I dont know if its just because i have been in an awful mood the past few days, or if the revival of my once-favorite band has knocked Brand New down a few rungs, or if i really am just too old for this shit anymore, but i really had to force myself to walk out the front door for this show tonight. Hell, Snoopy Come Home was on and i really thought that was more important than driving to Atlantic City, but because my cousin was expecting me, i put on my shoes and drug myself out to my car, kicking and screaming the whole way.
Driving down to the show i still didnt want to go. i tried to explain it to my cousin, but since i dont even know what the problem was, it was really hard to explain.
We got in line. I still wasnt excited.
We got inside and I was able to deliver some treats to my buddy Mike, and that and the subsequent hug i received started to make me a little more excited, but not to the point that i actually cared where i was. i think at that point it was more just "okay, so i am really truly NOT invisible" at that point.
OBrother took the stage and they were okay. i have heard insanely good things about this band from across the board, but really all i got out of it was Cousin It playing a 90's alt mash up. it was bizarre, but there were a few songs that i actually didnt hate, so maybe there's some hope for them yet.
i was surprised to find out that MeWithoutYou was playing, too, so they came on stage, and by this point i could feel the excitement building for what was going to happen when they were done. Their set wasnt bad, i wish i knew their stuff a bit better so that i could tell you what they played, but i do know that they closed with A Sweater Poorly Knit. i like that song.
finally, around 11pm, after a whole bunch of waiting around, my boys took the stage. The minute they played the first note of Tautou it was like an explosion of emotion and excitement. whatever had been holding me back from getting excited was gone at the first chord.
The setlist was so freaking phenomenal. i looked at my cousin after a few songs and told him "i am totally okay with everything that is happening right now.
after Tautou, they went right into sic transit (if you ask me really nicely, ill tell you about my feelings on that song one day), and from there into i will play my game beneath the spin light. if you know anything about Brand New at all, you know that these songs are in order of appearance on Deja Entendu, one of my favorite albums of all time. At this point i was oozing excitement because holy fuck, they are playing Deja straight through. this lasted for a few more songs, and then they changed things up right were Jaws Theme Swimming should go (which made me sad, because thats one of my favorite songs to hear live.)
anyway, the set list looked like this:
Tautou
Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades
I Will Play My Game Beneath The Spin Light
Okay, I Believe You
Quiet Things
The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot (i had forgotten how much i love that one live)
Sowing Season
Millstone
Jude Law
70X7
****
At The Bottom
Bed
Bride
Luca
****
Vices
Gasoline
Degausser
You Wont Know
Jesus Christ
Play Crack The Sky
the set in the middle was stripped down, and i like those songs all a lot more when they are tamed like they were. When they came back out and started with Vices i grimaced a little because that song really just hurts my ears (although there are some lyrics in there that i really like.)
I caught a picture of Jesse smiling tonight, and i feel like that is how i looked all night (when i wasnt screaming my brains out along with everyone else in the room). My buddy Jess and i were talking after the show about how neither one of us was really that interested in being there before-hand, but after that set (which didnt end til nearly one am, mind you) i felt like id just taken a hit of a really good drug. Its such a weird relationship with that band now, especially since Five Iron will automatically take over their rightful throne as my favorite band. I have seen Brand New 32 times now, and i feel like they just keep getting better with age.
