US & Canada Tour Dates!!

Just got home from DC. Some quick thoughts before bed.

The opening act, Glasser, was interesting. I'd call her the love child of Yoko Ono and Florence and the Machine. (Here's Glasser's last.fm page, which is more useful than Glasser's website.) I liked it, it had a driving beat, and she was seriously into it. And she was seriously hawt. Really. That dress she wore... Wow.

God, I sound like a total perv.

Elbow played for two hours. (I did try to record it. I'll check tomorrow to see what I got.) Oldest material was from Leaders -- "Puncture Repair" (which Guy prefaced with the story of who the song is about and why it was written -- it's about Jupp), "Great Expectations," and (in the encore) "Station Approach" (for which Guy forgot the lyrics in the second verse because he was trying to be cute with someone in the audience). Otherwise, it was split pretty evenly between Seldom Seen Kid and Build a Rocket, Boys!

I think the setlist went...

"The Birds"
"The Bones of You"
"Mirrorball"
"The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver"
"Great Expectations"
"Neat Little Rows"
"Grounds for Divorce"
"Lippy Kids"
"Puncture Repair"
"The River"
"Weather to Fly"
"Open Arms"

And in the encore...
"Starlings"
"Station Approach"
"One Day Like This"

And I know "The Night Will Always Win" went in there, but I don't remember where.

Guy also led the audience in singing "Happy birthday" to a guy named Ray, who attended Elbow's first show at the 9:30 Club exactly 10 years ago and who was also having his birthday.

It was a tight set. They were pretty playful with each other on stage. (Guy and Pete had a trumpet fight during "Starlings," and Guy took Pete's beer and carried it around stage for one song.) Guy explained why the 9:30 Club is their favorite venue in North America; the venue has washing machines so bands can do their laundry.

It was a tiny stage. Stella and Jodie (is that her name?) sat on little boxes at the back between Craig and Jupp; there wasn't anyplace else where they would fit. Guy jumped off the stage at one point so he could get closer to the crowd, then couldn't get back onto the stage.

Bought a tour t-shirt. It was overpriced ($35), the shirt feels cheap (the fabric has a strange texture), and the largest size they had was Large. Suffice it to say, I'm never going to wear this shirt. It will go with my Coldplay and Paul McCartney shirts.

Hopefully, it won't be two more years until we see Elbow again on the east coast. That would suck.

evilpixie wrote:

The rain held off but the threat of strong winds meant that the big screen and the banner above the stage had to be lowered. Guy, the trooper he is, didn't let a little thing like that stop him from entertaining the crowd.

Absolutely FAB! Love this photo!!

ChrissieInFL wrote:

Pictures from Atlanta here: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjw8ubbk

Wonderful photos Chrissie - I especially like the smiley one of Craig! ....and you got a set list (I didn't doubt that you would!)

BTW, how did Mr Chrissie enjoy the gig?

AyannaD wrote:

Great photos Chrissie. It looks like you had a great spot. How early did you get there? Also, did you have an opening act? In Boston it's someone called Glasser.

Glad you liked the photos, AyannaD! We did have an excellent spot, right up front and Potterside. We got there maybe 15 minutes before the doors opened. There was already a line to get in, but most of those in line actually went to the seated area in the rear of the theatre, so there was plenty of room for us stone-cold geeks to get up to the front by the stage. It wasn't sold out, and there were empty seats and some room on the floor, too, but the crowd was into it.

allyngibson wrote:

The opening act, Glasser, was interesting. I'd call her the love child of Yoko Ono and Florence and the Machine. (Here's Glasser's last.fm page, which is more useful than Glasser's website.) I liked it, it had a driving beat, and she was seriously into it. And she was seriously hawt. Really. That dress she wore... Wow.

God, I sound like a total perv.

Not a perv, Allyn...but that weakness for redheads is acting up again... I liked Glasser as well, but then again I like Bjork and similarly experimental female vocalists. Cameron Mesirow (that's her name) had a really, really lovely and versatile voice, and I liked the sound of most of her set. I think there'll be a lot of folks who are put off by her, since she's sorta trippy, but I got into it, and so did Mr Chrissie. I'd say she's definitely talented, but perhaps she's not exactly everybody's cup of tea.

ticky wrote:

Wonderful photos Chrissie - I especially like the smiley one of Craig! ....and you got a set list (I didn't doubt that you would!)

BTW, how did Mr Chrissie enjoy the gig?

Thanks Ticky! Yes, that smile on Craig's face just lights me up every time I look at it!

I hadn't had a chance to write up much about the show until today, so here's the review:

To begin with, as has already been discussed, this was a small venue and it wasn't sold out, so I was a bit disgusted with that. However, the crowd that were in attendance definitely had some big love and enthusiasm for the Elboys, with folks yelling out for McGreggor and Newborn and whatnot, so the atmosphere was still a good one. We were in a great spot right up front. Sound was not bad, but I think both Guy and Craig got lost in the mix on a few occasions (I didn't hear Craig's piano on Neat Little Rows the way that I should have, as one example). I thought it might be where I was standing, but then I'd been in that same theatre, and in almost the same spot, the last time Elbow played there, and I had no complaints about the sound that time, so I'm not sure what the deal was.

In any case, opening act Glasser was quite good, as I mentioned earlier. The hubby and I both thought she had a hell of a voice, and we genuinely enjoyed it. I had looked her up online before the gig, to get a feel for what sort of music she does, and I wasn't expecting much, to be honest. But live, her sound was more impressive, so it ended up being a pleasant surprise.

The Elboys then took the stage, and I was just so happy to see them, I can't even tell you. Here's the set list:

The Birds
Bones of You
Mirrorball
Neat Little Rows
Grounds For Divorce
Tower Crane Driver
Great Expectations ( )
The Night Will Always Win
Puncture Repair
The River
Lippy Kids
Weather To Fly
Open Arms
-------------------------------
Starlings
Station Approach
One Day Like This

So, it was more or less what we've seen during the non-festival tour dates so far, with a few small variations (no With Love, no Some Riot - which bummed Mr Chrissie out something fierce - and a switch in order once or twice) .

Some general observations:

* The guys all seemed in a good state of mind - relaxed, smiling, and having fun. Always makes for a great show!

* Guy was a seriously charming motherscratcher all evening, and as is his way, he referred to the city as "Atlantis" throughout the show. He was in great voice, though he had a moment or two where he had to fight to reach the high notes as he started Weather To Fly (and joked about it, as well). And in Open Arms, he sang that "the boy you were will know the man you are", to the amusement of himself & the band, thus following in the grand tradition of "I haven't seen myself of late/ I haven't blept for several days" from the MEN gig.

* He asked the crowd for a "traditional Southern song" that we could all sing to coax them back for the encore, and the crowd actually went with the chant used by fans of the Atlanta Braves baseball team (though one dipstick in the audience told Guy they were the local cricket team, and Guy may well have bought that). It's not a song, just a sort of pseudo-Native-American war chant, which actually worked out well when Guy taught us how to mutate it into the "Whoa-oh-oh-ohoh-oh-ohoh-whoa-oh-oh-OHHH!" part of Grounds For Divorce:



* Craig. Just, CRAIG. That is all.

* Due to the small venue/stage, the strings were reduced from a quartet to a duo, with only Stella and Jote in tow. No pre-gig string versions of Elbow's tunes, which was too bad, as that had been a really lovely feature at the arena shows.
* Also because of the space/staging, the band's Weather To Fly cocktail moment took place back by Craig's keyboards. Looked like a wee touch of whisky this time! They did the whole thing about the fact that they've been a band for 20 years, and had the crowd sing Happy Birthday to them. I do love that they've made a point of doing this during each show this year. I think they deserve to celebrate - and maybe brag just a little - after the career they've had up to now, but it's mostly amazing to see them enjoying each other's company like that. Just as an affirmation that they were friends before it all got so crazy, and they will likely be friends after it all fades away. Beautiful!

* Great Expectations was as great as I expected (see what I did there?), and it sounded really gorgeous that night. No, I did not cry this time, but I did close my eyes and let it soak in through my pores, and it was very satisfying. It may be a loooong while before I can hear it live again, so I really savored it the other night. So glad they played it!

*I was very happy with the gig altogether, though it was quite different from seeing them in the arenas this past spring. As for Mr Chrissie, who had nothing else to compare it to, he was really impressed by the show. He knew almost every song, sang along whenever he was able to, and thought it was one of the best performances he's ever seen. He is a bit of a power chord junkie, and Rush is his gold standard for live shows, but he told me that he'd put Elbow third on the list of best live bands ever, right behind Rush and the Pogues. So the Church of Elbow gains another full-on convert! One day, my brothers and sisters, we WILL rule the world! All hail Elbow!

Some thoughts on last night's DC show, riffing on Chrissie's observations on Atlanta...

ChrissieInFL wrote:

The guys all seemed in a good state of mind - relaxed, smiling, and having fun. Always makes for a great show!

I noticed that Guy did a lot of shoulder squeezes with his bandmates, in particular Mark and Craig. The "Puncture Repair"/"The River" bit was especially nice because it was just Craig and Guy on stage (the string section and the other three cleared off), and Guy loomed over Craig at the keyboards, and when it was done Guy did a touching shoulder squeeze. Guy was a little more physical with Pete and Jupp -- with Pete they got into an air boxing match, and he did a jumping waist bump with Jupp.

ChrissieInFL wrote:

Also because of the space/staging, the band's Weather To Fly cocktail moment took place back by Craig's keyboards.

During the DC show last night, Guy was berating Craig for his maracas playing and Jupp for his dancing. They were really having fun with it.

And it was Irish Whiskey they had. Guy specifically asked for it, then he had to explain that Irish Whiskey has an E in it.

He was going to have us sing "Happy Birthday," but then said, "Oh, fuck it!" He probably remembered that he'd had us sing "Happy Birthday" for Ray about half an hour earlier. I was surprised at how many F-bombs Guy dropped.

Went to the show last night...a few thoughts

1) Ive seen a lot of shows at 9:30 and was suprised at how animated the crowd was. DC crowds tend to be rather quiet and it was suprising to see a band like Elbow provoke such a response from everyone since they dont really play 'fist pumping' music. Very cool to see.

2) I started listening to Elbow when Cast of Thousands and LOTFW came out haven't really liked the albums that came out after that very much, they just didnt have the same vibe, i dunno....anyway I was pretty disappointed to only hear a few songs from the older albums, and the ones they did play were'nt really the standout tracks...no Ribcage? Imagined Affair? Any day now? Scattered B&Ws? FUGITIVE MOTEL?!?! Seriously, the setlist sucked. I realize they have a new album, but mix it up a bit for us old school fans eh?

3) When Glasser started playing i seriously thought it was a joke...like Elbow were going to come out any minute and say 'haha just kidding!". Really awful stuff...and I like a lot of weird music.

Overall it was a good show, they were very sharp and Guy is quite a gregarious dude, very entertaining. I just wish the setlist had a little more variety to it.

Sounds like the North American tour has been really great so far! And I expected the setlist would be about the same but having those few song changes will be nice. Also I'm looking forward to the smaller concert venue. So very excited for Wednesday - only a few days away!!

And Chrissie - I'm happy Mr. Chrissie had such a nice time! I'm bringing a friend who doesn't know much Elbow so hopefully she's just as impressed

The Boston show is tomorrow and I am uber excited about. The only down side is that I'll be going on my own and it isn't my favorite venue. But it is Elbow, so at the end of the day, there really isn't a down side

emma wrote:

Sounds like the North American tour has been really great so far! And I expected the setlist would be about the same but having those few song changes will be nice. Also I'm looking forward to the smaller concert venue. So very excited for Wednesday - only a few days away!!

And Chrissie - I'm happy Mr. Chrissie had such a nice time! I'm bringing a friend who doesn't know much Elbow so hopefully she's just as impressed

Hi Emma! Yes, Mr Chrissie enjoyed it enormously, and I have no doubt that your friend will, too. They are sounding just incredible, especially in the more intimate settings of the current leg of the tour. Have fun on Wednesday and tell us all about it!

AyannaD wrote:

The Boston show is tomorrow and I am uber excited about. The only down side is that I'll be going on my own and it isn't my favorite venue. But it is Elbow, so at the end of the day, there really isn't a down side

I've gone to Elbow - and several other gigs - on my own too, AyannaD, but as you said, there really isn't a downside when you're seeing a band you really enjoy. And when it comes to Elbow, you'd have to try really hard to have a bad time, whether you're going solo or not! Enjoy the show!

Someone uploaded a video of the "Grounds for Divorce" from the DC show to YouTube. And... you can actually see me in the video!

First, here's the video. It was taken from the balcony, straight back from the stage.

At 0:37 there's a bright flash of light, and in the lower left you can see me standing, about five people over from the left and five people up from the bottom. I'm wearing a light colored shirt (it's a pale green, though you can't tell) and a baseball cap (it's a faded blue Chicago Cubs hat). I'm actually pretty reflective; I turn up again toward the end when they raise the lights again.

allyngibson wrote:

Someone uploaded a video of the "Grounds for Divorce" from the DC show to YouTube. And... you can actually see me in the video!

Nice one, Allyn! There are a few videos up of the ATL show, and I saw a bit of myself in one, but mostly I saw the back of Mr Chrissie's head, since he is all tall and shit. I am too short to get caught by most people's cameras!

Just realized that MT is likely enjoying the NYC gig at this very moment, while I, on the other hand, am about to go to bed. Sucks to be me right now! Hope MT is loving every minute, though!

Just came back from the Elbow Concert today in NY at Terminal 5. Fantastic venue albeit small.

Glasser's music was weird. I disliked the first song but the later songs were ok. Vocals reminded me of a weird combination of Evenescance and Sister Crayon, Music was a mix of Sister Crayon and Lamb.

For the song list:
Much of the crowd did not seem to recognize Great Expectations which was kinda weird.
Majority of the songs were sung really well. His voice slightly faded in the last 2 or 3 songs. It was odd to hear One Day Like This without a full orchestra.

I am still not a fan of The Night Will Always Win. Still my least favorite song from that album (and if it wasn't for a few songs from the second one, it would be my least favorite.)

The San Francisco set time for their OCT 2 show at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is 4:50PM-5:50PM. Looks like they are set to play the Star Stage and are the last ones on that stage on SUN. As I said in a previous post, this show is free.

I'm still recovering from the NY gig...had the worst hangover I have had in years...wasted the whole day, couldn't leave the hotel room, threw up...

But hell was it worth it, the boys did great.

Ugh that sounds horrible - I'm sorry to hear you're not in good shape today MT... On the other hand I'm really glad it was worth it and the show was great! I hope you can give us more details about the night when you're feeling better!

MagicalTrevor wrote:

I'm still recovering from the NY gig...had the worst hangover I have had in years...wasted the whole day, couldn't leave the hotel room, threw up...

But hell was it worth it, the boys did great.

And here's me thinking that I was the only one on this forum that overdoes it on the liquid's at gigs ! Nice one mate, you must have been bursting with giddy anticipation, esp after reading all our reviews of the gigs over the past few months....

Here, have a pint of barb!

Still shaking off a heavy one here... taking some time lol...

Anyway, we had a great night. T5 is a lovely venue, perfect size, nice layout with 2 tiers of balconies overlooking the stage, lovely staff and pretty good location.

Elbow were on form. The setlist was the same as threads above, no suprises there, but the performance was enormous. Guy was on his usual form, though I think the joke about 'On the Buses' probably went over a lot of New Yorker's heads. Having said that, I think half the audience was English expats like us anyway.

So I stood a few rows back from the front and sang my lungs out. Was sublime.

Then, thanks to mrswoman and mrsmagicaltrevor, they had sorted out aftershow passes for us, so we joined band and entourage on the VIP balcony, were we chatted with Mark and his Father-in-law then went off to a nearby pub. By this time I'd had a few, so my memory is hazy, but we chatted to loads of lovely people, many of whom I can't recall the names of, but Simon and Will I remember most.

Also had lovely chats with Craig, Pete and Guy, whilst someone played Manchester music from a MacBook hooked up to the pub's sound system. Magic.

Left at 4am, dizzy but happy. Spent the whole next day in the hotel room, feeling (and in my case, being) sick. Even watched Titanic. Went out briefly at 7pm to get a burger, back in the room for 8:30

Feeling better now, but still a little rough.

But hell, it was all worth it!

MagicalTrevor wrote:

Even watched Titanic.

Bloody hell, man, you WERE in bad shape, weren't you? But the rest of it sounds fantastic (well, everything before the feeling sick part)! I've looked at a couple of YouTube clips from the show, and Terminal 5 seems like an excellent venue. And then hanging out afterwards with the band...green with envy, so I am! Glad you had such an amazing time, thanks for the report!

MrMT, that sounds pretty much like a perfect gig and i am so happy you got to do it!

Fantastic, MT. I guess the next thing to look out for would be seeing them in the UK again, coinciding with a visit home, perhaps? Mind you, being a Canadian citizen now, would the Border Agency allow you back in?

Sounds like you had a FANTASTIC time, MT!
And I bet a little bit of a hangover was deffo worth it!!!!
Good on ya, man!!!

Sound like a wonderful night - I'm thrilled you got to meet the Elboys afterwards. Definitely worth a hangover from hell!!!

What an incredible night!! It's a good thing you still remember it all even with the horrible hangover - and I hope you managed to get a few photos as well!

The Boston show last night was great. The venue was small, and I tried to arrive before the doors opened, but thanks to the deadly combination of work and traffic, that didn't happen. I still secured a relatively decent spot, despite the numerous tall guys in front of me on the rail.

The set list was the same, but the guys sounded great. You could easily tell that these guys truly love each other *sap moment* and were having as grand a time as the audience.

The crowd was good and into the songs which made me very happy.

My not so great photos are posted on Flickr, but unfortunately none of Jupp due to my location.

I took video during The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver because it is such a beautiful sounding song, and one of the few moments when I was actually still. I will post once YouTube cooperates.

All in all, it was a great night. I only wish I had another opportunity to see them during this NA tour. Oh well, next time.... maybe on home turf...