All other parts appear in the live notes below...
--- I'm surprised to see them open
the show with a sax solo?! “Psalms 40:2.” I hadn’t prepped it since they
haven’t played it the whole rest of the tour, but it sounds
awesome. John Darnielle is so
focused in his anger!
--- The keyboard made “Younger,” my favorite song on the new
album. Killer transition and surging sax halfway through!!
--- “Moon Over Goldboro”: well paced.
--- “This is a song about total, unsparing revenge.
The best part is it’s carried out by someone who has no reason, who
cannot be unconvinced, as I could be. It’s about a dragon.” Lol!
The actual rhythm of "In League With Dragons" disappointing.
--- “This is a song about two people’s two gnawing needs:
(1) each other (2) each other’s immolation.” HA. “International Small Arms Traffic Blues.” Hahahhaha at the lyric “our love is like the
border between Greece and Albania.”
--- “Sax Rohmer 1” off Heretic Pride!!!! My first ever Mountain Goats song.
I always considered it a soothing song the 100 times I played Heretic Pride when I got stressed in my classroom. Live, though, it’s really
aggressive — which works as well! What a transformation.
--- Hahahah, some guy shouts “I love you,” and Darnielle replies,
“I love you too. Let’s take it to the next level. I take it back; there
aren’t levels. I take that back; there are levels going down. I
know that much. This song is about that...” The hushed sound of “Wear Black” is a solid contrast to “Sax Rohmer 1.”
--- Hilarious intro to “Poltergeist.” The strong guitar
section at the end does not allow me to enjoy it. The lyrics are still too brutal.
--- Omg, Darnielle is so quick-witted and hyper verbal that I can’t
keep up! That’s a good thing though: a professor who happens to be a
musician AND stand-up comedian. No wonder Matt DeCarlo and Andrew
Schmadel love him!!
--- “Waylon Jennings Live” and the song after it didn’t
amount to much.
--- “San Bernardino”!!!! Outstanding counterpoint to
“Sax Rohmer 1.” It was soothing on the recording and this time, even
more soothing live. I’m thrilled for this guy next to me who says he’s
seen them 30 times, and he’s never heard them do it. :))
--- Hahaha at Darnielle not understanding how Ozzy Osborne
recommends getting high to his audience. “I understand Ozzy doing it, I too
am a drug user, but recommending that destruction and misery to your audience is
just confusing.” Ohhh, now the central drug lyric of “Passaic 1975” makes
more sense.
--- “Rain In Soho,” another one I hadn’t heard, has a rhythm
that’s just magnetic. It keeps getting better, and I don’t want it to
end!
--- Heh: “a little uptempo number about what incipient
fascism feels like.” Hahaha, just understood the title, “Sicilian Crest.”
Sound-wise, it reminds me of a more aggressive version of the Who’s The
Boss there song, lol.
--- Aww: “the Ottobar is a special place. There are so
few places these days that are...a room.”
--- “Possum by Night” sounds way better than it does on the
album. How can a possum be this tender? Aww at “grow fat and grow
old and be content” and ha at his mini outburst at the end!!
--- “Palmcorder Yajna”: Hahahah at the guy in the crowd jumping
and flipping out at “I hope they incinerate everyone in here.”
--- Crowd members go full vulpine during “Up the Wolves.” Wow!!
--- “Amy aka Spent Gladiator 1” is a step down.
--- “Heel Turn 2” has a riveting intro story about a good
wrestler who flips out and tries to hurt his opponent. Most don’t know
the song, and it’s midtempo, so it’s a questionable choice for a finale.
The show had enough great elements overall, though, for me to eventually
see them again in DC! Update: I was wrong! The song itself has a heel
turn into greatness. "Keyboard orgasm" seems to fit the ending.
--- “Going Invisible 2”: Whoa. “I’m going to burn it
all down today” comes out of the crowd and the band and as eerie hush and then
a shout. Sick encore!!
Grade: A
