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IN THIS ISSUE:
Fest-Heaven or Festi-Hell? / Birmingham BTE's "Imperfect" / Graham Colton Band Ezra Radio / USAToday Pic Just the Fakts Ma'am The Bootlog The Reviews BTE Caption News & Links TTOY Hall of Fame BTE Impressions
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BTE DENIES JAZZFEST The day began auspiciously to say the least. The friendly Madison weather forecaster predicted an overcast day with showers late. Not what you like to hear when you plan on attending an outdoor concert, huh? I was wondering what my contingency plan was going to be, but my friend (and gracious host for the weekend) noted the concert was scheduled as rain or shine. Thankfully the clouds purged themselves of rain early enough that the concert would go on as "shine," although the sun set by 9 PM. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to catch any of the opening Battle of the Bands winner, Heidi Boxer, or much of The Dog & Everything, who hail from my hometown of Chicago. I must say, though, any band that covers "Video Killed the Radio Star" can’t be half bad. As my friend and I waited for the BTE boys to come on stage, we played our usual game of "Guess The Opening Song." Ever an optimist, I selected "Particle." She, being a big fan of Deluxe, went with "Good." We ended up both being wrong when Better Than Ezra took the stage and opened with "Recognize." Tom stirred up an already excited crowd by waving a University of Wisconsin pennant over his head.
After the song was over, Kevin officially welcomed everyone to the show and pointed out that they had also been invited to perform at Jazzfest in New Orleans for the same night. He then uttered the now immortal words "F*ck Jazzfest- We’re playing Madison!" The show then continued in the Closer vein as they played "Misunderstood." It was at this point that many fans began to warm up and remove their assorted scarves and mittens. It looked as though Tom could really use a pair as he rubbed his hands together. And you could see his breath as he mouthed "I’m cold" to fans in the front rows. Tom, you should’ve come down into the crowd. It was pretty warm there... Travis then started in on the familiar beginning of "Good." Suddenly there was an unexpected crowd surge and I noticed a three-fold increase of the number people standing next to me. After regaining my footing, my friend and I slowly forced our way back from the stage to a more "safe" environment. I have to admit I threw a few elbows here and there, but only out of an innate need for self-preservation! Next up was "Live Again" followed by the new song, "Special." After much praise for this newest addition to the Ezra repertoire, Kevin confessed to the crowd that he didn’t think the concert would go on after driving up I-90 from Chicago in the pouring rain. Thankfully the Ezra gods – and not rain – were smiling down on us this night! Sensing that maybe the crowd needed a little more excitement, the guys played "Extraordinary" with the now customary "Ms. Jackson" ending. I heard one student next to me say, "Are they playing Outkast? That’s awesome!" Yes, neo-Ezralite, it is awesome. Next came a truly disappointing moment. Not only were we not treated to the funny "partying with a hobbit" story, but the band played "The King of New Orleans" without a cover of Beck’s "Debra!" True, I still enjoyed the song as it’s one of my all-time favorites. And the breakdown with the Biz Markie "Just a Friend" cover was great. But, you have to understand that my message board name is JCPennyJenni. Enough said, I shall move on... While I’ve been to a quite few shows in my Ezra days, but I have never been to one with more covers in it. I apologize to all in advance if I am leaving any out, but the sheer number of covers – combined with the slightly obnoxious pushing crowd – may mean that I failed to write them all down. And so it begins… Kevin played a bit of Led Zeppelin’s "Over the Hills and Far Away" and then began talking about the Voodoo Music Fest every October in New Orleans. Apparently last year they played with Marilyn Manson. Travis took the cue and began playing Manson’s "Beautiful People." This was followed by a little story about how we should all be like evil zombies rising up from the fields where the concert was being held covered in mud and grime. How that turned into "At the Stars," I’ll never know! After "At the Stars" concluded, we all got a little lesson on the Mariah Carey-style of singing. Now, I’ve been trying this for some time in the shower, and I still haven’t managed to get on American Idol. Perhaps some private lessons are in order… Kevin then taunted the audience for being too young to recognize a cover of the Grateful Dead’s "Man Smart, Woman Smarter." Possibly true, as I would guess the mean age of the crowd to be about 19. We were then given some more DVD propaganda. They are now saying it will be out sometime in the fall. The fall?? Anyway, next came "A Lifetime" followed by a song that Kevin said he wanted to play off the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack. He said it was a good segue into the next song because "they are in the same key and tempo." Of course, this song turned out to be The Ramones "I Want to Be Sedated." This served as a fine kick-off to a particularly energetic version of "Sincerely, Me." This was quickly followed by a pretty good imitation of Jack Black/ Tenacious D by the always-impressive Jim Payne. He followed that up with some of Ozzy’s best, "Crazy Train." Better Than Ezra then raised the collective energy level of the crowd up to a frenzied fever pitch by playing another crowd favorite, "Desperately Wanting." This was the end of the regular set. Please turn the tape over and continue on side 2... Perhaps because it was so cold outside, there wasn’t much of a wait before the encore began. As Kevin put it, "You guys know there isn’t a fancy backstage area with champagne and women. We might as well be honest and come back out." Thanks for keeping it real Kev. As if there weren’t enough covers already, the boys began with some of Nelly’s "Ride Wit Me" for good measure. This was followed up by some of Prince’s "When Doves Cry." While I was still nursing my wounds because they didn’t open with "Particle," my spirits were raised by "Hollow." |
To celebrate the fact that we were in Wisconsin, Kevin asked for some suggestions of bands from this great state. Someone tossed up the Steve Miller Band and while incorrect (they are from Texas) this suggestion led to an enjoyable and lengthy cover of "Take the Money and Run." The band then played another a long cover of "Blister in the Sun" by a true Wisconsin band, the Violent Femmes. After this, my friend decided she had to play it every time we were in the car for the rest of the weekend. Thank you very much guys! Some other notable Wisconsin artists like the band Garbage sneaked their way into the set with "I’m Only Happy When it Rains." The guys finished their encore in a big way with "Rosealia" complete with Mr. James Arthur Payne’s trademark kick at the end. Kevin graciously thanked everyone for coming out on such a cold night and wished everyone good luck with their upcoming finals. And with that, they were gone. This was a great show despite the obnoxious crowd complete with body surfers and over anxious cops. As an interesting side note, the following night there was a large block party on the UW-Madison campus resulting in about 200 arrests. Thankfully this reviewer was not among that number. Awesome review, Jenni. Many thanks. Can't wait for the next one! BTE BREWS UP AN OLD Better Than Ezra hadn't been to Milwaukee since June 28th, 2002. This last time was the ill-fated Summerfest show that had so many technical difficulties. So, Milwaukee Ezralites were starting to wonder if we'd ever see the guys again! I mean, we had Harborfest in Racine last summer – and if you were REALLY jonesing, the House of Blues in Chicago – but what about the Wisconsin LOVE, brothas?
Well, after much anticipation, the May 1st, 2004 show was announced. Wisconsin Ezralites could not have been more excited! What was even more exciting was the fact that they were going to be in Chicago on the 29th, Madison (Wisconsin) on the 30th, and then hitting the Rave on May 1st. My other half and I decided that a road trip was most definitely in order! Not to say that Chicago and Madison weren't AMAZING, but there is something truly special about seeing your favorite band in YOUR city. It had been since March of 2002 since they played the Rave (not that we blame the band). And let's just say that the Rave is not the most acoustically sound venue ever. Ok, it really sucks, I confess! Notwithstanding, as usual, Better Than Ezra blew us all away.
The first opening band was Spirit Creek, a local Milwaukee band. I am not going to pull any punches here, I really disliked this band. First, how would I describe Spirit Creek’s music? Hmm... I think I said this somewhere before but it's like if you took Staind and Creed, and made them MORE depressing. They're not necessarily a BAD band, just very wrong for a BTE opener. One of the guys from BTE (not naming names here) expressed his deep dislike for these guys back in 2002... And the reviews from our favorite band were not positive this time around, either. Then there was Flick. Oh boy... er ...what does one say about Flick? I believe I called the lead singer Mick-Jagger-meets Billy Squier. The strutting, the pouting. OK, they do have some catchy songs and I think that they would be an IDEAL opener for someone like The Vines or Jet. They’re not bad if you can get over the histrionics of the lead singer. The guy looked so young, I felt bad looking at the stage! Maybe I’m being negative about the opening bands because I was looking forward to BTE so much, but I did think that Bottle of Justus (in Chicago) and The Dog and Everything (in Madison) were both really fun openers. I was so glad to hear "I Believe In a Thing Called Love" by The Darkness start up, signaling the imminent appearance of BTE on stage (BTW, The Darkness... The new Queen, right? LOVE them!). And when BTE opened with "Particle" I got instant goosebumps. That song is so incredible. I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping the band keeps playing it. One of the first things Kevin did after "Particle" was to welcome everyone, in the usual BTE fashion, with the "surrounding metropolitan areas" getting their props. Then he playfully made up a word using almost every Milwaukee suburb into one giant conglomeration which came out something like "Milwaukashawkepeka" or something like that. It sounded funky, but so many of Wisconsin’s cities are named after Native Indian tribes. He also did some tongue clicks or something at the end, which had the crowd howling with laughter right off the bat. When I saw the set list, I almost passed out... It was LONG! I wish I had the foresight to write it down, but alas I did not. Suffice it to say that all of the classics were there, along with the new songs like "Daylight" and "Special" (which I CANNOT get out of my head... not that I WANT to). There were covers, like the Rolling Stones "Sympathy For the Devil," during which KG brought out the lead singer from Flick to strut and channel the spirit of Mick Jagger. It was semi-entertaining. Then, the most amazing thing happened. Kevin, out of nowhere, said, "What do YOU guys wanna hear?" A guy at the front yelled, "HUNG THE MOON!" and Kevin replied nonchalantly, "OK" and started playing. It was like the heavens parted, I swear! I mean, I have been to over 30 shows, and I don't think I have ever heard that song played. It was simply incredible. One of those rare Ezra moments that I feel so fortunate to have witnessed and will never forget it! The guy who played during "This Time of Year" had a massive posse with him. They practically shoved their friend onstage. I have to say, though, the guy rocked the house, and represented Milwaukee very well! Way to go, man... At some point in the evening, Kevin actually referred to Tom as James Arthur Payne which left us all scratching our heads. Then he gave Jim and Travis crap because they were looking especially "trendy." I think he said something about them both shopping at Urban Outfitters. I thought it was mighty bold of a man dressed in a pink shirt with 3/4 sleeves to be giving people crap about fashion, but Kevin just always manages to WORK whatever he's wearing, doesn't he? The guys ended the show with "R3wind" which I had only heard once before. Yet another great song in a diverse and unexpected set. It was an awesome evening of music! All in all, I’d say this had to be in the top 5 of the shows I have seen. The guys displayed an incredible energy and they looked very happy. Even Travis seemed glad to be there and he put on a stellar performance even though he was sick.. It was incredible to have them back in Milwaukee. And I just found out that they're playing Summerfest on June 29th. The Wisconsin Ezralites cannot wait for our next BTE fix! Thanks for a great review, Tobi. Welcome to the Street Serenade. See the Rave's Photo Gallery of the event here. |
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