Shows/1994-12-09

Fan Recaps and Comments:

Three songs from the concert were broadcast on the TBS show "Live from the House of Blues" on Feb. 10, 1995: "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," "No One Knows My Plan," and "The Guitar."

From Wout:

Ok, here it is, the annotated review of the New Orleans show, from 12/9/94. Special thanks to John O'Bryan who arranged the trip, Matt Randall for not getting us killed while driving through crappy rainy weather, Sergei for the cigarettes, Joe for just being Joe, and Rory for the ride home in equally bad weather.

Frank Black hit the stage around 10:20, armed only with an acoustic Takamine guitar and a kewl pair of shades (and of course, a black suit). After tearing through about 8 or so songs from his latest CD _Teenager Of The Year_, during which he strapped on two additional Fender guitars, Frank thanked us all and departed. As I am not a Pixies/FB fan in general, I honestly can't tell you what he played, except I seem to remember a song called "Jumping Bean" and a cover of "Duke Of Earl." Sadly, most of the fans didn't seem like they were enjoying his set, either because he didn't do anything off his first album or anything from the Pixies; his all too short set (about 35 minutes) seemed to leave a lot of people disappointed, especially this guy named Robbie who came down with us. Sorry if any of this stuff seems wrong or misnomered, but like I said, I'm not much of a fan, and can't help but get things wrong. Apologies to FB fans if this misrepresents him, but for what it's worth, he deserves a round of applause.

After waiting a long phreakin time...They took the stage about 11:35. Before They actually appeared, the audience was treated to a "Countdown" to the show...absolutely hilarious. Must be heard to be believed. Linnell strapped on his accordion, Flansburgh strapped on his guitar, and away They went with "I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die" and "Cage & Aquarium," both of which received enthusiastic responses from the crowd.

Brian "Timebomb" Doherty, drummer, was introduced for "Meet James Ensor," and the bass player and trumpeter (whose names I forget, sorry!) were brought out for an amazing rendition of "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)." The tuba player was then introduced, and with full band onstage, They ripped into "Subliminal" and "AKA Driver," both from the new album. Bass player's distortion/slide solo during "AKA Driver" *must* be seen--a treat for me, a fellow bass player!

Band members were introduced (and I wasn't paying too much attention), after which They launched into the best version of "Don't Lets Start" that I have ever heard! "Extra Savoir Fare," although not one of my favorite tracks from _John Henry_, was interesting to watch live, with the horns and all. Linnell's finesse on the bass sax is truly underrated...

Flansburgh stopped things a bit by inviting the audience to participate in a simulated plane crash...too funny to describe, but a must see, especially if the club you see them in has a balcony. Next up: "Ana Ng," "Your Racist Friend," "Stompbox" (mosh hell), and a jam called "Frankenberry" (someone's gonna have to explain the cereal connection...the official set list calls it by this name, and I have no idea why.). "Twisting," a personal fave, featured Linnell absolutely pounding the daylights out of his keyboard...what consummate performing!

Possibly the strangest part of the concert came next during "No One Knows My Plan"; ever try doing a conga line in a closely-packed club? Right. At least a good excuse to move around a bit and maybe get closer to the stage..."Spy" was up next, dedicated to Frank Black, and featured a longer version of help-us-we-can't-stop-the-song...audience participation!

The ubiquitous glockenspiel was brought out for "Shoehorn With Teeth," which is highly ironic..."The Statue Got Me High," "Famous Polka" (sans lyrics), an incredibly convincing version of "Dirt Bike," and an even more convincing version of "Why Does The Sun Shine?" came next, each somewhat different and livelier than their studio counterparts. The concert proper ended with renditions of "Birdhouse In Your Soul," "Snail Shell," and a cover of Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein," replete with a somewhat-longer-than-necessary drum solo (still good, but I don't like drum solos).

First encore was brief but fun: "The End Of The Tour," "Sleeping In The Flowers," and "Dig My Grave" were all performed faithful to the studio cuts, and complete with Flansburgh's costume change (he untucked his shirt). After leaving and coming back a second time, They closed out with "Particle Man" and "The Guitar," leaving a club full of fans sweaty, exhausted, relieved, drunk, happy, ecstatic, and TAPED! TBS was onhand to tape the show...so if you ever hear of the show from New Orleans' House of Blues...this was it.

Funniest comment from an audience member award goes to Joe, one of our entourage: "Frank, Goddammit, listen to me! We can work this thing out!"

Hopefully this doesn't ruin it for those of you who haven't seen Them yet. As I understand it, the set list is prone to change, as is any given routine show. Whatever happens YOU will not be disappointed. Go see Them NOW!