18 Dec – the Tabernacle (Atlanta, GA)
w/ Indigo Girls, Jayhawks, Fastball, Shawn Mullins, Rhett Miller, Josh Joplin Group, Tift Merritt, and Peter Stuart
This was a big holiday show put on by Russell Carter, featuring all of the acts he represents (except for Matthew Sweet). Oh, and me, added as a favor to Amy.
The Tabernacle, where I’ve never been, is a great room. It used to be a huge church downtown but feels much more like an old movie palace, a lot like the Florida Theatre did, with three levels of seats.
I was only playing one song (“Hey, California”) and it was pretty much right in the middle of the show. Everyone else was playing 3 or 4 songs. I sat on the stage, at the back, behind the performing acts for pretty much the entire show. Virtually everyone on the bill is someone I respect, some for whom I would even go so far as to call myself a huge fan. So it was amazing to sit behind them all as they played and watch the crowd.
Before I played, though, the old habits were still there. I knew a few people, most of Josh’s band (which included Rob Gal for the evening) I know fairly well, and I know Amy and Emily, and I’ve met Shawn Mullins a few times before, but overall I felt out of place and a bit dwarfed. I tried to interact but it was difficult, so by the time the show started I just stuck to the stage, listening.
I was scheduled in between Amy’s set and Shawn’s set, not a bad place to be in front of an Atlanta crowd. Amy took the time to introduce me before my song. That’s really something in general I can’t thank her enough for, because she knows that the crowd, in particular her fans, will be much more open minded about sticking around to hear me when she’s more or less given me a stamp of approval in front of them.
I played my song. I thought I’d feel nervous, I had felt a little shaky (literally) at Borders the night before, not having played solo in a while, and really never having played solo in front of a large group of people. But for some reason, at this show, it wasn’t there. It felt totally comfortable. Someone I didn’t know told me later that from the moment I started the song I looked confident. Maybe it was the similarity to the Florida shows, I don’t know. But I nailed the song (I don’t mind saying) and the crowd response was great. Someone gave me a “woo!” in the middle of the song. I think that was a first.
Now, maybe you don’t know who Rhett Miller is. He’s the lead singer of the Old 97’s and also just put out an incredible solo record, which I have been highly recommending for weeks. I know who he is, at any rate, and of the acts playing he was the one I really considered myself to be a big fan of. Rhett was sitting on stage off to the side when I played, along with Josh. When I came off people were congratulating me, Josh saying he loves that song, and Rhett asked me what I was playing in the bridge, that it sounded really great, and I told him I’d have to show him because the song is in this odd tuning.
Then he told me it was a fucking great song.
The end. My night was pretty much over.
Okay, actually, there was more. But I did tell him I’d try to get him a copy of my CD, which I need to remember to do next week. Anyway, after that I felt much better about the evening. It seemed like people were a bit friendlier to me after I played, I suppose because they didn’t really know who I was and it wasn’t until I played that they got to find out why I was there and that I didn’t suck. After that, even though I still felt intimidated, like I was the ‘new guy’ (hell, which I am) I also felt like I belonged. But also, not for the first time in the evening, I wished I would have been allowed to play 2 or 3 songs and have the band with me. With the band I can compete with anyone and it would have been great to have REALLY put my shit out there.
Childish, maybe, but still true.
I got to see the Jayhawks play (and tell Gary that I thought they were amazing). I got to see Rhett play (and say the same). I got to see Fastball play (um, okay, I never really got a chance to talk to them, but I would have said the same).
Damn, I was lucky.
I went out and did the Michael Stipe part on “Kid Fears” during the Indigo Girls’ set. There was an amazing crowd response, though it’s always hard to tell on that one if it’s meant to be for me. The IG fans are so enthralled and they cheer every small nuance of their songs, so it’s difficult to think that I had a lot to do with it. But it felt damn good, even so. Emily and Amy hugged me on stage when the song ended, even got a little kiss on the cheek from Amy. After the show, down in the dressing room, they both talked about how when I sing that I really grab the crowd, and said I had a special gift.
Please understand the urge to delete that is very high for me. It feels so egotistical to include it, but… christ, I don’t get told that by the fucking Indigo Girls every day. So I’m forcing myself to leave it in. They have been nothing but kind to me and I don’t think I will ever tire of thanking them (though they might).
Amy has a plan for the CD starting in January. I type that for myself, in case it comes to anything.
Other random notes: Big finale, with everyone on stage singing “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” and I got to do four lines of it with Tift. Shawn also said nice things about my song and has always been friendly to me. Matthew Kahler was there, too, and also liked the song, we talked for just bit during the show. The Jayhawks and Fastball are both vastly underrated (well, not critically, they’ve always done well critically) bands, by the way, neither of whom I had seen live until last night. If you have the chance to see them I suggest to take it. I went to the after show party at Russell’s house, talked to Geoff and Allen from Josh’s band (and also from my CD), saw Jeff Calder (Swimming Pool Q’s).
Oh, forget it. It was good. That’s all I’m trying to say.