of singers and had a lot of people on stage. I remember being in such a bad mood when the show started and feeling great (and no, not because of the pain killer) when it ended.

They never played again after this tour, it was the Mark Sandman's memorial tour. 

Ain't Never Found Peace

You know what's difficult? Searching for The The on the internet (no, I didn't accidentally type the twice, Google)

My first of two times seeing The The. I may never see them again and I think that's a shame. They played with with a basically bare stage, no fancy lights, just the members of the band each with a single bulb on them. I wish I could find a set list or a photograph from this tour but, like I said, searching is difficult. I did find this video that I like.

The Whole Thing Leaves

My first time to this party...

I feel like every Flaming Lips show I've gone to has blended together. I mean, other than some set list deviation it's all confetti and dancing and Wayne Coyne in a big clear plastic ball walking on the crowd. Because of this, I couldn't tell you a thing about this show. I'm sure it was super fun, though. 

Here It Is

When I saw this ticket stub, I smiled. I forgot all about them.

Seriously, I just put on Up A Tree and it made me a little bit giggly. They are a band that I completely forgot existed but used to listen to them while working at the poster store so many years ago. They're just so adorable, it's impossible not to smile.

Does that mean that I remember anything about this show? Of course not.  

They Taught A Dog To Smoke

I'm not sure this even counts but the stub is in the box so it's going on the blog.

Growing up outside of Detroit my brothers and I had the pleasure of stumbling upon The Kids In The Hall in the early days, while they were on the CBC. It was a lovely run until they got snatched up by HBO, an evil pay channel that we didn't get/couldn't afford. Thank you for being so close, Canada. They broke up anyway but after a five year hiatus they did this reunion tour, which I couldn't have been more excited about.

We were so annoyingly late to this. I drove, which was a pain in the ass because there was a big snow storm and everything was slow and Maureen's friend was running late for whatever dumb reason and I wasn't even a fan of this friend and am not sure how I was roped into taking her (because I love Maureen). I think we had an extra ticket or something. Regardless, we were late. The show had started by the time we got to our seats.

Can you really beat the Kids In The Hall? The answer is no. They're just funny. They did all of their classic characters. There was this website about the reunion tour. The. Best. Check out some videos in you need some reminders.

There's also this article from the Tribune.  It's also pretty awesome. 

You'll Always Be Mine

These tickets were difficult to get and so worth it.

I don't remember how I found out about this show, a Cure fan site or mailing list or something. They were playing random small club dates, not announcing the shows much in advance. I called the Vic daily to see if tickets were going on sale for weeks (or it felt like weeks at least). Every day when the box office opened I would call, check the reader, check sites. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. So frustrating.

The tickets ended up going on sale maybe two days before the show. It was announced when I had a class so my very awesome roommate waited in line all day (the only way to buy these was to actually go to the venue or a ticketmaster outlet. Oh the humanity). The line stretched around the building and by the time I got to her she had already purchased her limit of two. My brother and Maureen ran over to Tower Records (remember that place) and were able to get two more. This is pretty lucky considering the Cure plays arenas and the like and this was a two ticket limit, 1400 people max capacity venue.

The night of the show (Maureen's birthday) we got there relatively early and were able to get up pretty close, much closer than I could ever hope to be to the Cure again. Maureen snuck a camera in (I couldn't, I was wearing my "Cure Dress") and we took some pretty terrible disposable camera pictures.

The set was shorter than the usual two plus hour Cure set and they played almost all of Bloodflowers, which had been released mere days before this show and was unfamiliar to me. It definitely made me long for some of the older songs but I did like the new material and would come to really like most of that album. My favorites were the Disintegration tracks, they always are.

Out of This World

Watching Me Fall

Want

Fascination Street

The Last Day of Summer

Maybe Someday

From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea

In Between Days

If Only Tonight We Could Sleep

39

Prayers For Rain

A Hundred Years

Bloodflowers

- - -

A Strange Day

A Forest

- - -

Just Like Heaven

Boys Don't Cry

- - -

The Figurehead

Disintegration

As good as it gets with a disposable camera

Of course someone brought flowers

One of someone other than Robert Smith. 

This is a good depiction of how close we were. 

You Must Be Such A Fool To Pass Me By

And then Morrissey broke my heart...on Valentine's Day!

Morrissey being my Valentine. What could be better? 

My brother and I drove to Akron from Detroit for the show. It was a long/horrible drive filled with my brother getting ill every so often. The cops don't really like it when you pull over on a toll road but was I supposed to just let him puke in the car? We eventually made it to the lovely Akron Civic Theatre, where my brother continued to be miserable and I continued to be super excited about seeing Morrissey for a second night in a row. I never used to buy merch but I couldn't not purchase this gem:

Anyway, somewhat creepy pillow cases aside, our seats were not so bad. Row M is pretty good, but there were those pesky orchestra pit seats standing between our seats and the stage. I was having a great time when a girl who was standing near me and I decided to run down to the stage, or at least the rail that was behind the orchestra pit. We were sorta reaching toward the stage while singing when Morrissey held his hand towards us and said "I can't reach you. We weren't meant to touch." And with those words my heart was broken. 

Sure, I know that in reality Morrissey and I are not meant to touch but I didn't need him to tell me. I could have happily gone my whole life without him laying it out there like that.  Thanks a lot, Morrissey. Way to break a girl's heart on Valentine's day.

The Setlist (very similar to the previous night's):

A Swallow On My Neck
I Am Hated For Loving
Ouija Board, Ouija Board
Billy Budd
November Spawned A Monster
Half A Person
Hairdresser On Fire
Boxers
Now My Heart Is Full
Meat Is Murder
Tomorrow
The Teachers Are Afraid Of The Pupils
Is It Really So Strange?
I Can Have Both
Alma Matters
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me

Encore:
Shoplifters Of The World Unite

I'd Love To See Him

My first time with Steven Patrick Morrissey

My brother and I had purchased tickets to the show in Ohio for the next night but I decided to go to this one too since it was my first time seeing Morrissey and Detroit is so close to Chicago. This is possibly the only show with seats at the State Theatre that I ever went to and it was completely bizzarre. The seats were at little round tables with three or four chairs at each, so I was sitting very close to complete strangers while being unable to see much of anything. They would have done better just setting up rows of chairs in my opinion.

I was super excited to see Morrissey and decided, since I was alone, that I would be one of those crazy people who waits outside after the show in the freezing cold for a chance to see/meet/whatever Morrissey. So, a group of us waiting by the back door of the State got to see a flash of a green hat wearing man, face down, body guards all around him running from the door to the bus. I had a hat on that looked just like it that I've referred to, from that moment on, as my Morrissey hat. 

The set list:

A Swallow On My Neck 
I Am Hated For Loving 
Ouija Board, Ouija Board 
Billy Budd
Is It Really So Strange? 
Lost 
Now My Heart Is Full 
The Teachers Are Afraid Of The Pupils 
Half A Person
Boxers 
Tomorrow 
I Can Have Both 
Meat Is Murder
Hairdresser On Fire 
Alma Matters 
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me

Encore: 
Shoplifters Of The World Unite 

I Used To Know

This is another one of those bands that belongs to me and my brother.

There's just something about their catchy lyrics that just makes me love the Smithereens. My brother and I would see them whenever possible. Once, we sat behind the Metro listening to them because we both decided that the tickets were too expensive to logically justify paying for them but sitting out back listening was totally fine. 

I don't remember too much about this particular show, although I'm sure we were at the front. We always stood near the stage. Once, the guitar player gave me his pic and I got to play his guitar. That was at Joe's On Weed St, but we can pretend it was this one. 

He's A Fine Figure Of A Man

Finally! A show that I remember.

Somehow, after wearing out My Aim Is True on cassette and listening to Armed Forces until everyone in my dorm hated me, I never managed to see Elvis Costello before this date and I was so incredibly excited to finally get the chance. This may be the most I had paid for a show up to this date (I've paid much more after.  Ahem, Morrissey) and it was worth every single penny.

We had excellent seats and would have been in the second row if it wasn't for that darned orchestra pit. How do people get those orchestra pit seats? I've been buying concert tickets for a long time and I have never gotten one. Not in presale. Not in regular sale. Not when winning tickets. Not when other people get the tickets. Are these people just the luckiest people on earth? Are they friends with someone important? I just don't get it.

Anyway, "second row" was pretty spectacular. The sound was amazing and we could see Elvis and Steve Nieve perfectly. I danced to the hits, which annoyed some people who preferred to sit like old logs. He played some new songs that none of us knew. They would end up on When I was Cruel a couple years later, an album which, in my opinion, was just mediocre and turned out to be the last one of his that I ever purchased. I've always thought that Elvis Costello had an editing problem. All of his albums were half good, with a lot of songs that could have just been cut. The enormous setlist could be a reflection of this or the magnitude of his career. Regardless, he played all the songs I wanted to hear and I left a very happy girl.

For the last song, which was Couldn't Call It Unexpected #4, he stepped away from the mic and stood at the edge of the stage and just sang out to the audience. Being in the pseudo second row we could hear it clearly and beautifully and I was glad that I wasn't stuck in the cheap seats. It was such a perfect way to end the show and still gives me chills when I think about it.

The show lasted so much longer than we expected (who could have guessed that there would have been five encores?!!?)  that I was really late getting home to meet my friend and her boyfriend, who had driven in from Detroit to hang out. They completely understood.

The gigantic setlist (we got our money's worth):

1. The Loved Ones
2. King Horse
3. Blue Chair
4. Rocking Horse Road
5. Party Girl
6. New Lace Sleeves
7. This House Is Empty Now
8. Lesson In Cruelty
9. Shabby Doll
10. Girls Talk
11. Baby Plays Around
12. Couldn't You Keep It To Yourself
13. The Long Honeymoon
14. 45
15. Toledo
16. New Amsterdam/You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
17. When I Was Cruel
18. Radio Sweetheart/Jackie Wilson Said
19. Mystery Dance
20. Alison
21. In The Darkest Place
22. Alibi Factory

Encore 1:
23. Green Shirt
24. Watching The Detectives
25. Inch By Inch/Fever

Encore 2:
26. Suit Of Lights
27. Brilliant Mistake
28. Shipbuilding

Encore 3:
29. Accidents Will Happen
30. I Want You

Encore 4:
31. Everyday I Write The Book
32. God's Comic
33. Red Shoes
34. Radio Radio

Encore 5:
35. O Mistress Mine
36. Couldn't Call It Unexpected #4