Monday, April 28, 2008

Kind of Seeing Mike Doughty


I'm not good with certain kinds of conflict. Most things I can let roll off my back pretty easily, but when someone is pointlessly rude to me, it bums me out for a long time. And so it is that, after an overzealous staffperson accused me and Mrs.5000 of trying to break into the Wonder Ballroom, I was completely unable to enjoy the show afterwards. Which really sucks, as I had been looking forward to seeing Mike Doughty for months.

I can provide some objective data. Doughty is touring with a highly talented band, of whom drummer Pete McNeal stood out as a dazzling and intrepid performer. Doughty is, as I have often heard, witty and charming with his stage banter, albeit oddly hostile to song requests. Most individual songs were performed with a harder edge than their studio versions and, oddly, were often pitched lower. On a couple of occasions, he stuck himself in a key so low that he clearly wasn't comfortable singing in it. How does that happen, I wonder.

All in all, though, the performances were strong and certainly sufficiently rocking. I'm sure I would have had a great time, if I could take conflict less seriously, or if the beligerant staffer dude had stayed on his meds.

The opening act, also featuring McNeil, was The Panderers, a very skilled trio in the general MidWestern school of John Mellencamp. They played fairly unremarkable songs about boys meeting, wanting, loving, losing, and/or resenting girls. Their main schtick -- pandering -- was a bit lost on the crowd, since we in the City of Roses are used to performers telling us we are lucky to live in the most beautiful city in the world, and most of us more or less agree with them. I think they might have been a little disconcerted when their over-the-top praise was met with a roar of approval instead of laughter.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

It helps (me) to remember we live in the Dark Ages.

Rebel said...

I brought one of those reusable grocery bags into the store and the cashier tried to charge me for it - when I explained that I'd brought it with me she was totally unclear on the subject... like I really want to steal a 99 cent grocery bag... and to do so right in front of the cashier!

I share your grudge holding ability.

Rebel said...

Oh - and the joke's on the panderers... we do live in the most beautiful city in the world... well, 3 months out of the year we do. ;)

Anonymous said...

Suggested Mantra: "I, M5000, have readers in Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia. I will not let this shithead bother me."

Anonymous said...

I like the way Swoosie and the Colonel think.

I can get that way too and I want to sock someone when an experience is tainted like that. It doesn't rock the right way.

It is so rich that the pandering was met that way!

gl. said...

why did they accuse you of breaking into the ballroom? that sort of confrontation leaves me feeling queasy, too.

Karin said...

Your violent and distructive nature must have been particularly obvious that night.

Normally you two keep that in check so much that no one would ever notice, but--not those guys. Woo, they're good.