...and a Dandy New Year

I don't have an album review today. Sorry!

I will post some thoughts and such from my NYE experience. I went with a friend to see the Dandy Warhols in Chicago!

The doors opened at 9 p.m., with a line of cold fans stretching nearly around the block waiting to get in. Slow ID and coat checks only exacerbated the situation, though the lobby and stairs to the event were relatively uncluttered due to the bottleneck near the entrance. I initially left my ticket in my jacket, though the lady at the coat check counter was gracious enough to retrieve it for me. Inside, the show was loosely packed to start, which I should have recognized as a sign of realistic expectations rather than an early opportunity. Undaunted, my friend and I negotiated the sparse crowd and claimed a spot in the second row, near the left side of the stage.

Here we stood, nursing our 7&7s, for the better part of two hours. The crowd filled in behind us as the noise grew. On a couple occasions the smell of pot passed through, leading many in the crowd to wonder if the most action wasn't taking place somewhere away from the stage. None left, though, in anticipation of the band's appearance. The crowd became thicker and more obnoxious; one female patron bumped against me for the better part of half an hour, leading me to ponder the consequences of taking out my frustration on her date's face. Shouts of 'Dandys' became audible.

Finally, somewhere in the neighborhood of 10:30 p.m., the Dandys finally came out, and the crowd swelled with applause. The band opened with "Nietzsche", the second track from Thirteen Tales, to a raucous reception. From here, the restless pre-show period was all but forgotten, as the band played songs from all their albums. One mostly benign though obnoxious girl yelled for the band to play "Godless" in the middle of another song, which displeased me to no end (and I was hoping to hear "Godless" as well!).

The band was in fine form, changing guitars frequently but blazing through live versions of many songs, including "Godless" (substituting vocals for the trumpet) and "You Were the Last High" (which translated well to a guitar-and-drums setup). The band spoke a little between songs, but could hardly be accused of dawdling, right up until the new year began. Courtney encouraged everyone to 'send someone for drinks now', and Zia made note that 'this was the last time [for her] to break the law in 2008'. The band went into a rendition of 'Auld Lang Syne' as confetti peppered the air and glasses were raised, and the show went on.

At some point near the middle of the show, I decided that enough was enough and we left the stage area to seek alcohol and modern plumbing, and we claimed seats at a vacated table near the back of the main floor. The view was still very good, and we relaxed (and took some pictures) until the curtain call, which was "Amsterdam" from Thirteen Tales. Thankfully we were able to secure a cab in short order, and returned to a surprisingly busy hotel. Somewhere around 2:30 my night finally ended, sadly.

All things considered, the show was wonderful and definitely worth the trip. I'm glad that I finally got to see one of my favorite bands, and actually celebrated the New Year for a change. Hopefully the Dandys will come by somewhere within a more reasonable driving distance. (Chicago was actually fun, but I drove six hours on Tuesday, p.m. and the same distance on Thursday, mid-day, and it was just too much car time.)

In Other News:
I'm a little bit of a jerk, not a horrible person, just inconsiderate sometimes.

Weekend of downtime and possibly moving furniture forthcoming. Let's do this.