Super Furry Animals Archives
So spoke our tour guide at the Sam Adams Brewery on Friday. He was talking about the special Brewmaster Blend of Stout pictured above, but he might as well have been talking about the weekend in Boston that Ms. Smith and I just had.
To be honest, we were just happy to get up there in the first place. We took the 9 a.m. flight out of Dulles so we arrived up North before the snow did. While we were waiting for our bags, we learned that the flights scheduled to arrive after us had all been canceled. And with good reason; it snowed from noon until after 10 p.m., leaving between 8 and 10 inches of snow on the ground. But we had no problems getting around town - if anything, it just made the city more picturesque.
I've been to Boston plenty, but this was easily my best trip yet. We had a great hotel - smack dab on the MIT campus -, a great neighborhood, great food and drink and no shortage of things to do. It all culminated with the Super Furry Animals show Saturday night, which was - for the record - my 30th (!!!!) Super Furry Animals gig. I too recoiled in horror after reading the previous sentence.
The gig was great, a loose and informal affair in front of a sell-out audience. The Paradise is a great room, although it has a funny shape. It's very wide, but not very deep. The sides of the club have risers and balconies, so the best view is generally from the sides of the stage. But the sound was superb, as was the vibe from the crowd.
A few hours before the gig, I got an email from David, a reader of the leafblower who wanted to buy me a pint at the gig. After doing so, I bought the next round and insisted he come backstage after the gig to meet the band. We made our way backstage as the last strains of ":Keep The Cosmic Trigger Happy" faded into the night and I introduced him to everyone and we hung out well into the early morning, drinking beer and talking football and whatnot. The recent injury to Eduardo was a big point of conversation, as was the band's Conan O'Brien taping today. We had two sides arguing for specific songs - myself and the crew on one side and the band on the other. Add in the 37 Stella's I drank andyou can see where this is going.
Anyways, before I knew it, the driver started up the tour bus, which meant it was my time to head back to the hotel, officially ending my Super Furry road trip of 2008. I think this tour has been really good for the band. They stripped down their show to the bare essentials, letting their songs speak for themselves and from the feedback I've heard, the reception has been entirely positive. Another ilb reader, Joyce from NYC, emailed me this morning to say last night's show in NYC was the best he'd seen the band do in over six years.
I think it's easy to get caught up in the "show" aspect of the last few tours, and I definitely missed the video of head-banging Ozzy during "Receptacle for the Respectable," but I think this tour (and album) are a reboot of sorts for the band, and it's done the trick. You don't need Yeti costumes when you write perfect pop songs and this tour reminded everyone of that.
On the good news front, there is a possibility of another US tour towards the tail end of the year, which is both exciting and frustrating. Exciting because, hey, more shows! Frustrating because I will either be on my honeymoon or out of vacation days. :)
I'm not sure if the Conan taping will air tonight or another day, so check your local TV listings. Gruff said the band were supposed to do Conan at the start of the tour but they decided not to do it because of the strike. This will be the band's second appearance on Conan, the first came back when the band was promoting Rings Around The World. Here's the mp3:
[mp3] Super Furry Animals | (Drawing) Rings Around The World (live on Conan O'Brien)
It's Super Furry time again around these parts. Ms. Smith and I are (weather permitting) heading up to Beantown this morning in advance of the SFA show at the Paradise tomorrow night. If you're going to be in attendance, get at me.
One weekend. Two cities. Three incredible shows. And not a whole lot of sleep. I'll take it.
Friday's Buffalo Tom gig was so good it deserves it's own post, so that will be forthcoming as soon as I get around to editing the photos.
The Furry portion of my weekend was just as incredible. The venue in Philly, The Starlight Ballroom, was really weird. It was like a big dance club that had been converted to a roller-rink. It reminded me of an extra wide version of the 40-Watt Club with a huge dance floor in the middle of the room. The show was all ages, so they cordoned the drinkers off in the back of the room, which kinda sucked. The show was superb though, the highlight being the third ever performance of "Mrs. Spector," a b-side on the "Fire In My Heart" single from Guerilla. It has long been one of my favorite Furry selections so to finally hear it live was quite a treat.
But the highlight of the weekend came last night during the band's 9:30 Club performance. On the tour bus after the gig in Philly I had begun lobbying the band to play "Torra Fy Ngwallt Yn Hir" from Radiator, and Gruff seemed to think that sounded like a good idea. Then, about 30 minutes into last night's set, Gruff started talking about voting irregularities for their online widget and the possibility that the band was going to switch to the caucus system instead. He followed that up by saying "This next song is a request from our good friend Kyle."
Best.
That was the second Super Furry shout out I've ever gotten, the first being in Dublin in 2001 when after literally begging them for two straight days the band played "Citizens Band" for "our friend Kyle who traveled a very long way to see us play." It was just the third time they had ever played that song. Gruff didn't even know the words, he faked his way through the second verse. It was awesome.
Unfortunately the and are playing pretty much in the dark on this tour, so my photos reflect that. But hey, no complaints from me.
Time permitting I will try and elaborate on everything tomorrow or later in the week.
The Super Furries started their US tour on Wednesday in Hoboken, a show I was sadly unable to attend. Totally gutted, obvs. Still, I'm going to see them twice this weekend, so there's that to look forward to.
Here's the set list from last night, via punkphoto:
The Gateway Song / Run-Away / Golden Retriever / Ice Hockey Hair / Into the Night / Battersea Odyssey / Down a Dif’rent River / Carbon Dating / Zoom! / The Gift That Keeps Giving / Juxtaposed With U (cut short due to equipment konking out)/ Show Your Hand / Receptacle / Slow Life / (Drawing) Rings Around the World / Baby Ate My Eightball / Hello Sunshine / The Man Don’t Give a F**k / Cosmic Trigger
Not too shabby. The band is letting fans request songs at each gig on the tour, all you have to do is scroll and click.
My suggestions: Nothern Lights, Torra Fy Ngwallt Yn Hir, Mrs. Spector, Hot Nutz, or She's Got Spies
During the last tour, the band evaded my continuos post-soundcheck interview requests, so this time around, I went through their PR rep.
The result?
Leaf v. Guto, the interview!
See you in Philly on Saturday.
Pre-game at DC9 on Sunday.
In the meantime, I'll be at the Black Cat tonight reliving my college years by taking in Buffalo Tom in all their glory.
Best. Weekend. Ever.
[mp3] Super Furry Animals | Ice Hockey Hair (live)
[mp3] Super Furry Animals | She's Got Spies (live)
Just last night I was thinking to myself, if the Furries are indeed touring in January, they need to release those dates ASAP because your boy has a lot going on that month and I need to plan accordingly.
Yes, I sit at home thinking about Super Furry Animals tour dates. I am fucking weird slightly obsessive, OK?
Anyways, we finally have the scoop!
01/23 - Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell's*
01/25 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg*
01/26 - Philadelphia, PA @ Starlight Ballroom*
01/27 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club*%
01/29 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle*%
01/30 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse*%
01/31 - New Orleans, LA @ The Republic*%
02/01 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theatre*%
02/02 - Austin, TX @ Emo's*
02/05 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress*
02/06 - Solona Beach, CA @ Belly Up*
02/08 - Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex*
02/09 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall*
02/11 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir*
02/12 - Seattle, WA @ Neumo's*
02/15 - Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theatre
02/16 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
02/17 - Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
02/18 - Buffalo, NY @ Tralf Music Hall
02/20 - Toronto, ONT @ Mod Club
02/21 - Montreal, QUE @ Cabaret Music Hall
02/22 - Ithaca, NY @ Cornell University
02/23 - Boston, NY @ The Paradise
02/25 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Support by HOLY FUCK = *
Support by FIERY FURNACES = %
First reaction: w00t!
Second reaction: Fuck, I have the mother of all projects due at work on January 30th.
Third reaction: Chicago on a weekend!
Fourth reaction: Fuck, I have a trip to Florida for work that week.
Fifth reaction: Detroit on a weekend!
Sixth reaction: Fuck, it's on a Sunday.
Seventh reaction: Boston on a weekend!
Eight reaction: Fuck, the Celtics are on the road then.
Ninth reaction: Screw you guys, I'm, going to Expedia to book a flight to Beantown!
Tenth reaction: Wait...Hoboken! Maxwells! Hmmmmmm...
So as of now, my wish list would probably be Hoboken, Philly, D.C. and maybe Boston.
SFA shows at Maxwells are fucking legendary. I think I have to make that happen. Even if it's on a fucking Wednesday. I will have earned some time off by that point.
Grambo, you've been warned.
Recent Comments