Last fall, I mentioned to Will Carroll that we ought to go to the Cake concert. We get down to the show and find out it is sold-out. Well, just 2 nights ago, we finally worked out our raincheck to go catch a concert together, only to find out that the Ben Folds performance was sold-out, as well. Now, you might ask, bonehead, why didn't you just buy them ahead of time. One word, Ticketmaster. Since I consider this organization in the same league as Hezbollah and Clay Aiken, I do whatever I can to not kick in the extra 7 bucks they extract from me for their "service". Much like Pearl Jam, though, I'm realizing it's a losing battle, so tomorrow I'm calling them when Pixies tickets go on sale, as I can't risk missing that show.

Well, since we were out of luck on the Ben Folds experience, I remembered that the Old 97's were in town, also, so I mentioned this to Will, hoping he would forgive me for dropping the ball twice. So we make the trek up there and catch the show, lucky to be able to have a quality band like this available to pinch hit. Now before you click off to find something more interesting, like the OBP of Colorado Rockies hitters at home vs. away (it's .895 to .652, so stay here)I promise this is more about the overall concert appearance than breaking down Philip Peeples' drumming skills.

The opening act was a group that seemed to be friends of the headliners. They were decent, except for the last song they did, which was the most kickass thing I heard all night. If you know who they are, tell me, as I'd like to download that song I spoke of. The rest of their performance was best described by Will, "as something he could hear by hundreds of bar bands across the country." One mistake the singer made was mentioning to the crowd between songs that "I'm not good at between song banter". Dude, unless you are writing like Bob Dylan or singing like Jeff Buckley, you better be able to do a little soft shoe and give your audience some pizzazz or it ain't going to happen on any large scale.

This is something that the Old 97's have, as it's frontman, Rhett Miller, just looks like a rock star. Will compared him to a "scout's perfect player", as he has all the tools. As good as the guy looks, he sings even better, as his voice is a perfect blend between British pop and Alt. Country. It's amazing that Miller on the surface tops Jeff Tweedy in just about all rock star categories, except songwriting (and Miller isn't too far behind there), but Tweedy sits on the cover of the magazines. I would suggest, after watching the show that Miller is held back by his band, where Tweedy just gets rid of people who stand in the way of his vision.

I'm not saying the Old 97's aren't an excellent band, but at least at the show I just witnessed, they were more interested in thrashing out some cow-punk, like they were backing the Reverend Horton Heat. Miller has such a great voice that this music just drowns out a lot of what makes him special. Also, co-founder and bassist, Murry Hammond was allowed to sing lead too many times. I respect the loyalty to your orignal bandmates, but Mick only lets Keith sing one song per show. I will say Hammond is an interesting guy to look at, as he's a physical mix of Stephen King, Ray Manzarek, and Jane Hathaway.

One thing that jumped out at me at this show, was that I wasn't the old guy. This generally happens at a lot of shows I go to, as I feel like some are looking at me like I must be a parent, who's designated driving.
Such is the life of the aging hipster.

Now let me offer a public service announcement to all readers, if you are at a live music show, dance appropriately! It seems to happen at every show I'm at, someone thinks they're attending a Dead show and they need to move in an arm swaying motion. This annoys me more than a 15 minute Patchouli flavored jam tune, so stop it. I swear that this kind of psychedelic movement is what created the initial slam dance.

At the start of this piece, I brought up the band Cake. On their first CD, they had a song that I always think about when I'm at a show.

Well, your CD collection looks shiny and costly.
How much did you pay for your bad Moto Guzi?
And how much did you spend on your black leather jacket?
Is it you or your parents in this income tax bracket?

How do you afford your rock'n'roll lifestyle?

This is a question for the ages.

Another classic moment in any show is when the opening band walks through the club, in the middle of the headliners set, looking for some random adulation and hopefully a hand-job in the tour bus/van. As a stand-up comedian, I understand this desire, though the difference is for comics the adulation is extremely random and the hand-jobs are in your car and consist of solo-manipulation.

One of my favorite happenings at the show was when the band announced they were doing a song from an obscure EP, which elicited crazed frenzy among two guys in the front, who jumped in stalkerish glee at the news. Note to superfan: Try to stay calm at this moment, as I know you are jubilant in getting this grand surprise, but it's frankly embarassing to watch a 35 year-old man bounce in the air like he's some pre-teen girl at an Aaron Carter concert.

The music world is one where you generally get only one chance to capitalize on your opportunity and it would appear that the Old 97's moment was during 1999 when they released "Fight Songs". Even 6 years later, the song "Murder of a Heart Attack" from this disc was the song that created the most energy from the audience. If you are interested in checking out the Old 97's, I would recommend that album and "Satellite Rides" as a good place to start. My favorite work that a member of the band is affiliated with is Rhett Miller's 2002 solo release, "The Instigator". Produced by Jon Brion, it just demonstrates how great Miller's talents are, as it fits a musical place somewhere between Ryan Adams and Jason Falkner.

Aging black leather and hospital bills,
Tattoo removal and dozens of pills.
Your liver pays dearly now for youthful magic moments,
But rock on completely with some brand new components.

How do you afford your rock'n'roll lifestyle?

When I get an answer, I will get back to you.