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IN THIS ISSUE:
Xmas Shows NOLA Sights Trivia Etc. A Gift for Our Readers Fan Profile Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Archives
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HOMETOWN LOVE IN MONROE We were standing around outside the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia on the Thursday night, following an excellent BTE and Dakona show. Someone suggested that driving 567 miles in our rental car to Monroe, Louisiana to see BTE play a hometown show the next day – instead of staying in Athens and stalking Michael Stipe – would be a really good idea.. Turns out they were right! The drive was longer than I've ever driven in one day, but definitely worth the trip. Of course, we hope that the accidental rolling of the rental car into a small ditch in the parking lot of the Deja Vu could be averted next time!
New fan favorite band Dakona from Vancouver, British Columbia, opened the show to a fairly small crowd, but their infectious songs and rocking live set encouraged quite a few of the people who had been sitting down to come on down to the stage area. Lead singer Ryan's signature guitar throw really surprised several people in the crowd. After the Dakona set, the crowd on the floor grew exponentially and soon there was little or no room to move. Even the space off to the right side of the stage filled up, despite the difficult viewing angle. The audience was obviously ready to rock.
The show opened with "Recognize" and "Misunderstood," but the hometown crowd really started rocking-out when the band broke into their first hit, "Good." It had been very cold in the venue, but it was heating up quickly! After that this song, Kevin mentioned that he had eaten at Podnah's, a local barbecue restaurant earlier, so he was feeling really full and made this funny face like he was all bloated. Before launching into the new favorite, "Special," Kevin was giving opening band Dakona some props for coming out for these dates with them. He mentioned that they had played the night before in Athens (Athens, Georgia, not Greece!) and that a few of us girls in the front row had been there and it was really far away, so he kindly dedicated the song to us. I'm quite fond of this new song and I hope it makes it onto the new cd! |
Tom said that playing shows there in Monroe were fun because there's
always something crazy going on. Kevin responded that it was because they
were in North East Louisiana and you have all these people from small
towns competing with each other as to who grew up in a smaller town –
"You're from Pioneer? Oh yeah? Well I grew up in Kilborn!" It became apparent fairly early in the show that while most of the guys were enjoying the hometown show, Travis was not quite himself. He confirmed afterwards that he was coming down with a cold or other illness and was not feeling very well during the show. Poor Travis. However, he played with the usual gusto, beating the drums senseless.
Local boy, James Arthur Payne enjoyed quite a bit of attention during the show, coming forward several times to play guitar solos, sing, and receive his fair share of applause and screaming. Jim also continued to pay tribute to the late Johnny Cash with his "Man in Black" t-shirt. Right before "Extra Ordinary, Kevin said he normally leapt and jumped all over the stage during that song but the rafters were too low, so we should just imagine him leaping around instead. He also poked fun at the lighting in the venue, saying that the blue lights were freaking him out. He later said that he didn’t want to "burst our bubbles," but that the lively flame decorations on the walls were not real. After "Get You In," Kevin asked Tom what they should play next. As they had skipped it the night before (even though it was on the setlist), Tom suggested "Hollow." While introducing the song, Kevin said that it was about people who were there in that room! I wonder which one of them was Jenny...? While Tom deserves some praise for making sure that we heard the song, he mocked this reviewer several times during the show for taking notes! Following "Hollow" came "A Lifetime." Someone in the audience obviously didn’t know that KG isn’t known for tolerating bad crowd behavior and threw a beverage cup towards Tom, hitting several people on the way with the liquid and ice. While Tom made a "WTF?" face, Kevin for the most part -- and surprisingly – largely ignored the offence. Lucky for the thrower! As usual we were treated to quite a few covers, including two Outkast songs, "The Whole World" as well as the new single, "Hey Ya," namely the part that goes "What's cooler than being cool?" with the audience responding in unison "Ice cold!" Afterwards, Kevin joked "you should see Tom shake it like a Polaroid." Before heading "I Wanna Be Sedated" and "Sincerely Me," Kevin announced that there was not a backstage at the venue, so they were not even going to pretend to leave the stage after their main set and await the encore. After all, they'd just have to go outside to the parking lot and freeze anyway! After "Desperately Wanting," Kevin asked for requests and decided on "At the Stars," which oddly enough, was not on the setlist. As usual, he mentioned how he was inspired to write it after hearing a song by Loudon Wainwright. But he did surprise us all with a new introduction – a little song about him and his "sexy guitar." All too soon, BTE closed the evening’s entertainment with "In the Blood" including the familiar cover of "Don't Fear the Reaper." After the show, the bar quickly turned into a dance club, replete with a disco ball overhead. It's highly unlikely that this reviewer will ever get to Monroe, Louisiana again, so I’d like to thank my fellow road-trippers for suggesting the drive to this special BTE hometown show. Thanks for a great first review, Jodi, here's to many more! |
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