jonathan richman & tommy larkins--12.2.07--

[ms. yvon]

missed jonathan and tommy's los angeles show, so drove down to costa mesa to see them at detroit bar. first time at the club: great spot! the crowd was a little reserved (how do they do it at a show like this, i do not know )

 

there was no back stage area, so the performers walk through the crowd to the stage.

 

forgot to bring paper to keep a setlist, so scrawled it all on a dollar bill.

 

they played several new songs. i don't know the titles, but wrote down a line or two from each of them.

 

here we go:

 

 

--what a beautiful world (spanish)

--that summer feeling (woo!)

--older girl (think this is new. wonderful!)

--let her go into the darkness (shorter version. no "laundromat! laundromat! laundromat!")

--odor song

--affection (bonus!)

--party on the beach--kind of dark surfer-y riff. might be new. didn't recognize it

--we are the light of the world...drab ways..(think this is new)

--lesbian bar (here the crowd started swinging!)

--because her beauty is raw and wild (this is the title of the new album)

--when we refuse to suffer

--pablo picasso (this is the first time i noticed the groove of spiders is very close to this)

--a leonard cohen song, "hello my love. my love, goodbye"

--it's got to be fresh

--gave us the wine to taste

encore-ish:

--my baby love, love, loves me

 

 

after "gave us the wine" tommy was off the stage and starting to walk to the back of the bar when he realized jojo was responding to the cheers, had taken his guitar back out of it's case, and was starting another song.

 

jojo wasn't his usual chatty self. he was cheerful, but didn't stop to talk between songs.

 

these guys are playing shows ALL over california this week. gonna try to see them again next sunday in redwood city.

[Albert Tatlock]

You deserve a bacon butty

[pnêyu]

I take it Jonathan's voice is fully recovered? Glad to hear you had a blast--we'll talk about NorCal arrangements?

[ms. yvon]

funny thing about his voice: when i saw him last november, he was fully recovered: chatty, not guarding his voice. but he didn't chat AT ALL during this show. i passed him on the way into the venue and he said a quiet hello type greeting (the usual sort of demuring jonathan thing *beam*), but other than that, not a non-singing peep. so. maybe he's protecting his vocal chords again.

 

man. hope he's healthy.

 

 

and re: nor-cal: synchronize watches! watkins family...woo!

[gogo]

Yay! Looking forward to tomorrow night here!

[Oil Can Boyd]

--affection (bonus!)

I love that song.