Everything’s Gonna Be Undone
You may or may not know that one of the unstated goals I had when moving to New Jersey and hence ending the “living-alone-very-far-away-from-everyone-I-know” experiment, was to try to be less of an asshole. Living so solitary, as I did for two years in Erie, hastened an already alarming trend within me that caused me to be cynical, unkind, and judgmental. And nowhere was this more evident than when I went to concerts.
I was alone, and everyone around me wasn’t. Generally speaking, the type of people who go to concerts are nice, gregarious, outgoing folks who want to make friends. I hated them, I ignored them, I went as far as to be mean to them. I hated strangers, but I hated strangers at concerts the most.
So it was with great pleasure and not just a little surprise that I realized, as Band of Horses was about to start playing tonight, that I had made friends at this concert; I was first in line (that’s right, first), and I never gave a second thought to striking up good-natured temporary kinships with my front-of-the-line-mates. I ended up on the railing next to two of them (a married couple from Wisconsin who are following the band) and we talked Band of Horses while we waited for the show to start. They saved my spot for me when I needed to pee—one of the more complicated and worrisome aspects of attending General Admission concerts by yourself. When the show was over we hung out together to try to get setlists (we didn’t) and it was just very pleasant. I ran into some other line-mates after the show as we stood in line at the merchandise booth and we talked like we were old pals. It felt nice not to be an asshole.
Here is a picture of the line (from my vantage point at the very front!!) just before doors opened:
Band of Horses speak to my soul, whatever the fuck that means. This band continues to evolve into a force in my life hitherto unfelt. Tonight was my fourth time seeing them (still haven’t seen my Band of Horses white whale) and my emotional reaction keeps evolving (meaning I come close to crying like a baby a whole lot). Ben Bridwell’s lyrics, coupled with the band’s live show–which is 100% exactly the kind of live show I want from a band–hit me in some secret place that even I can’t locate.
Here is tonight’s setlist:
01 Monsters >
02 Neighbors reprise
03 Compliments
04 Cigarettes, Wedding Bands
05 Laredo
06 The Great Salt Lake
07 Islands On the Coast
08 Northwest Apartment
09 Is There A Ghost?
10 Slow Cruel Hands of Time
11 Older
12 Electric Music
13 Dilly
14 Window Blues
15 Everything’s Gonna be Undone
16 Weed Party
17 Knock Knock
18 Ode to LRC
19 The Funeral
encore break
20 No One’s Gonna Love You More Than I Do (Ben & Tyler only)
21 A Song for You (Gram Parsons cover)
22 The General Specific
Notes From the Fire 
December 15, 2012 at 6:56 AM
I know it’s difficult to not be hyperbolic after such an extreme experience like seeing a live performance of a band you love, but how great or not great was the setlist for you?
That’s pretty great you had a placeholder for pee breaks. I either dehydrate myself or do the urine dance for hours at the many shows I attend alone. I too can’t stand other people at concerts I attend alone, but I would never be rude to them even if they deserved it. This makes me better than you.
Not to be the exceptions guy, but I recall you telling the tale of meeting a new concert friend at a Seven Mary Three show you blogged about during your Erie years. That man must have been as charming as Tom Hanks to break through your icy assholish exterior in those days!
December 15, 2012 at 7:07 AM
Honestly, the setlist isn’t amazing, which is why I didn’t do a lot of my normal “OMG the setlist!” talk. I mean, they change it up every night just like PJ and MMJ and great bands like that, and there was a lot for me to love, but it was a little heavier on the crowdpleasers than would be my ideal setlist. But it DOES start out amazingly, with songs they rarely do and never do early, as it was tailored to the school shooting today…incredibly moving stuff.
I do remember that guy at the 7m3 concert (which for the record, was before Erie, but definitely during my rise to asshole)…you probably remember him because I wrote at length about him BECAUSE it was such a rarity for me. But, y’know, fuck you anyway for bringing it up.
December 15, 2012 at 10:03 AM
very nice,