Bill Owens: Be Ready for THE Band! Yeahhh! Welcome to The Band!
THE BAND
The Band is onstage getting ready to start. Ian and Pitt are in suits, and York is in dinner clothes, minus the bow-tie. Kim is wearing an argyle sweater, rolled up to reveal a bit of her belly, and a school-girlish skirt that could hurt someone’s eyes. Kim, for once, seems very nervous. John has a tea cup on a low stand, but next to it is a large bottle with a dark liquid inside, so we can assume he is not actually drinking tea. They are ready to start. John approaches the mike.
John-S’up
They open, fittingly, with Only The Beginning. Kim is extremely nervous, so her voice is a bit shaky. She essentially talks the chorus. York tries to yell something at Ian, but he can’t hear him so he gives up. During the Celtic-punk segment, York’s guitar has issues and sounds abnormally fuzzy. It becomes a lo-fi segment. York laughs the whole time. The opening acoustic anthem gets a good response from the crowd.
Kim-(hoarse at first) uhhh hello. (clears throat) Hello. Uhhh, welcome to our show. We’re The Band. I’m......
John-HELLOOOOOOO EVVVVERYYYONE. Let’s keep this disco train rolling.
They next play I Hope You’re Not Involved at All from the new album. The piano riff in the opening is slightly changed. Kim’s vocals are still shakey. She gets the nervous energy out by bouncing around spastically and jumping up and down on the mike stand when she doesn’t have to play bass. John and the crowd start a punk bounce during the main part of the song. He and Ian this time were consistently trying to get each other to laugh by making facing and making odd sounds with their guitars. The crowd is now very loud. Kim is blowing kisses in exchange for the ovation. John downs more stuff from his tea cup. They play Don’t Let Me Down next. John has his sights set on Kim this time. He stares at her the whole time, making her giggle, and calming her down. Her vocals are less scratchy. John extends the big solo, dragging out most segments of it. He plays it adequately. Next they go into the extreme punk no. Bloody Disgrace. Kim doesn’t have to play bass on this song, so she bounces about spastically, and runs around through the audience.
Kim-Thank You. I do adore all of you. You’re all dears to clap for us so much.
John-Next up is our first, kind of popular song.
It’s My Washboard. Kim has calmed down a bit, but still sounds a bit hoarse, and has intense convulsions that appear involuntary. She rolls her sweater up further; people should be able to see the whole washboard after all. They goof off entirely on the chorus, with Kim snarling very fast and John making silly noises on his guitar. John and the crowd start another punk bounce. After it ends, they head straight into their bigger, latest hit Where Do We Go From Here, minus the string outro. The crowd sings along with the first and final lines. The crowd is loving this. There’s only one more song to play that can create more pandamonium.
John-Royal Wedding is up next. It……It’s……important that everyone sing this song. It’s a statement that needs to be made. I know it’s a snide and cheeky song, but it means something.
John extends the opening segment into a dour, slow solo. Then, the main part of the song begins, with Ian on acoustic guitar, and Kim singing and playing bass. She snarls the vocals with more confidence and ferocity than she’s had all day. For the chorus, Kim runs through the crowd, holding the mike up in the air, as the crowd sings the hook in unison. This is a special moment. John uses a tape machine to bring in the trippy jazz samples, different from the original song. He also “plays” the lights, making them spin, flash and change color in time with the samples in a trippy rave fashion. Kim actually sings the last two choruses, belting them out perfectly. John segways from his electric guitar part in the chorus into a solo. He makes use of scho affects and open chords. The solo has a wild, out of control feel. He borrows some melodic elements from Chopin’s “Fantasie Impromptu”. He ends the solo by repeating two fuzzy squeeks over and over again. The chorus is then played again. The crowd continues singing after the song has ended. John downs his whole tea cup again.
John-Thank you everyone. This…..means a lot for your band and your integrity as a band to come through in moments like this. I’m glad you liked it.
Kim-Find someone to drive you home so you can get high. Goodbye, I love all of you.
John, now very drunk, but of course still able to philosophise, goes to each corner of the stage and performs a ridiculous formal bow, Kim does her usual curtsie and blows kisses. They leave the stage. The crowd starts chanting “four eyes” over and over again, apparently wanting John to come out and do something. He finally emerges, with an acoustic guitar after the crowd reaches a certain noise level.
John-Okay…..uhhh……..I’m going to sing again. But it’s going to be a little serious this time. Uhhh, I understand a certain someone is here. Amy Meyer, uhh, I hope she wouldn’t mind coming up here.
Amy comes up on the stage. John sits on a stool. And performs a partial cover of Blur’s You’re So Great.
Sad, drunk, and poorly, sleeping really late
Sad, drunk, and poorly, not feeling so great
Wandering lost in a town full of frowns
Sad, drunk, and poorly, dogs digging up the ground
Tea and coffee helps to start the day
Tea and coffee, shaking all the way
City’s alive and, surprise, so am I
Tea and coffee, get no sleep today
But I feel your light in the night and in the day
I feel your light when the sky’s are turning grey
Cause’ you’re so great and I love you
John slurred his words badly and sounded like he was about to cry the whole time. He played the hell out of his acoustic guitar. Amy smiled and swooned the whole time. She returns to her seat as crys of “AWWW” can be heard from female members of the audience. John’s “sensitive songwriter” credibility has been enhanced even further.
John-Amy, I love you…..
Kim now returns to the stage.
Kim-Can’t leave this guy alone for two minutes. Okay, we’re going to finish up with a new song.
They play an as of yet untitled song. It’s lyrics bemoan YUPPIE culture and being trapped in the “rat race.” John gently strums of rhythm part on his acoustic guitar, and Kim sings the emotional vocal part. It is only a verse, with the chorus repeated twice. They receive their biggest ovation yet. John and Kim run off the stage and though the crowd to leave the gig. The crowd goes ballistic as they run through.
Setlist:1. Only the Beginning
2. I Hope You’re Not Involved at All
3. Don’t Let Me Down
4. Bloody Disgrace
5. My Washboard
6. Where Do We Go From Here
7. Royal Wedding
Encore
8. You’re so Great (Blur cover/serenade of Amy Meyer)
9. Untitled New Song
OOC: RP by
JohnEdited by user 26 June 2011 01:27:42(UTC)
| Reason: Not specified
