i may be a bird in a cage but at least it's your cage

TONIGHT FIRST LET'S TALK ABOUT THE MOTHERFUCKING SETLIST:

( truckers at the cradle, 05.14.08 )

This was a show that started as mellow as the rock show ever can (which is not very mellow) and built up into this huge screaming flailing amazing tempest. Patterson shrieked and tossed himself around the stage, and dripped sweat all over me and emptied half a water bottle full of Jack onto his shirt during People Who Died. Mike Cooley was amazing, the most amazing performer I have ever seen, and by the time he drawled thiiiiiiink I'm gonna call the po-lice I was barely still upright, clinging to the stage with my fingers, and when he sang life ain't nothing but a blending up of all the ups and downs, I actually tilted sideways right into triskellita who just laughed at me and let me lean on her while I stared at Cooley with a huge stupid grin on my face. Neff can rock it when you put a guitar in his hands that much. Shonna danced, turning her back on the crowd and shaking her ass while she pulled harder on the Jack than any of her boys. The crowd shrieked and surged and gave the band back everything we got. We got Ronnie and Neil. We got Road Cases. After the show Mike Cooley thanked me and Shonna called me darling. There was absolutely nothing bad at tonight, nothing at fucking all.


I have six rolls of films and I am pretty damn sure they're some of the most phenomenal shots I've ever taken and I cannot afford to get them developed, and that breaks my fucking heart.

The good:

1. the Truckers remain the best goddamned rock show I've seen this year.
   
   
2. The Dexateens, who didn't blow me away with their studio stuff, are completely fantastic live -- interesting sonically and visually, tight harmonies, great guitar work. Plus they're all adorable handsy twenty-somethings with guitars. You know I love those.
   
   
3. Shonna Tucker is all of the following things: hot as hell; fantastically talented; bad ass; adored by all five of the little boys in the Dexateens, plus also both her lead guitarists. I'm gonna write Shonna/Spencer Smith and it's gonna be amazing, because Shonna very obviously enjoys the affection of younger men. \o/
   
   
4. Mike Cooley is one of the most exceptional guitar players I've ever watched. He also has a collection of ugly flowered shirts to rival Ryan Ross's.
   
   
5. At one point during "You and Your Crystal Meth", Patterson was flailing around screaming like Patterson does, and every eye in the place was on him, except for mine, because I couldn't stop staring at Cooley's hands on the fretboard of his guitar. And then Mike Cooley, goddamn motherfucking Mike Cooley, looked down and caught me staring at him with my mouth half open. Because I'm kind of a total doof like that.
   
   
6. I got to spend the evening with good folks, talking music and travel and photography. (quicknow, I rocked it with Maluca from Flickr & her crew, plus S. & A. & the kid, all night. Quality people.)
   
   
7. Patterson sang the second verse of "the Company I Keep" first, and then cracked up on stage.
   
   
8. Definitely at least two tapers' rigs halfway back in the audience.
   
   
9. mike cooley mike cooley mike cooley mike cooley patterson hood shonna tucker mike cooley brad morgan mike cooley.

The Bad: ( a few brief complaints that have nothing to do with the truckers themselves whatsoever except that Patterson writes too many goddamned songs )

The Set List: ( truckers at the cradle, 05.13.08 )


TIME FOR BED NOW.