NOIS
Twist My Arm
Little Bones
Last of the Unplucked Gems (stunningly beautiful)
Fully Completely
Hundredth Meridian
El Dorado
Wheat Kings
Nautical Disaster
Grace, Too (maybe ... I'm not real sure)
ABAC
Gift Shop
Something On
Membership
Fireworks
Chagrin Falls
My Music At Work
Lake Fever
Putting Down
Stay
Freak Turbulence
The encore was three songs, starting with Freak Turbulence and ending with Little Bones.
There was a three-song arc of Gems, Lake Fever and Wheat Kings that was especially nice. Of the new stuff, I *loved* Putting Down, My Music At Work and Freak Turbulence. Very, very tight and energetic.
Other highlights were Chagrin Falls, Twist My Arm and ABAC (as usual).
The show was at the NorVa, which is a House Of Blues-esque (hardwood floor, no seats, balcony around the perimeter) club in downtown Norfolk. From the stage, Downie said that the NorVa had the finest backstage area in the country; I found out later, from Johnny, that there's a sauna upstairs for the performers.
I got to Norfolk early in order to visit people at the newspaper that
I used to work with. On the drive there from Raleigh, I remembered
that I had my old Florida license plate -- which says HWY GRL -- in the
back seat. So, I decided it would be really cool to get the band
to sign it. Only I didn't have a Sharpie with me. I passed
up a few Rite-Aids in town because I was
sure that the newspaper office would have Sharpies.
They didn't.
So I went down to the NorVa to buy my ticket around 4 pm. The Hip's tour buses were already there (Alberta license plates). I bought the ticket ($15, and I avoided $6 of Ticketmaster charges by buying it from the venue) then walked across the street to MacArthur Center Mall, to find a Sharpie. Having never been there, I walked up to the mall's directory to look at what stores they had.
I walk past the directory over to the escalator, which is right beside a little kiosk called Mocha Express. I notice someone with long brown hair. But the person is carrying what looks like a white mesh purse, so I didn't clue in right away. I look past this person to a guy in white t-shirt, and realize it's Johnny Fay. By this time, I'm on the escalator, looking down at Johnny and Bobby Baker. I am stunned that Bobby has shaved off his facial hair, but sure enough, it's them.
Top of the escalator, do a 180, and go right back down. They're still deciding what to order. Johnny is carrying a bag from a men's clothing store. I don't know what Bobby has, but it looks cool. I run through my mind what I could say to them that doesn't seem too "fanboy", but I can't come up with anything, so I just walk past them. Bobby seems approachable, but Johnny doesn't, so I leave them alone.
Thought about calling my boyfriend and yelling "I SAW BOBBY AND JOHNNY IN THE MALL," but didn't. I'm the only person that even looked twice at them, though.
I went to dinner with a friend and missed the opener, which I think
was Supergrass (although Alan mentioned Superdrag, so maybe I got it wrong).
All I know is that they were off by 8:30 pm (show started at 8).
I get into the NorVa, the floor is nearly deserted, so I walk right up
to the stage and park myself about 8 feet from where Gord will be standing.
The number of
drunk Canadians is, blessedly, low. There is no singing of O,
Canada before the Hip come on, although I can't attest to anyone's behavior
during the opener.
There was only about 300 people in the crowd. Good for the concert-goer, but I'd have liked to have more people there to see the band. But, it was a Wednesday night.
Soon enough the show starts, and someone to the left of me holds up
a small Canadian flag in both hands. He holds it up through the entire
show, which is an amazing feat of arm strength when you think about it.
Still, I don't understand the reasoning behind it. The show opens
with Gift Shop, and a girl in front of me starts pogoing. During
the opening notes. I listen to
that entire song up close, but the sound is so bad (extremely garbled)
that I decide to move back. I saw the band up close in Orlando, so
it's not that important to me to be in the first few rows. Plus,
I wanted to really listen to and enjoy the music, which is hard to do when
people are throwing themselves around up front.
Also, I didn't want to dodge flying beer.
So I moved back to the mixing board, because I heard the sound is best
back there (because he's mixing the sound based on what he's hearing in
his location). And the overall sound *was* better, but I took in
the show from about 6 different locations in the club, and I could never
make out anything Gord was saying in between song lyrics. In fact,
the sound was the best in
the stairwell, for some reason.
For the most part, I was happy with the set list. Unplucked Gems
was *gorgeous*, and I was surprised to get both that song and Wheat Kings
(which was also very good). Most of the new songs sound excellent
live. I really wanted to hear Tiger the Lion, but you can't have
everything. Paul and Gord Sinclair were in fine form with their backing
vocals, and even if he is
unapproachable, Johnny is *amazing* on the drums. Bobby was his
usual solid self, and he had some great solos. Gord Downie was Gord
Downie, and he looked like he was in good spirits despite the smallish
crowd.
I'm beginning to understand why some people want to see NOIS retired. It was fine, sonically, but there definitely is a lack of passion behind it, compared to the newer stuff. I don't blame the guys for not being excited about it, and it's too bad if they feel like they have to throw out certain "classic" songs in order to make the crowd happy. To be honest, I'd be thrilled with a set of songs from the last three -- or even two -- releases.
One other thing -- THERE IS NO POGOING IN ABAC!!! Sorry, I had to get that off my chest. While watching from the balcony I could see all sorts of people dancing, and I have to say, the people who are doing the honest, happy-to-see-the-Hip DANCING are a lot more entertaining than pogo-ers. Come on, people!! Do more than just bounce up and down!! Groove a little. It won't kill you.
Constructive criticism -- I don't see any reason to have Chris and Kate on the stage. I'm sure they're very nice people (in fact I have a Chris story later). But you could only hear Chris' work clearly on the intro to one track. Other than that, he blends in in such a way that he doesn't add anything.
I wish I could say the same for Kate. I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she's having vocal problems lately, but ...
She did a verse of El Dorado that I can only describe as someone doing an impression of Etta James choking. It just wasn't good. However, the small contingent of drunk people did clap afterwards. On most songs, when she was singing, you couldn't hear her. And when you *could* hear her, she was SCREAMING. On Nautical Disaster, she was screaming. She did sound very, very good on Stay and Lake Fever; those arrangements with her voice work very well.
But here's the thing -- it's not worth forcing her presence on almost every song in order to have her make a positive contribution on two songs. On some songs, she only taps her tambourine. Sometimes she just stops tapping, but it really doesn't matter because, let's face it, there's about five people who can hear the tambourine and they're standing right in front of her. Otherwise, it's not part of the mix at all.
There's an old saying -- too many cooks spoil the broth. There were a few times when you had Gord singing, and Paul, Gord and Kate harmonizing. It made for this distorted, wall of sound-type effect that wasn't very pleasing. It was like that no matter where I stood. Other times, it was Gord and Kate singing basically the same parts, with either Paul or Gord S. harmonizing. It's just too much, from the audience's standpoint. Now, obviously, the Hip must think that Kate and the added vocal arrangements add something positive to the show, otherwise they wouldn't be using her. And maybe it sounds a lot better when you're listening to a soundboard tape. But while standing in the audience, it sounds distorted and muddy.
But maybe they were just having a bad acoustic night at the NorVa, who knows?
After the show, I ran to my car to get my license plate. There started out being about 30 people loitering out front, which steadily dwindled as time passed. I was holding up the right corner of the building, between the two tour buses (I wasn't sure which one they'd be walking out to). I had a three-hour drive ahead, but I was committed to the idea of getting the license plate signed.
A drunk college guy asked me to tell his girlfriend to "fuck right off," and when I politely turned him down he stood in front of me and gave me a 2-minute diatribe about what "bitches" women can be. "Not to condemn your whole gender; I'm sure *you* are just fine." I quelled the desire to draw on his face with my Sharpie.
After being out there about 40 minutes, John the Security Guy walked up to me and asked me if I was waiting for autographs. I said I was, and he told me they'd be out at 11:30, and they'd be getting into the dark tour bus. Kick ass!! I had a little conversation with John (very nice guy, to be honest). He told me he'd never heard of the band before, but he thought they were very good. He was very impressed when Chris came to him and asked him if he needed anything to drink. "I've never had any performer ask me if *I* needed something before." Apparently Chris walked up three flights of stairs, got John some orange juice, and came back down with it.
Sure enough, at 11:30 Bobby came walking out. I got to him first, introduced myself, and asked him to sign the license plate. He saw it and smiled, then said "Highwaygirl ... cool!" He signed it, then asked if he could use the Sharpie to sign other stuff. He didn't stay out with the crowd too long (there was only about 10 people left).
Then Johnny came out. He signed for me, and the others, including a drum stick that someone caught. More approachable than before, but still not a Bobby. He was probably tired. He did talk for a bit, then went into the bus for the night.
Next out was Gord <swoon> Sinclair. I've read all the nice
things people have said about him, but my god ... he has to be one of the
nicest, most gracious people on the planet. He came out wearing a
white Hip shirt (never seen the style before). I introduced myself
and asked him if he could sign something. "Of course I can!
I'd be happy to." Big smile. I'm thinking,
YOU, sir, are *so* cool. He sees the plate and gives me a concerned
look before asking if I drove up from Florida. I tell him, no, that
I'm in North Carolina now. He asks where in North Carolina. I tell
him, and he talks about how they usually play a date or two in that area,
but couldn't work it out this time. He asks how far a drive it is
and I tell him, then he thanks me for coming all the way to Norfolk.
He asks me if I liked the show, and it's all I can do at this point not
to gush all over the guy. I tell him I liked the set list very much,
and he says he's happy I enjoyed myself. He tells me to drive safely
home. I tell him he reminds me of Harrison Ford, in that he gets
more and more handsome every year.
Okay, that last part didn't happen. But by the end of my brief
conversation with Gord Sinclair, I had this dorky, idiotic grin on my face
that usually only happens when I'm around my boyfriend. He is approachable
in a way that most musicians are not. He genuinely seemed to want
to talk to me, and in fact he initiated most of our conversation (I didn't
want to monopolize his
time when there were other people who wanted to speak with him).
Wow. I will be a Gord Sinclair fan for life.
While I was talking to Gord S., Paul came out. I thought I had read that he quit smoking, but he's back on it. He was really nice as well, but after my Gord Sinclair Encounter, everything else paled in comparison. He was happy to sign, though.
He and Gord S. stayed out to talk to people, then Bobby came back out to talk as well. Wow. What a great bunch of guys! Gord S. came over and asked me if he could borrow my Sharpie to sign some stuff, and I grinned stupidly and said "Sure!" with such enthusiasm that I sounded like a cheerleader. He assured me he'd bring it right back, which he did. <swoon>
It was almost midnight when Gord D. came out with Kate. I really needed to hit the road, so I asked him to sign the plate. He signed, then drew a face above his name -- a smiley face with a straight line for a mouth. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and seemed tired, which is understandable. I think the whole "rock star" thing wears much more heavily upon him than it does for the others. I wish he could enjoy it as much as Gord S. seems to, but they're just different personalities.
There were a lot of people gathering around Gord D., of course, so I abandoned my Sharpie to the crowd and ran back to my car.
This license plate looks SO cool. :)
For those of you who are concerned, Bobby did say this was the only time this year he was going to shave, so the goatee/mustache should be back soon.
--- Julie
Gord Sinclair ... <swoon>
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Great place to see a show. Very much like the 9:30 Club, but clean,
smoke free, and the show on closed circuit tv ALL over the place. There
were maybe 400 people all with plenty of elbow room. That is, unless you
were behind the 6ft 4 A-hole with the Canadian Flag-umbrella-hat that made
sure the woman behind him saw nothing. Man did I feel bad for her. Before
that, someone found out she was indeed Canadian, then made an ass of himself
with classic lines like, "Hey, say eh er something," or "How many beers
do you drink everyday since all you Canaaydeeeanns drink soo much?" No
wonder they don't play Virginia often...........
Last of the unplucked gems!!! Good set on the whole. Some of the local
AHL players from Norfolk club showed up. Turned around and there were 10
guys in suits with beers and huge grins on their faces.
All in all very enjoyable. Hey it was a Hip show after all!
Berkley