TMBG @ 9:30 Club 11/23/07 Recap
Alright, first off, for those who aren't familiar with TMBG, John Flansburgh is the one with the glasses, John Linnell is the other one with the glasses. Their bandmates are Dan, Danny, and Marty. Second, there are much better write-ups and photos located here and here. Third, most quotes are paraphrased/remembered as best I could/taken from k1cup. Lastly I've also mixed things up with some YouTube links.
So the concert on Friday was awesome. My dad was a little wary about going out to the 9:30 Club, it being in a pretty bad neighborhood and all (I hour after the TMBG show there last year a drive-by shooting occurred across the street). When we got there the line was stretched around the block. There was basically every kind of person in line, from people who looked like they were going to a football game to people with purple hair. The range of ages was about 14 to 50-something, I would venture. First highlight of the night was catching a glimpse of Dan Miller sitting in the band’s tour bus.
Inside we were greeted by the reassuring faces of William Allen White. The opening act was a duo from Belfast named Oppenheimer. Between the two of them, there was a drum kit, a guitar, a keyboard, and a synthesizer. Them I liked. They played songs about Allen Ginsberg and Twin Peaks. And, during one song, Rocky (the guitarist) flipped his guitar around to reveal an 'AIRHORN SOLO' sign taped to the back. One inevitably followed. There was a long wait in between bands. The sound crew came out onstage and tossed about ten of the foam fingers into the crowd. Tuck, one of the roadies, had revolvers tattooed on both arms.
The show:
The Cap’m
Damn Good Times
Some people started moshing. Flans would have none of it.
F: Hey, check this out. We can stop the show at any time. [to the band] Shut it down, guys. This is how it works. It's all about peace. It's all about bringing people together. It's not about pushing people around. That stuff was cool when it happened, but it's not gonna happen tonight. We’ve been through the 60s, the 70s, the 80s, and the 90s. This is the 21st century. Is everybody cool with that? All right then. On with the show.
Why Does The Sun Shine
We learned that the sun is so hot, that everything on it is a gas. Steel, wool, and
Wool included. John L was playing The Future of Sound as Flansy went into the ‘scientists have found…’ part, but then stopped. Basic rundown of events:
F: Y- you stopped playing the future of sound.
L: He’s still playing [indicating Dan Miller]
F: He’s- He’s trying to break the neck off his guitar, from what I can tell. He’s not playing the future of sound.
L: It’s not that big of a deal.
F: You don’t understand man, I need you guys.
Then Flansburgh was able to tell us that ‘the heat and light of the sun come from the nuclear reactions of a failed foreign policy, a failed domestic policy, and a failed presidency’. That got it some cheers.
Take Out The Trash
Alphabet of Nations
As Dan begins playing the keyboard:
F: That's from Dan Miller's new album entitled Alicia Keys.
L: Dan broke his thumb recording that album.
F: I think Alicia Keys broke his thumb. Slamming down the keyboard. It was kind of like a Harpo Marx thing. Ka-bam! Ka-bam!
L: I think he owed her some money was what it was.
F: I believe the exact amount was twenty bucks. But, a gentleman never tells. I don't mean to cast aspersions on Dan.
L: Just Alicia Keys.
Cyclops Rock
Withered Hope
Okay, at this point the band was joined by the Tricerachops Horns, consisting of
Dan ‘The Machine’ Levine on trombone, Kurt Ram on trumpet, and Stan
Harrison on sax. Getting to see the band live is one thing, but getting to see them
with horns is fantastic. The next couple songs were rocking and brassy.
She’s Actual Size
Mr. Me
Oh man I love this song.
Turn Around
After this the horns took a break.
F: They’re off to smoke their menthol cigarettes in the back room, which is actually twice the size of this room. The 9:30 Club guys showed us into it, and we were like ‘oh, cool, this is the gig, alright’ and they were like ‘no, this is the back lounge. We want to treat you guys like kings’ and we were like ‘Fuck. They want to treat us like kings. We’re going to wake up from this dream tomorrow and we won’t be kings.’
I’m Impressed
Phone Calls From the Dead
The always entertaining skit featuring necro-fiber-optic technology. A slide
projector and screen were brought out, and Flansy began so:
F: So earlier we had a talk with our managers. They told us ‘Hey guys, you need
to get your shit together. You need projector screens, you need to be up to date with technology.’ And we were all like ‘aw man, not the shit together speech, we hate the shit together. So we got projector screens’
Then, beginning the actual skit:
F: This was our Thanksgiving [slide is a picture of a graveyard]
So Linnell then got a call from Ronald Milhouse Sagan, the (fictional) twin brother of astronomer Carl Sagan. They sang a duet together. Ronald’s
jaw fell off.
Afterwards John L discussed with John F whether or not chins cease growing
after one dies. John F made some jokes about John Jerry’s chin.
F: Well, now we’ve managed to alienate both the Republcans and the Democrats in the room… anyway, we’re so excited to be here in
Washington…
Birdhouse In Your Soul
The Shadow Government
Older
They fired off the confetti cannons during the pause. It was unexpected, and
awesome.
Maybe I Know
Then it was time for just the Johns to perform. They did so with Lesley Gore’s
1950s classic, Maybe I Know.
Contrecoup
Particle Man
John L snuck in a stanza about how Ronald Milhouse Sagan reaches up from the
grave with his jaw and tries to bite the hypotenuse of Triangle Man, but sadly he
fails.
The Famous Polka
So, so great to see this live.
Spy
The Tricerachops had used up all their menthols by now, so they came back out.
Whistling In The Dark
Flansy brought out the bass drum for this one.
With The Dark
Museum of Idiots
‘Nother favorite.
Dr. Worm
Encore 1:
The first and last lines of Boss of Me
New York City
‘I’m five hours from New York City/and I’m five hours from you’
The song where all of the band member’s names get sung
The Mesopotamians
Encore 2:
Purple Toupee
This made my night. Okay it had been made long before, but this was still one of
the highlights.
Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
Dan Miller is a motherfucker guitarist.
And that was it! All in all they played a 2 hour set. I’m pretty sure I can now die happy.
Flansy: Enough with the boom boom twang twang boom. Get on with the yip yap. I paid for yip yap. I can get twang twang at home.
EDIT: They put the show up for download. Fucking sweetness.
...Aand my TMBG high isn't quite yet over, so! Let's play Six Degrees of They Might Be Giants. Name any musician or actor, and I shall link them to TMBG, Kevin Bacon style. Ready go.