Who: Jump Little Children • Red Wanting Blue
A few weeks ago, I went to see a Red Wanting Blue acoustic set on campus, and when I told Mike the Volunteer Team at my science museum the next day that I had gone to see them, he informed me that my favourite band in the entire world, Jump, Little Children, was opening up for Red Wanting Blue in early February at the Newport. Seeing as how Mike likes to make me feel like an imbecile . . . all of the time . . . I assumed that he was yankin' my chain, if you know what I mean. To prove his sincerity, he told me that there was mention of it in first one newspaper then another until it was finally decided that he was an absolute liar. But it turned out that he wasn't lying. Upon a visit to the Jump website, I discovered a section of tour dates that read, "Hello Ohio!" and listed not one but two Jump shows in my neck of the woods. The first was in a lovely land up north called Struthers, and seeing as how a girl I work with is from the area, I asked her if she would be willing to point the way for me. She gave me her phone number and told me to call her so that we could make plans to go the show together, Red Wanting Blue fan that she is. So, not only did I have a companion but someone who has an in with the locals.
Wednesday, one night before the concert, Sarah finally returned my voicemails and sorrowfully explained that she would no longer be able to accompany me. I took her backing out as a sign that I shouldn't go. After all, I did have a midterm the next day that would keep me from leaving early for the show, and I did have to work at 8:30 the morning after the show. So, I decided to call my back-up, my never-fail, Mike the VTL. I knew that if he turned me down, the show was a bust. But he didn't turn me down. And it made me wonder why I hadn't invited him in the first place. So, I frolicked around my room a bit in excitement and tried on every single piece of clothing in my closet before I found something that matched my fruity blue shoes.
When I got to Mike's house at 5 PM and knocked on the door, he asked me to wait outside through the closed door, and the urgency with which he said it let me know that a) he had another woman inside who needed to quickly hide under the bed, b) he had to quickly turn off his pre-teen porn, or c) he was completely nekkid. When Mike did open the door, he was lacking a shirt, which left me wondering still which of my three assumptions was correct and whether or not he was teasing me with his nekkidness. I came to the conclusion that Mike is indeed a tease and settled myself on his blue doctor's waiting room chair while he told me about his day at work. He started out the story by saying that the day had been the day when all of "the fit hit the shan". I just know that Mike stores phrases that like to use in front of people like me who will react to them because they're just so annoyingly charming. After Creme Savers were dispersed, we piled in my car, and I drove us to Mike's bank while he read me an enflamed article about our museum that was in the newspaper. He decided to hop out of the car when it was his turn at the drive-thru, only to deprive me of the pleasure of his leaning over me, he said. I really think that Mike cares less about what I think of him than anyone else I know. There he was, looking so goofy, standing in the middle of the drive-thru lane, while I sat reading the paper and shielding my eyes from the stares of the other bankers. I decided then that the thing I love most about Mike is the fact that I make him smile without trying. Just my mere presence makes him grin this grin that he attempts (rather poorly, I might add) to hide. He clearly wants me and can't admit it to himself. (Ha . . . ha.)
I attempted to explain Jump's brilliance on the ride to Struthers through use of the outstanding lyrics and the lead singer's voice on their newest album, Vertigo. I really don't think that Mike had an opinion of them at all after hearing a few songs, but he was quite sure that we had to stop at the Hardee's in a town called Seville, since Columbus no longer has any of them fine establishments. He ordered himself a Six-Dollar Burger, while I settled for curly fries and a Moose Tracks milkshake. Mike renamed the sandwich the Six Dollars Worth of Mustard Burger and then discovered a bit of the condiment on his nose as we were leaving the joint. A bit too apropos, I thought. A few minutes later, I started questioning whether we were going to make it by 9 PM, when the show would "promptly" begin, Jump's website claimed. At 8:56, we were still stuck behind a line of five or more semi trucks, because I didn't have the foresight to pass them. I jokingly told Mike that I thought the funniest thing in the world would be to drive three hours and miss the band, and he solemnly informed me that it was a very real possibility.
But then, a few minutes later, we were in Struthers. And Struthers, if you've never been there, is everything that Ohio tries to pass itself off as not being. There it was, 9 PM, and not a single person was to be seen. The place was very . . . industrial. Mike referred to it as shady. Our directions took us down a tiny side street that led to . . . well, nothing. We dead-ended at a patch of trees that concealed a whole lot of abandoned . . . stuff. I was frightened. Mike wished he had his camera. The road in front of us wasn't marked in any way, so we just turned right onto it and hoped for the best. And there in front of us was The Cellar, brightly lit with neon signs and advertisements for its website and such. It was everything that the town was not, except that it, too, looked totally un-peopled. I parked on what one would call a residential street, except that wow, the houses gave me a sick, empty feeling. I realised then that I'm disgustingly white middle class.
The Cellar was not actually as lonely as it had appeared to be from the outside. There were about ten people playing pool upstairs, but we walked past them and went down to the basement, where another ten people were hanging out at the bar. I recognised first the pink mandolin and then rest of Jump's gear on stage, along with the backdrop that Red Wanting Blue apparently brings with them on tours. (Actually, to let you in on a secret, upon seeing the backdrop, I first thought, "Wow, The Cellar has the same backdrop for their stage as the last place I saw Red Wanting Blue!" And then I realised that I am an idiot.) Mike and I sat at the bar and watched as scantily-clad girls slowly filtered in, accompanied by their middle-aged pimp. They all pranced around and teased him as they adjusted their halter tops and "danced up on him" until he bought them beer. They stood directly on top of us, giggling and cooing while Mike complained that his claustrophobia was acting up.
And then the band starting making trips to the bathroom, clearly in an effort to taunt me, since they knew that I wasn't going to get up the courage to talk to them before the show. First Jonathan came out from behind the stage, went to the bathroom, and then plopped himself down at the bar. Realising that he and I were practically having sex since we were both sitting on the same type of chair (self-mockery, I hope you realise), I gasped and watched him act all nonchalant, as if he didn't know that he's part of Jump, Little Children. Then, Ward came forth and made his trip, at which time I gasped and pointed out his tapered jeans to Mike. Next, Evan made his trek to the back of the bar to expel himself; I gasped as he walked past me and asked Mike if he thought Evan would think me psycho if I followed him into the restroom. Mike thought he would, so I just sat tight and stared my drummer down, hoping that he would notice and think, "That poor child clearly wanted to follow me into the restroom. I can really appreciate that about her." But he didn't, so I just waited for the next band-type, which happened to be Matt in all of his motorcycle-jacketed glory. He actually emerged with the lead singer of Red Wanting Blue, and I gasped as they entered the bathroom together. I loved how they all just casually walked around, all-too-aware of the fact that the lot of the 25 people in the bar were there either just to hang out or to bottle some of Red Wanting Blue's sweat.
By the time the show started, there were approximately 100 people in the venue, and a whole 5 of us lined up in front to sing along with the band. Jump more or less just overwhelmed me. Mike knew that it was coming and refused to so much as stand with me during the concert, so I was forced to initiate conversation with random strangers around me. I'm glad that there were those 5 people who understood me, though. Yes, overwhelmed is the perfect word. And now for a little setlist action:
Vertigo :: I was very sure that they'd begin the show with this song. I was neither surprised nor disappointed.
It was just plain good. Jonny was crazy with his bass and Ward embodied 80's metal goodness with his flying V and Evan was so cute and disconnected, hammering away in the back with no notice that an audience was even in front of him and Matt . . . Matt is something indeed. I was absolutely amazed at his transformation from a quietly content mandolin-player into this dirty, gyrating, microphone stand-humping, beautiful man. And his eyes. Ash had told me about The Eyes™, but pictures had only served to make me frightened of their wildness. But then Matt took off his cap, and I understood. I was smitten with Jay's voice and the way that the music only added to it rather than hindering it as is the case with many live shows. Everything was just so layered and lush and almost exactly how I wanted it to be. My only qualm was with the volume of the show. When I think of my favourite Jump, Little Children songs, I think of calm yet climactic, slow yet energetic music and tear-inducing lyrics. I got all of that with songs like Darkest Love and Words of Wisdom, but most of the songs that were played from the album that got Jump some major airplay, Magazine, were the fun, popular ones rather than the heart-wrenching ones. Say Goodnight was a real treat, but I could have done with more Close Your Eyes and less Come Out Clean. I do realise that Jump sort of had to cater to the Red Wanting Blue crowd, though. And I won't complain at all about My Guitar; as much as I've never liked that song, it was a terribly good choice for a closer. And wow, seeing Jay look over to his left at the beginning of each song as if he was checking to see if I knew the lyrics was really cool, even if he was actually just checking to make sure that I wasn't trying to climb onstage to accost the lot of them.
As soon as the band left the stage, I grabbed Jay's setlist, which elicited a similar response from some other random fans around me. I stood with a couple of kids from the Jump mailing list who grabbed Matt as soon as he came out to throw some of their gear to the side of the stage. They had him sign some whatnot, and then I sunk my nails in, asking stupid questions like who he looks at so seductively while he's singing--the tops of people's heads and anyone who he imagines would look good in only underwear--and whether or not he would do The Singer for me in Columbus the next night--a maybe. I dropped the name of my lover, James Ashley Hopkins, and told Matt that I was supposed to make him use my cell phone to make a call to Ash if I got to meet him. Matt didn't understand the logic of this at all, and I didn't want Ash taking up my Matt time, anyway, so I dropped the issue. I then mentioned an e-mail that I sent a while back requesting a couple of songs, and he remembered that I had asked for Secrets and 15 Stories, neither of which could be done live, he claimed. But hey, at least he recalled my requests. I'm sure that I touched his bare arms far too many times and gazed at him without speaking far too long, but he was overly gracious and thanked me for coming to the show until his lungs burst. My favourite moment of the Matt conversation was when I mentioned that I live in Columbus and would be at the next night's show, and asked me where it was that they were playing. I told him that it's the Newport Music Hall and said, "It's a really great venue. It's like an old . . ." And as I paused to think, Matt interjected, "Music hall?" I said, "Yeah!" as if he was some kind of genius, reading my thoughts. It was only later that I realised that the place is called a music hall for a reason. That reason being that it's, like, . . . a music hall. I chattered on and on about nothing and admitted that despite the fact that I know bands aren't really big on fans making them pose for pictures, I had to do it anyway. Matt denied the claim and did the picture deal as I apologised for keeping him and allowed him to escape backstage for some water. Then, Evan emerged, looking much more frightened child than rockstar. He had put a bulky black ski jacket on and had a backpack with him, which he put down when I halted him. I first chastised him for stealing my glasses, since his were exact replicas of mine, same brand and all. (And I really don't want that to look as teen-y fan as it does. I'm not the type who goes out and buys the things that my band does just to be like them; I'm pointing out that I'm not kidding about our glasses being exact replicas. So shut it.) I then mocked him for being totally oblivious to the crowd and apologised to him for doing the picture thing, as well. But he complimented my shoes and I complimented his, so all was well. As Evan picked up his bag and headed for the back of the room, I headed for Jonny at the bar. He happened to be talking to Sarcastic Greg, who I had stood by during the show, so I saddled on up to Jonny and plopped myself down beside him. After introducing myself, I told him of my surprise at his agility with his massive bass, made him smile big for a picture, and left him with Sarcastic Greg to get to drinkin'. And then, though I didn't expect it, Jay came out and hopped up on a pile of equipment just as Red Wanting Blue took the stage. I hopped over to his side and made him lean down to hear me over the buzz of the less-than-pleasant sound of the headliners. I let the gush stream forth while I complimented Jay over and over on the absolutely beauty of his voice. Seriously, I must have used the word beautiful at least twenty times in the few minutes that I spent talking to him. I told him that I was "so angry" at him for doing Words of Wisdom so darn well, because the lyrics are so perfectly the things that I feel about my mom and wish that I could say to her, so the song causes me a bit of pain. Plus, Jay sings it as if he was the one who wrote the words, as if he's the one feeling those things, and that just kills me. I hoped that he realised that I was complimenting his voice and not the lyrics themselves when I told him how beautiful the song was, but I can rest assured that he's forgotten my idiocy by now even if he did think me a fool at the time. He didn't seem like he had any idea what to say to me in response, and I didn't expect that he would, so I just thanked him, got my picture, and left.
I hate how cliché all band-meeting experiences are for me. I feel like somehow the music makes me feel so different than everyone else feels and the lyrics touch me so much more intimately than they touch everyone else . . . But when things are all said and done, I realise that I'm not any more insightful than anyone else is and that my words won't be any more memorable than anyone else's and that I'm just a geek who has pictures to prove my geekiness. But damn, it feels good to be a geek.
Where: The Cellar • Struthers, Ohio
When: February 7th, 2002
Too High :: This tends to wedge itself in my mind frequently. Glad to hear it live.
Habit :: Whoa. I mean, whoa. Matt totally took me by surprise on this one. Dripping. Hot. Sex.
Come Out Clean :: I really did not want them to do this song. But it added a whole glob of energy to the show, and it allowed the pseudo-fans a song to sing along to.
Darkest Love :: I think this just about blew everyone away. We've heard Matt songs. And we've heard Matt songs in which Jay sings the chorus. But we hadn't heard both of them sing over one another, feeding off of each other. Totally amazing. Makes me scared of how good the next album could be.
Words of Wisdom :: I was amazed that this song didn't make me cry. Really well done. Yay, Evan.
Say Goodnight :: This is probably my favourite song off of Magazine, but honestly, I never dreamed that I would ever hear it live. The climax at the end was just beautiful. The boys done me proud.
Body Parts :: This was the second Jump song I ever heard and the one that kind of made me go, "Hey, this band is sort of special." I will give all of my marbles to anyone who tells me that my body parts are nice. That's hot, man.
Made It Fine :: I had been recommending this song to everyone all week. There's nothing really incredible about the lyrics or music, but there's something about it. Something.
Cathedrals :: I don't like this song. I don't know why. I don't dislike it, but I don't get the hype. It's pretty, I guess.
Afterlife :: One of those songs I had really forgotten existed. I felt like I was the only one there who knew it. I dug it.
(Jay and Jonny confer and Jay announces that they're going to throw in an extra song.)
Not Today :: Energy, energy.
My Guitar :: Energy, energy, energy. I'm also not a fan of this song, but that's only because I don't like screaming guitar solos. It was fun, though, especially as a closer. Plus, you have to see Jay and Ward playing the same guitar at the same time at least once in your life.
Ahh, sweet Rolling Rock sign that draws all attention away from Jay. Notice that I actually centered the picture somewhere between Jay and the sign, subconsciously thinking that it was as much the subject as he was. This is what Ohio is all about, friends.
No, actually, Ohio is all about backdrops with magenta penises (penii) painted on them. Aww, yeah, brother.