New York
Posted 11/13/2007 by Vagrant_Admin
The first two of the three New York shows were exactly whatI had hoped for them to be. I haddecided when I put this tour together to place the New York shows in some verysmall rooms, and to do three of them.
Last year our shows were in huge rooms like Radio City MusicHall and then a few months later at Madison Square Garden. Those shows may have been my favoriteshows of all time, so when I set out to plan this tour I couldn’t help butwonder how to make this tour’s New York shows match last years.
I weighed out all the options, like Carnegie Hall, an iconicand ornate venue, on one end, and Pianos, a tiny East Village venue, on theother. It took some pondering, buteventually I came to the conclusion that, knowing that the goal was not tomatch the grandeur of last year, but to play intimate and memorable shows inrooms where the room itself wasn’t the story.
I decided on a few rooms around the city that would fit thespirit.
The first night was at Webster Hall where I had seen the GetUp Kids do their farewell tour. Itook the stage at sound check and I was surprised that I found it a bithaunting to be on a stage where I had seen some of my friends play their finalNew York show. I wondered if itwould cause my set to be bittersweet. Thanks to the kids at the show it was anything but. It was a crowd that smiled and sang andseemed to know what I was feeling in every song, though I think this audiencewas better versed in the last few albums of our catalogue. I even caught the bartenders singingalong and laughing to some of my more self-deprecating rants. As I left the building I bumped into afew patient fans who had stayed long enough to chat about the show and sharewith me some things that they had worked on, including one girl who had drawnan incredible portrait of the band and her friends, and another lovely lady whohad made me a shirt that said “Brown Coats” which if, you watch firefly, youwould appreciate as much as I do, and another who was thoughtful enough to bringme some of her favorite tea.
The second NYC show was held at The Highline Ballroom, whichis an intimate room with no barricade, no separation at all between the crowdand I. This crowd seemed to knowthe first records as well as they knew the latter ones and I was inspired byit, I must have added six or seven songs into the set that I hadn’t intended ondoing in reaction to the crowds enthusiasm. I could see the audience individually that night, whichalways makes for a more memorable show in my experience. I could see the last row, where Ispotted Chad Neptune from Further Seems Forever, as well as the folks in thefront row. I couldn’t help ribbingChad a bit over the fact that I had offered Further what would come to be thefirst batch of Dashboard songs, and at the time his response was something tothe effect of, “ Chris, I don’t think that people are going to like thesesongs”(Ha!!!) He is a good friend,and a good sport to take this retelling with a big grin.
After the show, well after it in fact, I finally left myfriends, some of whom I hadn’t seen in a year, and met some of the people thatwaited to chat with me. One groupwere a female rugby team and their coach who looked like they needed some coatsto help them through the cold wait, and one girl who had made (yes MADE) me ascarf. I am grateful for thesegifts, but I need to remind you that I am happy to meet you and you don’t haveto bring me anything at all, but when you do, I really appreciate it, and whenyou have made them yourself I am very impressed.
I have one more New York show on Wednesday and if you canbelieve it, it will be our last show of the tour. It is the first time ever that I am ever that I am notlooking forward to my New York show. I really don’t want this tour to end.
Chris
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