My use of language here perhaps redundant, my grammar mistaken, my punctuation frightening, and my use of tenses painfully misused...

I'll post the pictures when I get them developed...my parents are using the digital camera.

Alright, let’s start from the beginning, my aunt and I drove from Nashville at 1:00 and arrived to the Waterfront Park parking lot at 5:10. There was a Tumbleweed right next to the event and so we thought we would get some grub before the show. Well, it was taking forever to get a seat …so, my aunt and I tried to regroup. I brought out my goldfishes (a staple food for me) and sat near their tour bus. Suddenly, I saw the Flans come out talk to the soundmen for a while and not to long after he came walking past the security gate. I was so wacked-out by his presence that I forgot to pull out my camera. Then, I saw some guy gets his picture taken with him not too far from me and I thought “Shit…must follow Flans.” He walked into the Tumbleweed and schmoozes with the waiting lady to get a spot at the bar. He was with a lady and some guy who had importance but I don’t remember his name now. I was freaking out so bad that I had to chill in the restroom so I wouldn’t do something insane. Lucky for my aunt and I, we didn’t chose eat at the Tumbleweed, because wegot to the ticket booth early and got killer-ass seats-in fact, I was hanging on the rail in front of Linnell’s keyboard.

I have been aware of Corn Mo, but I’ve never listened to his stuff. My aunt told me that he wasn’t that good, though I kind of liked it. He was very funny. His appearance struck me as something of a Meatloaf mixed with Sammy Hagar.

Now for the attraction: They were very good! a well deserved 5 rocks-->

I was in an unemotional trace during the whole concert, however. Linnell looked into my eyes probably 10 times…I felt so awkward every time this happened. Flans was slammin’, I found him more attractive than John Linnell in person. Flans cracked up a bit on the Louisville Slugger Museum, saying "For those of you from out of town, don't forget when you're flying out that the Louisville Slugger mini baseball bats are not good carry-on luggage material". He also kept making continuous references about the “baby on the hill”, which he named John Sebastian II. Apparently, the baby was born on the hill…John Linnell states that Flans’s remark about the baby is appropriate for the following song, because it’s about a “bastard”. And Linnell dedicates the song to that baby… (Bastard Wants to hit Me). Flans even accredited the creation of "experimental instruments" (maracas and some doingy apparatus) to this baby. In the middle of Ana Ng, there were a load of fireworks that were set off –someone told me that it was because of the Louisville home team winning a game. John Linnell kept staring at the fireworks and sang thus, “When I was driving once, I saw this painted on some fireworks." Toward the end of the show I had this urge to throw my CD onto the stage…and I did. Once I threw it on the stage, Linnell looks at what landed right next to him with a questioning glance. Then, when they started playing Working Undercover for the Man, Danny Weinkauf scoots the CD with his foot. The funny thing was that Flans almost stepped on it –while doing his hunched over guitar stuff. Ah…I’m so glad I got to do something really f’k’n’ stupid.

After the concert, I got a guy to hand me the CD back from the stage and on toward the bus I went. I waited and waited to give Them the CD (I wonder if they listened to it). The CD I wanted to give them was Glenn Gould's So You Want to Write a Fugue- listen to it and tell me if it isn't up John Linnell's alley. Finally, a guy came from the bus and I told him that he must give this to Them to listen to…I left too soon to see anything after that. But I did talk to Dan Miller for a minute and even shook his hand.

I was really sore when I got out, specifically my back. My aunt and I went straight back to Nashville at 1:30 am. On the way back we listened to Prince... and of course TMBG.

This concert was lovely - especially for a first one - and I plan on coming to more concerts. I think that what Flans said during the concert was true for me "We are a very emotionally unavailable band." I felt that, but I will admit I have more respect for them anyway. Hey, I also met some nifty folks there, and there were no apparent drunks. Though there were a few potheads.

Set list:
Clap Your Hands/ Istanbul (Not Constantinople)/ Damn Good Times/ Alphabet of Nations/ Dr. Worm/Bastard Wants to Hit Me/ Pictures of Pandas Painting/ Snail Shell/ Birdhouse in Your Soul/ It's Kickin' In/ Experimental Film/ Particle Man/ She's an Angel/ "Spontaneous Song"/ "Happy Birthday, Iggy the Lighting Guy"/ Stalk of Wheat/ Drink!/ Ana Ng/ Spines/ New York City/ Why Does the Sun Shine?/ The Guitar/ Sound of the Future/"Everybody Conga, I'm Not Fucking Kidding"/ No One Knows My Plan/ Band Introduction/ Working Undercover for the Man/ Fingertips
encore: Robot Parade/ James K. Polk/ Hocus Pocus feat. Corn Mo

PLUS: I recorded the whole show...but I noticed when I listened to the tape again- my voice is so obnoxious. I will try to shut up next time I do this.

i'm glad you had such a good time!

why didn't you go up & talk to Flans? man, i woulda. he seems really accessable to me. even my kids who don't like talkin to rock stars don't mind talkin to him.

i hope they liked your CD.

ps... i'm glad you got such a good spot. i can't wait to see the pix!

i love Corn Mo. i got my pic taken with him in Columbia.

I'm glad you enjoyed the show.

Good write-up!

I tried to catch up to him, but people kept walking by me; therefore, slowing me down. grrr. I cursed myself pretty bad because of it...

well, there's always next time.

THat's awesome, Keatong! Sounds like you had a really good time!

BigJohn

i can't wait to see the pix.

It was great... I'll die a happy young lady-- but I'll die happier still if I could hold a conversation with both of the Johns (not necessarily at the same time).

yeah, wouldn't we all.

Flansy is so sweet & approachable, but i'm almost afraid to meet Linny. if he's scared of me, that scares me a little... you know?

Heehee.... you thought your ramble was long!!! Here's my review of the concert - I wish I'd spotted you, Keaton! - copied from my LJ

I should be finishing up my Europe trip write-up (HA!), but I think that I'd rather write-up my final TMBG concert of the summer - which was also the most enjoyable, by far.

TMBG at the Lebowskifest

Setlist:
Clap Your Hands/ Istanbul / Damn Good Times/ Alphabet of Nations / Dr. Worm / Bastard Wants to Hit Me / Pictures of Pandas Painting / Snail Shell / Birdhouse / Kickin' / Experimental Film / Particle Man / She's An Angel / Stalk of Wheat / Drink! / Ana Ng / Spine / NYC / Sun is a Mass / Guitar / Everybody Conga / No One Knows My Plan / Thank Yous / Working Undercover / Fingertips / Robot Parade / Polk / Hocus Pocus


Can I just say that I absolutely LOVED this concert? It was a great day all around. But, I must begin at the beginning.

I didn't decide for certain that I was going to this concert until I went to the St. Louis show. It was always a strong possibility - but I was planning on saving some money, so it was iffy. Then came the last concert, and...I decided that I had to go. The concert was on a Friday, so Thursday evening, I drove to my parents' house in Evansville, which is only 2 hours away from Louisville. Me & Jennifer played Trivial Pursuit (while watching SG:Atlantis) into the night, before she had to go (work and all that). Unfortunately, she wasn't able to make any of the TMBG shows this tour, because of that whole working thing. (Sigh). Maybe next year.

So, Friday morning, I woke up at 11am (basically a phone call from my mom asking me if I was awake yet... well, I am now!), but I didn't leave the house until 2pm. I didn't want to get to Louisville too early, but then I remembered the whole time difference thing (damn Eastern time zone). So, I hurried my way to the venue (driving a bit faster than I probably should have), and I ended up at the riverfront only a few minutes after 5pm. People were already starting to park along the street, but I ended up parking across from the Tumbleweed restaurant, about 50 yards away from the ticket area. When I got there, I saw a couple fans sitting along the sidewalk, and a group of people (who actually looked vaguely familiar) underneath the ticket tent. At this point, it was barely after 5pm, and I was told that they weren't doing will call or anything until 7pm. So... I walked back around Tumbleweed (suddenly thinking that I should've just waited for dinner, rather than scarfing down Arby's food 20 minutes earlier) and the parklike area nearby, and I must say that it was an interesting park development around here. There was a playground and some fountains, which would be tons of fun for youngsters, I'm sure. But, instead, I just went back to the sidewalk, where I sat for awhile, until more people started to show up (helpers, some), at which time I started the line for the Will-Call/Buy Ticket line.

At this point, I discovered (mostly through eavesdropping, mixed with a tiny bit of conversation) that the group of five under the tent were just a few fortunate fans from Ohio - two of whom were apparently winners of the glockenspeil. They'd gone to the Cleveland shows (except for one who wasn't yet 18), but didn't get enough, so they decided to drive all the way to Louisville (I think from Dayton) just for the concert - without tickets. When they'd arrived (crazy early - something like 2pm), no one was guarding the place, so they walked around the ampitheatre area, before getting chased out by a worker, who later set them up as "guards" of the tent. I suppose that it was during this time that Corn Mo came by and chatted with them for awhile (and gave them free chips & salsa). Discovering that they didn't have their tickets yet, Corn Mo put them all on his guest list. Great move.

Another thing I noticed, while waiting, were two people sitting inside inside the venue area - aliste and her friend Sarah (I'm not sure of her LJ name), who were on Dan Miller's guestlist. I think the Ohio group was slightly annoyed that those two were allowed inside the gates, when they weren't allowed in until 7pm. I think that they were afraid of not getting a good spot, even though they were first in the Will-Call/Guest List/Buy Tickets line. But, they didn't need to worry. Sometime after 6pm, they were freed of their responsibility. I let them squeeze in front of me, and in appreciation, they gave me a thousand "Cool points" & saved me a front row spot between them and aliste/Sarah - PRIMO spot. But, I'll get there in a minute. While we were all waiting for the gate guy to let us in (I cannot for the life of me remember his name), he was sticking all of the passes on lanyards. Of course, we all got a little wide-eyed, when he showed us the TMBG Passes (he wasn't nearly as into it - he'd been a fan before the Johns got a band. Plus, he'd been in the band bus earlier that day, before getting kicked out) - and even let a pair of the guys pose for a picture while wearing them. The group begged for one of the passes, and the gate guy said that, if there were any left after the show, he MIGHT let them have one.

So, anyway... a few minutes after 7pm, the gates were opened, and the Ohio group literally RAN to the stage. I headed after, but stopped to buy some $2 water (not bad for a concert), before finding my spot - directly in front of Flansburgh's mike, and between two groups of cool people. It was a great spot, even though there was a fence barrier thing (which these days, I no longer mind - I just wish it would've felt a tad sturdier. But, no worries) leaving a 3 foot gap to the stage - for photographers. I said a few words to aliste & Sarah, as well as the Ohio peeps, but not too much later, another pair of Ohio-ans (who'd also gone to the Cleveland shows, and were newbies - 1.5 years, I think). The guy was Marcus (I think), and the girl was Jenn. We chatted for most of the time leading up to the show, and I eventually discovered that we were both registered at the UK TMBG board - she even recognized my username (Woodsie). I sometimes wonder if every TMBG fan is registered on the 'net - 'cause it sure seems that way. This pair had also chatted with Corn Mo and thought he was pretty cool - they'd even brought a sign which read in red letters on black "We Love Corn Mo" (We Love TMB Giants was on the back), which both Flansburgh & Corn Mo acknowledged. Heck, I think Corn Mo's made a pretty good impression, just from the front row fans (both Ohioan groups) & a second/third row group wearing Corn Mo shirts. Super cool.

Before Corn Mo came on, the mayor went onstage, and "The Dude" (remember - Lebowskifest) received a key to the city. Woo. I'm sure it would be cooler, had I known who the "dude" was. Anyway, Corn Mo went on, and was given a great reception. Before the show, I was thinking that a crowd which was into "The Big Lebowski" might be more receptive to an act like Corn Mo's (having never seen the movie), and I think it went quite well. Perhaps it was mostly due to this being a makeshift ampitheatre (or as I like to call it, a hill with a temp stage), but I didn't hear any heckling or shouts of "Freebird" (Oh, so old). And also, when I left, considering a Corn Mo purchase, no cds/dvds remained - only a few t-shirts. Whatever - he had a great set - finishing with "We Are the Champions," complete with his inspiring intro (summary: follow your dreams). Great fun - each time I see him, the show is more enjoyable.

So... after 9:30pm or so, TMBG was introduced, and they came to the stage. I have the setlist at the top, and let me just say that I enjoyed this show from beginning to end.
After Dr. Worm (I think), Flansburgh claimed to have just been informed that there'd been a baby just born up on the hill - the same hill that Danny Weinkauf had been born on during their last visit (don't know where that came from). John Linnell then informed us that this took us to the next song, as the baby was a bastard, and they were about to play "Bastard Wants to Hit Me" Later, before "Stalk of Wheat", Flansburgh continued, saying that the newborn baby (named John Sebastien) had already started written a song, which was delivered to them on their earpieces, during the previous song. However, he said that TMBG were going to stick to their setlist, so the kid would have to learn about bitter disappointment. Then, while getting ready for "Stalk" (maybe after Flans introduced the maraccas & flexitone), Linnell started playing "Spontaneous Song", which made Dan Miller crack up enough that he dropped the flexitone (which was a little too funny for me). It was great all around. I can't wait until they get the live recording up.

Of course, I didn't end up taking pictures (I've never gotten into the habit, since my concert pictures tend to, oh, SUCK), but I might steal pictures from elsewhere for my LJ, just to provide an example of the band's look for the night. JL, DW, and Marty all wore their usual garb. Of course, I suppose that Dan did too, but he was wearing his yellow shirt, which was interesting, because his shirt was the one on which all the sweating that they did was most obvious. It looked like one of my shirts after hockey (or an hour on the elliptical) - absolutely soaked through. Flansburgh, meanwhile, was wearing a shirt which looked very flattering on him. I think it was a black top, with a small red design on it (I'm sure I've seen it in other concert photos before) - and it made him look slimmer. Yeah, for anyone who knows me, its strange to read my description of an outfit, but it caught my eye.

Hmm... what else. I was also happy to see the inclusion of WDTSS. I know that its basically been a standard for them, the last few years, but I don't remember them playing it in St. Louis or London, so I was greatful for its return. However, I did not get any of the "interactions" that Flans mentioned.

Another especially enjoyable part was Guitar/Everbody Conga/No One Knows My Plan. I LOVE NOKMP, and I have to think that St. Louis helped the reintroduction of Everybody Conga (of course, ours was spontaneous, Louisville needed prompting). The Conga line looked like it was going really well (I should've joined in St. Louis, because, here, I wasn't leaving the front row), and of course, I was exhilirated over the inclusion of a fave song.

Oh, a SUPER cool thing that I feel I must mention: I'm not entirely sure when it started, but around Ana Ng/Spine, I noticed some of the people to my right pointing to the left side of the stage. I couldn't immediately figure out what was going on, but moments later, I realized that they were pointing at FIREWORKS! (I assume from a baseball game). JF asked us to please ignore the stuff over there, while JL noted that they'd brought out the pyrotechnics just for this show. I think that the band got a really good view of it all - during one of the songs, Linnel was making sound effects for the explosions, and during NYC (appropriately, the finale of the fireworks), Dan Miller was basically watching the fireworks (looking joyful or stupified, I'm not sure which) while playing. I, however, didn't get as good of a view, as speakers were blocking out much of my view. Oh well.

It might've been around here, also, that the gate guy (perhaps via a minion - I didn't get a good look) was true to his word. He brought a TMBG pass (sans lanyard) out for the Ohio group, who were exhilirated with the present.

Those are the most memorable parts of the main show. They played a lot of their usual songs, no venue tunes this time, as well a few surprises. I got the feeling, during the show, that they were trying to play the tunes most conducive for a mass audience, which likely included many non-TMBG fans. However, stealing a glance at aliste's setlist, I discovered that this was basically the setlist from the Odeon, so... I guess that I incorrectly jumped to conclusions. Oh, and I'm also never going to get a setlist - that is now obvious to me.

But, I skipped one important thing -> "Hocus Pocus"! Omigod, they rocked the song SO hard this night. TMBG turned into a TOTALLY different band, and I really DUG it. I mean, I liked it in St. Louis, but this was especially great! I didn't know they had it in 'em!

So, that's basically the show. It was easily the most fun I've had at a TMBG show this summer. I wish I would've seen Marty sing by going to the kids shows in Cleveland, but I would've had to stab my ears out during some of the Disney Radio stuff, so maybe its better that I didn't go. Anyway, once its DLable, I highly recommend this show. I hope the fun comes through on the recording.

After the show, I stopped by the TMBG & Corn Mo booths, and I ended up buying one of the obscure NO! toys (I'll take a picture later, if I remember). I'd meant to buy one in Chicago 1.5 years ago, but they'd sold out, by the time I'd made my decision. Anyway, from there, I drove back to my parents' home (after losing 15 minutes, trying to find my way back to the interstate, I just drove into downtown, looking for a sign - much quicker) - arriving (with the time change) at 12:40, with my gas light preparing to click on. I was quite tired, but I HAD to watch the two Stargate episodes I'd recorded. Afterwards, I was so giddy, I couldn't fall asleep until 5am. When I finally woke up, my left ear was still concert weary (I have earplugs in my CAR, and I still forget them!) and my calves ACHED from the POGO-ing during Birdhouse/Guitar, but it was SO worth it. I just wish that I didn't have to wait until next summer to see them again!

that sounds great, woodsie. i'm glad you had so much fun. i will definately consider buying that show when it's up for download.

i'm glad i'm not the only one. is Jennifer your sister?

No, Jennifer is my best friend - she went with me to the Nashville show & my first ever TMBG show in 98. My sister, Tara, was the one who first bought Flood (which opened the first door to my obsession) in 90, but she wasn't able to make the show in Indy, because she was working - otherwise, I might've gone ahead to that show, too (of course, that's not to say that she WOULD have wanted to go, even if she'd been able to).

O I C.

I had a strange feeling that was you Woodsie. I thought I saw you!! I was right in front of Linnell. You were wearing a green shirt, right?