So I just got home, its really late, and I'm tired, but I thought I'd post some things that I might not remember tomorrow, like the setlist

In no particular order, except Dirt Bike was definitely first and Purple Toupee was definitely last:

dirt bike
working undercover for the man
with the dark
withered hope
take out the trash
birdhouse in your soul
she's an angel
spy
dr. evil
in the middle
bed bed bed (recorded for a bonus track of a kids album or something)
istanbul
actual size
dr worm
turn around
spider
ant
bee of the bird of the moth
whistling in the dark
snail shell
james k polk (with shooting confetti!)
museum of idiots
purple toupee

They also played Mr. Tambourine Man, and had a phonecall from the dead thing that was pretty funny.

They had 2 "encores" where they just all left and came back.

So yeah. I was completely blown away by TMBG's live show awesomeness. It also made me realize just how many amazing songs they have, because afterwards I was like "oh I wish they'd played this this and this" but every song they did play was so great. I have no voice left from singing along/screaming/etc.

I'm gonna get some sleep, but I definitely have more to post about so check back later!

that sounds fantastic, lajoyce! i can't wait to hear more...

thank you so much for posting about it. all these reviews are making me really antsy for the St Louis show.

Awesome. I should make it a life goal to attend a Giants concert in Brooklyn. Kinda like a pilgrimige to Mecca.

Bed, Bed, Bed was on NO!, but then they "covered it" as Bed, Bed, Bed, Bed, Bed on the children's book, "Bed, Bed, Bed" ... with someone else singing it.

I wonder which one they did?

BigJohn

it was Kimya Dawson, of the Moldy Peaches who sang it on Bed Bed Bed Bed Bed. we love her. my boys have met her twice.

i'd love to see Them in Brooklyn too...

They were actually playing in Manhattan

Ok, so more show review:

Don't know if you'd seen this from their website, but hoo boy, the horn section kicked major ass! The three of them were phenomenal. They had amazing crazy solos during a few songs, particularly Istanbul. They played with intensity and added a lot to the show.

Both of the Johns were hilarious with their banter between the songs, and both had amazing (although very different) stage presence. Actually, everyone on stage had great stage presence and put on an awesome show.

However there was one thing I really did not like about the show, and that was the crowd. The crowd was horrible. 80% of them didn't even look like they wanted to be there. They looked like weird, unhappy Village kids with nothing better to do that night. A handful of people were actually verbally rude to us. We were standing about 7 ft from the stage, and my friend had left to go to the bathroom, and this couple behind us would not let him by to stand with us when he returned. They stood there and scowled the entire show, wouldn't let him by, kept telling us how rude we were. The people to our immediate left were screaming and fighting with each other at one point. Nobody wanted to dance during the music, and the few people that did did a kind of weird little motion in place. I tried to dance with my boyfriend a little and the people around us gave us the dirtiest looks even though we weren't bumping into them or anything. I love to dance at shows (and come on, you have to groove with songs like Take Out The Trash), and this detracted from the show a little.

The venue though, was really cool. I'd never been to it before. I got a T shirt at the merch booth, the one with the president heads and TMBG in a speech bubble. There were some neat free TMBG stickers. We talked to the guy at their merch table for a while and he was cool.

Last Car was great. We thought they were like a combination of The Ditty Bops, TMBG, and Ween, which is awesome. They were funny, and fun to watch. It was cool how they switched instruments, and the Mr T song was hilarious. All 3 of them were excellent singers, I love Robin's voice. She came on stage again later during TMBG to sing In the Middle and Dr. Evil. And the band played the Dallas theme during her entrance and exit (Any idea why?).

Despite the terrible crowd, the entire show I was smiling ear to ear. Hearing Spider live was great! I laughed so hard. All of the songs were great and TMBG was so tight. The crowd for the most part seemed to only know the words to the ones like Birdhouse in your Soul. The songs from The Else were particularly memorable. Withered Hope may have been my favorite of the night (they were all so good its hard to pick one). During Bee of the Bird of the Moth at one point everyone on stage is totally rocking out and its like a musical fury, and John Linnell is just so calm and cool with his eyes closed, head back, singing, with the rest of the band like a storm of awesome behind him. It was so great, a little had-to-be-there, but yeah, probably my favorite 'moment' of the show.

We had a bad time getting to the show - no trains were running anywhere near my house that would get us to the show on time so we had to drive an hour to get to a train station for a slow local train, which we almost missed, and then ride the subway. Took us 3 hours to get there, but it was so incredibly worth it. This was the third show of four that TMBG were playing kind of like a little series, and that each night was a different 'theme' of sorts (this one had the horns). They said they were playing different material each time, and I would have loved to have been able to go to all four. They mentioned that expensive Hamptons show, it was funny. Flansy was like "yeah its for like a million dollars, so if you're a millionaire, come see us!"

So anyway, sorry about the long-winded disorganizedness. Overall, the show was incredible. TMBG put on the best stage show I have ever seen. Everyone who likes concerts or TMBG has to see them live at least once, and I can't wait for the next time I can get to a TMBG show!

I didn't take this pic, but its from the Bowery show the previous week, and we have Flansy with his drum, which he did again at the show I was at, and it was really funny

also, seeing this pic reminds me- the whole band was dressed in suits and they looked super sharp!

ooh, i hope i can scrounge up some pix with the suits.

i like details, so your write up suited me just fine.

i'm sorry about the bad crowd. that's usually my only gripe after a TMBG show too. i will never understand some people.

when all 4 of the Bowrey shows are up at the download store, i think i'll get em, cuz they were all a different theme like that.

so... did you get to meet Flans or anybody?

hey, doesn't that mean you'll get a fifth show, free?

BigJohn

ah. well. I still think I want to see them in Brooklyn.

For some inexplicable reason, I assumed you were in LA.

BigJohn

oh, it sounded so amazing lajoyce I'm so glad to hear you had a good time! I've always loved TMBG's horn music, and they were in suits? snazzy! I really like how you described the show, it sounds like it was a total blast! (Except the bad crowd...sorry!)

I'm gonna have to download the Bowrey shows too

oooh...I just can't wait for the St. Louis show!

ditto

also, I found this picture from the show



snazzy ...there were a whole bunch more over at Flickr

ooh! thanks. i'll go check there.


when i was scrounging at photobucket, i found one of mine that someone had swiped. it was so bizarre. (i know it was mine, cuz it was just the way i tweaked it)


i would see them anywhere in the NYC area that i could. i'm sure i never will though. i'll be doin good to make it as far as St Louis.

Good write-up, lajoyce! (That's a shame about the crowd, though... )

That show was awesome! (and they opened with Mr. Me, then Dirt Bike )

Did you happen to nab a setlist?

No, but I wish I did. I left right after the show because we had a train we wanted to catch and got home at 3:20 as is.

I'm in LI. Only off by 1 letter

Oh sweet, you were at that show too?
Ah you're right about the opening, I guess I didn't remember because I didn't know the song! I didn't get a setlist, did you?

i never remember anything. you did great, lajoyce.