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IN THIS ISSUE:
Mardi Gras! Who's That Girl? Fan Profile News & Links Map of Ezra TTPY Hall of Fame Archives
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GEAUX TIGERS! BTE SCORES ONE FOR THE HOME TEAM Pity the non-Tiger fan at Tipitina’s Ruins on January 3rd, because Better Than Ezra’s performance that night was just as much an LSU pep rally as it was a concert. But, judging from the sea of purple and gold and the spontaneous "Geaux Tigers!" outbursts heard throughout the night, there were very few, if any, non-LSU fans in attendance. This was the "official" pre-Sugar Bowl party, after all, and the crowd was definitely in the mood for a party. Even Ezra’s 30-minute stage delay and the absurdly tall stage (it was exactly as tall as me: 5 feet) didn’t squelch the party spirit of the rowdy crowd!
Once the band finally took the stage, they did so in full LSU regalia to the tune of one of LSU’s fights songs, "Hold That Tiger," which sent the crowd into a frenzy of school spirit! Tom and Jim wore LSU number jerseys, while Travis sported an LSU logo jersey. Kevin donned an LSU hat with the tag still dangling from the side (Minnie Pearl-style). The band opened their set with a blistering version of "Recognize," during which Kevin welcomed the crowd with, "Greetings Fellow Tigers!" After informing the room that "tonight we’re going to party like it’s 1958," the band launched into their customary second song, "Misunderstood." (For the uninformed, 1958 was the last time LSU won a national college football championship).
When Kevin announced that, for their third song, they were going to play a new song they had written "especially for tonight," my hopes were high that maybe we actually *might* get a brand new song. Nah, it was "Good." And the girls to my left were satiated within the first 15 minutes of the show. Upon finishing the song, Kevin walked back to his amp and grabbed a familiar old friend, Dr. Sample. Those of us who knew what it was were noticeably thrilled. To this day, Dr. Sample is my favorite of the "audience participation" segments. And what did the boys have pre-programmed into the good doctor? "Hold That Tiger," of course!
After several ba-da-da-dum’s from Dr. Sample, Kevin announced "Allison Foley" as a song about living on State Street in Baton Rouge. This song introduced the night’s guest horn players to the crowd – fan favorite Mark Mullins on trombone and Brian Graber (who also appeared on HDYGG) on trumpet. It was also at this time that Kevin threw his still-tagged hat out into the crowd, thus possibly explaining why he hadn’t yet removed said tag. "In the Blood" as the fifth song in the set threw me. I’m always prepared for it as either the set opener or closer, but this mid-set business was a surprise! This song is always the high point of an Ezra show for me. If it’s ever dropped from the set I will NOT be a happy girl! The "oops moment" of the night occurred when, on his way back to the drum riser from rocking stage-right, Kevin tripped over his guitar cord. He sheepishly walked back to his mic saying "oops." Very cute. Thankfully, the honorable "Uncle Mike" Keel swiftly taped that sucker back down. At the end of the song, we were treated to a little of Blue Oyster Cult’s "Don’t Fear the Reaper" with Kevin requesting "more cowbell" from Travis.
The audience participation segment for the evening involved a girl named Sarah leading the crowd in an LSU chant. Recognizing her as the "Happy Day" singer from the recent Xmas shows at the HOB, Kevin declared her the "#1 Rocker" for the night. This interlude segued right into "Rolling" – a song about a "road trip to nowhere." Jim Payne’s keyboard-playing was particularly spirited this evening, and this rendition of the song was one of the better ones I’ve heard. "Better Than Ezra are known as uncompromising rockers," Kevin then informed the crowd. He went on to tell us all about how they are considered very hard-edged rockers, but that they do have songs for the ladies. To prove his point, the band dived into "Get You In." I must say that I’m extremely happy that this song has become a regular feature of recent setlists. I remember all my pleading emails (and I’m sure Tom does do!) for a live version of this song right after Closer was released. It is surely one of the sexiest songs ever written. "It’s been too long!" exclaimed Tom, referring to LSU’s long wait between spots in the national championship games. He then prophesied about the future of the LSU football dynasty. At that point, Kevin decided we needed another LSU chant, but he wanted a guy to lead it this time. Eager Tiger fan Shawn proceeded to climb up on stage, drunk as hell, and then led the crowd in something that kinda resembled the LSU chant. He then ran to the front of the stage and started throwing his arms all around. I’m not sure what he was doing, but he seemed very determined . "It’s a wave!," Kevin laughed. Shawn then ran back to the mic, and although Kevin tried to discourage him, launched into another "Geaux Tigers!" chant. |
After clearing the stage of drunk people (well, not *all* of them!), Kevin introduced a song about people he went to high school with who were (allegedly) there that night – "Hollow." It was at this point in the night that I noticed Tom’s hair glitter. It was fab!! Tom, I must know what you’re using because mine never looks that good! A sparkly Tom is a good Tom... "This next song was written about the LSU Tigers," said KG, and the band started into "King of New Orleans." During the breakdown, Kevin noticed a white boa that had been thrown on stage. He picked it up, and with a very sultry, come-hither expression said "I don’t mind if I do" as he put it on. He then gave a shout-out to the former owner of Murphy’s Bar, who was in the audience, where the band played their first show. (My first Ezra show was at Murphy’s - how sad that the bar is no longer there.) "Debra" had Kevin singing to half a dozen swooning girls, telling them to call him, but to keep it a secret. He then walked back to Jim Payne and with a flip of his boa, licked his lips at him very sensually. If this was supposed to be a private moment between you two, Kevin and Jim, then I apologize for spilling it in this review... After a bit of Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, Kevin passed boas back to Travis and Tom threw his out into the audience. I highly disapprove of this boys... Once you’ve put the boa on, please keep it on. We like the boas. "Rosealia" came next and held a big surprise. Instead of the traditional ending or "Laid" by James, the guys closed out the song with a rendition of "Hey Baby" by Bruce Channel. The guys have done this before, but not for quite a few years. Jim Payne did a special solo turn during the song too. At this moment a very drunk lady appeared to the right of Dina. VERY drunk. The VERY drunk lady started yelling out Kevin’s name. Repeatedly! He heard her and started looking around, saying "Yes?" Then he saw her, recognized her, and said "Hey!" with a look of amusement mixed with fear. It was priceless. The horn players reappeared for "At the Stars" and Mark Mullins filled the breakdown with some "melancholy trombone" and Jim taking us on one of those Galactic-Widespread Panic-String Cheese Incident trips, while Kevin sang a few lines from Prince’s "When Doves Cry." As the song ended, Tom announced that we’d be seeing the live DVD in March, while Kevin played more fight songs on Dr. Sample. The "Senior Moment" occurred during the next song, "A Lifetime," as Travis seemed to momentarily space out and stop playing all together. Kevin turned around and gave him a "WTF?" look and all Travis could do was laugh! It was great! During the opening strains of "This Time Of Year," Kevin told a bit about BTE’s formation. He said that at LSU back in 1988 Tom answered a "bass player wanted" ad in the Reveille (LSU’s campus newspaper). "He didn’t go to class, could barely pronounce his name, but he was an *amazing* bass player." After talking a bit more about their first shows at frat houses and over at Ole Miss, the song started. During the breakdown, KG threw out Outkast’s "Hey Ya!" He proclaimed: "That shit’s off the top of my head! I’m gonna sell that shit to Outkast!"
"Desperately Wanting" came after TTOY, and the drunk lady climbed on stage. We found out that she really was an old friend of the band. She stumbled over to Kevin, gave him a big hug, turned to the crowd and said "Shit!" at the sight of all the people. As she was escorted off stage, Kevin commented that "It ain’t a party unless you got some of that shit!" And when the song ended, Tom started the crowd in an LSU chant and the band left the stage. After a short break, Travis appeared back on stage to announce that there was a "Golden Girl," in the house. (The Golden Girls are LSU’s female dance line.) Apparently she had broken curfew to attend the Ezra show, and although she hadn’t brought her uniform with her, she did take the stage and show the crowd some of her Golden Girl moves. It pleases me to know that there’s at least one rebel amongst the Golden Girls!
The rest of the band took the stage after her performance, with Kevin wearing an LSU t-shirt and another LSU hat. He thanked Tiger Mania for supplying the band with LSU swag that evening. After a bit more of the LSU Fight Song, BTE opened the encore with "Happy Day MaMa." This is such a fun live song and I’m so glad to see it creeping its way back into the set. Kevin then informed us that he was expecting to see everyone at the Superdome at 7AM the next morning for "calisthenics, stretching exercises, and some feng shui." We then got a few lines of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," with "lion" substituted by – you guessed it – tiger. With the announcement that their final song for the evening was a song by Bill Withers, we all got very excited! "Use Me" is such a great live song. Kevin climbed on top of the speakers at stage left for the majority of the first part. It was obvious that the band were really enjoying themselves. Kevin said, "See you tomorrow night!" and as he left the stage he gave Tom’s butt a big squeeze. This night, Tom, Travis and Jim all stopped at the same time and left the stage, instead of the usual one-by-one. We got a little taste of just the horns, then the Tip’s Ruins stage fell silent for a split second, followed by the audience "LSU" chant. It was a great show for a great cause - getting all us Tiger fans pumped for the big game the next day. As you all know, LSU went on to win the Sugar Bowl and that national championship, and I think the BTE rock-mojo played a large point in scoring that win! This Saturnine’s first Serenade review and she did a great job. We hope we can look forward to many more. |
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