Fleet Pavilion 2004
I wondered whether it was being webcast or archived because there were two guys with cameras and two mics faced the audience. I still don't know, but now I think it was only for the Jumbotron screens on either side of the stage. I was thankful for them tonight because our seats were way over on the right way beyond Bob on stage.
There was a huge cheer for GBS as the lights went out, Chafe's Ceilidh came on and they bounded out.
They opened with Beat the Drum like in New York City. Love that song. I especially like the bodhran on that song. Go Sean!
In rapid succession, they did Donkey Riding and When I'm Up. The audience's voice for When I'm Up was impressive. Most of teh people around me at this point were singing. This nice Big Head Todd fan next to me named Gail seemed to like the faster songs. This was her 12th Big Head Todd Show.
Shine Right Through Me and Lukey flew right past. So fast I almost missed the 5 part harmony. Almost.
In Lukey, Alan forgot teh words and sang God-knows-what to one of the verses. He's a quick thinker. He didn't stop singing, he just didnt sing the words to that particular song! Afterwards he explained, "To the untrained eye, it might seem as though I had forgotten teh words to that song. But it's sort of like scat or jazz, where I can make anything up athat sounds good." All of the fans laughed.
He introduced Something Beautiful as "a pat on the back for a friend on a dark day."
He entreated the audience to "show some love for Sean McCann" when Paddy Murphy arrived. "Kris MacFarlane was feeling gay" tonight and at that, Kris twirled his drumsticks and bowed slightly. Alan laughed. Alan and murray tried to get Alan to mess up the words to no avail, except that "every drunk in the place was full." became the words to the song tonight.
During When I AM King, which was totally Alan on the Jumbtron, I started to pay attention to what they were wearing. Murray had a "Caffeine" (?) shirt on, ALan was wearing a black long sleeved shirt with a gray stripe down each sleeve, Kris had a Hanson shirt on, Sean was wearing his black embroidered shirt that he wore for the ECMAs, and Bob true to form in yet another wallpaper shirt. At least I HOPE it was another one and not the same one he wore in Philly and NYC!
Everything Shines was mentioned as being written by a Boston boy, Chris Trapper. I was having fun watching Bob. The Jumbotron showed Bob and Alan all night and Sean for the Sean songs. You hardly saw Murray and Kris on it at all. I was noting how differently Bob acts on a big stage. He is all about being a showman. Big movements, wide grins, dancing, bouncing, putting the little extra flair into his performance to draw in even the people sitting all the way in the back. Makes me appreciate him even more. *smile*
General Taylor had Sean singing the longest note I have EVER heard him sing. Oh my God! I dont know where he got the air. All teh others had long ago dropped out and were staring with wide smailes at Sean as he held that note forever. Bob nooded approval and smiled when he finally finsihed. Alan clapped his hands. It was amazing!
Scolding Wife was fun. Sean wandered back and was hitting Kris's bass drum with his tipper, Bob was messing around, Murray laid his head on Sean's shoulder during his verse and blew in his ear, trying to get him to mess up. Sean was wonderfully ignorant of him and didn't blow his lines. He stuck out his tongue at Murray afterwards.
Let It Go was amazing. It was such a rock ballad that Karen got her Zippo out for it. Bob held a note or two really long - trying to keep up with Sean? Murray was featured on teh bass - lovely bass part here. But the audience did not pick up on the last verse like the New Yorkers and Philadelphians. There might have been 5 times as many people here as in Nwe York or Philly but we were far better singers. There was no doubt this Boston audience was enjoying themselves, though. People were up and dancing all night.
