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16 HAVE YOU SEEN THE MAP OF EZRA? MISSED THE DEBUT EDITION OF THE SERENADE? CLICK HERE MISSED THE MAY EDITION? |
A DARK & STORMY NIGHT IN RALEIGH by AmEmpbdy and Bolony7 It was a dark night. It was a dark and stormy night. It was a dark and stormy night everywhere except at the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh, North Carolina. However, the threat of a monsoon did not deter the fans from venturing out to see their favorite band on May 31, 2003. The evening began with an acoustic set from Mark Kano and Mike Garrigan from the band Athenaeum. Athenaeum has been a mid-Atlantic regional favorite for many years. Old-school Ezralites may remember that the band opened up for BTE on several dates during the How Does Your Garden Grow tour. A sign of their mutual respect was displayed when Mike took off his shirt to reveal that he was wearing an "I Luv BTE" tank top underneath. He must have been reading the minds of audience members when he informed them that Mike had been working out to fill out the tank top so nicely (Authors’ note: the muscles were rippling!) Next the audience was treated to a surprise addition to the lineup. What a surprise The Clear was! Members of The Clear had played a few dates with BTE when they were part of the band Too Far Jones. After the show the lead singer, Chris Spruill, shared with us that it was a pleasure to play with BTE again because, "they put on a great show and are really nice guys." The Clear provided an old-fashioned, no frills rock and roll show and kept the crowd rocking with back-to-back high-energy songs. This was The Clear's 10th performance together and based upon the audience's reaction to their music, we will be hearing a lot more from these guys in the future. We were all a bit parched after that exhausting set. We were prepared to pay an arm and a leg for a bottle of water, so we were floored when the bartender said, "that'll be $1.50." $1.50! Any venue that makes it more affordable to not die of thirst at a concert is okay with us! Before talking about the BTE set, it is important to state that there were quite a few people there who were not there to see Better than Ezra. We struck up a conversation with a pair of girls there to see Athenaeum. They were two of the "Ezra Virgins" mixed in with the die hard devotees in the first few rows and we couldn't wait to share the "Ezra love" with them. We were excited to see how they would react to BTE. Finally, BTE took the stage in what can only be described as the witching hour of the night (11:45 pm folks!). One would think that after a cross-country flight and back-to-back shows the guys wouldn't be able to "kick it tuff" in Raleigh, but this was not the case. The robotic voice at the beginning of the show that warned us to "prepare to have your asses rocked off" wasn't just whistling Dixie! They came to rock the house! It was like they were caught up in the energy generated by the opening acts and the result was the basic Ezra sound with a harder, faster edge. BTE started their set with the powerhouse trio of "Recognize," "Misunderstood," and "Good." Those are songs that have the ability to really draw a crowd in and they served their purpose well. Even though it was hard to hear him speak over the screams and cheers, Kevin took a moment to greet the beautiful people of the Research Triangle area with his signature toast. He referenced April's show at Duke University and said the band was glad to be back in the Carolinas. (Authors' Note: The crowd in Raleigh was atypical of a BTE show. There were guys there. A lot of good-looking guys. A lot of good looking guys up near the stage rocking out to Ezra! Now, typically there is at least a 4 to 1 ratio of females to males. At this show the ratio had to be at least 2 to 1! That's improvement, ladies! And guys, don't fret. More girls are converted to Ezralites everyday. You'll always have the edge, but the ladies at least deserve better odds). Those of us who had road-tripped to Raleigh for the show took delight as the guys shot into "Rolling." It's a song about road tripping with some friends and Ezralites know plenty about that! (Word!) "Live Again" followed "Rolling" and both songs are excellent opportunities to showcase James Arthur Payne's Rhodes Piano playing prowess. Everyone noticed that Jim was hobbling when he came onstage so Kevin decided to tell the story behind the injury. He explained that a shark had bitten Jim while he was swimming in the Gulf. Kevin joked that after the show, Jim would show people his scar backstage for the bargain basement price of $10. uring an interlude after "Live Again" Kevin informed the crowd that the band had been in LA working on their forthcoming album, and it was tentatively slated for a fall 2003 or February 2004 release. He then proceeded to introduce "Special," the first of 3 new the band would play that night. It was a shock for some of the Ezra newbies in the crowd when many of us started singing along. They couldn't get their heads around the fact that it was a brand new song not recorded on any album -- but that we still knew every word. (They don't know us very well, do they?). Putting aside the fact that many of us have heard it more than once, "Special" is easy to learn because it has such an infectious, catchy hook. By the end of the song, a few of the Ezra virgins were at least singing the chorus along with Kevin and the fans. During a break before the next song a little tête-à-tête erupted between Kevin and Tom. It all started when Kevin mumbled something to Tom that was inaudible to the crowd. (Authors' Note: My kingdom for a James Bond spy listening device!). He then asked Tom what he thought about the comment, to which Tom replied, "What do I think? I think you're insane." |
A low "ooh" was heard rumbling through the crowd. Kevin fired back with, "I am insane. I've been in a band with you for this long." More "oohs" and some cries of "no he didn't" rose from the crowd. Tom stepped back from the mic and shot another zinger to Kevin. KG responded by saying, "What is this, Russell Simmons Def Comedy Jam?" The crowd just rolled with laughter. Kevin then told the crowd that Russell Simmons was producing their tour in a very obvious MOM (moment of misinformation). Tom responded to this by saying that it would actually be cool if it was true and Kevin agreed joking that "maybe they would actually make some money." (There was a blue light special on sarcasm in the Lincoln Theater that night.) BTE then played "Extra Ordinary," but instead of rolling right into the covers of Madonna's "Don't Tell Me" and Outkast's "Ms. Jackson" in the middle of the song, Kevin treated the audience to an acoustic rendition of the chorus to "Ms. Jackson" at the end. Then, it was time for "Simple Song." It was the 2nd new song of the evening and Kevin introduced it by saying that it was BTE's answer to all the problems in the world. He was barely able to say that with a straight face, because Tom kept sticking his tongue out at him from the other side of the stage. Tom had been doing that and making faces at Kevin for most of the night. Finally Kevin broke down and laughed. Shaking his head he said, "Tom, I really love the look on your face when you're playing tonight." "Simple Song" led right into an undisputable crowd favorite "King of New Orleans." This song provided the newcomers with an opportunity to see a key element of any Better than Ezra shows (the breakdown). Drums and the bass provided the rhythm while Kevin provided vocals. It brought a smile to the face of everyone in the crowd as KG demonstrated the proper method for breaking that s*** on down. Then, Travis took center stage with a drum solo. He took full advantage of his time in the spotlight to demonstrate his amazing drumming capabilities. The next song delighted everyone in the crowd as well. A huge favorite from the Deluxe CD, "Rosealia" made a triumphant return to the set list. All that was missing was Jim's impromptu jig followed by his leap off the drum riser at the end of the song. The last of the new songs, "In a Little While," followed. This is a song that has garnered much praise among their fans because of its storytelling style. This is a quality that made the two songs BTE played after it so popular. "At the Stars" came first and then "A Lifetime." Those two songs are wonderful representations of how good the How Does Your Garden Grow and the Closer CDs really are. They are also two songs for which so many people know the words. After "A Lifetime," Kevin began to tell the audience about a bad choice that Tom had made the night before. Tom had ordered some drink called a "Wicked Green" and it didn't agree with him. Kevin then proceeded to state that the drink had been "ill advised." Tom responded, "That was pretty good. You should patent that." Kevin agreed and said that it would be called Russell Simmons' "Ill Advised." With the crowd still laughing, the gentlemen began to play "Sincerely, Me" with a cover of The Ramones' "Sedated." BTE ended the set with another crowd pleaser, "Desperately Wanting." The encore opened up with a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Waiting For a Friend." The name of the song remained a mystery until a pair of persistent Ezralites were able to pull it out of thin air. (Mad props to David Warwick and his wife for their relentless pursuit of the truth!) Then, the Raleigh crowd was blessed with a surprising performance of the Voodoo version of "Porcelain," that was so soulful and sexy that it could have you nekked by the end of the song (Justin ain't got nuthin on BTE!) It's not played as often as it used to be so it was a welcome addition to the show. And then we all felt the all too familiar twinge of sadness mixed with excitement as the opening strains of "In the Blood" drifted through the theatre. For as all good little Ezralites know "In the Blood" typically signals the end of a BTE performance. It really is a head banging, jump up and down, strain your vocal chords rock classic. Add the harder and faster edge to the tempo and the song really sounded tight. Then the show was over leaving the fans to muse upon the festivities of the night. The threat of a freak rain storm couldn't dampen the excitement generated by 3 great bands, loyal Ezralites, a dash of sarcastic nuance, and some "ill advise." But then again, what could? Yet another great review by the formidable writing team of AmEmpbdy and Bolony7. Thank you once again for all your hard work.. |
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