Of course there are no celebrations around here without music! Joining such luminaries as Phish, Bowling for Soup, and Foo Fighters in various Flemmapalooza celebrations, this year’s musical guest was Mike Doughty, former lead singer of Soul Coughing, who rocked the famous Water Street Music Hall in Rockchester…err…Rochester Saturday night..
It was a perfect Rochester night: NO SNOW, (oh thank you, merciful Lord), Tapas 177 for dinner, then the gig starting at 8 and ending before 11. The only thing that possibly could have made it better would have been drinks with a beautiful girl at the Bug Jar, then back to her place for a mattress mamba, but we’ll save that for next time. Once golf season starts up again, (May around here…), we’ll play Oak Hill and Greystone and maybe a few others.
Musically, Doughty and Scrap Livingston were their usual awesome Question Jar selves. They’re touring in support of Mike’s new album, “Stellar Motel” For those looking to sample the music, see Mike’s “The Question Jar Show” album or go to Drip.com/Drip.fm and download the entire Phoenix, AZ show from 10.20. Here’s the list from last night.
Set 1: Grey Ghost, Madeline and Nine, Question Jar 1-> Navigate by the Stars at Night!, Janine, These are Your Friends, QJ2, Light Will Keep Your Heart…, Ossining, (w diss of “Shaker Girl!”), QJ3, Rustle->Busting up a Starbucks, QJ4, Tremendous Brunettes->Super Bon Bon, QJ5, Circles, Unsingable Name!
Set 2: Rising Up, When the Night is Long, QJ6, Lazy Bones, QJ7, I Just Want the Girl in the Blue Dress, 27 Jennifers, Sunken-Eyed Girl, QJ8, Vegetable, I Hear the Bells, White Lexus, Looking at the World…, QJ9, Put it Down.
Enc: QJ10, Drunk on the Train to Chicago, Your Misfortune.
Grey Ghost was a surprise opener, and Madeline and Nine appeared early in the show instead of as a set closer. Indeed, the whole first set was one hit after the other. After opening on his acoustic, Mike grabbed is TWO-STRING bass, (you read that night), just in time for a question of, “By which stars do you navigate at night.”
“None,” he replied. “I’m lousy at it. But let’s play that song!”
During “Ossining” he actually stopped the song to ask some idiot girl third row to please not play shaker and tambourine while he and Scrap were playing.
“If we need another musician, we’ll put an ad on Craig’s List,” he quipped. Everyone thanked him for that…
“Busting up a Starbucks” woke everyone up with a thunderclap, coming right out of “Rustle,” but the energy actually intensified even more with the next two songs, “Tremendous Brunettes”->”Super Bon Bon.”
Let me tell you something: When he started Super Bon Bon, every girl in the place went bat-shit crazy…
By now everyone was singing along, so Unsingable Name had a wonderful Gospel feel to it as our voices rose to the rafters.
Set 2 was more loose, but just as much fun. “Girl in the Blue Dress,” “27 Jennifers,” and “I hear the Bells” were the higlights, and “Your Misfortune” was a stellar show closer.
Doughty and Scrap close the tour in NYC at the City Winery Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. Good luck getting tickets. If you didn’t order by now, you snost and lost:)
Football picks tomorrow, then golf-hockey-golf for the rest of the week!
