Concert Journal Part II: Live at the Crystal

If I had not been so badly impoverished in college, there would have been another trio of concerts seen in Eugene, that would have included the Presidents of the United States of America, the Gin Blossoms, and the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies. Two of the first concerts that I saw in my employed adulthood compensated for that, but they also introduced me to something Badly Bradley had only hinted at—deplorable opening acts.

The Presidents put on an amazing show. “High energy” barely begins to describe it. I saw them at a Rose Festival concert also, and still great. They sing about silly things, and they don’t use all of the available strings with their bassitar and guibass, but they make it work. I might have to call them an absurdist band, actually, except that seems like more of a Leningrad Cowboys thing.

So, at the Crystal, they had two opening acts, and the second, the United States of Electronica, was actually pretty good. In fact, when the Presidents took the stage, they gave a hand to USE themselves, leaving Anna Oxygen out in the cold. Well, that’s what the rest of us had done.

I guess no one ever explained to her that you need to earn the respect of the audience. So, if you can’t do your songs right because your projection system is not working and the right images do not come up for your songs, and this impairs your act, it makes us think that the songs are not very good. Okay, you proved that one anyway. And you can’t make us dance to the dance steps you want and demonstrate. If we like you we might do it, but we didn’t. And getting whiny and cranky with us just reinforces our impression that you suck. Really, it was very sad and annoying.

Oh, one funny thing at that show. Where we were, there was part of the stage that I couldn’t see, which basically meant that I could see everyone but the keyboardist for USE. So later on, during Presidents, I was dancing next to him and didn’t know until my sisters told me.

So, let’s say that the Presidents are absurdist, and that Anna Oxygen was really trying to be a performance artist, and the USE keyboardist’s hair was a work of art, because the when it was time for the Daddies, there was some artistry and illusion going on. Their opening act seemed like a joke.

First of all, musically they sounded rather like a garage band playing a frat party—mainly loud, not particularly memorable, and they only lyrics I could make out were about riding a snake (and if that’s not fratty, I don’t know what is).

Also, their outfits were very costume-y. It was like each member had chosen to play a different character, and there was no thematic connection between the different characters—especially the leprechaun one. So I was there thinking it had to be some kind of joke, and then during the Daddies performance, which was great, this idea started building in the back of my mind, and sure enough White Hot Odyssey is Steve Perry’s other project, and if I can’t like the music of his other band, I admit to being impressed with the ability to do two full shows in one night, which he does on a regular basis. Crazy.

Other memorable shows at the Crystal have included Jimmy Eat World, which was good but I had to leave before they were done, which makes the use of two sucky opening acts particularly egregious.

The Finn Brothers were a great, mellow show, almost acoustic, but still moving and energetic and wonderful. The crazy Celtic lady with the enormous flower in her hair was weird, but I can’t tell you who she was because I could not understand a word she was saying. You know how sometimes when people fake an Irish accent they sound like they have a toothache and it obscures their speech? I’m sure she was not faking, but, yeah, something was not right.

I think my favorite show there was the most recent one, when we went to see the Psychedelic Furs. I guess one good thing about having a voice where you sound like a lifelong smoker is that aging does not show as much. Richard Butler sounded incredible—like time had stood still for him. And he danced around on that stage as if it had not been twenty-odd years. His dancing was a little nerdy, actually, but he was enjoying himself so much! I felt like he was happy to see us, and it was endearing.

Actually, this is the weirdest thing of all—I think their opening act was okay. I don’t know how that happened.


22 minutes walking outside
Wall sits
1st Corinthians 15 – 2nd Corinthians 8