Shows/2011-11-06

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Fan Recaps and Comments:

Selfcallednowhere:

After WDTSS was the first time they talked. John said, "People in New York aren't particularly tall, but this is the shortest audience we've ever seen--it's freaking us out." Flans said they didn't know how tall the stage was (it actually was pretty tall) and John said "The stage is only like a foot tall, that's the crazy thing."
Then Flans asked for the house lights to come up so they could "say hi to everyone individually." He said, "With how cold it is, I'm surprised there aren't more people wearing hats. But that's us, you guys are probably used to it, you're like weather jocks now--'Ten degrees, it's cool. I got a t-shirt. Weather's my bitch.' "
While introducing WDTSRS Flans said it had been written on "a parlor organ called a Baldwin Fun Machine--and the Baldwin people know about having fun." John: "Or, they have a machine that can have fun for them." Flans: "It's a fun-producing machine." Then he said that they'd noticed "an alarming number of pawn shops" in Spokane so people could probably pick one up--"it's probably 70, 80 bucks with all the keys attached--less for the keys-missing models."
They did this trippy, long intro to Ana--there was the riff eventually so you could still tell what it was, but yeh, it was trippy. And I know they play it slower live but it is still kind of weird to hear it that way. Anyway, so fucking exciting to hear that song. When they got up to the line that's my tattoo I felt so goosebumpy. GOD I LOVE THIS BAND SO FUCKING MUCH.
After "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" was over Flans said, "It's a tie! It's an exact tie! This has never happened before!" There was a smattering of boos and he said, "I can tell you're unsatisfied, so I want to let you know that after the show there will be chicken fights between the ape group and the chicken group...The chicken group, that's what I said. But I said it with so much conviction that it almost made sense."
Flans showed off the giant Join Us poster and talked about what a terrible idea they were because no one has a place to put a 6' poster--"we call it giant's folly." But he said if you get one "you can decorate a living room in one fell swoop" or "turn any dorm room into a psychedelic nightmare." Then he said "maybe now we'll sell three or four" and John said that wouldn't make up for all the "man-hours" put into it.
Then Flans said "This next song is called 'You Probably Get That a Lot' " and John was like "Wait wait no it's not." Danny went over to Flans and pointed at Marty and held his fingers over his face, which John said was "the new band symbol for this song."
Then Flans explained how they came out with Join Us and it was well-received but it was "getting kind of lonely--that's right, we like to anthropomorphize everything--isn't that right, Mr. Microphone? *in high-pitched voice* Yeh!"
And then of course they played "Marty Beller Mask" and I felt pretty damn badass knowing all the words since that album has been out for a whole WEEK. After they played it Flans talked about what a "confusing" song it is and that it "asks as many questions as it answers."
There was a special surprise after the Avatars did "Spoiler Alert." There was "an appearance by Meg Ryan" (cut-out picture on a a stick operated by Flans--John took over both Avatars--"My voice has changed," he said as the blue one), which they've done at a few other shows but haven't actually had her do anything. But this time "she" sang a song "about sadness and--and--heart attacks!" The song was "Midnight Train to Georgia," with John doing backup, and it was very cool. I know it's one of Flans's favourites because John included it on his terrible "Songs I Tried to Resist" playlist thing and said Flans was playing it for him and going on about how great it was, and it is a really good song. So, yeh, that was definitely cool.
After they finished "Alphabet of Nations," Flans talked about how Dan Miller can play keyboard in the dark because he is "lit from within." "It's not pleasant for him," John said.
Before "Careful What You Pack," Flans said it was getting close to the end of the show and everyone made "aww" noises. John said, "Well, we could play this next song really really slowly..." They did what Flans called a "spacy intro" to it. "Once, in a castle far away...there was an intro to a song..." he narrated in a silly voice over it.
For the first encore, just John with his accordion and Flans sans instrument came back onto the stage. Flans was instructing everyone to get their phones out and film the next song, and John went over to the edge of the stage to do something with his accordion. Flans asked him if everything was ok and he said "The spotlight is like Stalag 17--I was just sneaking over to the side of the stage, you don't need to show that. It's not a prison camp."
So then they did "How Can I Sing Like a Girl?" like that, just duo with accordion, and it was beautiful. I'd seen that song once before but it was way cooler this way and a definite highlight of the show.
When they were finishing up "Istanbul" for the second encore I was thinking "GOD I wish I could say goodbye to John on a better song than this don't go yet John stay and play another song for meeeeeeeee." AND THEN THEY DID "DEAD." AND IT WAS PERFECT. I could not really ask for a better closing note to the best night I'd had in about ten years.