SHARING THE SHOWS
The first week of classes is always WIDESPREAD PANIC with students trying to get in and out of classes. Hahhahahahahahha (Laughs for 10 minutes). Anyway, I can’t think of a better way to cap off that first week (along with a Friday chock full of work meetings) than with a show. It’s the 25th anniversary of Umphrey McGee’s founding, and they blessed us DMVers with the opening show. Preshow dinner was an adventure. Pete and I planned to meet at Thai X-ing, which had moved to a new location. Once we found that new location, we learned that it was a fixed price menu, costing $40. Fuck that, we thought simulatenously. The next try was an Italian restaurant, which, upon our examination of the menu, proved to be too rich for our blood. The third time, though, proved to be a charm, as we found Shaw’s Tavern, a reasonably priced bar and grill. I perused the menu and decided on a country fried steak for this reason: A while back, I devised the joke that I should have a flank steak in the Shaw neighborhood of DC so I could call it the “Shawflank Redemption” and post it on Facebook so I can laugh at that joke for ten minutes. When I saw it was a flank steak, my heart fluttered, having gotten my wish to do so. And, of course, I didn’t limit it to Facebook. I told the waiter this, and he laughed, though not for ten minutes. Even Pete thought it was “cute.” I don’t typically eat fried food or red meat, but I had to in this case. Also, just LOOK at it! Anywho, we walked in the wind to the 9:30 Club, and that line went around the corner, past the nearby restaurants. Even Pete, a veteran of the DC club scene, hadn’t seen the line this long. I was reminded of that Dead & Company show at the Hampton Coliseum where the venue kept Maggie and I, along with the rest of the tribe, waiting way past doors. Passive-aggressive much? Fortunately, this club values its audience; they opened the doors AT 8, and we moved quickly. I ran into my friend Kathy, and met some new folks, including Donny, Jake, and Andrew. I also had the opportunity to learn about GrooveSafe, an organization that aims to stop unwanted touching at shows. While I haven't seen that per se, I do remember the Phish show at Merriweather with Mark, Gary, and Jesse, where a guy passed a lady and said "Nice tits!" I was hugely disappointed, but sadly, not shocked. I'm glad there's an organization that aims to stop this type of behavior. I love this sticker below: The show started at 9:05 (almost on time). I can’t identify most of Umphrey’s songs by ear, and I couldn’t tonight. There are a few I love (“Ordinary Times” and “Half Delayed” being my favorites), but I didn’t hear them. No matter, though. They jammed hard, possibly the best of their shows I’ve ever seen. They add a metal component to their jams too, which gives a nice edge. I’d never been to a sold-out show at this venue, and we really had to fight for every square inch of space. The second set was more dancing-friendly, as some folks cleared out.
I was pretty worn out by the end of the second set, and Metro can be funny, so Pete and I parted ways at midnight. I did my usual post-show routine of munching, zoning out in front of the tube, and falling asleep on the couch, Chester on leg. Good first 2023 show experience.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2024
Categories |