17 Bastard
18 Scared
19 50 MC

20 Down
21 Poets

The middle's probably out o'order.  Good show altho I thought Philly and DC1 were better.  Lots of drunken Canadians - saw one other taper.  More when I'm not been charged loads to use the net.

One the road/square...
--Lb.
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Can't talk, coming down, but...

music
escape
tiger
opiated
chagrin
nautical
fever
spring
train
long time
courage
greasy
bobc
freak
bones (!)

e1:
bastard
scared
50 mission (!)

e2:
down
poets

Good gig, fine time had by all, near as I can reckon.  Sorry I didn't hook up with you, CJ - I might make it up to Harrisburg: we shall see.  A la prochaine...

www.wam.umd.edu/~jpmuller
=================================================================
Just a few notes about my adventures in DC--got in last night after a 7 hour drive.

For the 2nd and hopefully final year, I found a couple of people I had yet to meet to ride up with and share a room with.  Yeah, probably not the safest move for a single woman.  But twice now I have lucked out and met some very nice guys I hope to continue a friendship with. Maybe by next time around I will have acquired some sense, and enough friends to hook up with so I won't need help from strangers!!!

First there was Tom (you all know him as SUPERMONKS). I'm lucky to have found him.  He actually lives in Charlotte so I had someone to share the ride with. He's even seen the Hip a couple more times than me (these were shows 31-32 for me) and had many stories to tell of past shows.  There is nothing like meeting a fellow fanatic!!!  Reminds me that I'm not the only crazy one out there...

Then there was Eric who I found on the newsgroup.  I tried to convince him to become a Henhouser but he's not quite there yet.  He rode his motorcycle in from Ohio and unfortunately missed the first few songs of the first show.  Tom and I met him after the show, and he was also a great companion/fan.

The setlists for both nights have been posted, so I'll try to share any details I can remember for those of you not there.  Of course, I was there at least an hour before the club opened each night in order to get my "spot" in the front row.  My new location is between the Gords.  We started meeting people in line and continued talking to other fanatics while waiting for the band to come out.  After reading the review of last night's show, I can thankfully say there weren't a ton of obnoxious fans in DC.  Nearly everyone we met was totally into the music and the band, not just the connection to a country.  Yeah, the two hockey players from Toronto were a little obnoxious.  Well the one guy doing mushrooms was anyway.  Who would want to be in another reality during a Hip show?  I totally don't get that.  But even those guys were truly huge fans, really into the music.

I briefly met a few Henhousers, like DC Brian, Joe, and Todd (of course we've met before).  We'd hope to get a group to go out but the timing just didn't work. And Tracy and Julie, did I see you the second night on the balcony?  I kept waving from my spot, but you didn't wave back, so perhaps it was another guy with curly blond hair with another pregnant woman...

The first night's show was great of course.  They started into Wild Mountain Honey but apparently had some technical difficulties.  Wheat Kings sounded great.  Cool lighting during Tiger.

The second show, well it ranks up there with NYD as far as set lists go for me.  Just incredible.  I knew they were playing Opiated, but it still blew me away. And Long Time Running.  Well worth the wait.  And New Orleans with no middle!!  Of course, I love the jams in the middle but this was still interesting in its own way. I think Train Overnight will improve with age.  Is that a nice way to put it?  It is one of my faves from this album but it didn't come across live the way I'd hoped.  Still I was glad they played it.

Other highlights of the trip:  It started pouring as we were waiting in line the 2nd night, and the guys
from the 9:30 club brought us all umbrellas to borrow!! That was SO nice.  Before that I was a little
afraid of the employees.  Some of them have some very intimidating body piercings.  If you've ever been there you'll remember the guy with huge rings surgically attached to the inside of his earlobes (I
really can't describe it.  It causes me pain to even think of it.)  Other highlights:  The three of us got
setlists.  I usually don't even bother with them but I got trapped in with a crowd of people asking Billy Ray for one.  When he couldn't get one for me, he went back and found a couple more and gave me one.  I love that guy.  I love the Hip's entire crew.  Great people.  Anyway, the guys were salivating over Kate and wanted to wait by the bus, so we did.  They got their pix taken with her, and Paul, and Gord D.  Gord even signed Tom's set list and then Tom taped it to his shirt and wore the setlist around town.  Yes, Hip fanatics are a strange and crazy bunch.

How many more days until the next leg of the tour?  If you want to see some incredible shows in small venues, plan to head south in October!!  See you there.  Naomi