Easily the best 8 days of 2006 have been the ones we got to see Robert Pollard & his new band, the Ascended Masters. Which means that 2005 basically sucked. Well...not really, but life is so much better when we get to travel the great Midwest (and then some), hang out with some beautiful friends, and witness the greatest rock spectacle EVER. Without Bob, that whole formula just doesn't work as well.
The Abbey was just as I remembered it 3 years ago (almost to the day, I believe). Kick ass in every way...great sound, small-ish, easy access to beers, the intimacy of the balcony. So many friendly faces in attendance. Actually, it was a reunion of sorts in that the Abbey was the first preshow where I met a few of the great people from Postal Blowfish, many of which I became good friends with. So raise a glass to the Abbey. The entire night was a gigantic Robert Pollard sing-a-long, drink, and hug lovefest, kind of how I remember it back in 2003 (actually, 2 of my fav GBV shows ever).
All of the Normal Happiness stuff sounds fantastic live. A little old school was mixed in, some of which I'd never heard GBV perform live..."Drag Days", "Wrinkled Ghost", and "No Sky." The end-of-show stompers like "Subspace Biographies" (We like that song here, could you tell?), "Motor Away", and "Everyone Thinks I'm a Raincloud" made their way back into the set. Some of the best of FaCE got carried over..."I Surround You Naked", "Conqueror of the Moon", "The Right Thing" just to mention a few. Basically, the same of what we've come to expect from an Uncle Bob setlist...2.5 hours of leg-kickin, mic-twirlin, party rockin fun.
Speaking of party. Mitch Mitchell kids. He wants to "MOTHERF%^&$NG PARTY!!!" So cool seeing good ole Mitch and his band the Terrifying Experience the next night in Dayton. I was never fortunate enough to see Mitch play with GBV, so this was a real treat for me. We walked into the Foundry just in time to hear him belting out some Clash..."I'm So Bored in the U.S.A." Mitch was the perfect opener for Bob to get the juices flowing. The only disappointment was not seeing him back on stage with Bob, which I think everyone's hopes were up for.And just like the last show that GBV played in Dayton...THREE ENCORES!!!
"NEED-MORE-SONGS! NEED-MORE-SONGS!" is the new "G-B-V! G-B-V!" people. I think some people had tried a "BOB-BY-P! BOB-BY-P!" at previous shows, but I'm not sure that works. Don't quote me on this, but I'm not even sure Bob likes to be referred to as "Bobby." I thought I heard that one time. I may be wrong. But sign me up for "NEED-MORE-SONGS!"
Anyway...Jess was pretty sad she had to miss this one. And my lack of quality photos is what happens when she's not with me. Hanging with Tommy Keene for a while afterwards, he was kind enough to chat with her for a second on my phone. I'd asked him if he could talk her into going to Boston next week (although it looks like that's not happening now...GET WELL, BOB!!!). The next day, she'd asked, "Was that really Tommy Keene?" Uhh...yep.Speaking of photos, here's a few from the Abbey and the Foundry:
Here's some footage from the Foundry...RP, Tommy, Jason Narducy, Jon Wurster, & Dave Phillips doing...what else..."Subspace Biographies." Except for the jumpiness, not all that bad. Who am I kidding...sure it is. You at least get a feel for the fun. I'm about 4 rows deep, and holding the camera while maintaining beer & uprighted-ness...was a difficult task (there's a fumble in there about 1:50 in...oops):
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