SHARING THE SHOWS
It’s been too long since I’ve had one of these ticket stubs, thanks to eTickets, but I remember having a bulletin board full of these; this one will find a good home somewhere in my archives. It’s also been too long since I’ve been to a large indoor show (Silversun Pickups 3/5/20, just before the pandemic). But after a week of work-related stress (enhanced by COVID), I was looking forward to getting my groove on. After getting in my show gear, I hopped my favorite mode of transport down to the Waterfront and decided to avoid the waterfront dining crowd by going to Masala Art, an Indian restaurant near the Metro stop. Once inside, a gentleman commented on my shirt and before I knew it, we were talking music. I sat a small table across from him, and we conversed as we ate. He introduced himself as Pete. Retired, he goes to a lot of shows, shows I could never get to with my work; I want that life someday. We decided to head to the show, and I just can’t rave enough about those beautiful waterfront views. We had to present our vax cards to a kiosk around the corner of the venue in order to get a wristband, and then we were inside. Pete hooked me up with this membership to a club called Friends with Benefits, which gives you points every time you scan your ticket, which you can use toward a discount on a ticket (sorta like a supermarket card). You can also get a free cupcake if you go to a show during your birthday month. I can get on board with that. We staked out a spot toward the back, near the tapers. I prefer the back in larger general admission venues, as there’s generally more room to dance. The show was supposed to start at 8, but true to form, they began at 8:25 (IMHO, during COVID, bands should really try to begin as close to the scheduled time as possible so fans aren’t packed in for longer than they should be, especially tonight, as the place was full). Jon Fishman sat in on drums due to Russ Lawton being out with COVID, and there was no horn section due to trumpeter Jen Hartswick suffering from the same affliction. So it was essentially a Phish show. The band opened up with “Sand,” during which I was spinning. Over a month without live music will build all kinds of excess energy that leads to that very thing. I did the same thing during “The Moma Dance” and “Set Your Soul Free.” The band slowed with “Quantegy” and “About to Run,” two Trey tunes. “Carini,” a true rocker, closed the set.
During setbreak, I started chatting with a dude named Stephen, a local realtor, and I mentioned I was new to the area and might be looking to property in the next couple of years. Of course, I gave him my business card. “Everything’s Right” opened the second set; that one always gets my legs in gear. “Death Don’t Hurt Very Long,” “Farmhouse,” and “No Men in No Man’s Land” are tunes I’m neutral about, but they still played them well. “Blaze On,” always welcome, closed the set. “Wolfman’s Brother” made for a rocking encore and I sang “A Life Beyond the Dream” as Pete and I walked back toward the Metro and were met by a screaming group of drunk 20something young women. Ahhhh, DC nightlife. I found myself nodding off on the Metro ride home, but Pete inspired me to finally give in and order a ticket for Yonder Mountain String Band next month. I have some superstitions about them, which I’ll get into when I blog about that show, but this was one of the best nights I’d had in a long time. Good eats, great tunes, and two new friends. I got home at about 1, grabbed some munchies, turned on Seinfeld on Netflix (that good ol’ show about nothing) and drifted while I slept. I’d be getting up early for the Women’s March the next day, so whatever I’d do, I’d need to take care of my feet.
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February 2024
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