SHARING THE SHOWS
This week was hectic. Papers to grade and a portfolio to turn in for my yearly evaluation at the "dayyyyyyy job." This evening’s festivities would be a nice cap and a helluva way to start a three-day weekend (my current school is closed President’s Day!). After a day of grading and providing comments on papers, dealing with a last-minute revision on my portfolio, and an eleven-minute committee meeting (I love when they’re short like that!), I hopped the Metro to L’Enfant Plaza, a different stop than I normally get off at to go to the Anthem, but I thought I’d try something new. And it’s a pretty neighborhood. Pete and I met at Momo Chicken & Grill, a Korean restaurant I spotted on 4th Street two weeks prior when waiting for Masala Art to open. The atmosphere was earthy, as was the food (if the rice was a bit lumpy, the edges of the dumplings were hard, and the waitstaff was less than attentive). Those quibbles aside, I’d go back. Pete hooked me up with some dark chocolate for the walk down to the Anthem. The line to check vax info was quick, and I have to thank my friend Michael for introducing me to Clear, the app where you can store your vaccination info, and it’ll function as your card. I also have to thank Pete for introducing me to Friends With Benefits (no, not THOSE kinds of benefits), which gives me certain, well, benefits for attending shows at certain DC- and Maryland-based venues. I get points I can use toward a free concert at one of those venues, a free cupcake on my birthday, but my favorite immediate benefit is free coat check so I don’t have to wrap my coat around my waist or place it on the railing and have to keep watch over it. While waiting for the show to start, Pete and I shared summer plans (including a 7-night concert run I’m planning in Philly and NYC in July) and favorite Widespread Panic experiences and songs. Umphrey’s is typically a high-energy band, and they remained true to form. I don’t know too many of their songs by sound; I was hoping for my favorite, “Half Delayed,” but no dice. They did kick ass, and I was dancing and spinning. Most of the folks there weren’t masked, which was no surprise, given that the Umphrey’s crowd is very young, so their frontal lobes haven’t developed yet. I still had a blast (and the show ended early, which this introvert always likes). Umphrey’s, like most jambands, is known for busting out surprise covers, and they closed the second set with a neat mashup of Metallica’s “Sad But True” and Gorillaz’s “Clint Eastwood” (the latter of which brings back vivid memories of my college years). Upon further research, I discovered this song is called “Sad Clint Eastwood.” The band recorded Zonkey, an album full of similar mashups (including “Strangletage”, a mashup of Ted Nugent’s “Strangehold” and the Beastie Boys’s “Sabotage”). An aside: my next show is a Metallica tribute band that’s playing the night I’m presenting at a work-related conference in Baltimore. I was half-asleep on the Metro ride home, which I capped off by indulging in some chocolate-covered macadamia nuts a student gave me for Valentine’s Day. The intense energy knocked me right to sleep as I tried to watch the episode of Seinfeld where Kramer takes a karate class with children. As I write this, I’m still pretty wiped out, but I’ll take a power snooze before I meet up with Mark/Brodysseus and Sheila for their journey into showland with Tedeschi Trucks. I’ve been “extroverting” a lot since I recovered from COVID AND went back into the classroom, so I need some downtime. I’m happy to have a three-day weekend to recuperate.
0 Comments
“That’s the Craig we know and love!” So said my cousin Neil, who, when he called me Saturday morning, heard I was going to two concerts this weekend after that two-month drought, exacerbated by my brush with COVID. After a run on the treadmill in my apartment complex’s gym, some time spent on a work-related project, my conversation with Neil, and regaling you with my adventures with Maggie and Dan, it was time for Round 2. I had to allow the extra time to get down to the Waterfront due to the reduced service on Metro. The pungent odor of marijuana was present for the sixteen minutes I spent delayed at the Gallery Place stop. I guess the unmasked folks were trying to get a contact buzz? I got to the Waterfront at 4:30, about a half hour before Masala Art’s opening, so I walked around in the cold for a bit before meeting up with Pete at the restaurant, where we indulged in some naan, samosa, and murg mala tikaa, which is “chicken breast marinated in yogurt and cream cheese.” Perfect break to my intermittent fast. Pete regaled me with his adventures hiking and seeing shows around the US, including pictures of Colorado’s Dillon Amphitheater, which is now on my bucket list. He also sent me some pics of some great spots on the Appalachian Trial at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, such as Maryland Heights, Loudon Heights, and C&O Canal/Weverton Cliff Hike. The walk to the venue was closed, and when we hit the Anthem, I thought of my friend Heather, who was supposed to see Erasure at that spot, that delightful 80s pop duo with hits like “Always,” “Chains of Love,” and “A Little Respect.” We were supposed to meet for dinner before her show, but they cancelled their tour due to this dam ‘demic, and I was bummed we couldn’t meet. But I’m giving her a little shout here. The line to check vaccination cards moved quickly, as did the line to get in. We were on the floor at about 6:30, a good forty-five minutes before the band started, and Pete pointed out the cool curtains hanging from the balcony, which I hadn’t noticed before. He also inspired me to investigate those Friends with Benefits points that he earns by attending DC shows. I thought I had forgotten to request one, but it turns out I’ve been earning points on my account by buying tickets to shows. Since I requested a new card, I just have to claim them in the future, and I can earn points toward free tickets. The Infamous Stringdusters started at 7:15, and while I can’t name their songs, they opened with one that turned out to be called “Peace of Mind.” They also busted out “Sharp Dressed Man” and closed with Phish’s classic “Possum.” I did not expect either of those. I also didn’t expect some drunk guy to tell me “I’m wearing my mask” while his N95 was placed on the top of his hand. My response, “I can see that” with a tone that implied the tagline, “Jackass.” He gave me a sour expression and walked away. I’d say about half the crowd wasn’t masked or they were wearing them around their chins, but that’s the risk one takes when going to a show of drunk fans. All we can do is protect ourselves and others. But, like Pete said, at least they’re vaccinated. At the “intermission” between bands, the venue had a Guns N’ Roses mix playing, an odd combo, I think, for a bluegrass/jam band crowd, but I still dug it. I was never a huge fan, but I do love “Mr. Brownstone” and “Welcome to the Jungle.” Pete and I hung toward the back of the venue for the main act to avoid all those unmasked fools, err, I mean folks in there. It took a little while for Greensky Bluegrass to grow on me; I bought tickets before I even knew anything about their music, but I had heard so much about them I just had to try them out, and these days, a show being near the Metro is a huge selling point for me. I streamed their albums on Spotify and thought they were just okay, but when Pete sent me a link to their new album, Stress Dreams, I was hooked, particularly by the album’s opening song, “Absence of Reason.” Pete also pointed out tunes called “Windshield” and “Leap Year.” They also encored with “Stress Dreams.” By that time, a large portion of the crowd had filtered out of the dance floor, so I was spinning around.
A new show routine of mine: caffeine before the show; it helped my energy, particularly on night two of a two-night show run. I faded in spots, but the second-set “Absence of Reason” got me back into the groove. Another highlight included a reggae jam that sounded like Bob Marley’s “Jammin’.” The show ended at 11:30, and it felt great to unmask when we exited the venue. As Pete pointed, these four-hour shows having to mask can be a strain. But I’m thinking it’ll prepare me for when I have to teach in-person whilst masked. Once at the Metro, Pete and I were greeted by our train arriving at the very instant we hit the platform. I love those moments when that happens. I wasn’t quite as lucky when I hit Gallery Place; a ten-minute wait for my Red Line train, but oh well. Same post-show routine as last night: munch and laugh hysterically to Married with Children while Chester claims his seat on my leg. I fell asleep with him on me, and made it to my bed at around 2. Half-asleep, I rose at about a quarter to ten; I could have stayed in bed at least an hour longer, but I forced myself to get up. A fun, crazy weekend it sure was (to adopt the anastrophe-like style of Yoda). It felt like taking humongous gulps of water at an oasis after a two-month trek through the desert. As I continue back on campus this week and increase my socializing, I’m feeling that in the next few weeks, I may need another trek at some point. But for now, I’m enjoying the moment! I need live music like I need air. That’s the theme of this blog, really. So two months without shows was starting to affect my mental state. While I’m grateful I can take trips to NYC in the spring and summer instead of the dead of winter, to say I was jonesing for a show would be a gross understatement. The Greensky/Stringdusters livestream whet the appetite, but was more like an Hors d’odeuvre. I needed a meal. This was a big week; on January 27, my PCR test came back negative, so I could return to campus. I've been teaching remotely still because I have to do some prep work with my classroom, but I went into the office, where I had the chance to meet with colleagues I had only interacted with through email or a virtual platform. I also got to meet with some of my students, and I even helped two in person! I love attending shows on Fridays, especially when they’re work-filled, because I feel like I’ve really earned the reward that is the concert. This particular Friday, a radio station in Ireland interviewed me about my work in Singles Studies (to air next week). I followed that with some virtual communication with students, a face-to-face appointment with one student, and a meeting with a client for my side hustle. Maggie and Dan made their way up from Virginia at about 3:30; I met them at the CVS close to my Metro stop, and we hung out at my place for a bit, where we caught up on old times and shared our in sync political views. We hopped the Metro downtown, which is pretty desolate these days. I had reserved us a table at the Elephant & Castle, a British pub. Since I had interviewed with an Irish radio show, I was feeling some British food. Bangers and mash, to be specific, which I hadn’t had since I actually was in Galway, Ireland. That gravy the sausages and potatoes were soaked in was succulent. Yet I still wanted some of Maggie’s fish and chips and Dan’s Sunday Roast. During dinner, we theorized about Cobra Kai’s next season and talked about some other shows, most notably Breaking Bad, as well as the Star Wars movies. They ordered a Big Ben Brownie for dessert; I wanted to go in, but I limited myself to one bite (so proud!). The restaurant was packed with other concertgoers, and our waiter commented that the place would basically become a ghost town once the show started. The group at the table next to us was raucous but entertaining; one guy posed for a picture in his girlfriend’s fur coat. I missed this kind of people-watching. We walked around downtown before making our way past the gates over to merch, where Dan added to his T-shirt collection. I was captivated by the Victorian architecture of the concert hall, which reminded me of the Beacon Theater, my favorite venue of all time. We were seated at the top, a spot I love because I get to see everything. Dan made the boss move of upgrading our students to a lower section, so we could still look at the band from above, only closer. And there was a table upon which we could place our drinks. I typically fade out by the second set. When I hit JRAD with Mark/Brodysseus back in August, I had faded by setbreak, but a Diet Pepsi brought me back to life. I figured a similar caffeinated beverage could do the same for me for the entire show. And I don’t drink a ton of caffeine, so it’ll affect me that much more. And it did. Sadly, the TTB crowd isn’t much for dancing, at least not where we were seated. I’ll never forget the show in Milwaukee where someone shoved past me and flipped me off when he passed me going down the stairs. I was also yelled at that evening (and during a few other shows) to sit down, so I got the message for this time: don’t dance in front of your seat.
I did get up to dance in the aisles a few times, as did a couple of other people, most notably during some good jams in “Misunderstood” and “Whiskey Legs.” And they played the spaciest “Dreams” (my favorite Allman Brothers tune) I’ve ever heard. Let’s also factor in that Susan Tedeschi has knee surgery coming up in March and is playing with an injury (she sat down for the second set). She’s badass just for coming on stage in that condition. The Metro is right near the venue, so we walked right there and backed to my place so Dan and Maggie could pick up materials they couldn’t bring into the venue. After two attempts at getting them an Uber back to their hotel, we succeeded, and I winded down with some munchies and a couple of episodes with Married with Children. After this week, and its topping, I was out like a light. And that’s good, because round two (Greensky/Stringdusters) is tonight. Time to rally! |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
April 2024
Categories |