Thievery Corp at the 930 Club Saturday Night NIGHT FIVE at the 930 Club as they get ready to hit the road TC TOUR INFORMATION
saturday night...my mom was available and excited to babysit the boys which gave lisa and I the freedom to consider getting out of the house on a saturday night
we managed to get on the paid reserve for a show that was sold out
after a day that involved the classic weekend action the kids were at my mom's early enough that lisa and I were able to meet friends for dinner and drinks before the show
COPPI'S on U Street was a excellent option...
the bicycle theme pleased me as much as the food
www.coppisorganic.com
good food and fun conversation with some friends new and old then down the block for some electronic rock and roll music
lisa and I walked the six blocks
it did not make sense for us to move the car and search for a space that may well put us as far from the 930 Club as we are already parked
the walk was good becuase I had just eaten my pizza for one and half of lisa's
we arrived a few minutes before the band took the stage
upon our arrival I sensed things were starting so I opted to stake out some territory on the floor rather than score a drink
the band came on and I rushed to the merchandise table to purchase some ear plugs
how do I forget my ear plugs each and every time?
ah... being old among the young
the clash of cultures and the lack of patience
MAN OTHER PEOPLE'S KIDS ANNOY ME
THE PRODUCT IN THEIR HAIR
THEIR NEED TO TEXT THEIR FRIENDS
THEIR INABLITLY TO RESPECT MY PERSONAL SPACE AND THEIR OVERT EXPRESSION THAT I NEED TO RESPECT THEIRS
okay... these kids may be college age... some of these kids may be post college age
if these people think I am old than I can think that they are young
it was not so much their age but their being annoying
maybe it is the Greek in them...
obnoxious and arrogant frat boys with their drunk and slutty sororiety girls
some of the concert behavior had me wondering if the guy in front of me was going to scream out FREEBIRD
okay... I am old and grumpy
it is not fair for me to try and understand a culture that I am so distant from
the band came on in all of its circus sideshow glory
I had heard that the belly dancer had been dropped from the tour
which is a bummer... she was excellent eye candy
I am still waiting for the trapeze performer
that performer may never come but I can hope
if that performer does enter the scene... lets hope that it is a woman
there was no elbow room
there was not enough room to dance
there was not hardly enough room to sway
the 930 Club was standing room only
on the floor and on the balcony for VIPS
people were packed in so tight that there was hardly enough room to raise their digital cameras, load another iPhone App, or text their friend across the bar
there was lots of texting... I do not know how to text
the music played and an eclectic collection of performers took the stage
with the stage only partially lit the band started off with a musical jam
the band's base player Hash took the absence of singer as a chance to stretch his legs
marching back and forth using every spare inch of space for his tigerlike pacing
if his bass guitar were cordless I am sure that he would move about the the room
well... if there had been any room anywhere else but on the stage
apparently Hash has a history of occupying grand sections of the stage
at one point in the show one of the female singers laid claim to the center stage... in front of the crowd over the mic
claiming her personal space before she began singing
telling Hash in advance not to come marching in "her" space
it was amusing to see the egos battle for the spotlight
apparently it is just as crowded on stage at a Thievery Show as it is in the audience
the switch from alternating vocalists was smooth on the stage...
the instrumental set move to some free form song where Roots and Zeebo went through a melodic mix of 70's Funk and R&B Hooks
all classics that were familar to me then but none that can be named by me now
the band mixed in a wide range of Thievery Corporation songs old and new always getting an emotion from the crowd with the most recognizable songs began
the Sitar Hook of LEBANESE BLONDE always merits some applause
this maybe their most well know single as it appeared on The Garden State soundtrack
which was not only a good soundtrack but an excellent movie
in a very concious way singers entered and exited
even if one singer has several songs in a row the play list is set such that the songs are broken up while there are other times where a performer sings a few songs that creates a build up
it is like seeing a number of bands rather than just one
the multiple singer format really adds to the entertainment value of the experience
all the artists in the group have star talent
the clash of egos is not present as they perform
I can only guess at the clash of egos when they practice
or worse yet... when they travel on tour
everyone in the band is a star... all of them have star power... all of them beckon the spotlight
as pretty as the Brazilian singer may be and as much as I may love the antics of Rootz and Zeebo
I would have to say that SLEEPY WONDER has become my favorite front man of the Thievery Corporation performances
this may be partially due to the fact that I have grown to love the tracks by FORT KNOX FIVE that include Sleepy Wonder
the "toasting" of Sleepy Wonder may be in a language from another planet
although I have no idea what he is saying
my body hears it and knows it is a calling to dance
so much of me wanted more room to move so that I could really feel the music
there was not no room for my Yeti steps
I tried to keep my sasquatch feet from crushing those around me
Michael Hutchinson aka Hutchy was a special guest on this night
Hutchy's vocals also appear on the Warning Shots tracks as well as some other TC classics
some may know Hutchy from his video GAS PRICES
others may recognize Hutchy for his work with THUNDERBALL
it was packed...
not only was there no room to dance but there was also little room to socialize
the loud base make it almost impossible to communicate with the person next to you
perhaps text messaging in a club is not as annoying as I thought
Lisa and I left out before the show ended
we have seen Thievery a number of times and I could see that it was getting to be past my wife's bedtime
there were opportunities to get in the cluster on the VIP balcony
but it was too crowded to care
so we left straight out without saying goodbyes to our friends
we marched the reverse path to our car just blocks away and made the short drive to the next zip code home