ARE YOU FUCKERS READY FOR A MOTHERFUCKIN' ROCK 'N' ROLL SHOW?
Oh my god, you guys, this is going to be the LONGEST CONCERT REPORT EVER. I'm gonna go song-by-song through the set list in another entry (I KNOW. I AM A CRAZY PERSON. SHUT UP), but here's a start, anyway.
(Also, I am STILL on a high from this show. I keep having trouble sleeping because I'm too happy. I can't stop smiling. I haven't gotten more than 5 hours of sleep in a night since last Friday and I'm so happy that I don't care. It's... it's pretty intense. Hee.)
So, okay. Doors were at 8, so we got there at 7, and stood outside the venue on a walkway that some genius angel person had generously covered with a tarp, so we weren't actually standing out in the snow and wind. THANK YOU, WHOEVER DID THAT, I LOVE YOU. We may or may not have talked a lot about comic books. ("We" here was me, troyswann, belmanoir, mrs_laugh_track, waltzforanight, sisterofdream, meresy, kanzenhanzai, and ifreet. And Sock Puppet Joe Dick, of course.) They let us in and we all hurried in and snagged our chosen spots; Sal and I had reasoned before the show that being front-row and Trent-side might be ideal, on the assumption that we would avoid the worst of the pit and that, well, Trent, but also that Hugh spends a LOT of time near Trent, so. THIS TURNED OUT TO BE AN EXCELLENT PLAN. (I was not actually in the front row, just right behind Sal, though I got pushed back a few people by the end of the show, but man, it's hard for me to have any complaints about that show. Just to be IN THE ROOM was amazing, much less to be six or ten feet from the stage the whole time.)
So, we got drinks, we went pee, we said hi to other fangirls, and then planted ourselves in our chosen spots again. There were some really nice people standing next to us, a couple of women and a guy probably in their 40s or so, long-time fans. They'd been to all three of the previous shows, and I was explaining to the guy that I'd only been a Headstones fan for a few years (him: "Did you see Hard Core Logo?" Me: "YEP." Hee), and he was telling me a bit about the previous shows. The primary facts he chose to relate to me were thus:
1. The band starts the show with "When Something Stands For Nothing" and then "Tweeter."
2. Tim jumps around the whole time looking really happy.
3. Trent cut his hair and you can see his face now.
I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE INVESTED IN THE STATE OF TRENT'S HAIR, OKAY. Anyway, they were really nice and it was a great warm-fuzzy start to the experience.
There was also a guy standing near us who kept just randomly yelling out, "HEADSTOOOOOONES" at various intervals; he was the voice of my soul and I appreciated it. HEE.
And then, basically, we waited and waited and WAITED. Finally a band came onstage around 9; they were the Organ Thieves, as it turned out, and I had only been expecting one opening band so the revelation that there were TWO seemed like some kind of hideous Headstones-denying torture device. (This reminded me of Sal when we were on our road trip a couple of years ago, driving through the mountains in Banff in the late afternoon and of course we'd gotten lost and we were hungry and tired and the scenery was spectacular but Sal was like, "I'm tired of all this beauty! All this beauty is just standing between me and my martini!" HEE.) However, I resolved to enjoy the anticipation, which I mostly did. The band themselves were pretty good-I liked their sound a lot, but the lyrics were a bit on the adolescent angst side, including the conviction that having to wear a three-piece suit would be a fate worse than death, but overall I liked them. (They played waaaaaay too many songs for a second opening band, though, OH MY GOD. I swear they played 7 or 8.) They also talked at the end about having gotten fucked up in parking lots when they were teenagers listening to the Headstones, so that was pretty adorable. Awwww.
Anyway, they finished their set and cleaned off their gear and then the Gentleman Husbands came on. They are a very… unusual-looking band. Their guitarist was one of the most androgynous people I've ever seen (I'm still not 100% sure he's not FTM); their bass player had a too-tight polo shirt and a skinny mustache and a soul patch and he looked like he worked at a bowling alley in a Coen brothers movie; their lead singer had chin-length hair and a bushy beard; and their drummer looked like he'd been carved out of marble, all perfect shiny black hair and tattoos and I would have climbed him like a tree. (He sang, too! It was good times.) ANYWAY. They were actually really good, very polished and confident, and I would have enjoyed them wholeheartedly if they hadn't been the only thing standing between me and the Headstones; they had a very blues-influenced, southern-fried rock sound that kept just on the right side of country (IMO). I'll be checking them out on iTunes, to guard against the day when I can listen to something besides the Headstones again (NOT ANYTIME SOON, obviously, but). I'd recommend them!
And then we waited and waited and WAITED some more. Probably a good 15-20 minutes. Sal was like, "What are they DOING back there?" and I was like, "I KNOW, what are they, sixteen-year-old girls getting ready for the prom?" (I said this with love, of course.) I think they were just waiting for the clock to strike 11, mainly, because at about 11:05 the lights went down and the Headstones logo appeared in glowing white on the black backdrop and I'm pretty sure I stopped breathing; ever since I first heard about this show I have been worried that something would happen to prevent me from seeing them, and I didn't quite believe till they actually walked out onstage that it was really going to happen, that this was 2011 and I was at a FUCKING HEADSTONES SHOW with some of my favorite people and the world really is that awesome.
But they did, it happened, IT REALLY HAPPENED, and we were there and it was one of the greatest nights of my life.
So, let's talk about HUGH. He seems different enough these days that I couldn't quite picture him doing a Headstones show again, but it fit him like a GLOVE, and it was like he was EXACTLY where and who he was supposed to be, and it was incredible. Like, I dig the HDRC and those guys all seemed awesome and talented but there was just no edge to it (except maybe in "Mannequins," which I would bet money is a repurposed Headstones song), which is fine, but I LIKE the edge. So this was Hugh with oh so very much edge, but it wasn't angry or belligerent like it's seemed in the past, it was more kind of mocking, but without being mean-like a friend giving you shit about something, and with him unable to keep from grinning every other minute. Like Sal said, it was BADASS GLEE, and it was a pretty damn beautiful thing to behold. I wondered how he'd sing those songs at this point in his life and THAT WAS HOW. He also did a really really good job remembering the lyrics, for the most part, which Sal pointed out might be a byproduct of having to memorize lines on a regular basis; obviously being sober helps, but he definitely did some creative improvisation with the HDRC concert I have video of, and he was sober then, so. Clearly it's not just that. Hee. And he just OWNED that entire crowd from the second he walked onstage, strutting around, spitting, swearing, demanding a response (verbally or otherwise), manhandling the mic with all of his old tricks and some new (to me) ones. He commands a stage and an audience in a much more literal sense than that phrase usually indicates; it's Hugh's world and we all live in it but he's also really, really happy to have us there, so it's kind of like being dragged around on a life-altering carnival ride by a kid who knows every twist and turn and wants nothing more than for you to have as much fun as he's having. He was pretty much constantly in motion, either with his legs or his hands or his FACE (man he has the best face, it's a show all unto itself) or all three. And he was just so fucking HAPPY and in his element that he was practically glowing; it was electric and glee-inducing and of course so fucking sexy I can't even. He's like getting smacked in the face with the charisma stick and then having it wrap around you and give you a hug; it's UNREAL. And seriously, I have to believe after these shows that Hugh has every single thing he could possibly want, like this was the one final missing piece and he really has come completely full circle, and it's astonishing and so lucky and he so completely deserves it and it's all just awe-inspiring. Every time I think I can't be happier for him, SOMETHING ELSE AWESOME HAPPENS. I love it. ♥ ♥ ♥
And Trent… man. Okay, my attachment to Trent is well-documented, but dude. We are talking ENTIRELY NEW LEVELS after this show. For one thing, the image of Trent that I have strongest in my head is from the concert bootleg I have from 1994, where he's hiding behind his hair pretty much the entire time. And he's still clearly exceptionally mellow for a lead guitarist, and he still doesn't make a ton of eye contact with the audience, but he seemed waaaay more relaxed and confident than I've ever seen him before, and it's not like I ever really MINDED him being all adorable and shy but the confidence looked GOOD on him. Also, Trent's hair is a matter of some concern to me, and can I just say, THE HAIR IS SO GOOD RIGHT NOW. And so are his hands, and the black leather wrist cuff that was unnecessary because I AM ALREADY LOOKING AT YOUR FOREARMS ON ACCOUNT OF HOW YOU'RE KIND OF AN AMAZING GUITARIST, TRENT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TRY SO HARD TO GET MY ATTENTION, but okay. I mean wow. So that was exceedingly good times. And he smiled a LOT, and laughed a lot, and-full disclosure: I believe I am still the chairwoman for the Council For Hugh/Trent, but-he and Hugh love each other a LOT. And I have spent an embarrassing amount of time being really really sad about their angsty breakup and the thought that they weren't friends anymore and so to see them bantering back and forth (though most of Trent's banter was silent, of course, but it was THERE nonetheless)-which is new, at least on stage; historically I have mainly seen Hugh, like, tweaking Trent's nipples and Trent refusing to react, or whatever-and BEAMING at each other and clearly SO COMFORTABLE and so happy to be friends again… slashiness aside, even, it did my heart so much good. (Plus I have always thought that the heart of the Headstones' greatness is/was the collaboration between Hugh and Trent, they BOTH brought crucial things to the table-Hugh's gift with words, Trent's gift with music, not to mention the particular alchemy of their relationship that somehow turned darkness into gold-and so I was thrilled beyond belief to see that dynamic working again, and they were very very clearly thrilled too. LONG MAY IT ENDURE.) There were also some delightful Trent/Tim moments, though not many because they were on opposite sides of the stage, but what there were, were awesome.
SPEAKING OF TIM. HIS FACE. HIS GRINNING HAPPY MANIC MISCHIEVOUS FACE, I CAN'T EVEN. He jumped around the entire time, all long legs and long arms and scorching basslines (seriously, I do not know how he plays that fast, it is a miracle) like some kind of gleeful grasshopper bass god, his shirt (his SHIRT! Oh Tim. WHITHER THE SHIRT ALLERGY?) soaked through with sweat, and looking like he was having more fun than anybody had ever had, ever. I just. I always associate Hugh and Trent with all this angst and intensity, and next to them, Tim just seems so laid-back, and happy-go-lucky and DELIGHTFUL and I LOVE HIM. (Also, as Sal pointed out, it's like the Headstones have mixed up their bass-player and their lead guitarist, because seriously. Mellow lead guitar and high-energy bass? When does THAT happen? Heeee.) (Wait, I realized that actually DID kind of happen with Neal Tiemann and Joey Clement. BUT ANYWAY. IT'S RARE.)
And Dale! As much as I hate to neglect anybody, I am sad to say that I didn't see much of Dale, since because of our angle to the stage, Trent was standing right in front of him most of the time. But when I did see him, he seemed as cheerful as ever, and he sounded fantastic as ever, and Hugh introduced him as "D.W. Harrison" at one point, which I thought was pretty adorable. (Hugh then followed that up with, "This is my brother Dale… and my other brother Trent-Dale… and my other brother Tim-Dale…" HEEEEE. FREAK. ♥) And he did his fair share of spitting, including a full-on sprinkler thing at the beginning of a song, so that was pretty good.
And it was a reunion in a lot of different ways: for the band with each other, for the fans in the audience with each other, for the band with the audience. And though I've run across some seriously crazy Headstones fans, for better or worse, one thing about them is that they tend to have A LOT OF FEELINGS about the Headstones. And that's partially due to the nature of the songs, obviously, and the shit that they touch on, but also I think it's due to Hugh, and how he really wants to connect with people. It's important to him, and he goes out of his way to do it-changing the "me" to "us" as often as possible is a classic example-and people respond to it. And it was a powerful thing to be in the middle of, especially because obviously I have a lot of feelings about the Headstones, myself. I mean, just to be in a room of that many people who had actually heard of the Headstones was a heady thing, and then when the band came out and they meant something to everyone there, and everyone was so glad to be there and the band was so glad to be there and everyone knew how fucking amazing it was that this was all happening and everyone was high on the joy of that right from the beginning, and then Hugh grinning like a searchlight at the focal point of all that energy… man. Hard to beat that.
EEEEE. Aaaaanyway. Like I said, I'm gonna go song-by-song in another entry, but here are some random observations:
- As the crew guys were setting up before the show, I leaned over to Sal and was like, reverently, squealily, "That's Trent's guitar." Then, "That's Tim's bass." "Those are Dale's drums." And then Sal was like, "And that's Hugh's mic," only we quickly realized, let's be real: they're ALL Hugh's mic. ALL THE MICS ARE BELONG TO HIM. HUGH/ALL THE MICS OTP.
- Hugh opened the show by asking us where the fuck all us fuckers had been, and if we were ready to hear some motherfuckin' rock 'n' roll. IT WAS AMAZING. Also at one point a bit later he was like, "Are you ready to hear some rock 'n' roll?" and we all yelled and cheered and he was like, "Or… OR…" in this awesomely I wasn't finished yet tone, "Do you wanna hear some MOTHERFUCKIN' rock 'n' roll?" and needless to say, we all felt compelled to change our initial answer. HEE.
- Hugh really does swear (especially "fuck" and "motherfucker") a lot. A LOT. And IT NEVER GETS OLD. And it makes me sad that my Google Alerts usually only deliver me these boilerplate censored Hugh interviews these days, because seriously. THE SWEARING NEVER GETS OLD.
- Ma Noir and Sonia thought maybe they saw Amy Jo Johnson up in the balcony, in the VIP section. I can't offer my own observations because the balcony was pretty far away and I wasn't wearing my glasses and Amy Jo Johnson is a tiny little Power Ranger of a woman, but the thought that she might have been there makes me very happy nonetheless!
- Hugh felt like Trent's amp needed to be mic-ed a lot. (That's not a euphemism.) (Or is it?)
- Speaking of which, Hugh has as perfect control over the mic/mic stands as always, though he did break one at some point, which he then proceeded to chuck offstage to a crew-member in a show of improbably good aim. (LOTS of practice with broken mic-stands, hmm, Hugh? Heee.) And there was one point where he was swinging the mic around by the cord and the arc kept getting wider and wider and Tim had bounced back behind him to hang with Dale and I was seriously afraid Tim was going to get brained, but it all worked out. Another thing they all have a LOT of experience with, I suspect!
- Hugh also kept soliciting requests from the audience, and repeatedly mentioned that they wanted to make sure everyone left completely satisfied. AWW. But at one point he was like, "Okay, what do you guys want to hear?" and of course a bunch of people yelled stuff out and he was like, "ONE AT A TIME. Jesus," all mock-annoyed. GREATEST. Also at one point someone suggested something-I think maybe "Rawhide"-and he was like, "Oh, fuck yeah, I'm doing THAT one." HEE. And he acknowledged (either verbally or via nods, winks, and/or waves) a lot of specific people who were obviously familiar faces-"I recognize some of you from rehab"-which was actually something the whole band was doing throughout the night. D'AWWWW. It was like the world's most profane, deafening, beer-soaked family reunion! ♥ Hugh also paid a lot of attention to the people in the back, and the balcony, asking them to sing along and stuff, which I could not love any more, and he jumped out several times to hang over the barrier into our adoring, outstretched hands, and he hit the extreme edges of both sides of the stage and basically did everything he possibly could to make some kind of contact with every single person in the place. These days it seems like it's not so much that all Hugh's best friends are people that he just met, but that he makes people he just met feel like they're his best friends, and man, that is one of my favorite things IN THE WORLD, and a quality I admire deeply. And this is why basically everyone falls in love with him, because seriously, how could you not?
- I did not get to touch, lick, have hot alley sex with, or otherwise have any direct contact with anyone in the band, but Trent waggled his tongue in our direction one time and I assumed it was aimed at Sal but snoopypez said she thought it was aimed at me and I am VERY HAPPY TO GET IN ON THAT ACTION, TOO.
- Hugh mouthed "I love you" to Trent at one point, and there was more to it, I think-some joke or something-but as soon as he said it my little Hugh/Trent-loving brain sparked and shorted and that's all I remember. IT'S MORE THAN ENOUGH.
- I have a note that says "Tim/Trent during Cemetery." I guess Tim and Trent were cute during Cemetery? I do not honestly remember, though I do remember them rocking out together at a couple of points, when they were not separated by the Wall of the Roving Dillon. It was ADORABLE, as were the periodic glances and laughs they kept trading across the stage, like two kids playing telephone with tin cans and string on either side of a tornado. They've been friends for a long time, too, even before Tim joined the band, and they have that total comfort and rapport and it's pretty beautiful to see.
- Trent broke a string at some point nearish the end of the show, and the crew guy was ON IT, lurking on the side of the stage like a guitar ninja while Trent jammed carefully with Tim until the end of the song. Trent's guitars were both sparkly and red, just slightly different shapes. And he kept switching them out repeatedly for the rest of the show, so I guess the problems were ongoing? I don't know. MYSTERY. (It's a mystery to me. AHAHAHAHA. Ahh.) Anyway, that's not really a story, but: crew ninja. Sparkly red guitar. It's important to ME.
- Right before one of the last songs-Cemetery, maybe?-the lights were strobing on and off and the fog was drifting and Hugh did that thing where he puts his hands around the mic and puts his mouth about a centimeter from it and he intoned, "Welcome aboard the Starship Headstones," and there was more after that and it was really good but I don't remember it and I hate myself and hopefully it will be audible on video somewhere. But. STARSHIP HEADSTONES. COME ON. <3333333
- At one point Hugh wandered over and messed up Trent's hair. Trent promptly fixed it again when Hugh walked away, all without missing a note. HEEE.
- Hugh told us we were "fucking awesome" and that we'd "improved [their] existence." I IMPROVED HUGH DILLON'S EXISTENCE, WHAT DID YOU DO TODAY? ♥
- Like I mentioned before, Trent came out for the encore wearing a t-shirt that said "Who the fuck is Hugh Dillon?" and it was kind of the best thing I've ever seen. Not just the shirt, but that he PRESENTED it to all of us, arms outstretched, like, "See my shirt? SEE IT?" OH MY GOD IT WAS SO GOOD. And Hugh was clearly HIGHLY amused by the whole thing. Hugh has also had some things to say about that shirt on Facebook (YOU GUYS, HUGH IS ON FACEBOOK; THIS WORLD IS THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS), namely: i found that tshirt highly offensive not to mention profane!! totally innapropriate and im sorry you people had to see that! and then all three of em have one. *dies and dies and DIES*
- Hugh told us we had "impeccable taste in rock 'n' roll music," just like I'm pretty sure he has told every crowd at every Headstones show ever. Life: MADE.
Aaaand that's all I can remember right now. Song-by-song run-through coming soon (eta: here). Because, have I mentioned? I AM A CRAZY PERSON.
(Also, I am STILL on a high from this show. I keep having trouble sleeping because I'm too happy. I can't stop smiling. I haven't gotten more than 5 hours of sleep in a night since last Friday and I'm so happy that I don't care. It's... it's pretty intense. Hee.)
So, okay. Doors were at 8, so we got there at 7, and stood outside the venue on a walkway that some genius angel person had generously covered with a tarp, so we weren't actually standing out in the snow and wind. THANK YOU, WHOEVER DID THAT, I LOVE YOU. We may or may not have talked a lot about comic books. ("We" here was me, troyswann, belmanoir, mrs_laugh_track, waltzforanight, sisterofdream, meresy, kanzenhanzai, and ifreet. And Sock Puppet Joe Dick, of course.) They let us in and we all hurried in and snagged our chosen spots; Sal and I had reasoned before the show that being front-row and Trent-side might be ideal, on the assumption that we would avoid the worst of the pit and that, well, Trent, but also that Hugh spends a LOT of time near Trent, so. THIS TURNED OUT TO BE AN EXCELLENT PLAN. (I was not actually in the front row, just right behind Sal, though I got pushed back a few people by the end of the show, but man, it's hard for me to have any complaints about that show. Just to be IN THE ROOM was amazing, much less to be six or ten feet from the stage the whole time.)
So, we got drinks, we went pee, we said hi to other fangirls, and then planted ourselves in our chosen spots again. There were some really nice people standing next to us, a couple of women and a guy probably in their 40s or so, long-time fans. They'd been to all three of the previous shows, and I was explaining to the guy that I'd only been a Headstones fan for a few years (him: "Did you see Hard Core Logo?" Me: "YEP." Hee), and he was telling me a bit about the previous shows. The primary facts he chose to relate to me were thus:
1. The band starts the show with "When Something Stands For Nothing" and then "Tweeter."
2. Tim jumps around the whole time looking really happy.
3. Trent cut his hair and you can see his face now.
I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE INVESTED IN THE STATE OF TRENT'S HAIR, OKAY. Anyway, they were really nice and it was a great warm-fuzzy start to the experience.
There was also a guy standing near us who kept just randomly yelling out, "HEADSTOOOOOONES" at various intervals; he was the voice of my soul and I appreciated it. HEE.
And then, basically, we waited and waited and WAITED. Finally a band came onstage around 9; they were the Organ Thieves, as it turned out, and I had only been expecting one opening band so the revelation that there were TWO seemed like some kind of hideous Headstones-denying torture device. (This reminded me of Sal when we were on our road trip a couple of years ago, driving through the mountains in Banff in the late afternoon and of course we'd gotten lost and we were hungry and tired and the scenery was spectacular but Sal was like, "I'm tired of all this beauty! All this beauty is just standing between me and my martini!" HEE.) However, I resolved to enjoy the anticipation, which I mostly did. The band themselves were pretty good-I liked their sound a lot, but the lyrics were a bit on the adolescent angst side, including the conviction that having to wear a three-piece suit would be a fate worse than death, but overall I liked them. (They played waaaaaay too many songs for a second opening band, though, OH MY GOD. I swear they played 7 or 8.) They also talked at the end about having gotten fucked up in parking lots when they were teenagers listening to the Headstones, so that was pretty adorable. Awwww.
Anyway, they finished their set and cleaned off their gear and then the Gentleman Husbands came on. They are a very… unusual-looking band. Their guitarist was one of the most androgynous people I've ever seen (I'm still not 100% sure he's not FTM); their bass player had a too-tight polo shirt and a skinny mustache and a soul patch and he looked like he worked at a bowling alley in a Coen brothers movie; their lead singer had chin-length hair and a bushy beard; and their drummer looked like he'd been carved out of marble, all perfect shiny black hair and tattoos and I would have climbed him like a tree. (He sang, too! It was good times.) ANYWAY. They were actually really good, very polished and confident, and I would have enjoyed them wholeheartedly if they hadn't been the only thing standing between me and the Headstones; they had a very blues-influenced, southern-fried rock sound that kept just on the right side of country (IMO). I'll be checking them out on iTunes, to guard against the day when I can listen to something besides the Headstones again (NOT ANYTIME SOON, obviously, but). I'd recommend them!
And then we waited and waited and WAITED some more. Probably a good 15-20 minutes. Sal was like, "What are they DOING back there?" and I was like, "I KNOW, what are they, sixteen-year-old girls getting ready for the prom?" (I said this with love, of course.) I think they were just waiting for the clock to strike 11, mainly, because at about 11:05 the lights went down and the Headstones logo appeared in glowing white on the black backdrop and I'm pretty sure I stopped breathing; ever since I first heard about this show I have been worried that something would happen to prevent me from seeing them, and I didn't quite believe till they actually walked out onstage that it was really going to happen, that this was 2011 and I was at a FUCKING HEADSTONES SHOW with some of my favorite people and the world really is that awesome.
But they did, it happened, IT REALLY HAPPENED, and we were there and it was one of the greatest nights of my life.
So, let's talk about HUGH. He seems different enough these days that I couldn't quite picture him doing a Headstones show again, but it fit him like a GLOVE, and it was like he was EXACTLY where and who he was supposed to be, and it was incredible. Like, I dig the HDRC and those guys all seemed awesome and talented but there was just no edge to it (except maybe in "Mannequins," which I would bet money is a repurposed Headstones song), which is fine, but I LIKE the edge. So this was Hugh with oh so very much edge, but it wasn't angry or belligerent like it's seemed in the past, it was more kind of mocking, but without being mean-like a friend giving you shit about something, and with him unable to keep from grinning every other minute. Like Sal said, it was BADASS GLEE, and it was a pretty damn beautiful thing to behold. I wondered how he'd sing those songs at this point in his life and THAT WAS HOW. He also did a really really good job remembering the lyrics, for the most part, which Sal pointed out might be a byproduct of having to memorize lines on a regular basis; obviously being sober helps, but he definitely did some creative improvisation with the HDRC concert I have video of, and he was sober then, so. Clearly it's not just that. Hee. And he just OWNED that entire crowd from the second he walked onstage, strutting around, spitting, swearing, demanding a response (verbally or otherwise), manhandling the mic with all of his old tricks and some new (to me) ones. He commands a stage and an audience in a much more literal sense than that phrase usually indicates; it's Hugh's world and we all live in it but he's also really, really happy to have us there, so it's kind of like being dragged around on a life-altering carnival ride by a kid who knows every twist and turn and wants nothing more than for you to have as much fun as he's having. He was pretty much constantly in motion, either with his legs or his hands or his FACE (man he has the best face, it's a show all unto itself) or all three. And he was just so fucking HAPPY and in his element that he was practically glowing; it was electric and glee-inducing and of course so fucking sexy I can't even. He's like getting smacked in the face with the charisma stick and then having it wrap around you and give you a hug; it's UNREAL. And seriously, I have to believe after these shows that Hugh has every single thing he could possibly want, like this was the one final missing piece and he really has come completely full circle, and it's astonishing and so lucky and he so completely deserves it and it's all just awe-inspiring. Every time I think I can't be happier for him, SOMETHING ELSE AWESOME HAPPENS. I love it. ♥ ♥ ♥
And Trent… man. Okay, my attachment to Trent is well-documented, but dude. We are talking ENTIRELY NEW LEVELS after this show. For one thing, the image of Trent that I have strongest in my head is from the concert bootleg I have from 1994, where he's hiding behind his hair pretty much the entire time. And he's still clearly exceptionally mellow for a lead guitarist, and he still doesn't make a ton of eye contact with the audience, but he seemed waaaay more relaxed and confident than I've ever seen him before, and it's not like I ever really MINDED him being all adorable and shy but the confidence looked GOOD on him. Also, Trent's hair is a matter of some concern to me, and can I just say, THE HAIR IS SO GOOD RIGHT NOW. And so are his hands, and the black leather wrist cuff that was unnecessary because I AM ALREADY LOOKING AT YOUR FOREARMS ON ACCOUNT OF HOW YOU'RE KIND OF AN AMAZING GUITARIST, TRENT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TRY SO HARD TO GET MY ATTENTION, but okay. I mean wow. So that was exceedingly good times. And he smiled a LOT, and laughed a lot, and-full disclosure: I believe I am still the chairwoman for the Council For Hugh/Trent, but-he and Hugh love each other a LOT. And I have spent an embarrassing amount of time being really really sad about their angsty breakup and the thought that they weren't friends anymore and so to see them bantering back and forth (though most of Trent's banter was silent, of course, but it was THERE nonetheless)-which is new, at least on stage; historically I have mainly seen Hugh, like, tweaking Trent's nipples and Trent refusing to react, or whatever-and BEAMING at each other and clearly SO COMFORTABLE and so happy to be friends again… slashiness aside, even, it did my heart so much good. (Plus I have always thought that the heart of the Headstones' greatness is/was the collaboration between Hugh and Trent, they BOTH brought crucial things to the table-Hugh's gift with words, Trent's gift with music, not to mention the particular alchemy of their relationship that somehow turned darkness into gold-and so I was thrilled beyond belief to see that dynamic working again, and they were very very clearly thrilled too. LONG MAY IT ENDURE.) There were also some delightful Trent/Tim moments, though not many because they were on opposite sides of the stage, but what there were, were awesome.
SPEAKING OF TIM. HIS FACE. HIS GRINNING HAPPY MANIC MISCHIEVOUS FACE, I CAN'T EVEN. He jumped around the entire time, all long legs and long arms and scorching basslines (seriously, I do not know how he plays that fast, it is a miracle) like some kind of gleeful grasshopper bass god, his shirt (his SHIRT! Oh Tim. WHITHER THE SHIRT ALLERGY?) soaked through with sweat, and looking like he was having more fun than anybody had ever had, ever. I just. I always associate Hugh and Trent with all this angst and intensity, and next to them, Tim just seems so laid-back, and happy-go-lucky and DELIGHTFUL and I LOVE HIM. (Also, as Sal pointed out, it's like the Headstones have mixed up their bass-player and their lead guitarist, because seriously. Mellow lead guitar and high-energy bass? When does THAT happen? Heeee.) (Wait, I realized that actually DID kind of happen with Neal Tiemann and Joey Clement. BUT ANYWAY. IT'S RARE.)
And Dale! As much as I hate to neglect anybody, I am sad to say that I didn't see much of Dale, since because of our angle to the stage, Trent was standing right in front of him most of the time. But when I did see him, he seemed as cheerful as ever, and he sounded fantastic as ever, and Hugh introduced him as "D.W. Harrison" at one point, which I thought was pretty adorable. (Hugh then followed that up with, "This is my brother Dale… and my other brother Trent-Dale… and my other brother Tim-Dale…" HEEEEE. FREAK. ♥) And he did his fair share of spitting, including a full-on sprinkler thing at the beginning of a song, so that was pretty good.
And it was a reunion in a lot of different ways: for the band with each other, for the fans in the audience with each other, for the band with the audience. And though I've run across some seriously crazy Headstones fans, for better or worse, one thing about them is that they tend to have A LOT OF FEELINGS about the Headstones. And that's partially due to the nature of the songs, obviously, and the shit that they touch on, but also I think it's due to Hugh, and how he really wants to connect with people. It's important to him, and he goes out of his way to do it-changing the "me" to "us" as often as possible is a classic example-and people respond to it. And it was a powerful thing to be in the middle of, especially because obviously I have a lot of feelings about the Headstones, myself. I mean, just to be in a room of that many people who had actually heard of the Headstones was a heady thing, and then when the band came out and they meant something to everyone there, and everyone was so glad to be there and the band was so glad to be there and everyone knew how fucking amazing it was that this was all happening and everyone was high on the joy of that right from the beginning, and then Hugh grinning like a searchlight at the focal point of all that energy… man. Hard to beat that.
EEEEE. Aaaaanyway. Like I said, I'm gonna go song-by-song in another entry, but here are some random observations:
- As the crew guys were setting up before the show, I leaned over to Sal and was like, reverently, squealily, "That's Trent's guitar." Then, "That's Tim's bass." "Those are Dale's drums." And then Sal was like, "And that's Hugh's mic," only we quickly realized, let's be real: they're ALL Hugh's mic. ALL THE MICS ARE BELONG TO HIM. HUGH/ALL THE MICS OTP.
- Hugh opened the show by asking us where the fuck all us fuckers had been, and if we were ready to hear some motherfuckin' rock 'n' roll. IT WAS AMAZING. Also at one point a bit later he was like, "Are you ready to hear some rock 'n' roll?" and we all yelled and cheered and he was like, "Or… OR…" in this awesomely I wasn't finished yet tone, "Do you wanna hear some MOTHERFUCKIN' rock 'n' roll?" and needless to say, we all felt compelled to change our initial answer. HEE.
- Hugh really does swear (especially "fuck" and "motherfucker") a lot. A LOT. And IT NEVER GETS OLD. And it makes me sad that my Google Alerts usually only deliver me these boilerplate censored Hugh interviews these days, because seriously. THE SWEARING NEVER GETS OLD.
- Ma Noir and Sonia thought maybe they saw Amy Jo Johnson up in the balcony, in the VIP section. I can't offer my own observations because the balcony was pretty far away and I wasn't wearing my glasses and Amy Jo Johnson is a tiny little Power Ranger of a woman, but the thought that she might have been there makes me very happy nonetheless!
- Hugh felt like Trent's amp needed to be mic-ed a lot. (That's not a euphemism.) (Or is it?)
- Speaking of which, Hugh has as perfect control over the mic/mic stands as always, though he did break one at some point, which he then proceeded to chuck offstage to a crew-member in a show of improbably good aim. (LOTS of practice with broken mic-stands, hmm, Hugh? Heee.) And there was one point where he was swinging the mic around by the cord and the arc kept getting wider and wider and Tim had bounced back behind him to hang with Dale and I was seriously afraid Tim was going to get brained, but it all worked out. Another thing they all have a LOT of experience with, I suspect!
- Hugh also kept soliciting requests from the audience, and repeatedly mentioned that they wanted to make sure everyone left completely satisfied. AWW. But at one point he was like, "Okay, what do you guys want to hear?" and of course a bunch of people yelled stuff out and he was like, "ONE AT A TIME. Jesus," all mock-annoyed. GREATEST. Also at one point someone suggested something-I think maybe "Rawhide"-and he was like, "Oh, fuck yeah, I'm doing THAT one." HEE. And he acknowledged (either verbally or via nods, winks, and/or waves) a lot of specific people who were obviously familiar faces-"I recognize some of you from rehab"-which was actually something the whole band was doing throughout the night. D'AWWWW. It was like the world's most profane, deafening, beer-soaked family reunion! ♥ Hugh also paid a lot of attention to the people in the back, and the balcony, asking them to sing along and stuff, which I could not love any more, and he jumped out several times to hang over the barrier into our adoring, outstretched hands, and he hit the extreme edges of both sides of the stage and basically did everything he possibly could to make some kind of contact with every single person in the place. These days it seems like it's not so much that all Hugh's best friends are people that he just met, but that he makes people he just met feel like they're his best friends, and man, that is one of my favorite things IN THE WORLD, and a quality I admire deeply. And this is why basically everyone falls in love with him, because seriously, how could you not?
- I did not get to touch, lick, have hot alley sex with, or otherwise have any direct contact with anyone in the band, but Trent waggled his tongue in our direction one time and I assumed it was aimed at Sal but snoopypez said she thought it was aimed at me and I am VERY HAPPY TO GET IN ON THAT ACTION, TOO.
- Hugh mouthed "I love you" to Trent at one point, and there was more to it, I think-some joke or something-but as soon as he said it my little Hugh/Trent-loving brain sparked and shorted and that's all I remember. IT'S MORE THAN ENOUGH.
- I have a note that says "Tim/Trent during Cemetery." I guess Tim and Trent were cute during Cemetery? I do not honestly remember, though I do remember them rocking out together at a couple of points, when they were not separated by the Wall of the Roving Dillon. It was ADORABLE, as were the periodic glances and laughs they kept trading across the stage, like two kids playing telephone with tin cans and string on either side of a tornado. They've been friends for a long time, too, even before Tim joined the band, and they have that total comfort and rapport and it's pretty beautiful to see.
- Trent broke a string at some point nearish the end of the show, and the crew guy was ON IT, lurking on the side of the stage like a guitar ninja while Trent jammed carefully with Tim until the end of the song. Trent's guitars were both sparkly and red, just slightly different shapes. And he kept switching them out repeatedly for the rest of the show, so I guess the problems were ongoing? I don't know. MYSTERY. (It's a mystery to me. AHAHAHAHA. Ahh.) Anyway, that's not really a story, but: crew ninja. Sparkly red guitar. It's important to ME.
- Right before one of the last songs-Cemetery, maybe?-the lights were strobing on and off and the fog was drifting and Hugh did that thing where he puts his hands around the mic and puts his mouth about a centimeter from it and he intoned, "Welcome aboard the Starship Headstones," and there was more after that and it was really good but I don't remember it and I hate myself and hopefully it will be audible on video somewhere. But. STARSHIP HEADSTONES. COME ON. <3333333
- At one point Hugh wandered over and messed up Trent's hair. Trent promptly fixed it again when Hugh walked away, all without missing a note. HEEE.
- Hugh told us we were "fucking awesome" and that we'd "improved [their] existence." I IMPROVED HUGH DILLON'S EXISTENCE, WHAT DID YOU DO TODAY? ♥
- Like I mentioned before, Trent came out for the encore wearing a t-shirt that said "Who the fuck is Hugh Dillon?" and it was kind of the best thing I've ever seen. Not just the shirt, but that he PRESENTED it to all of us, arms outstretched, like, "See my shirt? SEE IT?" OH MY GOD IT WAS SO GOOD. And Hugh was clearly HIGHLY amused by the whole thing. Hugh has also had some things to say about that shirt on Facebook (YOU GUYS, HUGH IS ON FACEBOOK; THIS WORLD IS THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS), namely: i found that tshirt highly offensive not to mention profane!! totally innapropriate and im sorry you people had to see that! and then all three of em have one. *dies and dies and DIES*
- Hugh told us we had "impeccable taste in rock 'n' roll music," just like I'm pretty sure he has told every crowd at every Headstones show ever. Life: MADE.
Aaaand that's all I can remember right now. Song-by-song run-through coming soon (eta: here). Because, have I mentioned? I AM A CRAZY PERSON.