SHARING THE SHOWS
Damn COVID. The symptoms started Monday, 1/23; the test read positive Tuesday, 1/24. Greensky Bluegrass was on 1/28, Day 5, just before I could leave isolation. Fortunately, I got $40 for the ticket, so it wasn’t a total loss.
Wednesday, 2/1, was my second negative test, so I was prepared to make up for it on Friday, 2/3. Thanks to Pete’s recommendation, I was able to secure enough Friends with Benefits points to get a free ticket to a show at the 9:30 Club. I’d heard the name Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (P4) tossed around among other jam band fans, and I’d never seen them. I figured, why not? Pete and I met at 1914 by Kolben, a Pho restaurant near the club for preshow chow. All I can is say is that Cha Gio Re (waffle wrap egg rolls) was incredible. When I got my ticket, I was hoping for an old-school printout, but I got one of those small blue ones they use in raffles (which security then took). Fortunately, coat check was still free (although I always tip). The opening band, Dale and the ZDubs, rocked pretty hard. They reminded me of one of those 90s ska/rock/reggae type fusion bands, like 311 or the Urge. Their reggae rendition of “Scarlet Begonias” was pretty sweet too. My friend Kathy described P4 as a jamband version of a “boy band”: very peppy and happy. And they delivered on that preview. Pete described the lead singer, Greg Ormont, as “always smiling,” and that delivery was accurate as well. I could see his grin from the back. Hey, the way I see it, if you’re playing happy music, show it on your face. Shows have come back in full force; the last two I saw at 9:30 were completely sold out; during the first set, I could barely move, and I had to groove in the hallway to get space. P4 was hot, though; they played the two songs I know, “F.U.N.K.” and “Water.” Pete and I hung out in the lounge in the basement before the set and during setbreak, during which I heard songs by Cypress Hill and Metallica, a dark contrast to the band above. We agreed the show should have started earlier (particularly a two-set affair with an opener), but I’m glad I got to see most of it (it was free, after all). I got “peopled out” by midnight, so I rode home. It was fun being able to dance after being in lockdown (although I liked Dale and the ZDubs even better than P4; I hope they play in DC again). After an episode of Gentrified, a cool dramedy about a Latinx family that runs a taco shop, I was out like a light, and Chester made sure I didn’t get up from the couch for a good hour or so.
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