#Brooklyn

Beastie Boys Story Live in Brooklyn + the return of Cypress Hill & more

Never thought I’d see those three bad brothers, ya know so well onstage or at any capacity so this was super special & incredibly rewarding not to mention it taking place in Brooklyn. We also check in with Cypress Hill, Mike Doughty, the current Experience Hendrix Tour featuring Doug Pinnick & more.

Beastie Boys Story – April 8th – King’s Theater – Brooklyn,NY

“When Adam died, we stopped being a band.”

That was a line spoken by Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz near the beginning of Beastie Boys Story at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre on Tuesday night. It was the second hometown presentation of the Spike Jonze-directed two-man show, which saw Ad-Rock and Michael “Mike D” Diamond unfolding the storied history of Beastie Boys. Ad-Rock’s somber sentence was referencing their absent third member, the late Adam “MCA” Yauch, who died in 2012.

“Being a band was Yauch’s idea in the first place,” added Mike D.

While Beastie Boys Story played out essentially like a staged recap of the group’s 2018 memoir, Beastie Boys Book, those early words by Ad-Rock and Mike D served as something of a sub-thesis for the production. Playful, funny, enlightening, and at times a bit messy, the two-act story provided a truly fun and fascinating look into the creativity and career of Beastie Boys. You were likely to leave either far more knowledgable about your favorite group or a bigger fan than ever. But the most prodigious takeaway is what a remarkable talent MCA was, and how integral he was to making the group the legends they are.

The anecdotes recounted throughout the show painted a thorough and thoroughly astonishing picture of how three weirdos from New York City became hip-hop luminaries. As they discussed their earliest days meeting each other at punk rock concerts and their first encounters with the likes of Rick Rubin and the Dust Brothers, archival images of their younger selves were projected behind them. Perhaps most memorable were the photos from the Los Angeles house they rented out around the recording of Paul’s Boutique, where they discovered a wardrobe of wonderfully absurd ’70s attire that became their daily dress.

Footage periodically screened as well, like the grainy punk music video for “Holy Snappers”, or the band’s first attempt at rapping on stage while reading rhymes off the back of homework assignments. Jonze pulled out some of his more interesting directorial tricks around the use film. At one point, the camera seemed to follow Ad-Rock offstage as he recited the tale of a particular MCA prank that took a decade and a half to reveal itself. Later, a graphic breakdown of the samples used for “Shake Your Rump” illustrated just how wild the creative process around the Boutique era was.

Less successful were the tangible theatrics, where Jonze employed largely forgettable uses of props and costumes. Seeing Mike D dressed as an English bobby was more awkward than anything, even if his British accent wasn’t all together terrible. Some elements worked, though, including Michael K. Williams’ Bob Dylan impression and a recreation of MCA’s first homemade looping contraption — a two-reel tape wrapped around two mic stands and a chair. The night also saw the infamous inflatable penis from Beasties’ first headlining tour re-erected, and Ben Stiller popped in to defend the group’s sophomore effort.

Even with these flourishes, Ad-Rock and Mike D mostly had the stage to themselves. Lines were read from large teleprompters at the back of the audience, leading to some stilted delivery. Still, the whole thing was meant to feel a little loose, a little wonky, as that’s the sort of energy that defined Beastie Boys. There was space for improv, making it charmingly obvious when the two were working on unscripted bits. Although Ad-Rock’s growing disappointment with a Tuesday crowd that wasn’t as into sing-alongs and call backs as previous audiences could be distracting, he admirably kept the story moving.

As it did, touching on landmarks like opening for Madonna or putting out Grand Royale magazine, the pair also made time to take ownership of some of their low points. More than just admitting their first appearance on American Bandstand was less than artistic, they addressed their history of misogynistic tendencies. They expressed sincere chagrin for kicking founding member Kate Schellenbach out of the group when they transitioned to “aggressive rapper bro[s],” and groaned at their own lyrics in “Girls”. They even distanced themselves from Russell Simmons, a man facing numerous sexual assault allegations but inherently connected to the band’s early rise.

Despite the missteps along the way, both in its truth and its telling, the Beastie Boys Story remains deeply impressive and effecting. So often, that’s because of Yauch. While MCA’s wizardry — his discovery of the “Sabotage” bass line, the fixing of an old aviator helmet microphone to record a song, his use a 360-camera to capture the Paul’s Boutique cover — was well highlighted, it was clear his friendship had an even greater impact on the group. Ad-Rock choked up multiple times while recalling the Beastie Boys’ final show at Bonnaroo 2009, and during the final moments, he gave some of his speech to Mike D rather than speak through tears.

Watching two musical icons explain their growth from world touring partiers to innovative artists isn’t your typical theatrical experience, but Beastie Boys weren’t your typical rap stars. Their story is one for the books (literally) and their earnest, goofy retelling of it on stage proved just as sensational.

Cypress Hill – February 22nd – House of Blues – Dallas, TX

Recent Hollywood Walk of Fame recipients Cypress Hall returned late last year with Elephants on Acid, an eccentric title with beats to match that’s the first since 2010’s Rise Up and only their second since 2004.
This time around speaking of the Beastie Boys (see above) they return with Mixmaster Mike, the innovative turntablist that took the B-Boys to next level business with 1998’s Hello Nasty and in the words of B-Real, he wanted Mike to “do for us, what you did for them”.

As one of the true grandfathers of west-coast, hardcore hip-hop, Cypress Hill has undeniably paid their dues to the music industry for over three decades. 2019, thirty years after the band formed in 1988, and Cypress Hill is still going strong. New music, a new tour, and some new surprises The crowd, already electric, bellows in glee as the notorious triad takes to the stage. Eric “Bobo” Correa, percussionist extraordinaire, appears behind a massive percussion rack. The smooth one, B-Real glides across the stage with all the power and swag of a west coast legend. Sen Dog appears from the shadows, stage left, wearing his brim low in mystery mode. Mike hits the table, Bobo follows as B-Real breaks mic silence with is infamous twang on Band of Gypsies.The crowds response is immediate and a venue wide, hip-hop dance off ensues.

Bobo and Mix Master kept the groove tight and in the pocket while Sen Dog’s vocals boomed the hook through the venue speakers. New material was well received by the fans and CH pushed forward with “Put-em in the Ground,” “Latin Thugs,” and a most memorable performance of “Tequila Sunrise.” Mix Master Mike and Bobo engage in a percussion/table dual that highlight’s the mastery of both of these seasoned musicians. Sen Dog an B-Real return to join forces for the mega-platinum hit Insane in the Brain.

Setlist –

Band of Gypsies
Real Estate
Hand on the Pump
Throw Your Set in the Air
When the Shit Goes Down
Put Em in the Ground
Latin Lingo
Latin Thugs
Tequila Sunrise

Medley:
Roll It Up, Light It Up, Smoke It Up / I Wanna Get High / Cisco Kid / Dr. Greenthumb / Hits from the Bong

How I Could Just Kill a Man
I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That
Insane in the Brain
(Rock) Superstar

Mike Doughty’s 25 Years of  Soul Coughing’s Ruby Vroom – March 28th – Club Dada 

Doughty came out first to a hearty applause and opened with a solo rendition of “Circles” from 2000’s critically acclaimed, El Oso. After a bit of a warm up, he was joined on stage by Klass, Brown, Milligan, and Andrew “Scrap” Livingston on electric upright bass. “Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago” elicited one of the most hype, visceral reaction from the audience as they proudly sang along to the chorus.

For fans of Soul Coughing and Doughty’s solo material, it was a real treat to watch him work his magic, commanding his musical troops with his distinctive hand motions. Anyone familiar with Doughty’s discography is aware that he can produce a stunning amount of material, all uniquely his own but with a diverse flair for jazz, hip hop, R&B, and rock. To keep things fresh, he chose to do live remixing of some songs, opting to omit certain instruments on a whim to create a whole new sound for the songs fans adore.

This approach went over brilliantly as the crowd could still sing along and participate in the call and response of songs like “Casiotone Nation” that remind us how rewarding it can be to engage with the artist in real time.

The set seem to fly by as both the band and fans were having an incredible amount of fun. Mike and Andrew (who sadly lost his voice) shared in witty banter and random anecdotal stories that were a palate cleanser between songs. Inevitably, we all knew when the end of the show was drawing near since everyone is familiar with the track list. But they handled it brilliantly by joking about the nature of an encore and pretended to be surprised by our cheers for the last song, “Janine.”

It was more than nostalgia for a specific era of alternative music. It was a testament to the staying power of both artists’ desire to keep creating music. For fans looking for more, Mike Doughty has a Patreon page where he posts a new song every week exclusively for patrons.

 

NYC Hip-Hop Summer w/ Public Enemy, Slick Rick, Salt N Pepa & more

In part II of the Summer adventures I document one of the best things there is about NYC and that’s Hip-Hop, the good the bad & everything in between is at your fingertips whenever you want it. Logically since this is its birthplace that’s how it should be, but for a white kid growing up in Texas, I would have to wait years and years to see some of these acts that I practically bump into at the bakery now. Some of these acts don’t tour anymore or have never toured but will still do the occasional “local” show and local for them means NYC and its boroughs.

Slick Rick & Biz Markie – July 28th – Grammercy Theater – NYC

Their are few things I enjoy more than just a really fun, old school Hip-Hop show with a super hyped crowd. Nobody fighting, fronting, or causing trouble, just there to have fun like it used to be. And if you wanna have fun, why not have it with the Court Jester of Hip-Hop, Biz Markie?
Alot of people don’t like the Grammercy Theater, but its one of my favorite venues in the city – sure security and staff are dickheads everywhere in this city (Terminal 5 I’m looking at you) but at this place, everyone is really cool and it being right off 23rd St for me its perfect. I’ve seen alot of Hip-Hop shows here, GZA, Q-Tip etc.
Speaking of having an awesome staff, when I got there, my ticket was lost so I had to talk to production.
This kid comes out wearing a Houston Astros hat and I know everything is gonna be all right. We talked Texas, baseball and Hip-Hop and he welcomed me strong (thanks Jason) – just in time as the show was starting.

 

 

Biz Mark was first and the vibe in this place was phenomenal, a show like this in Texas might have drawn 100 people, but there was easily close to 1k strong here, really into it and having a great time.
Between Biz and Slick Rick this really great DJ (who’s name I wish I could remember) who apparently was a name radio DJ that alot of people recognized and appreciated played a great set of old school stuff.
Now it was Slick Rick’s turn –
This was my first time seeing Slick Rick so I can now scratch him off the list of all the MC’s I’ve wanted to see. He was equally fun and then Biz joined him at the end for a great finale.The show was over pretty early but it was raining like hell and I was trying to figure out what to do. See, one thing people who don’t live here don’t know is that its not like you can just go home for a bit and figure it out and then go back out, unless your a gazillionaire. For most people, once they bother to leave their apartment, their out, and once they return, their in. It’s just too much trouble otherwise.
I wasn’t that far from my old haunt Lit, which I don’t think I had been to in over a year and decided to head on over. It’s true, you really can’t go home again because I was at Lit for about an hour, and I didn’t recognize a soul and the vibe and crowd was something completely different and not for me.

Public Enemy w/ Salt-N-Pepa – July 30th – Wingate Park – Brooklyn, NY

I’ve been looking forward to telling this story for awhile and have waited to really get my thoughts together to tell it.
First disclaimer: Sadly, it’s just a fact of life that their are still places in this world, specifically right here in Brooklyn that as a young, white man, I am not welcome solely based by the color of my skin – just like equally sad that their are places, probably even more so, that people of color are not welcome for the same reasons.
I had been wanting to check out the Wingate area of Crown Heights for some time now, Curtis Mayfield has been said to have written We’re a Winnerhere -its an area of Brooklyn once known as “Pigtown,” not far from where Ebbets Field once hosted the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Just my passion for baseball alone I had been wanting to come out here, but had been warned not to.
When I heard that Public Enemy was gonna be playing, those previous warnings didn’t even occur to me, and when I heard that the show was free and that Salt-N-Pepa were opening, even if had, not going was no longer an option.
To sweeten the deal, the concert was part of the park’s ongoing Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series this being the thirtieth year anniversary of the series, and today was also Chuck D’s birthday, I was beyond ready.

I came out of the subway and as I normally do when I’m in a new neighborhood for the first time, I just followed the people to the park, their was no signs of anything to fear and it never occurred to me that it would.
When I got the park, the entire atmosphere had changed as the sun was setting – I learned that Wingate Park has it own weight lifting culture like the one at Venice Beach, but this had a real prison mentality, and those exercising, like at Venice Beach were on display to those entering the park, but most, including myself didn’t dare look their way.

Then right past that, getting into this park was also like visiting someone in prison – clusters of cops just everywhere and I was frisked three times at several checkpoints before finally entering.
An hour before the show, organizers announced a special guest, Leaders of the New School, who kicked off the show with a rocky start.

 

Audience members who expected to see Busta Rhymes, Charlie Brown, and the whole crew were disappointed. Only one member of the group, Dinco D., was present. He came on stage backed with only a DJ, which brought into question use of the plural “leaders.” He performed only three songs, the last of which was Scenario, the Tribe Called Quest song that featured Leaders of the New School. The audience started to jump and scream when they heard the bass line. Unfortunately Dinco D. spat only his verse, then put the mic down and left the stage.

One thing that was absent here was that of vendors, for which normally I would have appreciated and support their gesture to keep that sort of corporate element out of the park, but the problem was that I was starving and wouldn’t be able to enjoy the concert further without something to eat.
I didn’t want to have to go through that cavity search as before but I was desperate for some food – I went out the way I came in, asked around and they said that their was a store on the corner.
I walk less than two blocks, its still plenty daylight, when I go in, order a sandwich from the deli portion of this bodega and then began scanning the adjacent cooler for something to drink.
Here was something different, they sold beer mainly in singles instead of in quantity and they were selling for cheaper than soda. A decent side can of Budweiser was going for a mere $.75 – that made that choice easy.

As I’m waiting for my sandwich, a gentlemen that looks so much like LL Cool J, that I have to look twice, is making the same beverage choice, when I ask him:
“Is this right?, this is only 75 cents?” – He replies “Yeah, but drink it in here, you don’t wanna get caught with it outside” – Wait I can drink it in here too???

I retrieve my sandwich, and go back to where I was standing where LL Cool J was already partaking in his beverage and I politely say “Wow, I can’t believe we can drink it in here, thank you for the tip” –
We are having a decent enough conversation when suddenly the patrons that are coming in are doing double and triple takes on me, a skinny, pasty white kid,  eating a sandwich, drinking a beer, talking with a local, standing there in my RUN D.M.C. t-shirt –
In hindsight, I realize that they resented it deeply and the RUN D.M.C. shirt just seemed to antagonize them – it must have just screamed poseur to them and in that moment I seemed to embody everything that had ever been taken away from them.
LL picks up on this, and not wanting to look like an Uncle Tom he shouts loudly “Where else the fuck you gonna drink it?” – I still calmly said “Well I know that some zoning allows open containers” – his response (and purposely very loudly with the intent so that the other patrons can hear) “Not around here, there’s not, maybe yall can in White World, but not around here, don’t be bringing your RACIST SHIT UP IN HERE TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD!!”
Oh gawd. I could have instead recited Maya Angelou’s I KnowWhy the Caged Bird Singsand he still would have found some vehicle to call me a racist, he was just literally spoiling for a confrontation that I sensed was coming sooner than later. Apparently so did the Italian owners of the bodega as they were looming near, not to protect me, but just to keep an eye out. When I complimented them several times on what a great sandwich this was, they didn’t want to return the pleasantry out of fear.
LL just kept letting me have it – I have been all over the world and walked many miles on many streets but this was the first time I was truly terrified and convinced that it was only a matter of time before something was gonna go down.
Here is an example of the exchange – me trying to make nice – “Hey man, who do people tell you that you look like?” – he answers “LL Cool J, I know that, I don’t need some white motherfucker telling me that, what now you think you know more about LL than us, you little white motherfucker?” –
I didn’t wanna make any sudden moves but I had to get out of there. I wanted to show that I wasn’t afraid and decided to finish my sandwich like normal.
Another patron looks at me and says loudly “That sandwich good?!?!” – I nod yes – He gets inches from my face and screams “WELL EAT IT THAN YOU WHITE MOTHERFUCKER!!” – I calmly smile and nod and finish my sandwich and make my way to the exit.
I make it outside and head to the park but after a few steps some other guys who must have seen me inside yell “Hey Opie, how was your fucking sandwich?”
I have no idea what made me do it, but very passively I actually started walking toward them and said “Hey yall going to the concert?” –
They were stunned, they couldn’t believe it, and just nodded. In hindsight I think what saved my ass was that maybe because I’m so skinny it would have looked bad for them to kick my ass or because I showed no fear, or maybe they just thought I was too stupid.
And technically I was, because right then, with the last piece of daylight I had left I should have just called it a failed experiment and headed back to the subway and got the fuck out of there. Instead I headed straight back to the park.

To unpack things a bit, this was a free show in the heart of a neighborhood that grew up with these artists. What that means is that if any of these groups were playing anything less than walking distance for any amount of money the show would have attracted 200 people. But its like a fireworks display, the entire family can come for no money and its closer to walk to than the subway. So people/families that don’t normally get out much, this was a real treat and all of those comforts resulted in about 10k people showing up.

Salt-n-Pepa hit the stage next.  After 25 years in the business, they were still energetic and fun.
Both Salt and Pepa were keeping it sexy even as they reach middle age. Pepa wore short denim shorts and a revealing black top. Salt was a little more conservative, with a loose silver blouse and tight, shiny black pants.

But it was definitely a family friendly show, at least for their set. There was no cursing. At one point, they even brought some of their children and other young relatives on stage, which was a lot of fun.  Less interesting, however, was when Salt brought out her husband Gavin, who appeared to have no interest in being on stage, for the song Whatta Man.Thankfully, Pepa stepped in and asked for an audience member to dance with her. This produced one of the most fun
moments of the night, as the guy who came on stage was a mere 18-years-old and slightly intimidated by Pep. But she made him wrap his arms around her and dance. He smiled while Pepa rapped her verse.

And it got even better when they announced an unexpected special guest — Kid ‘n Play! The rap duo came on stage full of energy and performed one song, Rollin’ with Kid ‘n Play.The audience shouted out the chorus. And when Kid ‘n Play broke into their famous foot tapping dance, thousands of people screamed with joy.

I needed that – I was still so shaken up over what had transpired at the bodega, and was so angry. I was mainly upset that what they had taken from me was now the ability to enjoy this, and Kid N Play made me forget it temporarily.

Public Enemy’s set started strong. They had a solid three piece band — bass, drums, and guitar — that started it off. Then the Public Enemy sirens started to sound, and Chuck D. jumped out front and started with Public Enemy Number one.
Last to take the stage was Flava Flav, and audience enthusiasm was high. A big reflection of Flavor Flav’s celebrity that Public Enemy gives him his own personalized entrance. “Say what you want, but we all got one of these in our family,” explained front man Chuck D, as he affectionately introduced Flav “The key is not to have two of ’em!”

 

It was playful but hinted at the strained relationship so much so that when I used my crendtials to get a better look, I could hear them openly arguing with each other, and the source of this seemed to stem from Chuck D’s frustration with an obviously very stoned Flav when he went into the first of several digressions that interrupted the flow of the show. Flav thanked everyone for supporting “my second career, which is called reality TV” which got some laughs, cheers, and jeers. This eventually lead into a rousing version of 911 is a Joke.

 

The bulk of their set came from the group’s two crowning achievements: 1988’s It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Backand the 1990 follow-up, Fear of a Black Planet. Those albums have aged beautifully, but they didn’t resort to producing simple facsimiles of their hits like a heritage act. They did several including I Shall Not Be Moved, from their impressive (but sadly almost entirely ignored) new album, Most of My Heroes Still Don’t Appear on No Stamp

When the various messages got lost in the blur of their music, Chuck was more than happy to provide snappy sermons about the dumbing-down effect of technology, the futility of chasing youth and the banality of radio.

As they performed the early classic Timebomb it shed some light on the bond that has kept Public Enemy’s twin focal points united through a quarter of a century of insurgency and insanity.

 

Let’s hope they keep it together for a little while longer, because hip-hop will never know a group like them again.

Photos –

Roy Turner
Erez Avissar
Nicki Digital
Chris Becker

 

Celebrate Brooklyn Festival + Cibo Matto Returns & More (July/2011)

Celebrate Brooklyn Festival w/ Raekwon – Prospect Park – July 9th – Brooklyn, NY

The Prospect Park Bandshell is probably the best place to catch a hip-hop show in the New York City summer. Yes, you’re going to have to stand in a line that stretches beyond the park’s BBQs and jugglers to get a metal detector wand waved in front of you, but well worth it.

 

 

 

 

Raekwon‘s hourlong headlining set, however, made no concessions to anybody—
The night went essentially like this: one verse, one chorus, annoying explosion sound, flighty banter—repeat approximately 22 times in a mere hour His DJ dropped manic fragments of old-school rap songs as Rae blurred past his 90-second rhyme sprees, burning through song after song after song—new ones, old ones, shit off Immobility that you totally forgot existed, he had even more that he wanted to do until he was cut off by the 10:30 curfew.

At one point, he asked the crowd if they liked where hip-hop was going, which was received with a resounding “boooooo.” Thankfully, he assured us all, “Rae ain’t going nowhere. Rae right here with a new pair of sneakers.”

Set list:

C.R.E.A.M.
Can It Be All So Simple?
Da Mystery Of Chessboxin’
Glaciers Of Ice
Ice Cream
Surgical Gloves
Gihad
Criminology
Verbal Intercourse
Shimmy Shimmy Ya
Your Beef Is Mine
Heaven & Hell
Rainy Dayz
10 Bricks
About Me
Yae Yo
Broken Safety
Rock N Roll
Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing Ta Fuck Wit
Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang
Incarcerated Scarfaces
Triumph

A great relaxing day in the sun – I had been telling her about the park, and showed her aroundand we walked around and ate at one of the great sidewalk cafés’ in the neighborhood.
Since Brooklyn was the theme of the day, I suggested we check out this party in Brooklyn, Nancoteque that I’ve hearing so much about.
We managed to have a good time, but I wouldn’t go back. Got raked over the coals by the door-chick and it just wasn’t what they were advertising and all in all pretty lame.

Cibo Matto – Brooklyn Bowl – July 12th – Brooklyn, NY

One of the best nights of my life, we had just come from eating at the Dressler, which was one of the best meals/experiences of her being here, and I couldn’t begin to exaggerate my anticipation for this show. I’ve been waiting so long for this.
I was fortunate to see a pair of “soft” reunions within days of each other earlier this year to benefit the relief efforts in Japan after a devastating earthquake, where they quickly assembled a played 3-4 songs as a part of a revue. But tonight was going to be the real deal and I didn’t get to see Cibo Matto back in the day, and in the 12 years since they broke up, I think I’ve listen to their music every single day, I’m an obsessed crazy fan of theirs and I love it.
I wasn’t the only one excited, the air was tense with excitement and though Erin didn’t know anything about them previously other than what I had been schooling her on, she’s real good about feeding off of and supporting my excitement.
While Miho Hitori addressed the showgoers, it was apparent that these folks were already keyed in and ready to have a good time.

 

 

   They began their set with Beef Jerky as the audience and I sang along with every word and truly began to groove out. I was fully losing it the whole time and especially when I heard the opening notes to Sugar Water. Miho’s voice was instantly hypnotic as the sway and bounce of the track dripped effortlessly throughout the performance. The sweetly alluring performance of Moonchild with Miho’s vocals backed by surprise guest Sean Lennon.

Miho and Yuka performed two new songs as well, Tenth Floor Ghost Girl and Check-In. Considering that both tracks are indicative of the future of Cibo Matto and their new sound, they were surprisingly quite modern without the loss of the duo’s edge, which is exciting about their upcoming album. After almost an hour of play, they attempted to close out their set only to return for an encore after a most raucous and spirited bout of applause and cheers – and Miho is still so freaking hot.

Setlist:

Beef Jerky
Le Pain Perdu
Sugar Water
Spoon
BBQ
Moonchild (with Sean Lennon)
Tenth Floor Ghost Girl
Sci-Fi Wasabi
Check In
Birthday Cake

Encore:

Blue Train
Know Your Chicken

Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival 2010

So the fun weekend continued after returning from Jones Beach as well as the Hip Hop. On Sunday, my new Spanish Ladyfare and I went out to Prospect Park for some fun. We started out at the Prospect Park Zoo, which I also had never been to and wanted to check out. I hadn’t realized how freaking huge this park was as I couldn’t find the Zoo and nobody could tell me the right way. We finally get there, and had a nice day. The zoo is small but unique and intimate and bit more interactive.

Then we walked over the Bandshell for a highly anticipated Hip-Hop show that kinda capped off this great week of celebrating Hip-Hop and Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival – The J Dilla Seminar – July 6th

     So I was excited that I had been hired by AOL to cover the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival. As a life-long fan of hip hop and being hired to write about it, in the city of its birth was nothing but exhilarating for me. Today was the first day of the festival and the event that I chose to cover today was a seminar lead by Q-Tip about the life of J Dilla. Held in a library in Cobble Hill by my old apartment, The seminar started with a group called the J Dilla Ensemble, which was lead by a young-ish music teacher/superfan and his students from Boston, doing Dilla pieces via keys, drums, bass, guitar, and a few horns. And this hopelessly white girl would occasionaly sing, and she was good.
I think I benefited from the fact that it was advertised in two sections and the first was to feature a few lesser known panelists and then the later one with Q-Tip and Dilla’s mom, Ma Dukes, but when I got there they had switched it, so not alot of people were there for the first section, and then a ton of people showed up after realizing that they had missed Q-Tip. Since I got there early and wanted to cover the whole thing I sat in the front row about 3 feet from Tip. He was very intense, and spoke very carefully and thoughtfully. You could tell that the pain of the loss of Dilla was still very real and obvious to Q-Tip. He told alot of first-hand stories that I had never heard before, and as the enigma that is J Dilla, its so largely undocumented, so I was inspired and happy that this was being held. It was largely to promote the J Dilla Foundation that supplies inner-city kids with music education.
The second half was another panel after a short film. This time Ma Dukes again, but with a few guys from Slum Village and then the teacher from before. You could tell that the teacher, was like a Star Wars geek standing next to George Lucas. He held it together okay, but you could tell he wanted to break out haha.
The seminar was done well, with a great reception of food/beer and it was an incredibly inspirational day.Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival – Salute the DJ w/ Rob Swift – Music Hall of Williamsburg – July 8th

Another event I was covering for the Festival, and one I was much anticipating. As a DJ myself, I was excited about the focus and loved the idea of a DJ-cenntric event, not to mention but one of my all time heroes, Rob Swift was gonna bless the 1s and 2s. I get there and I’m hanging out with the crew from Brooklyn Bodega who are producing the festival. Great group of people, a smarter, more ambitious and passionate lot your not likely to find, especially about Hip-Hop. They have been gracious to have me on their radio program a few times in the last couple of years. So I’m enjoying talking with them, but this is not only my least favorite venue in Brooklyn, its one of my least fave in the entire fucking world. Between their aggressive, asshole security out front, you have to deal with the smug, elitist that work the Will Call window. I usually feel sorry for the people that work that gig, but here they seem to enjoy telling people that shows are sold out, or that their tickets are not there etc. Its always a hassle here, and this time was no exception. Not only were they giving the freaking producers of the event, they were even blocking some performers from entering! – What is it with these fucks?
I finally get it settled and get in, and in time to see Rhettmatic from the Beat Junkies getting down.

 

 

The place is packed and their is such a good vibe here. Their is nothing like a good Hip-Hop show. You will see every race, gender, creed etc. all dancing together, laughing and having a great time. I’m not there 10 mins when two older black women are dragging me, a skinny white boy, out on the floor. Just the real deal in every way and such a good time.
And then here comes my man Rob Swift – This cat is one of my biggest influences and inspirations and really my introdcution into turntabilsim. If you see him rawk hardcore, you will know why. It’s mind-boggling and its happening right in front of you. 

 

 

 The show ends at 2am and I thank all of the staff at Brooklyn Bodega and got invited to after-hours but I had been in meetings all day and was exhausted so I called it a night.OkayAfrica w/ The Roots and Talib Kweli – Prospect Park – Brooklyn, NY – July 11th

The Roots headlined the OkayAfrica World Cup 2010 Finals party to celebrate the first time in its 80-year history the tournament will take place on African soil. With a kick-off by Sahr Ngaujah, the star of the hit Broadway musical Fela!, the show featured performances by artists from all corners of the Diaspora, including host Talib Kweli (Brooklyn), Bajah + The Dry Eye Crew (Sierra Leone) former Trickykid Alumni-  Blitz the Ambassador (Ghana), and many others. Musically omnivorous hip-hop icons The Roots honor the fresh music of Africa by jamming throughout the whole day with surprise guests and capping it all off with a killer closing set.

    

We had a blast, and it was such a great environment, let alone the show. Their was a suggested donation but it was basically a free show and something like lover 10k showed up, just droves of people everywhere. Their was such a mix of diversity in performers and in the audience and a proud moment for the people of Africa. They had food tents set up everywhere, and instead of like hot dogs and pretzels, we ended up buying a whole roasted chicken, salad and dessert haha. Good meal and unforgettable music. After the show we walked around the park some more, and ended up just falling asleep in the grass under a tree. A wonderful day.    Private Screening of Basquiat: The Radiant Child hosted by DJ Spooky – Salt Space – NYC – July 12th

 

    So since our phones didn’t work, and because of the language barrier anyway, talking on the phone or texting wasn’t an option for me and the Spanish Armada.
Its so interesting to me that her and I for two weeks, never once communicated by phone, we just set everything up via email, the day before, and we never had one misstep, where as people that I communicate with all the time by means of phone and text, we miscommunicate all the time. So she actually finds in on the street this time, surprising me from behind. A few blocks from a private art gallery that I had received an invite to. Tonight’s event was a private, advance screening of a documentary that Mike D‘s wife, Tamra Davis had made about Basquiat called The Radiant Child, hosted by my friend and whom sent me the invite, DJ Spooky.
We get inside, and the Gallery is really small and only able to seat about 40 people. Now a quick disclaimer, I don’t claim to know really anything about art, art history or really anything about the business of art and its movers and shakers. I do know what I like however, and I’ve never been one to hold Basquiat in any higher esteem than anyone else. I’ve also never subscribed to the sexiness of his legend nor really understood its warrant. Having said that, it was a real trip to be in the same room with all of these people that were a part of that late 1970’s/early 1980’s downtown music/art scene of NYC. Since they were all interviewed or featured in the documentary, it was a reunion of sorts and suddenly the place was moving like a Studio 54 thirty-year reunion.
DJ Spooky did a brief set and introduced the film and moderated a Q&A after the film with Tamra and a few of the other cast members.

 

The film was done very well, and I enjoyed it, but it only confused me more as to the appeal of this guy and wonder if he were still alive if we would be talking about him at all. I know this sounds terribly dismissive, but based on the film, it really seemed like he was just this manipulative, druggie loser, that was able to dupe people that were so full of their own shit, that they wanted to be near what was happening so they enabled him. Ultimately his own demons caught up with him, so instead of his early death seen as this tragedy, it really seemed like the imminent result of that kind of lifestyle.
Afterwards we went and got some Chinese takeout and ate in that little park right off 23rd St. While walking to the subway, we saw all the kids in Iron Maiden shirts coming from their show at Madison Square Garden across town. Maybe one day I will actually see that band.

The Second Coming of Faith No More (Spring/Summer2010)

Well I was coming off a pretty crazy weekend already with my layover in Dallas for a few days. And now I was going right into the San Francisco trip. I had some business in town, and also had been offered a few DJ gigs that were not really all that important but they were at the same time as a string of hometown shows from my favorite band in the world Faith No More. To dork out for a sec, the importance of these shows if you are into it, was huge. First off, just a chance to see them in San Francisco, let alone at the Warfield, but as you may already know, that this was reunion tour – not in the KISS/Cher variety that go on forever, but in a dignified we are gonna do a few shows and that’s that sorta way. To further up the ante these were the first American shows since they reformed over a year ago. The looming question of after awhile (in true FNM fashion) was well ARE they gonna be in the States? The answer was, kinda. They were gonna do a three night stand at the Warfield in their hometown, followed by a high-profile show at Coachella, then two shows in Brooklyn, NY and one in Philly…then goodbye. So only 6 shows in 4 cities, well I already had tickets to Coachella and I live in NYC so why not catch them all? haha I know I’m a dork
So that was the plan but American Airlines had other plans for me sadly. I had tickets to all three shows, and was leaving the morning of the first show when I get to the airport to see that their are a ton of canceled flights. What followed was an excruciating day of sitting at the airport watching my tickets become worthless and an awareness that everyone that travels have zero self-awareness. So all of that anticipation was shot down and back to my family’s home I trot. Try again tomorrow?
So, the next day I get a First Class seat (that was nice) and make my way to San Francisco with a quick layover in Los Angeles. I’m not a big drinker, but I also grew up poor so when someone is offering you free champagne, the fact that it’s ten ‘o clock in the morning is of no consequence to me. I get to LAX and am waiting for the next flight to SF when the ill-advised decision of drinking champagne with airline breakfast was probably a mistake, not to mention I hadn’t got any sleep the night before. Point being, I was probably quite the sight as I was so desperate to fall asleep, even just for a second that I was willing to do all of those positions that you do on airports that make you look homeless. As I’m sitting there in a half-slumper, somebody mentions FNM and it gets my attention and they ask me if I’m going. As odd as that was, the person to my left hears my voice and asks “hey…are you Roy Turner?” – WTF? I thought, and as I confusingly nodded, he reminded me of who he was and come to find out he was an old friend I hadn’t had any contact with in over 12 years. At one time I was close with his brother, who as I find out lives in SF and he was going there to visit him with the sole purpose that they could catch these shows together. We have a nice talk and exchange numbers and I looked forward to seeing him and his brother the next day. Small fucking world eh?

Faith No More – April 13th – 14th  – Warfield – San Francisco, CA

I get to SF and other than the obvious I’m very excited – I adore SF as its one of my favorite cities in the world and I’ve even seriously considered living here, and if and when I ever retire, I just might. The promoter put me up in this shithole downtown but it was within walking distance of the club and the Warfield. Again I love this town but the homeless situation is so out of control here and I live in freaking NYC and I’m shocked how everytime I come here it seems worse. I couldn’t walk a half a block without someone aggressively asking me for something.
I secure the hotel and call a few friends and let them know I’m in town. I already had plans to go to the show tonight with an old friend from Texas who lives here and let her know that I would meet her at the show. I get something to eat, walk by the ol’ OFarrell Theater, and head to the Warfield.
I see my friend straight-away and we excitedly catch up and head in to the show were openers Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine had already started doing their thing. How appropriate I thought, another weird and local legend to get things started.

Jello was as awesome as The Dead Kennedy’s without him are embarrassing. Now I know this motherfucker is crazy and I don’t always agree with everything he says, but they killed. Biafra had the whole School of Medicine thing going with the lab coat, and covered in blood and the band was just super tight, and as I looked closer I knew why. I recognized a familiar face from Ween-world in Andrew Weiss on bass and his brother Eric on drums. I called Claude from Ween right after to tell him what I was seeing, it was incredible. Of course they tore thru California Uber Alles, and Holiday in Cambodia and the crowd went nuts.
Neil Hamburger acted as the MC and this meant he told a few of his jokes, and then introduced each act. His act is pretty fascinating: he tells some of the most offensive jokes possible, and the crowd tends to react strongly to him. Sometimes people cheer the rape and drug addiction humor; sometimes, people boo and throw things at him. It’s interesting to watch a crowd respond to him that has never seen him before, but I don’t know why anyone would actually buy a ticket to see his own show. If everyone in the audience is in on the joke, there is no joke.
 What came next literally defies description – even by Faith No More standards of weirdness and perversity – but keeping the San Francisco vaudeville spirit going
was something called the Barbary Coast Cloggers. Fred Schneider of the B-52s in his wildest, homosexual dreams could not come up with a concept that was this gay. All I could think of was Roddy Bottum watching videos of them on YouTube and thinking “they must open for us!!”. Though a supporter, I’m not a member of the gay community but I don’t think even my gay friends have ventured into clogging. Think square dancing with the loudest country and western outfits ever. It was the opposite of vulgar, very upbeat and fun and the dancers were so queer they seemed to shoot rainbows out of their faces.
As I watched their first number, with my mouth wide open in a giant smile, I worried about the crowd reaction, but when the song finished, only half a breath passed before the audience broke into spontaneous, overwhelming applause. It was amazing. I looked over at my friend and said “This is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, and Faith No More hasn’t even started!”
But now that time was upon us – I was finally seeing Faith No More in San Francisco and these were their first shows in the States in over 12 years. I had been lucky to see their first show back period over a year ago when I was in London at that was really something.
After all we had already seen, their was the definite anything goes vibe that is usually prevalent when these guys are involved. Given what was at stake I had a feeling that the set-list could be full of surprises. Starting with Midnight Cowboy and then right into The Real Thing you would have thought Slayer was onstage. A more fanatical crowd I have yet to see, and the music doesn’t exactly inspire the whole moshing thing in my mind, but it is chaotic and the place completely lost their shit, like the whole time.
A band known for also their odd choices of songs to cover, I was wondering what this would hold or how it would be different than London, or how the shows would differ setlist wise over the three nights, as I had confidence that they would change it up a bit each night and make each one special and they did just that.
Some of the rarities were: Michael Jackson‘s Ben and they finally did their cover of Sparks‘ This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.
Here’s the full setlist:Midnight Cowboy (John Barry cover)
The Real Thing
Land of Sunshine
Be Aggressive
Evidence
Surprise! You’re Dead!
Last Cup of Sorrow
Ricochet
Ben (Michael Jackson cover)
Midlife Crisis (included a section of Stevie Wonder’s Sir Duke)
Epic
I Started a Joke (Bee Gees cover)
The Gentle Art of Making Enemies
Ashes to Ashes
Just a ManEncore 1 :Stripsearch (w/ Chariots of Fire)
We Care a LotEncore 2 :

This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us (Sparks cover)
Pristina

A freaking incredible show and one of the best shows I’ve ever seen period. What a weird, long strange trip, even for them.

Night 2

  Without giving anything away, I had told them a bit about the weirdness (and awesomeness) of last night’s vaudeville-style show. What surreal form of entertainment were we in store for tonight? The first act was called the White Trash Débutantes, I’m only assuming are from San Francisco, who did what you would think a band with that moniker would do, and alot of covers. Without too much calculation I’m sure FNM wanted something local, fun and legit.

Next in the “wild card” slot was yet another one of those things that could only happen at a FNM show, where when you tell your friends about it later, they shriek in laughter and go “gawd I wish I was there” but in the moment all you can do is shake your head and laugh and think: “What the fuck?”. 
That moment came with the fucking El Camino High School Cheerleaders came out to do routines. About 20 high school girls in full cheer regalia marched onto the stage. A pulsing techno number boomed its way through the theater, and the girls danced, made pyramids, leaped and bounded across the stage.
Now it was that time once again, the place seemed way more packed than the night before and we had trouble getting down to the floor. Neil Hamburger had been keeping his in-between-acts sets mercifully short; He tried to incite the crowd to bellow out “Smash Mouth!” repeatedly, and about 30 attempts at this went on before Hamburger suddenly stopped, paused for the smallest of moments, and growled out, “Ladies and gentlemen… FAITH NO MORE!” The resulting cheer, especially when the band was joined by Mike Patton — tonight clad in deep red, still sporting his cane — was almost earsplitting.
Starting with the Peaches and Herb cover, the appropriate Reunited like they did in London last year, and then when they finished that and went into From Out of Nowhere the place exploded into an absolute frenzy as we did right along with them. Looking at my friends as the crowd tore us apart with that smile of “See you after the show dude”.

Their were a few changes in the setlist for this show but the real surprise came, when they started the opening keyboard line to As the Worm Turns, when Patton was about to sing the first verse, he runs offstage, as he is simultaneously replaced by…Chuck Mosley – Holy shit, that crackhead who was the original singer before Patton took his place? Yes that one. How historic? to wrap up the history of this band to completion, didn’t see that one coming, and to be honest wasn’t even sure that Mosely was still alive. Now, not to be a cynic and who can really compete with Patton anyway, and I was excited by this gesture, he kinda overstayed as the planned four-song Mosely set was probably about two too many. Mosely was in bad shape, but not embarrassingly so, and it was awesome to hear some rare stuff and even kinda cool to hear the original sing it.
Patton returned and they did the Chariots of Fire/Stripsearch from the night before, but not before verbalizing what was on everyone’s mind as Mosely exited by saying into the mic “Chuck fucking Mosley?” but with great appreciation and a shared awestruck. Mosely returns at the end to close the set with Patton to trade off with Introduce Yourself. How insanely historic and totally fitting to end this never-to-be-repeated hometown swing. Just a honor to be a part of it.

Here is the setlist:

Reunited (Peaches and Herb cover)
From Out of Nowhere
Land of Sunshine
Caffeine
Evidence
The Gentle Art of Making Enemies
Chinese Arithmetic (with a bit of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face)
Last Cup of Sorrow
Cuckoo for Caca
Ben (Michael Jackson cover)
Ashes to Ashes
Midlife Crisis
Digging the Grave
King For A Day
Epic
Just a ManEncore 1 – Chuck Mosley on vocals

As the Worm Turns
Death March
We Care A Lot
Mark BowenEncore 2 – Mike Patton on vocals

Chariots of Fire / Stripsearch
Introduce Yourself (with Chuck Mosely)

So I met back up with Brothers Mitchell after the show outside, and we excitedly recanted the night’s events and surprises. I invited them to join me as my friend Gina, whom I went to the first night with, she was only a few blocks away and had invited me to a dance party with this DJ that was gonna be playing Coachella, whose name escapes me. The boys agreed and we headed uphill the 10 blocks or so, catching up and totally high from the night. Hipsters be damned, the minute we saw the velvet rope, we had doubts. I stayed and talked with them so more before they decided to bail. I thought I would go in and hang for few songs and say goodbye to Gina since I was leaving in the morning. Got totally raked over the coals by these pretentious doublefucks at the door and considered leaving. Finally made it in, and had a great time dancing and laughing with Gina before calling it a night and walking back to my hotel. On to Los Angeles in the morning.

 

Faith No More – Williamsburg Waterfront – Brooklyn, NY – July 2nd & 5th

So I’m finally back home in Brooklyn, after an almost month long adventure. NYC in the Summer time is so fantastic and I don’t care where I am or what I am doing I make it a priority to be back here for the 4th of July. It’s my favorite time to be in NYC. I love, love, love, the holidays in NYC for sure (though I despise the cold).

There is just something majestic about NYC in the Summer, the rooftop parties, and all the Summer fashion that the girl’s wear, and the outdoor bazaars and the parks are so alive with activity, I love it. My first night back, I go to my haunt (and sometimes DJ residency) Lit, for a party with VHS or Beta. I had’nt talked to those dudes since my Astralwerks days, so it was a fun first night back. But the next night continued my year long hard on for my all time favorite band:

This show was historic for a battery of reasons, for one, it was the first (and possibly the only) shows in NYC for FNM in over 12 years. Also it was the first of a series of shows at the awe-inspiring Williamsburg Waterfront, from Jelly NYC that replace their famed Summer Concert Series to this new area instead of Mccarren Pool. And if the shows I saw in San Francisco are of any indication, tonight was gonna be something special.
It was the first of two shows at this location with a show in Philly in between them, and the only scheduled shows other than the ones in SF and LA.
It felt like a pilgrimage making my way down there because after you got off the subway, and walked a few blocks down, their was no reason anyone would be down there if they were going to the show, so suddenly you were walking amongst like-minded people exclusively.
I get there, and check in and the FNM organization (i.e. Roddy Bottum) were gracious to leave me a VIP pass.
I get to my area and Rahzel was already on. The amount of bass he was able to produce was impressive, and his beats shook the speakers. . He somehow managed to do the verse and chorus of a song simultaneously. He spent a lot of time talking about hip-hop, the importance of women not getting impregnated by poor men, and why dudes should be sure to keep themselves wrapped. Some of the talking got old, but it was fun when he brought his youngest son up and told the crowd about him. His son alternated between looking like he was going to laugh and cry.

 

Next was Neil Hamburger, who I familiar with before I saw the SF shows and then got real familar with because of those shows, did the same as before as more of an extended introduction with his anti-humor thing. A big part of his act is chastising the hecklers that he knows he’s going to get. A lot of his taunts at the audience were funnier than his jokes, per usual.  He did that same joke he did in SF with the threatening that the band wouldn’t come out till the crowd yelled Smashmouth a hundred times.

It was still light out when Faith No More finally hit stage, but the crowd went freaking crazy. And that’s good as I’ve been to too many good shows in this town, only to watch the jaded, too-cool crowd just stand there. This time they were ready, as was I, and opening with From Out of Nowhere , after they did their now customary cover of Peaches & Herb cover Reunited was perfect.
What was not perfect was the way the “beer-drinkers” were sectioned far off from the rest of the audience. It seemed there were many unnecessary barricades, and all the grass near the stage was sectioned off, removing the only comfortable option for anyone who wanted to sit and watch the show. And did there really need to be separate lines for beer tickets and beer?
Mike Patton instructed the crowd several times to turn around and check out the incredible view by enviously saying “You fuckers live here!”

An unbelievable show in such an amazing setting on a perfect night. Weather was great, band was incredible. I’ve seen a few of these now, and they didn’t play anything too different from the other ones, but it didn’t matter, they could have played whatever they wanted, and that’s exactly what they do, and makes them so great. They play again on Monday and I’m just as excited about that one too.

Here’s the setlist:

Reunited (Peaches & Herb cover)
From Out of Nowhere
Land of Sunshine
Caffeine
Evidence
Surprise! You’re Dead!
Last Cup of Sorrow
Cuckoo for Caca
Easy (Commodores cover)
Midlife Crisis
The Gentle Art of Making Enemies
Ashes to Ashes
I Started a Joke (Bee Gees cover)
King for a Day
Epic
Just a Man

Encore:

Stripsearch (w/ Chariots of Fire)
Be Aggressive

Encore 2:

We Care a Lot

Faith No More (night 2) – Williamsburg Waterfront – Brooklyn, NY – July 5th

Here is a tweet from my Twitter feed to start the day:

“Oh Faith No More again? Tonight? Don’t mind if I do – this could perhaps be the last American performance of this band ever.”
But it was another Tweet by Faith No More keyboardist Roddy Bottum, who in his ever helpful ways, sent this Tweet – that serendipitously changed everything:
“Faith No More play Brooklyn tonight (NO L TRAIN)”
Now normally this wouldn’t mean much, Brooklynites are accustomed to that piece of shit L train never running properly, but and I don’t believe in fate or that things happen for any particular reason, the cause of this would result in re-route, that would yield a meeting with another stranded concert-goer of epic proportions.
The detour was ridiculous even by NYC standards and took me to parts of Brooklyn that I didn’t even know existed on trains that I didn’t know still ran.
I was coming down the steps from an above ground J train to locate what I was told would be a shuttle bus that would take me sorta to the venue, at this point now surrounded by obvious other Faith No More fans, when this striking woman was making the same confused gesticulations that I was and actually in sync.
Clearly we were both looking for the same thing, but now I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Without a thought and I couldn’t even tell you why, I just looked at her and with a smile on my face said “Where is this fucking bus?!” – She smiled and I suggested we cross the street to find it. After some seriously comedic trial and error, we finally locate the bus and learn that we have to make two transfers. It was clear that we were both alone so we kinda formed our own little crew with immediate rapport. From her accent and minimal English, I learned that she was from Barcelona and was in NYC for the first time, having just arrived a few days ago and would be here for a month on an internship to the consulate of Spain.
We get to Will Call, and she already has her ticket, and of course their’s a problem with my ticket. She waited a great while patiently with me and I didn’t want the fun to end, so as I could hear the openers going on, I told her to go ahead and I would find her inside. What was I thinking?? as she walked away, I’ll never find her in this mob” Is what I was thinking regretably. Oh well, I tried to comfort myself with, I only knew her for an hour, sucks I didn’t get her number, hope I find her, but for now let’s focus on what will probably be the last time I ever see my favorite band of all time, as they finally locate my ticket just as I’m hearing the opening notes to their cover of Midnight Cowboy.

 

So like a fanboy teenager, I run as fast as I can to get situated. This time I didn’t have the luxury of the whole VIP nonsense, which was fine because I had planned to really flame out and go to the front and just be 14 again for one last time for as long as I could.
Now this band of course doesn’t have the sound or image of a band that you would equate with having crazy moshpits, and the like, but let me tell you this was my 6th of the reunion shows and 10th of their shows overall and they have some of the most brutal shit to handle at their shows.
I was in total bring-it-on mode, and made my way to the front.

This lasted for about half of the set, before I was so winded and close to puking, and so sick of people stepping on my feet and looking down and seeing my jeans ripped and my shoes a mangled, unrecognizable shape. Yes I am getting old haha.
Totally worth it – here is another one of my Tweets to capture the moment:
“After seeing 6 of these reunion shows 2night might have been the best – FINALLY As the Worm Turns w/Patton”

Their was just something about this show and I feel sorta high from it even after all these months removed.
Here is the setlist:

Midnight Cowboy (John Barry cover)
The Real Thing
Be Aggressive
Land of Sunshine
The Crab Song
The Gentle Art of Making Enemies
Last Cup of Sorrow
Chinese Arithmetic (w/ Rahzel)
Easy (The Commodores cover)
Midlife Crisis
Digging the Grave
Ashes to Ashes
Ben (Michael Jackson cover)
King for a Day
Epic
Just a ManEncore:
I Started a Joke (Bee Gees cover)
As the Worm Turns
We Care a Lot (w/ Rahzel)

Encore 2:
Stripsearch

So after the last note ended, I just didn’t wanna leave right away, and soak in what had just happened, take in the great view one more time, and then fall into my usual love of people watching. Then it occured to me, “wait a minute, that Spanish girl, I never found her” – Knowing that it was futile, and sorta silly to be furiously looking for a stranger and what would be the result even if I found her, but I had to satisfy the notion of at least trying. So I went and stood by the exit (like a loser) logically everyone must pass thru here, if she hasn’t already. And like in the movies, just as I was about to give up, she taps me on the shoulder from behind.
This was a good sign as she could have walked on by after seeing me and I would never have known. Both really excited about the show we had just seen and in desperate need for hydration, I ask her if she wants to grab a drink. She agrees, and we go to the Charleston and talk for what must have been hours.
We realize early that communicating through our phones isn’t really an option so we exchange email addresses with the promise to get together again in a few days. We get on the train together and her stop was before mine, so I offer her a hug to say goodbye. What is it between me and this girl? The second she was gone, I began to wonder if I have seen too many movies.