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KILL ENRIQUE VOL. 1 Pearl Street is a very cool club. I’ve seen several shows there in both the smaller Club Room (downstairs) and the larger Ballroom (upstairs). The show this night was in the ballroom. It features a sizeable, but low, stage, large bay windows a standing area as well as some elevated tables and chairs. Definitely one of the better venues in the Northeast and worth a visit sometime. All Defenses Down from Chicopee, MA began the evening’s entertainment. They did an ok job considering it was their first show together as a band. They have some obvious talent and they’re a band worth keeping tabs on.
BTE kicked off the show with the familiar "Recognize." KG commented on how the cold it was in the room (I’m talking colder than outside!) And said he was expecting that they’d succumb to hypothermia any moment as they are from New Orleans and have very thin blood. The way Travis was pounding the drums, I think he might have been exempt from this potential affliction. Next up was "Misunderstood" followed by that "oldie, but a goodie, Good."
During "Rolling" Tom Drummond gave this reviewer some grief for taking notes. Don’t mess with the media, Tom. You might regret it! A surprisingly "Voodoo Porcelain" came next. As he sang he "had you by a string" he made a swinging motion with his index finger. KG managed to mess up the song some, but Tom and Travis did a quick double-take and kept the beat going. Kevin compensated with an "extra crispy" guitar solo that made the song all good. Kevin admitted the error of his ways by saying that the crowd now knows BTE does not play along to a tape because of his error during "Porcelain." He said that only BTE and Ronnie Milsap play everything live. BTE "keepin’ it real!" The lighting was pretty good at the show, but it was at this point that Tulaine Elaine turned to me and said: "Dave, make sure you mention how I got a tan from that spotlight in your review, will ya?" It was definitely a scorcher! Nevertheless, it was still pretty cold in there even during the height of the show. Next came a spirited rendition of "Live Again." Feeling the emotion, KG gave the imaginary "finger" as he sang "does that trouble you?" and the crowd chuckled. And Tom contributed his awesome bass solo to the song (as usual).
After "Live Again," KG next introduced guitar tech Mike Keel to the crowd. He said his new haircut made him look like the annoying People Magazine fashion critic Steven Cojocaru (affectionately known as ‘Cojo’). KG then started into the new song "Avalanche." It’s not finished yet, but it sounds great. Can’t wait for the finished product. "Special" followed. Even though most of the crowd had never heard the song before, it got rousing applause, as did all the new songs this night. The song rocks and the key is Travis’ drumming. It really makes the song. "Extra Ordinary" came next and finished up with a slow "Ms. Jackson" cover at the end. KG then said that this was the point in the show when Travis gets to do his "words of wisdom," but that he was going to pass today as he’d had the hiccups all day long. The crowd let out a disappointed sign and KG said he had heard about some kid who’s had the hiccups for 10 years straight. Changing topics, he then invited everyone down to New Orleans for the upcoming Voodoo Fest. He named some of the big names playing and said: "Oh yeah, and Better than Ezra are playing too" and the crowd cheered. Kev said that Tom was really a Vampire known as "Dracool." He then said that his mistake during "Porcelain" was actually the spookiest part of the show. Appropriately, "King of New Orleans" followed up this announcement which included "Debra" along with the fruit picking sound and motion. It also included an impromptu singing lesson. KG said he learned to sing falsetto by making an "aaaaagggggggggghhhhhhhh" sound and then modulating the pitch like Mariah Carey does by moving her hand (and he demonstrated). He told the audience to try it tomorrow morning and to give it a good go in the shower. The song concluded with a short "Led Zeppelin" tribute, including "Over the Hills and Far Away." |
"Rosealia" came next and Travis totally kicked it on the drums. I mean, he was pounding like a madman. Jim came up front to sing and when his turn was over, literally scurried back to his spot. KG then asked Jim to do a little rap like he had earlier in the day. Looking perplexed, Jim improvised something like: "My name is Jim and I like to hustle, and I like the kiss the girls on the... (something)." KG then had a tuning moment and explained that they went to a public university, but these Smith College types demanded good tuning because they are so smart. He then asked the crowd what the school sport is: "Lacrosse? Badminton? Cross Country Skiing?"" The crowd probably included a few Smith students and they had a good chuckle at this. "Get You In" followed and it sound just great. Kevin threw out some hand gestures to bring to life the line "You go your way, I’ll go mine..."
The guys announced that unfortunately the DVD will NOT be ready for Christmas. Tom assured us that it will be worth the weight. They said they had just been meeting with the guy from Boston who’s doing the 5.1 Surround Sound and that it sounds awesome. KG said the ".1" is the bathroom mic. He said you’ll see all sorts of male and female bathroom shots "whatever you are in to." "At the Stars" was next. KG said it was inspired by a note from a Loudon Wainwright (Rufus’ Dad) song. He then got the light man to fire up the mirror balls and rotating lights. He did a "Bruce throwdown" and said that Northampton has a real Widespread Panic, String Cheese Incident vibe (it does). And then Jim, gave the crowd a little WSP sojourn. KG then did his falsetto "Friend of the Devil" cover. The guys then mentioned that right after the show the club was doing a "Latin Dance Night." Kevin launched into an extended "White Boy Salsa" dance and Travis added a Latin Beat. KG then did a Enrique Iglesias imitation. Or more truthfully, a "Chris Kattan does Enrique" imitation, complete with side head bobs. This went on for several minutes as KG sang parts of Enrique’s "Hero." It was absolutely hilarious. And KG finished up by saying: "We’re pulling out all the sh*t tonight guys." "Lifetime" came next followed by "Sincerely Me." the guys were obviously picking up the pace to make sure they had time for an encore. Travis pounded out the beats and the songs just rocked. "Desperately Wanting" followed and KG threw in a slow motion walk and another "Bruce throwdown." I then realized that we’d had no MFs at all during the show, but KG telepathically added a double MF to his second Bruce moment. He also talked about the infamous "Enrique Iglesias" soundboard recording. You might have heard DJs goofing on the recording - it’s an Enrique’s show where someone recorded only the vocals through the soundboard and he sounds like a wounded animal. KG said Enrique has good moves, but can’t sing well. He said there’s a similar recording of Linda McCartney out there but that "Linda was cool." The guys left the stage to thunderous applause from a very happy crowd. Chants of "BTE" began. They came out for the encore and KG said something about checking out a website (what would Better than Ezra do!). He then introduced the aged alcoholic Mr. Peavey who stands behind the curtain plied with "liquor and chicks" who nevertheless adds the perfect tambourine sound to "Daylight." As the song began, Mike Keel came out and put the carved "BTE Pumpkin" on the drum riser for everyone to see. The song rocked and the crowd really got into it although they hadn’t heard it before.
The guys reiterated their invitation to Voodoo Fest next. KG said you have to check out the haunted "House of Shock" run by the guys from Pantera. He said he knows Phil from the band and they really do worship the Devil. He said the house really freaks you out, especially if you go when you’re "wasted." The show was supposed to conclude with "In the Blood," but the guys did "In a Little While" instead. It was a very different, but fun ending to a super night of music at a great venue. As he nailed his tricky guitar solo, KG grinned at Travis as if to say: "Hey, I didn’t f*ck up this time, did I?" As the guys left the stage, a delighted crowd milled about and chatted. The guys had to leave very quickly for a 7am flight out of Boston. Fans got a few precious moments with them as Travis directed Jim backing up the monster SUV (good move, getting run over by your favorite rock band can ruin your night). All in all, it was a great show and a great night. Let's hope BTE plays this fine venue again very, very soon.
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