Shows/2003-03-01

14 wikians attended: Bryce Buttertownmayor Czech Doktorworm Drypaintsigns Duke33 Markmeadows Mattso37 PhillyCrow Rampantbaboon Rossum Torgo Westbaymonument Zaph

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Setlist:

• Wake Up Call
• Santa Claus
• James K. Polk
• Bed Bed Bed
• John Lee Supertaster
• No!
• Clap Your Hands
• Birdhouse In Your Soul
• The Guitar
• Dig My Grave
• Man, It's So Loud In Here
• Dead
• In The Middle
• Wicked Little Critta
• Au Contraire
• Destination Moon
• Spin The Dial
  • Everybody Wants to Rule the World
• Older
• The Statue Got Me High
• Another First Kiss
• Doctor Worm
• Drink!
• Particle Man
• Cyclops Rock
• Why Does The Sun Shine?

Encore:

• Violin
• Fingertips

Encore 2:

• Spider
• Ana Ng
• New York City

Encore 3:

• Robot Parade (Adult Version)
• Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

They Might Be Giants
— with Kimya Dawson opening —
9:30 Club in Washington, DC
March 1, 2003

Fan Recaps and Comments:

Bryce:

Great show! Santa Claus is an excellent opener, in spite of its being so wrong-seasonal. They really juiced up the chorus, Flans was an exploding geiser of unfulfilled Christmas frustration.

I think it was Clap Your Hands that Flans ended with "Everybody scream!" (audience screams) "Everybody scream!" (audience screams) "Everybody boo!" (audience boos) "Everybody swear!" (audience swears)

Hey, who's that playing, hey, the guitar? It was area lucky bastard Lawrence Solomon. :) Flans let him strum for a few bars on The Guitar. Meanwhile, somebody managed to throw a black feather boa over Flansburgh's shoulder. He wrapped it all the way around his neck, and kept it on for the rest of the show. At one point (after Another First Kiss, I think)...

JF: "You know, there's something really liberating about wearing a feather boa. I thought I was doing all right in my black t-shirt, turned inside out to hide the fact that it's a They Might Be Giants t-shirt, but this gives it kind of a New York vibe. Black is the color of New York, of course... if you don't like the uniform, get the hell out."

JL: "Here's a song about a feather boa... that thinks it's a worm."

I heard Au Contraire at an instore in November, and I liked it then, but it is just awesome with the Dans. Linnell played accordion for this, and Flans played The Stick.

Spin the Dial started strong, with "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." (Dan Miller kept reprising the guitar riff from this song. He played it during Older, and before Drink, and somehow managed to weave it seamlessly into his Istanbul intro. The man is a genius.) They hit on another song, which everybody started emulating, but Flans stopped them to tell a story about the artist, whoever it was, and his guitar face. After that they didn't find much.

JL: "I was at a Borders in Towson yesterday, and I overheard a conversation that went like this:

'You should go over and see They Might Be Giants, you know they'll play all their great old songs.'

'Yeah, but in order to hear that you have to sit through all the crappy new shit.'

Then I became invisible."

JF: (after a pause) "The word 'bitchslap' comes to mind."

Then, after Dead, Linnell brought it up again, saying "That's one for that girl in Towson." Flans replied, "The one at the bookstore? I don't think she would have liked that one either, actually."

There was another bit of banter that I don't remember very well. Linnell was talking about seeing Fred Rogers' cardigan sweater on display at the Smithsonian. He compared it to Elvis' sequined jumpsuit, which is also on display there, and said that it looked really huge. "There's like... way the hell more sweater there than Mr. Rogers." He said that the Fonz' leather jacket was there too, and said something about combining the cardigan and leather jacket into one ensemble. Flans responded with "That reminds me of a song..." and they went on to play No! :)