Spoon. The Band.
I went to see Spoon over the weekend. Talk about a huge break – a show on a Saturday night, with a band I know I will like. That doesn’t happen often anymore. I think I mentioned this before, but I now have fairly strict criteria for seeing bands live. The criteria is this: I have to KNOW I will like the show. Period. I can’t take chances anymore that they might be good. Must know. That it fell on a Saturday night is total gravy. Anyway, the show was very decent. I didn’t get the two songs I really wanted (“The Fitted Shirt” and “Utilitarian”) but I got some very very good ones, like “I Summon You,” “The Beast and Dragon Adored” and “Something to Look Forward To.” Surprise of the night was how good some of the new stuff sounded, particularly “Written in Reverse” which provided much more of a kick in the pants than the album version does. And that’s why you see live bands. Of course, they sounded great, as always. The New House of Blues on Landsdowne in Boston is……sigh. Pretty much the same room as Avalon, except there’s a balcony now. I’d rather be on the floor where the energy is anyway.
The oddest part of the evening was the company. Not odd people, per say, but I just did the math in my head and collectively, they were people I hadn’t seen in nearly 25 years. One was an old high-school classmate who I haven’t seen in at least 15 years and the other was an old Rounder friend who I probably hadn’t seen in 10 years. Funny! But it worked! Of course, you can’t do much talking or socializing during a show unless you are screaming and we weren’t there to do that. But we went out for a drink beforehand and a couple of more afterward and I found myself greatly enjoying everyone’s company. I was thinking it might be a little odd to carry conversations with people I hadn’t seen in so long, but it turned out it was totally enjoyable. Just a good night all around. Glad to see I can still get out and do it and hoping I can see people again before another collective 25 years flies by.