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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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THE ACOUSTIC AFTER SHOW
As I said, there was some concern among fans – and probably the band – as to how the acoustic after show at The Parish would play out. The Parish holds about 400 people. How many people would show up for this separate event? I suppose no one really knew. As far as I’m aware, there hasn’t been such an event of this magnitude in BTE history. As fans streamed out of the House of Blues, they had to get on either of two lines. The first, and far speedier line, was for existing fan club members who only had to show their current fan club laminates and HOB ticket stubs to gain entry. The other, and naturally slower, line was for people signing up for the fan club and paying their $10 on the spot. The system worked surprisingly well. I don’t think the club was filled to capacity, but it was perhaps 75 percent full. Inside the Parish, many fans immediately took up positions around the small stage while others headed for the merchandise table, the restrooms, or the bar (or all 3). The merchandise table held various older BTE goodies for sale, such as CD singles and other items.
After a short respite, the doors to the HOB opened and in came Kevin, Tom, Travis and Jim for the acoustic performance we’d all been waiting for. The stage was adorned with a small Christmas tree and stools. Friends and family sat off in the wings. And the show began. Someone had told me that the band was only going to play a few acoustic tunes, but as you can see from the setlist, the spirit moved them and fans were treated to an extra special after show: The first song was "Wallflower." How wonderful it was to hear an Artifakt tune played live! You could tell the guys were very at ease playing an acoustic set and they immediately began to strut their stuff. Jim Payne, for one, added some cool "country pickin'" to this first song.
As KG kicked off "In the Blood," he warned the crowd to get ready for a "...blistering acoustic set." As the guys rocked out, the irrepressible Jim Payne sallied forward to strike a classic rock star pose. KG took a moment offstage and returned to announce that he had had to blow his nose. He commented that his cold would just not go away even though Tom had come by his house earlier that day to do some "shiatsu on his sciatica." He then said for some reason "sciatica leads to enema." Grabbing a hold of an Asian Massage theme, KG started playing a partial cover of David Bowie’s "China Girl."
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Next came the classic "Porcelain." While most fans have heard the "Voodoo"
or "Al Green" style version of the song, it was really nice to hear the
original version played acoustically. Giggles ran through the crowd as KG
said that "everybody better get undressed for this song." As the song
ended, the band launched into "Coyote" off Deluxe.
A collective joyful gasp ran through the crowd as BTE began to play "One
More Murder." Fans always mention this as the song they’d love to see
"brought back" by the band. I'd like to think the recent Street Serenade
column asking for the song had at least a little something to do with the
performance, but probably not... A rare treat indeed. The show took another unexpected turn as the guys attempted "Particle." They only made it through about half the song, but this is probably very difficult to perform acoustically. Not to mention the fact that, to my knowledge, they haven’t performed the song in any fashion since 1999! Likewise, "Still Life With Cooley" followed. While many fans seem to express disdain for the song on a regular basis, the after show crowd greeted it as if they would an old friend.
By now, the emotionally and physically drained band and crowd were equally ready to call it a night. How could BTE end such a performance? That’s right. They provided fans with a full length, acoustic cover of Outkast’s "Hey Ya" (and it sounded just great). Not only was the music incredible, but Jim Payne sallied forth once again to share his best "Andre 3000" dance moves with audience. As the music ended, the guys promised to return shortly for autographs and photos (and they did). The 2003 BTE Christmas Extravaganza clearly surpassed everyone’s expectations. I wonder, what will the 2004 shows be like? Hopefully, I shall see you there...
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