Shows/2003-02-14a

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7 wikians attended: Greatquux Jargent Richegreen Selfcallednowhere TDK Wally Brando Zaph

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Links:

Photos by Selfcallednowhere


• Setlist

Setlist:

Encore:

They Might Be Giants
Joe's Pub in New York, NY
February 14, 2003 at 7:00 PM


Fan Recaps and Comments:

Self Called Nowhere:

JF: For the people who are standing in the back, this is the first time we've ever sat down for a show.
Guy in audience: Enjoy!
JF: We're enjoying ourselves, so if you're feeling like a little self-pity, y'know, we've got twenty years of standing up behind us. We're just gonna take it easy on this special Valentine's night...so we got a song from--this song was written by that heckler over there.
JL: This is from the...understated, underrated John Henry album. *cheering* But it's not the one you're thinking.
JF: Not *that* John Henry album. It's that Joe Henry album. Actually, I think I better tune up...we've really got our shit together up here, folks.
JL: So we're trying to do songs that are so hard that we have to stare at our hands while we're playing them. It's actually not fun for us, and it's not fun for you either. There's no reason to do it.
JF: So, I don't know how many people here are going to that rally tomorrow, but I'm really looking forward to the long haul between Columbus Circle and the UN...Like a year ago, we were actually doing a show in Washington, DC, and it was one of those deals where, uh, I forgot to pack before the show completely. Beforehand we were doing two nights in a row or something like that, and we did the gig, and y'know, we're jumping around and like at the end of the show I'm wearing clothes that need to be burned, basically. But of course I have no other clothes to wear. And then the next morning there was the big WTO protest in DC and I spent the entire morning just asking people where the nearest Gap was. Which brings us to our next song. Which is about feelin' shitty. [Piece of Dirt]
JF: So, uh, we have a lot of prepared material for the between-song chatter. So, tell them about the song, John.
JL: So this is--I *think* I remember this correctly. We are gonna play this with just the two guitars, right? That's the arrangement that we cooked up yesterday.
JF: What-evah.
JL: *stage whisper* John, stick to the script.
JF: Sure, that's right, John. Just the guitars on this next number.
JL: *really fake laugh* All right.
*They start to play Letterbox and Flans doesn't sing. They stop.*
JF: That's negative one Flansburgh, zero Linnell. The official tally's beginning. See, when you said, just guitars, I was thinking, "That's right, I just play the guitar on this one. No need to think about singin'. I'm on easy street."
JL: If I had had anything to do, I would've fucked it up as well.
JF: Move your head slightly before you start singing so I know when to come in.
JL: Ok, yeh. In fact, y'know, we should just generally do that in the future. That should be our whole...
JF: Yeh, that whole stock-still thing is just not working for you.
JF: So this next song is inspired by the Loser's Lounge band before they all got married in their freaky quickie weddings. Back when they were a little bit more fun to hang around with. This song is called Drink!, and the exclamation point is for all the people who are fulfilling their two-drink minimum, the pledge that is part of the oath of coming intoJoe's Pub. This is a sacred place, ladies and gentlemen. Please, tip your waiters, bartenders, waitresses. Tips--it's National Tip YourWaitress Day as well. Even if you're only having one drink and it's a Coca-Cola, it's nice to tip.
JF: The stage is getting scarily--eerily empty.
JL: I'm walking too.
JF: In keeping with the VH-1 vibe of this performance, in the third verse of that last song I actually am channeling--not Chim Chim, but the little boy from--
JL: That'd be Spritle.
JF: Spritle. Spritle. I'm not kidding, listen to the record. You'll know what I'm talking about.
JL: There's a part where you sing with two different voices.
JF: Yes. And one of those voices is Spritle and the other one is Chim Chim. From Speed Racer. Yeh. Now the drunk people know what I'm talking about. So let's, uh--
JL: We got another fucked-up, uh--
JF: How does this one start? I don't sing on this one, right?
JL: You don't sing on it, and I don't play on it. We're trying to, like, y'know, strip everything down...for some reason...
JF: I'm gonna do the great--the [something] Rod Stewart thing just to go *holding mic out*
JL: Oh, yeh, this is like one of those great like "crowd tries to sing along"...probably the worst possible opportunity.
(After Mammal)
JL: I always thought that song should end with like a little *some weird adorable little meowing sound*
JF: Yeh, I felt like we were--we were almost facing our own personal extinction near the end there. As the lights went out on me while I was still playing and then went out slowly on you. Mr. Iggy Ignolia ladies and gentlemen, on the lights. This is an all over-21 crowd here so it's ok if I say--he's usually stoned. We love you, Iggy. However you are. So this, uh-- *some guy in audience laughing in an odd way* He's not the only one who's stoned. I think the guy laughing uncontrollably, stage right, is stoned too.
JF: This song is called Maybe I Know. It was originally written by Ellie Greenwich in 1960something. Not too fast, John. People are sitting down, we don't wanna scare 'em. How about, like wicked--
JL: Wicked slow. I was gonna say that.
JF: Crazy, crazy slow.
JL: This slow? *stomping foot*
JF: When you stomp your feet it gets a little--
*They start to play, then stop*
JF: Nuhnuhnuh. [Or something.]
JL: What does that mean, that's too slow, or that's, uh--
JF: You and that crazy foot stomp thing is distracting me. And it [something--sounds like "jubits"] the song...It's not the Smothers Brothers, John. We've got a professional sense of--
JF: So, uh...how 'bout this Phil Spector thing, huh? We got nothing to add to that...I saw that coming. That guy was a timebomb.
JF: So this next song--
JL: Is our final song.
JF: It's our final song. Technically our final song. There are no more songs...well, Dan Miller feels that playing in tune is more important than keeping the ball rolling. I have left those kind of ideas behind.
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