Firecracker Kid Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 Apologies abound for this recap, as it's been a while since I've gotten on this horse. Thankfully I was at least slightly prepared to put my crude scribe skills to work, as a little birdy told me that bböp might not be in attendance at the show. And, one song into the set I was both reminded of the effort it takes to do a show recap justice and thankful that we're so often able to read bböp's wonderful reviews. I also cursed him under my breath a little for skipping the show knowing I'd have to post my feeble attempt at journalism.... The show marked the first time Jeff has visited Texas for a solo gig in almost exactly three years, with his last show in Texas being in the very same theater on 4 March 2019. Not only was it great to have him back in my home State, but the Paramount is one of those perfect venues for a solo acoustic act. One of the few "grand dames" in Texas, the Paramount dates back to 1915 and has the feel of a very intimate space despite the nearly 1,300-person capacity. It's beautifully decorated inside, the sound is great, and the staff and volunteers are all beyond amazing. It's definitely worth a visit. As for the entertainment, the night started with opening act Claire Rousay from nearby San Antonio whose style has been described as "emo ambient". Admittedly, based on some videos I had seen, I was prepared to be a bit underwhelmed. I was, however, pleasantly surprised to find her art very enjoyable to my tastes. Granted, judging by the general reaction of the crowd, I was squarely in the minority in this regard. But it was a sobering self-reminder of the old adage to not judge a book by its cover. For Jeff's set, he promptly took the stage at 8:30 and kicked off the set with what would turn out to be one of several new songs. Prior to the show, I had intentionally avoided reading recaps of the three recent Largo solo shows in order to avoid "spoilers" as to what was to come. While this led to a very pleasant surprise in getting to hear the songs for the first time (I'm sadly and somehow inexplicably a highly unreliable "client" of The Tweedy Show, so my exposure to new material has been limited), the other edge to the sword is that I was left jotting notes in the tomb-like darkness and later left trying to interpret my own scribbling. Thankfully, our good friend bböp (that guy again) assisted me with interpretation, so the setlist below should be reasonably accurate. The new songs aside, Jeff's set didn't exactly delve into the depths of the deep cut catalog. That said, his balance of "the hits", the new stuff, and some of the less frequently played material was a good mix that seemed to cater in some way to nearly everyone in attendance. Personally, any set with New Madrid and Please Tell My Brother is a winner, regardless of what the rest of the makeup is. Performance-wise, it was a solid show. The only lyric flub came on Dylan's Beard when Jeff played through the intro and then kept playing and admitted on mic "I forgot the opening lyric". But no sooner than he said it, he followed with "oh, I remember" and led into the song. There was also a minor but inconsequential technical moment when his guitar strap popped off during The Universe, but Jeff finished playing without issue. The last notes of ITMWLY ended promptly at 10:00, followed by Jeff's usual and genuine thanking of the crowd. Although the setlist wasn't too adventurous, banter corner was definitely hopping. Early in the set, someone in the crowd shouted "tell us a story, Jeff!", to which Jeff obliged with a retelling of the Trejo's Tacos story from L.A. that bböp recapped in a recent Largo show writeup. The one additional point of embellishment was Jeff saying his meal was "a jackfruit bowl with cauliflower rice ...just like my abuela used to make" which drew the appropriate level of laughter and good natured brow-beating from taco-loving Austinites (although I'm sure the "alternative" menu choice probably pleased more than a few folks in the crowd). Jeff also responded to the crowd pop when the harmonica jig came out for Via Chicago. He opined that the harmonica itself outshines the player and that people overestimate how hard it is to play a harmonica. He said when he plays the refrain on She's A Jar, people go nuts like he's Toots Thielemans. Another amusing moment came near the end of the set when a woman in the balcony yelled demandingly "play some fucking rock and roll!!!". Jeff's perfectly timed reply of "you were obviously misinformed about tonight's show" got a good rise from the crowd. Then he proceeded to walk nearly to the stage right wings and start strumming the guitar while ambling towards the mic and saying "this is the only way I can turn it up". The banter highlight, however, was in response to someone yelling "tell us another story, Jeff" later in the show. I have vague recollection of hearing the tale before, but he recounted when he was living in an apartment with the guys from Uncle Tupelo when they were a three-piece and the rent was $80 a month. Since they couldn't figure out how to do the math to divide the rent three ways, they got a fourth roommate, whom he referred to as "Mike" then quickly clarified it wasn't Mike Heidorn, so he changed the name to "Matt" then further clarified he was trying to use an alias. Anyway, he said he and "Matt" basically spent all day "playing Sega hockey and doing bongs". Late one night during one of the hockey/bong sessions, a woman knocked on the door and he cautiously opened it to find a woman who was "real pregnant. like 10 months pregnant" and she asked if "Matt" was there. Jeff went and told "Matt" there was a pregnant woman at the door for him and his response was to slowly get up and say "I enjoyed knowing you" after which he strolled out of the apartment...never to be seen again!! Definitely a memorable tale! Here was the complete setlist, as played: new song-Ambulance I Am Trying To Break Your Heart Remember The Mountain Bed new song-Tired Of Taking It New Madrid new song-I Am My Mother Gwendolyn One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley's Boyfriend) new song-The Universe Don't Forget Please Tell My Brother Via Chicago (w/harmonica) new song-All Across (aka In A Hurricane's Eye) Bob Dylan's 49th Beard Jesus, etc. new song-Please Be Wrong Passenger Side Family Ghost Ashes Of American Flags ---------------------------- Shot In The Arm I'm The Man Who Loves You 4 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BrandyCatNap Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 Thanks for the recap!! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
82games Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 Great recap! Another memorable piece of banter was when Jeff told the audience that he had just come from a series of shows in Los Angeles to which someone yelled out, "sorry to hear that". Jeff chuckled and immediately replied with the perfect response of "that's what they said when I told them I was coming here. We're a divided country!" -- which garnered many laughs. Kinda an inside joke given the disdain from Texans (Austinites) for the insane influx of Californians that have "LA'd" Austin. Having gone to the Monday Largo show as well, it was neat to see the difference in Jeff's demeanor being back in front of a "bigger" audience. It was a really well put together set that flowed very nicely IMO being quite heavy on the lyrical side of things song selection wise. See y'all in Dallas manana! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bböp Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 5 hours ago, Firecracker Kid said: Apologies abound for this recap, as it's been a while since I've gotten on this horse. Thankfully I was at least slightly prepared to put my crude scribe skills to work, as a little birdy told me that bböp might not be in attendance at the show. And, one song into the set I was both reminded of the effort it takes to do a show recap justice and thankful that we're so often able to read bböp's wonderful reviews. I also cursed him under my breath a little for skipping the show knowing I'd have to post my feeble attempt at journalism.... The show marked the first time Jeff has visited Texas for a solo gig in almost exactly three years, with his last show in Texas being in the very same theater on 4 March 2019. Not only was it great to have him back in my home State, but the Paramount is one of those perfect venues for a solo acoustic act. One of the few "grand dames" in Texas, the Paramount dates back to 1915 and has the feel of a very intimate space despite the nearly 1,300-person capacity. It's beautifully decorated inside, the sound is great, and the staff and volunteers are all beyond amazing. It's definitely worth a visit. Excellent work, O Firecracker Kid! Sorry to have missed it, but you’re a regular sparkplug. Did you buy the poster designed after your handle? Oh, that’s all of them lately… Glad you found Claire Rousay to be better than you expected! I’m kind of curious to see perform myself. Sounds like kind of a rowdy crowd down in ATX, but Jeff knows how to handle those by now. Glad you got to hear more than a handful of the new tunes. Not surprisingly, it really does seem like those are the ones that Jeff is most engaged with lately. And Bob Dylan’s 49th Beard is always welcome, at least to me! 4 hours ago, BrandyCatNap said: Thanks for the recap!! Is this who I think it is? If so, welcome! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eckythump Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 6 hours ago, Firecracker Kid said: The banter highlight, however, was in response to someone yelling "tell us another story, Jeff" later in the show. I have vague recollection of hearing the tale before, but he recounted when he was living in an apartment with the guys from Uncle Tupelo when they were a three-piece and the rent was $80 a month. Since they couldn't figure out how to do the math to divide the rent three ways, they got a fourth roommate, whom he referred to as "Mike" then quickly clarified it wasn't Mike Heidorn, so he changed the name to "Matt" then further clarified he was trying to use an alias. Anyway, he said he and "Matt" basically spent all day "playing Sega hockey and doing bongs". Late one night during one of the hockey/bong sessions, a woman knocked on the door and he cautiously opened it to find a woman who was "real pregnant. like 10 months pregnant" and she asked if "Matt" was there. Jeff went and told "Matt" there was a pregnant woman at the door for him and his response was to slowly get up and say "I enjoyed knowing you" after which he strolled out of the apartment...never to be seen again!! Definitely a memorable tale! Great recap! He may have told it other times, but he told this story at his solo show in Sydney in 2019, that's maybe where you heard it before, except he used the name Mark! See my recap of that show Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kidsmoke Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 Terrific review! I could put myself right inside that audience from your detailed description. Thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Albert Tatlock Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 Ta. You have earned it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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