______________________________________________________________________________ // // The \\kyway \\ // skyway@novia.net Issue #43 1996 Westerberg tour concert review issue #2 October 24th, 1996 ______________________________________________________________________________ (c) 1996 Bastards of Young (BOY/BetaOmegaYamma) Productions list manager: Matthew Tomich (matt@novia.net) technical consultant and thanks to: Bob Fulkerson of Novia Networking ______________________________________________________________________________ SKYWAY SUBSCRIPTION/LISTSERVER INFORMATION Send all listserver commands in the body of a letter to "majordomo@novia.net" To subscribe to the //Skyway\\: subscribe skyway To unsubscribe from the //Skyway\\: unsubscribe skyway THE //SKYWAY\\ WEB PAGE Check here for back issues, lyrics, discography, and other files. http://www.novia.net/~matt/sky/skyway.html ______________________________________________________________________________ Send submissions to: skyway@novia.net ______________________________________________________________________________ NIGHTCLUB JITTERS Welcome back! Sorry for the lag since the last issue...in that time, I've been busy procuring employment, finding a locale to call home and moving into it. I did get a job at Duke University and now have moved back to Durham, NC...so if you're going to be in the area, drop me a line! This issue is once again is composed solely of Westerberg concert reviews. The next issue will return to the usual format of riff-raff, speculation, banter, gushing, nostalgia, murmurings, and rumors. Remember, if you can't get enough of these concert reports, be sure to check out Kathy's Westerberg web page at "http://members.aol.com/paulspage/main.htm". Short news blurbs: * The new issue (#53) of The Bob has a Westerberg interview and a flexi-disc of Paul playing the heralded Mama Cass cover of "Make Your Own Kind of Music"! The issue is great and also has interviews with Tommy Keene, Man or Astroman, The Wrens, giant Sand, and other great bands! The Bob also still has back issues available of the issue with the flexi of "Another Girl, Another Planet" (issue #40) and the one with the Chris Mars flexi of "Gymnasium Blues" (issue #46) for $5 each. - Non-American/Canadian orders add $1 surface or $2 air shipping - Pacific Rim and Asia orders add $1.50 surface or $2.75 air shipping Orders to: The Bob Back Issues / PO Box 7223 / Wilmington DE 19803 USA * And...regarding the cancellation of the rest of the Westerberg tour... From: Matsfann@aol.com Date: Fri, 11 Oct 1996 11:40:21 -0400 I found out the real scoop from his manager. Paul pulled the plug on his tour because Reprise wasn't pushing the record [anymore] and Paul figured why the hell should he keep taking tour support and incurring more debt if Reprise isn't going to push the record. So basically it came down to lackluster record sales, no corporate push, and Paul tired of incurring tour support debt and working his ass off. * The new Slim Dunlap is due to be released October 22nd. There you have it! I already have enough stuff for the next issue, so I'll get to work on that ASAP...it'll be a regular issue (as opposed to being dedicated solely to concert reviews, like this one.) Real quick straw poll: how many people would prefer to see the longer issues mailed out in two or three smaller parts? Other than that, this adult stuff really ain't all that bad. After moving seven times in a year and a half, the 9 to 5 thing seems pretty exotic! High n' lonesome, Matt! _____________________________________________________________________________ JULY 4TH, 1996: CHICAGO, IL - TASTE OF CHICAGO FESTIVAL From: iaknig@mail.wm.edu (knight iii a) Date: 15 Sep 96 15:39:37 This is my first post. I just turned 36. I'm a college teacher (this is unbelievable to me--but it's true)--film history, American studies, stuff like that. I wrote most of what follows in my journal back in early July. It was inspired by the first PW Chicago show, and I thought then that I might send it along, but I was too shy. The recent Skyways gave me courage, though. So here goes: I saw the first PW show in Chicago. Unfortunately, had to miss the free show (family/community duties, but those were nice too, and I saw the final Replacements show in Grant Park five years ago and didn't really want to think too much about how fast those years have passed). I showed up at the Metro with three friends, one of whom is also my wife, with the intention of missing Thermador (nothing personal--just aging ears). We succeeded at that, but the place was so packed we had to move up to the balcony. I got a spot way off to the left side but right on the railing. PW and the Paid Companions (augmented by a young, non-suited [drum?] tech, who did some percussion and was really fun to watch) came on promptly to great cheering, cranked into "Waiting for Somebody," and took off. The show pretty much followed the set list I've seen for the other shows, and was very... workmanlike. The crowd was into it, but the most interesting moments of the night, I thought, were when PW seemed to have small crises of confidence or purpose: He seemed a little distressed that people weren't singing along as heartily with the new stuff as the old. When he left gaps in "My Century" and the crowd didn't chime in, he taunted us--something about the "hayseeds" (I think) in Memphis being better than us--and then threatened to keep playing the song until we satisfied him. He seemed dismayed with the crowd noise during the quieter numbers; forgot the opening to (I think) "Black Eyed Susans" a couple of times and stopped the song, asking sarcastically if anyone had noticed he had been singing the wrong words (this from a guy known for changing his own words!). The big crisis, though, and the one that made the show most interesting to me, came about half way through. PW moved his mic back in front of the drum riser and turned his back on the crowd. Was he experiencing monitor trouble (it seemed earlier like he might have been)? Did he want closer contact with Michael Bland for the stops and starts of "Can't Hardly Wait," which was the song they played? Was he paying homage to Miles Davis (and if so, why)? After "Can't Hardly Wait," PW moved his mic to the far right of the stage for the next number. For the number after that he moved it all the way behind the speaker stack. I could still just barely see him from where I was, but he was invisible to anyone on the floor, and the band seemed to be struggling to see him, too. I can't remember all three of the songs he played, but one was "Alex Chilton" -- "invisible man at the scene with the visible voice" indeed. I stood up in my spot in the balcony, listening (and dancing--or at least swaying) to really well executed music, looking at a stage with no vocalist and at a band and audience staring attentively at empty space or off stage. It put me in mind of the legendary (first?) Public Image LTD concert where John Lydon and friends played behind a screen (in the legend as I know it the crowd riots)--and it made me wonder about just what we think we're getting--buying--when we go to a concert. PW seemed to want to continue to stay hidden--but be heard--because there was a bunch of tech scrambling after his third hidden song, and some acoustic guitar strumming, but then he said over the PA, "I can't hear back here" and charged back onto the stage and resumed the position. He seemed refreshed and the band seemed relieved. One more cool thing: They came back for two encores. In one instance (the first I think), PW bolted off stage, and then a couple minutes later magically (from where I stood) was raised up out of the center of the crowd and put up on stage. I thought that was a nifty trick. I really enjoyed the show. As what I've written probably shows, it made me think as much as it made me dance--a fact which I like a lot. I think I liked it more than any of the Replacements shows or the 14 Songs show I saw because I am impressed with the betwixt-and-between-ness, the both/and-ness of life and career that PW seems to be trying to express and cope with. He seems to be wrestling with how to maintain some of his past--his best songs from the Mats, that energy, their attack on a lot of rock music's (our? someone's) love of the "authentic," "genuine," "mythic," "huge," "best" (the Replacements: "You want authentic? OK, here's an authentic fuck-up")--while trying to temper it for a different present and future. Like a lot of people have been saying, I'm sure this is about growing up and older and all that. But (and this may be saying the same thing) I think it's also about finding out that something you started doing because you loved (whatever that might mean) to do it, and maybe because you loved to do it with some specific people, is now something you love to do *and* it makes you a living, maybe alone, **and** maybe its the only way you can really think of making a living--***and*** that changes how you feel about it. PW seems to be whipsawing back and forth between being ironically genuine--a professional craftsman, as overemphasized by some extra tricky song endings, the seeming desire to get the words right, and the suits/costumes (when PW shucked off his jacket, he revealed a stupid sequined vest; "My Lisa Minnelli vest," he said; another comment on "genuine" show biz)--and genuinely ironic. The outcome is that he seems ambivalent and uncertain--even as he appears to be having a great time. That's especially difficult and meaningful about all of this is that it's done alone *and* in (and for a) public. A second especially difficult thing about all this is that it sort of transcends value--what's good or bad, better or best?--and just is. Is PW's new stuff better or worse than the old Replacements stuff? This is not a wrong question for *us* to ask (which PW knows--and acknowledges when he talks about some of his songs really "holding up"), but is it one he can ask? How? I think a lot of us have similar experiences--just not in public (in the same way) and with different stakes. Am I as good at my job now as I was ten years ago? Who knows? My job's changed, I've changed, etc.--and I never have to go back ten years and sing a song I wrote then and the traces of my job performance aren't sitting around next to thousands of people's stereos. Why I keep buying (not a point to be forgotten, I don't think, since this is PW's job we're talking about) and listening to PW's music is because I think he recognizes that, different as his life is from any other (especially non-rock-musician) individual life, it's also similar enough. He does not pretend to some exalted position--even though, in my opinion, that makes him mighty exalted. That's the end of the journal entry. If you read this far, thanks. If you didn't--oh well. The weekend I wrote this, I was also home alone and painting the window trim. I listened to all my Replacements and Westerberg--which is almost all there is--and wished I could be making a living painting houses again. But not really. I also listened to all my Thelonious Monk records--which might edge PW as my desert island discs--a choice I hope I never have to make. I also hope all you people out there in Skyway-land vote because it would make me feel better to know that you do--you all seem so good-hearted and smart. Matt Tomich--this Skyway you've built is as wonderful and useful as the Minneapolis skyways its named after, which used to awe me and keep me warm when my family'd leave our small MN town to go Xmas shopping when I was young. Go, man, go. Arthur Knight Williamsburg, VA _____________________________________________________________________________ AUGUST 2ND, 1996: 9:30 CLUB - WASHINGTON, D.C. From: Duncan deGraffenreid Date: Tue, 17 Sep 96 20:57:36 EDT Wow! Whotta show! This isn't what we expected! The set list: Waiting For Somebody, World Class Fad, Valentine, Once Around The Weekend (rocking version), These Are The Days, Red Red Wine, Someone Take The Wheel, First Glimmer, Ain't Got Me, Bastards Of Young, Seein' Her, I'll Be You, I'm In Trouble, Buck Hill, MammaDaddyDid, Gary's Got A Boner, Talent Show, Angel's Walk, Love Untold, Runaway Wind, A Boy Named Sue, Places That Are Gone and Landscape (Tommy Keene break), Green Acres, Junior's Got A Gun, Nowhere Is My Home, Learn How To Fail, Born In The USA, Rattlesnake, Favorite Thing, Stain Yer Blood, Alex Chilton, Answering Machine, Go, Like You, and finishing with an encore of I Will Follow, RnR Ghost, Takin A Ride/Careless, I Only Wanna Be With You, My Way, and Unsatisfied/America The Beautiful! The band was very tight until they started taking requests, and Tommy started noodling old Razz riffs in breaks, and Michael kept eggin' Paul to do D.M.S.R. Then Paul climbed up on some guys shoulder during Answering Machine, and the guy got into it, and kept throwing his head back and racking Paul, and then it got wierd..... . . . . . . . . . . . HAH! Made You Look! The 9:30 show seemed very similar to others. The band was very tight, and included Michael Bland (why did he leave for awhile?). There was also a roadie sitting in the back playing occasional percussion (anyone identify him?). Once Around The Weekend was the only Eventually tune done different from the album, and it rocked. After I Will Dare (an intense rendition), Paul commented that Tommy Keene was his first guitarist who played it right. Tommy was excellent, but seemed to be chomping at the bit to take the lead -- only playing guitar didn't seem enough for him to do. If you ever get the chance to see him on his own, do so, he's a pro too [ditto for Nils Lofgren too]. Sorry, don't know squat about equipment. The second half of the show was looser, as Paul got into the crowd reaction to his songs. Mats songs were sung by many in the crowd. Paul kept his glasses on most of the time, taking them off for Skyway, but I didn't notice when they went back on. He took about a minute break in the middle of Can't Hardly Wait to mess with us. Unfortunately he only did one encore, and I was really hoping for a little solo Tommy, but NOOO Paul had to hog all the songs ... musta thought it was his tour or something... The REAL set list in order: The Band: Waiting For Somebody, World Class Fad, Valentine, Once Around The Weekend (rocking version), These Are The Days, Kiss Me On The Butt, I Will Dare, Ain't Got Me, Century (ending in a short jam), They're Blind, Achin' To Be, MammaDaddyDid, Black Eyed Susan Paul solo: Sadly Beautiful, If Only You Were Lonely, Skyway The Band: Waitress In The Sky, MerryGoRound, Angel's Walk, Love Untold, Stain Yer Blood, Color Me Impressed, Can't Hardly Wait, Alex Chilton, Left Of The Dial The Band (encore): Swingin' Party, Never Mind, IOU A group of us from the Skyway mailing list gathered at Lori D's for a pre-show gathering, and we then went in two groups to the club. Lots of fun, especially for my lonely butt as I had to go without my wife. In our group were: Lori, Sean, Ron, Andy, Laura, and Diego. John, Charles and a couple others who's first names I even forget left before and we lost contact with them. Andy, Sean and I stayed together and helped Paul with the lyrics. Everyone but Andy and I continued at another bar; we wimped out and got lost for a bit in a nasty DC neighborhood, but by going into our "We Bad, We Bad..." strut avoided dissassembly. Some of our party were heading to Philadelphia the next day for the next stop. Hope to hear how the the rest of the night went for everyone else. I had a great time, helped a lot by having some compatriots for the trip. Its nice to be able to put faces to some names now. Lori, thanks for the hospitality, and guiding us to the new 9:30 ... but work on those directions home, 'K? -- Duncan deGraffenreid (duncand@sonnyj.btna.com) _____________________________________________________________________________ SEPTEMBER 4TH, 1996: BARRYMORE THEATER - MADISON, WI From: bruef@waun.tdsnet.com Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: PW Madison show - a couple more things Date: Fri, 13 Sep 96 12:25:22 PDT I remembered a couple things I forgot in my first report on the Madison show 9/4 (OK, that's over a week ago - so sue me!) 1st: During Skyway, Paul stopped singing at some point apparently to let the crowd take over, but the crowd seemed to all be singing different words - Paul says, "You can't remember the fucking words either! - You people in Wisconsin are always drunk!" (Much crowd approval here of course) 2nd: They nailed the "bangs" in Love Untold !!!!! For those of you wondering what the hell I'm talking about, I'd been whining a while back about how on Letterman they had to skip over my favorite part of the song - near the end when it's quiet and Paul sings: "It's the lo-ove (big guitar chord crash) - Untold". I was also whining that they hadn't been hitting it during the tour either, even though they play that part. But at the Madison show it was there and it was PERFECT!!! The dynamics in that part are sheer ecstasy! (IMHO) It was absolutely awesome! _____________________________________________________________________________ SEPTEMBER 6TH, 1996: ORDWAY STATE MUSIC THEATRE - MINNEAPOLIS, MN Date: Thu, 12 Sep 1996 12:00:10 -0500 (CDT) From: Tim Baumgart Quick story: I just saw Paul play in Minneapolis, and shook his hand after the show. Our conversation: Tim: "Thanks for playing a show here in town." Paul: "Thanks man." It was great! --Tim From: John M Wolf Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: Paul in Mpls. Date: Sun, 08 Sep 1996 07:42:47 -0500 Saw the PW show at the State Sept. 6th...here's the set list - Waiting For Somebody World Class Fad Valentine Once Around The Weekend These Are The Days Kiss Me On The Bus I Will Dare Stain Yer Blood Ain't Got Me Century They're Blind Achin' To Be I'm Only Dancing (?) MamaDaddy Did Black-Eyed Susan If Only Was Lonely Skyway Waitress In The Sky Merry Go Round Love Untold Talent Show Can't Hardly Wait Left Of The Dial Alex Chilton encore: Swinging Party Nevermind I.O.U. Great show! Some highlights: After I Will Dare, Paul exclaimed his new guitar player was the first he had in 12 years who could play the solo. kind of harsh considering I saw Slim in the lobby before the show. I Will Dare got the crowd to its feet, then before going into Stain Your Blood, Paul said "Here's one to put you back in your seats." In the middle of Skyway, in response to the balcony clapping severely out of time, Paul said "Sounds like playing with Chris." Paul announced Ain't Got Me as "our new single on whatever record label will have us next week." Band sounded great, Paul sounded great. Only thing missing was a second show....oh well. Wolfdog _____________________________________________________________________________ SEPTEMBER 10TH, 1996: SHOWBOX THEATER - SEATTLE, WA From: tapeboy@aol.com (TAPE BOY) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: seattle 9/10/96 Date: 11 Sep 1996 16:11:40 -0400 A great show in Seattle. Scott McCoughey of the Young Fresh Fellows and Peter Buck from R.E.M. were in the audience (and apparently had some effect on the setlist) The Showbox, Seattle 9/10/96 Waiting For Somebody World Class Fad Valentine Once Around The Weekend These Are The Days Kiss Me On The Bus I Will Dare Stain Yer Blood Ain't Got Me Century They're Blind Achin' To Be MamaDaddy Did Black-Eyed Susan Here Comes A Regular Skyway Waitress In The Sky Mery Go Round Angels Walk Love Untold Talent Show/What Kind Of Fool Am I? Can't Hardly Wait I'm In Trouble Customer encore: Swinging Party Little Mascara (dedicated to Scott McCoughey) Alex Chilton From: "W. Abelson" Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: SEATTLE 9/10/96 Date: Wed, 11 Sep 1996 22:50:55 -0700 Yes, a wonderful show! I went with my friend Marina, whose night (and I suspect season) was made when she said hello to Tommy Keene, one of her big idols! Tommy was just smoking a cigarette in a doorway by the stage when she and her pals wished him well. I know next to nothing about Keene, but he was hot alright--playing with passion and fire. Paul, far as I could tell, played next to no solos (whereas with the Mats, both with Bob and Slim, the guitarists all solo-ed about equally--someone please correct me if I'm wrong [I know Bob was lead guitarist in the thrash period, but after...?]). I liked the way Tommy leaned into his guitar and really got into it a la Keith Richards. One more thing...after one Keene solo Paul simply exclaimed: "He's the best!" The set has been posted; what blew me away was how many songs from Tim he did!!! Unbelievable, even without Hold My Life or Bastards (I know, he won't play the latter). I have a theory: Paul said when the album came out he'd either make another one next year or not make one for like five years. Well, with the disc doing okay but not great, I suspect we may not hear (or see) Paul again for a long time, and when he comes back it might be really different, like ALL-OUT folk or lots of piano or something. So my belief is that this could be Paul's last rock 'n' roll tour, and he decided to give the fans his fuckin' BEST TUNES he's ever written--thus the many, many selections from Tim. Further, this would explain what ALSO blew me away--closing the pre-encore set with I'm in Trouble (no enormous surprise) and then Customer (I could NOT FRUGGING BELIEVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!) When Paul took off his jacket, halfway thru, to reveal a mustard-colored dress shirt and checkerboard red/white tie, he said "I gotta court date in the morning, figured I better dress up." Pretty funny. Some lyric changes: during "Regular": "Even if you're in arms of Jakob Dylan now, I'll drink a..." what the hell?!? He wasn't trying to be funny, he seemed serious. Who the heck is Jakob Dylan (Bob Dylan's kid, in the Wallflowers) seeing????? During "They're Blind," new lyrics: "Man alone on a stage/Like a stone on a wave/Everyone's leaning forward/(unintelligible)." Anyone know how this verse goes exactly? (the above is approximate) Finally, for "Swinging Party": "Pass around the bottle, there'll be plenty enuf room in jail." I was eurphoric the rest of the night! Wylde Bill ******************************************************************** Q: What do you think of newsgroups such as alt.fan.conan-obrien? CONAN: I think it's wrong, and everyone involved should be punished. _____________________________________________________________________________ SEPTEMBER 11, 1996: LA LUNA - PORTLAND, OR From: sector7g@ix.netcom.com (Tyler Andersen) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: Portland 9/11 Date: 14 Sep 1996 04:11:50 GMT The musical highlights: Angels Walk (very impressive guitar work from Paul, he also solo-ed on World Class Fad, Valentine, and Century) I Will Dare (the second half of the song being played at twice the normal speed) Sadly Beautiful (a song I always liked, yet never felt "moving". The slightly altered version he played Wednesday night almost brought tears to my eyes) In between song stage banter: He dedicated Once Around The Weekend to "the prettiest DJ I've ever seen." After Waitress In The Sky he said "That sucked. I think we'll change the name of the band to the Stiff White Boys." My meeting Paul Westerberg Story: I'm not really the kind of person that collects autographs nor do I go out of my way in an attempt to meet people I admire. I thank all the people that previously posted on this board, that in this case, it is an alright thing to do, otherwise I probably wouldn't have. I chickened out when the Mats came to Portland in 89. During most of the opening band's set, Paul was just sitting in the bar by himself, drinking and chain-smoking. I could have easily walked over and sat next to him, maybe even kicked back with him for about a half hour. It's very possible that is what he wanted somebody to do. I simply didn't have the balls. Back to present. After kicking it in the car for about 15 minutes after the show I walk around the building to the silver bus. I turn the corner and see Paul sitting on the steps with about 12 people in line to meet him. (Marinda, if you are reading this I want to know if Paul made any remarks about your Perfect T-shirt.) Though I am not as terrrifyingly nervous as I thought I would be, I feel the butterflies a couple of times as the line gets shorter and I get nearer. The person in front of me is a young, petite, Asian lady whose encounter with Paul ends with a hug that last about 6 seconds. She walks away and my time has come. Paul greets my presence with a big smile and says "Hey, you wanna hug?" Let me tell you exactly how I feel at this very instant. You ever see that skit on SNL where a nervous Chris Farley interviews actual celebrities (i.e. When Paul McCartney was on the show. "Hey Paul. Remember when you were in the Beatles?....That was cool."). Anyway I say something like "No, that's alright." I instead shake his hand and say "I know you have heard this a thousand times but I just want to say thanks for the music. Sometimes it was the only thing that got me through the day." I can't remember the exact words to his reply, either they were mumbled or my listening ability was impeded by a very surreal moment, but I think it went something like "You know, essentially the reason I have ever played music is to get myself through the day." At this point I can't think of anything else to say so I thank him again and leave. Thinking back on it I can honestly say that my brief encounter with Paul Westerberg was filled with nothing but positive vibrations. I encourage all you Skywayers in the Southwest to find the bus after the show. Ty P.S. I have a question for my Cascadian brothers and sisters of the North that attended the Seattle show. How was Tommy K's solo on Customer? _____________________________________________________________________________ SEPTEMBER 13TH, 1996: THE FILLMORE - SAN FRANCISCO, CA From: weiland@uclink2.berkeley.edu (Troy McClure) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: PHW Report, 9/13, SF Fillmore Date: 15 Sep 1996 04:16:32 GMT Ahhhhh. No longer am I "unsatisfied." Susan, I'm sorry if I'm stealing your thunder. Set list (not in order, but very similar to Portland show): Waiting for Somebody World Class Fad Valentine These are the Days Kiss Me on the Bus Century Angels Walk Love Untold Ain't Got Me King of America !!!! I Will Dare Once Around the Weekend They're Blind Achin' to Be Can't Hardly Wait Merry Go Round Talent Show/ Send in the Clowns If Only You were Lonely Nobody (acoustic) !!!!! Black Eyed Susan Skyway Waitress in the Sky Swingin Party I'm in Trouble Customer 1st encore: Alex Chilton Left of the Dial 2nd encore: Never Mind Paul was dressed in a tuxedo and jumped out onto the stage to begin the show, then later donned a slick ruby sequined vest. After the show he sported a sharp all-white outfit and red polka-dotted bow tie. "Customer" just blew me away!!!! And it started the guys up front moshing. "Black Eyed Susan" was a very nice little surprise. As was "King of America" -- before the song he said, "Here's a song that got wasted somewhere..." It's a great song! I wish they kept it on the album. "Nobody" was WONDERFUL, and the audience provided great backup vocals ("still in love with nobody, nobody, nobody..." :-] ) In "Swingin Party", before the solo, he did say what sounded like, "Go ahead Bob." It was profound to see him play this somber old song with a bunch of new guys-- made me really see our fair Paul as the survivor that he is. What else...after the second break in "Can't Hardly Wait", Paul teased the audience by stopping, walking around a bit, drinking some water, opening his mouth like he was gonna continue singing, then said, "I can't.... I can't seem.... I can't seem to understand...." It was pretty funny, and of course they finished the song right after. Probably the most entertaining moment was during "If Only You were Lonely", when Paul messed up the last verse badly and just stopped playing. With the crowd cheering, Paul said, "I guess I fell asleep! I should just go to sleep!" and then he did a hard pratt fall on to the floor, the crowd cheering ever louder. After the show some guys were hugging each other and that's sort of how I felt, it was so bonding to hear these timeless songs played live and sing along with every one of them. This has got to be the best concert I've ever seen, just because the songs have become such a part of me now. And if all that weren't enough, I also got the privelege to meet Paul himself! He was very accessible and seemed quite willing to sign everyone's whatever and chat with them a bit. I feel very lucky to have talked to the man. He signed my ticket stub, and here's a rough description of our conversation: me: It's great to meet you Paul, your songs have meant a lot to me over the years. Paul: You play music? (perhaps he guessed from the length of my hair) me: Yeah, I've played guitar for 5 years. Your songs have been a great inspiration to me. Paul: Yeah well stick with it. me: (shaking his hand with both of mine) Thanks Paul. It was an honor to meet you. Great show. Take care. Paul: Bye. :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) beaming, Troy ------------------------------------------------------- "Hello, I'm Troy McClure. You may remember me from such celebrity funerals as 'Andre the Giant, We Hardly Knew Ye' and 'Shemp Howard: Today We Mourn a Stooge'!" Date: Sun, 15 Sep 1996 14:14:36 -0400 From: Brendon Macaraeg Subject: Fillmore gig Sept. 13 This was my fourth time seeing Mr. Westerberg (we can't just call him "Paul" anymore with that suit and bow tie, and Frank-Sinatra-like shades now can we?) I saw the Mats twice during the "All Shook Down" tour in '89 (Salt Lake City and Minneapolis) and at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC for "14 Songs". There was more energy at both the Minneapolis and Roseland gigs, but I enjoyed this one just as much for several reasons. Since I just moved to San Francisco a little over a month ago, this was my first real concert-going experience in SF, and a great one. A note about the Fillmore: it's a historic theater that a lot of great people have played at -- pictures of them adorn the walls everywhere; the decor is very cool: neon purple chandeliers and these psychedlic projections on the curtains and speakers between sets, and the venue staff actually greet you as you walk up the stairs to the theater. A very cool place (figuratively and literally: the fans were blowing so hard that I couldn't get a cigarette lit at all). The crowd I'd say was mostly 25+; as some remarked in one of the reviews in Skyway #40, we've all grown older with Westerberg's music. The set list was very much the same as has been posted before. My personal hightlights: the band ripped into two tunes from "Sorry Ma...": "I'm in Trouble" and "Customer." The crowd went apeshit and started moshing a bit. couldn't believe I was hearing this! And they totally ripped on these tunes! After these two songs some soul was so excited that he jumped up on stage to grab the setlist; the bass player looked freaked out and the venue staff were not amused at all (one of the stagehands went down into the crowd to have a word with the guy). One thing that struck me as I read the reviews from Skyway #40: people commented on how Paul "forgets" the lyrics to "If Only You Were Lonely"...he did that here too and I wonder if he's just faking it? Well, I'd put it down to good showmanship...he's probably just doing this to build up a rapport with the crowd. The energy was incredibly high on the older Mats stuff like "Kiss Me on the Bus," "I Will Dare," and "Left of the Dial" and Tommy Keene was an incredibl player. Really enjoyed hearing him. Too bad Paul didn't let Keene sing one of his own tunes (too anyone interested in Keene: go pick up "The Real Underground"--a great collection of his songs...I love his cover of the Who's "Tattoo" and there are other great pop songs on it as well). All in all, I'd say Westerberg was in very good spirits, smiling and joshing with the front of the crowd. He's seems to enjoy the place he's at in his career right now. Let's face it: there are very few people from Westerberg's generation of songwriters with a catalog of songs of his calibre. Only Bob Mould and Paul Weller come to mind right now. It's disheartening that Westerberg has not cracked the mainstream (you could argue that his "Singles" and "Friends" soundtrack appearances have brought him some of the mainstream spotlight, but those tunes are certainly not his best). But then I went to a dinner party last night, and the beautiful young woman who hosted it (and whom I'm now infatuated with) had "Let It Be" on CD, so maybe I'm wrong about that.... On a totally different note: How many folks have downloaded the concert Quicktime movies from the Twin/Tone site? I have and they are GREAT! I emailed the folks at Twin/Tone and I was told that the video they were digitized from is not available to the public because "Paul doesn't like it, so it won't get released" -- but if perchance anyone has a copy of this show on video, I'd like to get a copy. Email me and we can arrange something....I thought the video and sound quality of the Quicktime was excellent.... Cheers, Brendon ========================================================= Brendon Macaraeg Graphic Artist:@Home Network http://www.itp.tsoa.nyu.edu/~brendonm Finger macaragb@acf2.nyu.edu for my PGP Public Key Date: Wed, 18 Sep 1996 14:04:30 -0700 From: Jerry Schlenker It's to late to turn back, here we go... This was my first time seeing Westerberg solo and I could not believe how crisp and tight the band played. Having seen the Mats in '87 and '91, I remember the antics more than the musicianship. Myself and friends were situated up in the farthest forward balcony (on the left hand side of the stage) and had a great view of the band and the crowd. Just a couple of thoughts: - Westerberg seemed to be having a great time! He played with the crowd during Can't Hardly Wait, stopping a few times to tease them and then finally nailing the final verse. He forgot some lines from If Only You Were Lonely and crashed to the floor as if falling asleep. Getting back up he commented upon writing that song "15 years ago". During Century, the band stopped, he tweaked his Gibson and did a little psychedelic guitar solo (perhaps as an ode to the Fillmore's history). - Being in the balcony, we caught some great crowd action. Right after Can't Hardly Wait, someone in the crowd jumped up onto stage and grabbed a piece of paper from the drum riser (the setlist??) and jumped back in the crowd. Someone from the road crew jumped in after him, but this didn't seem to upset Paul as he jumped straight into I'm In Trouble. Immediately a mosh pit formed and the thief disappeared into it. The roadie jumped back on stage later empty handed. Anyone out there on the net have the real setlist??? There was a private (curtained off) section of the balcony closest to the stage (right next to where we we standing) and we saw some members of Green Day going in and out of it. I didn't realize that they were Westerberg or Mats fans. - Josh Freese played like a man possessed. Completely animated and perfect! Tommy Keene sounded great, although his solo in Left Of The Dial was not as good as Bob's early efforts. Paul did the "Take it away Bob" bit before this solo. - Paul broke up Talent Show with a great solo version of Send In The Clowns (maybe alluding to his career). This was one of the highlights for me, along with I Will Dare, Can't Hardly Wait and Merry Go Round (the album version pales in comparison!). - Paul mentioned doing a "radio show" the night before and I found out later that he did a radio show taping at Fantasy Studios (think Creedence Clearwater Revival, Dave Brubeck, Chet Baker, Sonny Rollins, etc.) in Berkeley that night that was broadcast live on KFOG (a local station) and rebroadcast on Sunday the 15th. I missed these and would love to hear from someone who had the great fortune of taping this radio show or the show at the Fillmore. - I've seen mention in alt.music.replacements of King of America being played and I honestly don't remember this. Maybe I missed it. Outside the Fillmore after the show, some of the Fillmore's staff were passing out concert posters. Needless to say I grabbed a few! They are very different than you're normal publicity shot - band in large typeface promotional poster. They are in the tradition of the Fillmore poster's of old (Family Dog Productions, Bill Graham Presents, etc.). The poster is a Winston Smith painting of a man diving off a large cruiseship in the New York harbor with the Statue of Liberty in the background. He is doing a perfect swan dive into the churning ocean. I wonder if Paul had any input into this choice of artwork. If he did, I wonder what he is trying to say! Overall a great show. I missed about half of the Thermadore set and was happily surprised by the band. I remember a few rockin' songs and a Johnny Cash cover. Paul Westerberg merchandise was almost non-existent (just a very plain t-shirt with the Eventually CD label logo on the front and "Eventually Tour 1996" on the back). Jerry Schlenker flipper@mother.com Date: 04 Oct 96 00:24:09 EDT From: Renee Esquivil <76053.3123@CompuServe.COM> Subject: the Fillmore 9/13 I should really be doing homework right now since last week I was contemplating what I would do when--not if--I flunk all my classes (by the way, in case anyone cares, I'm going to UC Berkeley). I haven't come up with a plan yet. ("What are you going to do with your life? Nothin'!") Anyway, enough about that. I went to the show at the Fillmore with my younger sister. I'm almost positive that we were the youngest (I'm 18, Michelle is 16)--not to mention the shortest--people there. We got there early enough to be right in front, on the left side of the stage where Tommy Keene stood later (speaking of him, does anyone know how I can get his other records? I only have Ten Years After). While we were waiting for the show to start, I started playing with the speaker wires in front of me. Some guy over to the left of us said, "Hey, don't touch that!" I jumped back and said "Oh, I'm sorry!" I thought maybe he was one of the roadies or something. Then he said he was just kidding, I gave him a dirty look and we started talking. Cool guy. I told him about the other show we had gone to in San Francisco recently, Imperial Teen at the Great American Music Hall (they were awesome, check 'em out if you haven't), where I got confused when the waitress asked me if I wanted a drink. Uh, a drink? What was I supposed to say to that? In retrospect, I probably should have asked for a Coke. John--that's the guy we met, said he was from Sacramento--left a little after I told him about that to go to the bar. When he came back he had brought us a Coke. A Rum and Coke. I couldn't stop laughing. Maybe because nothing like that has ever happened to me and I can't really tell my friends about thing like that; they're all pretty straight and hate alcohol. Before Paul and the band came on-stage, John offered to go to the bar again and buy a few more. I wish I hadn't let him do that; he had the hardest time getting through the crowd and I felt so bad. Thanks John (for contributing to the delinquency of minors! It was fun)! Please write if you read this. <76053,3123@compuserve.com> I thought Thermadore were okay. They played the Beatles' She Said She Said and a Johnny Cash song. And the lead singer apologized for being from L.A. Which reminds me: L.A. gets TWO shows! John and I wondered if maybe Paul Westerberg should come back to San Francisco for a second show, since the S.F. date on the 14 Songs tour was canceled (Paul was in the hospital with a bad back, I believe). Whaddaya'll think? Oh, maybe I shouldn't say that. Does he really owe us anything? No way. There isn't much else I can say that the other Skywegians have already said (the Eventually songs sounded better live; the band had it together, really professional; the set list didn't deviate much from past sets). But I was surprised that they played Customer, I'm In Trouble and If Only You Were Lonely. The last song I had never heard before, but I knew some of the lyrics from the Skyway page. Paul was doing okay with that song until somewhere around the middle. He forgot the words and stopped playing, but the audience kept singing. He laughed out loud and purposely fell down on the stage. When he got back up he told us, "Okay, you guys rock, I suck." He seemed to be having a good time, as well as everyone in the audience. Did anyone stop to look at the people around you? There were a lot of people singing along, some with goofy grins on their faces, myself included. :) :) :) One smiley face would not suffice. Hey, did any of you who went to the Fillmore hear, "the stupid thing on the radio" Paul mentioned? He was right--"It was stupid" because of the annoying deejay asking annoying questions. (Example: "So, Paul, the last record was called 14 Songs and it had 14 songs; this new record, called Eventually, has 12 songs. Does that mean the next will have 10?" Paul said, "Yeah, so by the year 2016 it'll be no songs and it'll be perfect.") It was this thing he did at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley for KFOG 104.5 the night before the Fillmore show. These are the songs played (in order): Waiting For Somebody Valentine Once Around the Weekend These Are the Days I Will Dare Ain't Got Me Achin' To Be John, I'm Only Dancing (not done at the Fillmore show; they didn't do any covers) MamaDaddyDid Black Eyed Susan Merry Go Round Angels Walk Love Untold Left of the Dial I taped it, so if anyone wants a copy, let me know. I didn't fuck it up *too* much: only the very end of MamaDaddyDid and the very beginning of Black Eyed Susan got cut off 'cause I thought I was using a 90 minute tape instead of a 60 min. Except for those parts, it sounds pretty good. Oh, one last thing that sounds really stupid: near the end of the show, when they were leaving the stage for a few minutes, about 4 or 5 of us in the front waved at Paul as he passed by. We probably looked really stupid, grinning like idiots. He opened his mouth really wide (like he was surprised, or more likely, making fun of us), which I think made him look as goofy as we must have looked, and waved back. You must all know the feeling...as if Paul Westerberg weren't real, he was someone we collectively made up. He was right there, wearing a suit (and a bowtie! lookin' good) like all the "stories" said--and he was waving back at us. That night was the high point of the last few months and probably my entire year. I didn't even mind going to work (I work as a teller at Wells Fargo; I wanted to work in a record store!) earlier in the day or the next day; I wasn't one bit tired. Renee From: weiland@uclink2.berkeley.edu (Troy McClure) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: Paul in the East Bay Express! Date: 28 Sep 1996 07:01:04 GMT Ah, we here in the East Bay area of CA have been wondering when well-known and well-hated critic Gina Arnold, a long-time 'Mats fan, would mention Paul's appearance at the Fillmore. Well, in a recent issue (9/20) she did, with quite an interesting twist! (P.S. Despite Ms. Arnold's great taste in music, her writing style really does reek of arrogance and self-centeredness. As my buddy Rob from this group said, reading her column is like picking at a scab.) No permission! Tape rolling-- so what!! --- "Satisfied" by Gina Arnold (Jon Bon Jovi Bad, Paul Westerberg Good) Have you ever read a book so good that you want to know what happens to the characters after you've finished it? That's why rock n' roll is occasionally even more satisfying than _Pride and Prejudice_, because a really great rock band -- one with a good plot as well as a good back catalogue -- continues to write it's story on your heart, even years after it breaks up. That's how some of us feel about the Replacements, the so-called last great band of the '80s, who broke up in 1991. Last week we all went to see Paul Westerberg's solo show at the Fillmore, and we were not disappointed: playing with a crack side band including Tommy Keene, Paul played a set that was almost unbelievably satisfying, a delicious mix of old ("Customer") and new ("Century"). It was all kind of nostalgic and "once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away"-ish, but I can't tell you how much we all enjoyed it, right from the word go. Then something happened that changed the whole tenor of the evening for me. About six or eight songs into the set, a friend who works for BGP [?] came up and whipsered, "Don't look now, but Jon Bon Jovi's in the house." [Troy's note: !!!!!!!!!] I looked, laughed, and then went calmly on watching Paul sing "MamaDaddyDid", my favorite song from the new LP Eventually. And then suddenly I was filled with fury. I half rose in my seat, to pursue the bearer of bad news with a hysteric but heartfelt message. "Get that man out of here! I'm serious! Kick the mutha out!" And then I sat down again, discontented. [Troy's note: Poor Gina. This is a person who SITS DOWN at a Paul Westerberg show. Trust me, she's not that old.] Obviously, this would have been a futile request under any circumstances. But it was weird how I found myself fully enraged, swept by the most genuine flare-up of feeling I've had at a rock show since -- well, ever since Kurt died, to be perfectly honest. For a second there, I felt exactly like I used to always feel at rock concerts: I felt that long-gone white-hot flame of righteousness that used to permeate each and every night, that Ussy-Themmy sense that what I was seeing was perfect, and everything else was wrong. And ignoble as it sounds, I just didn't want Jon Bon Jovi anywhere near Paul Westerberg. See, I know Jon. He's the original thief in the house of love. He used to steal Bruce Springsteen licks and then render them utterly meaningless. Later on, he turned to Pearl Jam, copping the look, sound, feel and imagery of _Ten_-- thus making _Ten_ itself a lesser object in retrospect. "How much you want to bet the next Jon Bon Jovi record he's wearing glasses and a tuxedo and singing mid-tempo pop rock ballads?" I griped to my friend. "I'll take you for any amount." "Oh come on," was the cheery reply. "Maybe he'll just cover 'Skyway' and be done with it, and give Paul some royalties." Don't you believe it. Jon Bon Jovi doesn't borrow, he steals things outright. You know how some people use earplugs at rock concerts to block vibrations from harming their delicate eardrums? My brother and I once went to see Bon Jovi at the Oakland Coliseum [Troy's note: No explanation for THIS, I see!], and my brother insisted that we needed soul plugs, so our souls wouldn't be violated by the harmful rays. Still, my anger continued unabated until almost the end of the set. It was annoying: the show kept getting better and better and better, and all I could think, during songs like "If Only You Were Lonely," "I Will Dare," "Merry Go Round,"" Talent Show," "Swingin Party,""Never Mind," "I'm in Trouble," and "Alex Chilton," was that Jon Bon Jovi shouldn't be allowed to see it. The only thing that comforted me just a little was the idea that I was in a room with 1200 people who don't give a flying fuck about him. [There there, Gina.] I bet if they'd known he was there, they'd have felt like I did. It wasn't till Paul began with "Left of the Dial" that I realized why I was so incensed. You know how it goes: "Read about your band... on some local page, they didn't mention your name." You youngsters don't remember those bad old days, but secretly I'm still smarting on Paul's behalf. Those were the days, you see, when Jon Bon Jovi ruled the airwaves -- at the expense of the Replacements. He was our enemy, our scourge, and here he blithely shows up, ten years too late, not to gloat but to cop some cred. It's just not right. And yet in the end, of course, I made my peace with it. These days I think Paul Westerberg is acknowledged by record companies, radio people, even by Jon Bon Jovi himself, to be one of the great songwriters of all time. And all those songs that dumb people discredited at the time -- I know it's hard to believe now, but both _Tim_ and _Pleased to Meet Me_ were decried by many merely because they were on a major label -- have proven their mettle. [Troy's note: Hate to tell you this Gina, but that sort of indier-than-thou bullshit still happens today, and I'm sure you're often the culprit you pretend to be condemning.] And that's satisfying for me. But there's something even more satisfying, and that is this: Anyone who's been around rock music for long knows there's something positively Christian about it, and all Christians know that it's better to give than to receive. While I was watching Paul Westerberg, I thought of all the things he's given me gratis, from a deep appreciation of the midwest to knowledge of the fabulous Big Star, from several of the most revelatory moments of my youth to -- really!-- an entire career. [For which we can all be grateful.] And what has Jon Bon Jovi given anyone, other than fleeting, formless fluff? [Inspiration for high-handed arrogance, apparently. - M@] So although Jon may be richer and a lot better know, Paul Westerberg has something he couldn't beg, borrow, or steal: the true and everlasting love of his admireres. Oh, sure, Jon faces arenas full of Bon Jovi fans cheering and singing along too, but the quality of their fandom is a different thing entirely, and I bet you he knows it. Those girls -- it's mostly girls at Bon Jovi shows -- only want the shallowest piece of Jon Bon, a tune, or a smile, or some weird sex fantasy. They won't grow old with Jon; they won't always, always wish him well, the way those of us who love Paul do-- the way we did last Friday night. --exhaustively transcribed by Troy [I suspect that Ms. Arnold will never be able to take even a connecting flight in New Jersey now. Just for the record, at the "Gravel Pit" show in '93, Westerberg spoke on-stage about meeting Mr. Bon Jovi at the hotel and how he was "so fucking cool" (I believe was the exact quote). - M@] ------------------------------------------------------- Hello, I'm Troy McClure. You may remember me from such celebrity funerals as 'Andre the Giant, We Hardly Knew Ye' and 'Shemp Howard: Today We Mourn a Stooge'!" _____________________________________________________________________________ SEPTEMBER 14TH AND 15TH, 1996: EL REY THEATER - LOS ANGELES, CA SEPTEMBER 17TH, 1996: THE TROUBADOR Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1996 01:33:58 -0700 (PDT) From: rhart Subject: LA Westerberg review The two shows at the El Rey Theatre were spectacular, to say the least. I have never heard Paul sound so crisp on his guitar. He opened Sunday night with Mannequin Shop and Waitin For Somebody. He was really on with Achin To Be and Swingin Party. Once Around the Weekend sounded great, without all the polish the album version holds. After a few fans including myself hounded him enough, he played "If Only You Were Lonely" sans his bandmates, easily the highlight of the evening. He also played Skyway, though we did most of the singing. There were only two low notes. He rushed through Love Untold, screaming the lyrics, I think he's played that song a few too many times. Then, he took Can't Hardly Wait very slow, but was going alright, building up the crowd's energy. He tried to speed it up for the tail, but the drummer failed miserably, and Paul walked offstage and played "Alex Chilton" from the side, skipping the first verse altogether. On hand at the El Rey were George Wendt, who screamed "encore!" for 10 minutes after Paul was long gone, and Wynona Ryder, who as you all know really likes Paul. She was very cool to talk to. In the end, though, Paul cut out early on both nights, and the patient fans who waited for an autograph were left out in the cold. It was nice seeing all of the Mats fans come out of the woodwork in LA. Rob Hart From: admin@xenon.gem.net (Mark Geisert) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: PW 9/15 LA show report Date: 16 Sep 1996 01:26:13 -0700 In a word, it was effing great! Set list was nearly the same as the others posted already, so I won't repeat it. This band is really tight and on the ball. Paul DID seem to be in a good mood -- maybe because after ten years and X hundred gigs with the 'Mats his songs are now being played, forgive me, competently. Surprises for me were, in no particular order: -- World Class Fad I had already kinda liked the mocking chorus in this song, but Tommy K's minor-key fills each time Paul truncated the "World Class ..." in the chorus really hit the spot. -- Silver Naked Ladies I didn't know this one (yah, where've I been?) and thought they were doing a Stones cover as the new Stones. Amazingly nice version. -- A False Start The drummer (presumed Josh, sorry I don't know for sure) launched into something I didn't recognize, and apparently, neither did the band 'cause they stood there looking at him for a couple measures 'til he stopped. Paul went over and had a little talk with him while Tommy thunked out the Dragnet opening: dum.. de-dum-dum. All in good humor. -- A Couple Songs With Paul Not In Sight This included Alex Chilton and the one after (ah, sorry, brain fade). You could hear him but he was nowhere in sight. His stage mic had been carted off at the end of the previous song for repairs. -- Celebrity In The Audience George Wendt, TV's Norm from "Cheers" was present at one of the side tables in a small party. That's about it for now. I had gone to this concert hoping to hear the new songs from Eventually pumped up a bit. I was not disappointed :-). And the older stuff, like "Kiss Me On The Bus", "Talent Show", and "Here Comes A Regular" were performed like the classics they are. Well done boys! ..mark From: gondola@deltanet.com (Gondola Bob) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: PW in LA (9/15 second show) Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1996 12:48:53 -0700 It was a very weird show. The first half was way too conservative, as Paul sang carefully in a sleek gray suit and chic European-looking tinted sunglasses. No real "moments" there -- kinda aloof. The emotional high point came in the middle, when he sang If Only You Were Lonely (gets my vote for the best song unavailable on CD) and Skyway acoustic and alone. Wonderful! Then the sweat started flowing and the jacket came off, and the second half was WEIRD. Several songs he did either WAY too fast (Love Untold) or WAY too slow (Can't Hardly Wait). A couple of other songs he just halfsang like they were meaningless (Angels Walk, for instance -- appropriate choice...heh heh), and then he sang his last two pre-encore songs (Alex Chilton and Left Of The Dial) from offstage right where no one could see him! I couldn't see him and I was like 12 feet away! So it was a great show and it wasn't. A B+. Not quite the transcendent experience I was hoping for, especially considering this was my first solo PW show. Celebrity sightings: Winona Ryder (looking DROP-DEAD gorgeous), George Wendt and three folks from Newsradio (Dave Foley, his TV love interest and the red-headed secretary). This is approximately the set list: Mannequin Shop, ??All I Want??, World Class Fad, Valentine, Once Around The Weekend (I think there was a new line here about "I got a drug dealer next door"), These Are The Days, Kiss Me On The Bus ("plane" substituted for "bus" in first verse -- telling substitution, don't you think?), I Will Dare (the obvious crowd favorite), Stain Yer Blood (the obvious crowd LEAST favorite), You Ain't Got Me, Century (some weird slowdown breaks in the middle), They're Blind, Achin' To Be, MamaDaddyDid, Blackeyed Susan, If Only You Were Lonely, Skyway, Waitress In The Sky, Angels Walk (zzzzz), Silver Naked Ladies (zzzzz), Love Untold, Talent Show (he did some weird slowdown stuff in this one too), Can't Hardly Wait, Alex Chilton, Left Of The Dial, Swinging Party (a really empty performance...he shouted "Get the car ready!" to his "handlers" in the middle -- fuck you, rockstar), I'm In Trouble, Merry-Go-Round (I might have this out of sequence) and Never Mind. NO ONE was satisfied with the final songs, and everyone was scratching his head and screaming for more. They kept the lights down as Nico's Chelsea Girls disc played -- the group kept yelling. But no second encore. A downer ending to the evening. Sure would've loved to hear Answering Machine... Like I said, I wasn't nearly as moved as I hoped to be. The only really powerful moments were Lonely and Skyway. The rest of it was either too professional or too confused. He couldn't find any middle ground, apparently. Oh well, I've never claimed to be a swooner. PW's a fading talent -- accept it, folks. ;) GB From: dezbot@aol.com (Dezbot) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: Westy in L.A. Saturday Date: 19 Sep 1996 03:52:58 -0400 Paulie was great last night. He was filled with energy and seemed to enjoy himself onstage immensely. The band itself was tight. I don't know what Michael Bland was like, so I can't compare drummers, but Josh was great. One of the people standing next to me remarked that it looked like Josh was trying to "kill" his drums because he was playing so hard. I really liked Tommy Keene, and am eager to check out his own albums now. The bassist, who Paul introduced as "my friend, Kevin, from Minneapolis," smiled throughout the entire set, which reminded me of Michael Anthony from Van Halen for some weird reason (that's not a bad thing for me, btw). The highlights were of course the 'Mats tunes, but ya know how that goes. Everyone sang along for most of the songs, and during "Androgynous," the audience did most of the singing because Paul couldn't remember the words (he basically hummed). For a while there, Paul seemed full of piss and vinegar because his guitar wasn't amplified to his satisfaction. He kept motioning for the sound mixer to up the amp, but apparently, the guy wasn't doing it right, so Paul cussed at him several times throughout the evening, finally flipping him off as he left the stage after the second and final encore. Despite that drama, though, Paul loosened up and really jammed. The new material was well-received by the crowd, too, but it was the 'Mats material that really got everyone moving and singing (although the guy in front of me sang along with every song). My personal faves were Waitress in the Sky and Alex Chilton. As for Thermadore, I have to agree with Charles that they are probably going to be a good band. They have lots of potential and they seemed to be having fun onstage. But it's also telling that the best songs they did were two covers, one of the Beatles and one of Thelonious Monster. OTOH, the lead singer had nothing but praise and appreciation for Paul, so that biases me in their favor already (and you shut up about it, GB!! :P). It was prolly one of the most fun concerts I have been to. Paul's enthusiasm for all the material was infectious, and he seemed most happy when he sang specifically to "the Divine Miss L" (yes, I swooned, it was soooo romantic). I wish I could afford to go see him tonight and at the troubadour, but oh well, at least I got to go once :) Sorry this wasn't as intellectually analytical as some of the other reviews here, but I feel pretty gushy about the concert, so pardon my effusive froth, please. Thanks! :) Desiree P.S. Save your money and don't bother with Feeling Minnesota. It's not worth the minute where Keanu & Cameron sing along to I Will Dare (which Paul also performed last night, btw). Hell, I'm a big Courtney Love fan, but it wasn't worth her five minutes, either, LOL. "if i could only find a nickel, i would pay myself off tonight...." or buy a VMA!! ;) From: Matsfann@aol.com Date: Fri, 20 Sep 1996 13:21:07 -0400 (LA) For me, the most memorable thing about both nights occurred on Sunday. Paul was about to break into Alex Chilton when he suddenly ran into the wings on the side of the stage. I just happened to be the furthest person in that part of the venue and he sang Alex Chilton and Left of the Dial out of everyone's view, except for me. He was literally 7 feet from me and there were 900 people behind me wishing they could be where i was. The only thing separating him from me was a bouncer and it was as if he was singing these two songs for me. I just stood there like a dork. But it was beautiful. The night was amazing, people kept offering me money for my old Replacements shirt from the Don't Tell a Soul tour. Anyway, the shows were great. the fact that he sang two songs within 8 feet of me was religious and Paul rules. I'm Out. Chuck From: Alexis_Curry@UCSDLIBRARY.ucsd.edu Date: Fri, 20 Sep 1996 16:07:00 -0700 Subject: PW's LA shows 9/15 & 9/17 I've really enjoyed reading all the recent concert reviews and anecdotes found on your site (thanks!) and thought I'd try and add a few. I saw Paul Westerberg at the El Rey on 9/15 and again at the Troubador on 9/17, I'm hoping someone will write in with a formal review and song lists since I can't recall the order, but both sets didn't deviate too much from what I've read about the previous shows. I was overjoyed to hear "If Only You Were Lonely" at the El Rey and "Here Comes a Regular" at the Troubador, didn't think he'd go back that far (since he didn't when I saw him in 93'). He seemed more relaxed and downright jubilant at the Troubador, and because I was able to ask him a few questions after the show I'd rate that night higher (surprise). Here is some incidental stuff in lieu of a formal review: Terry Reid was in the crowd on Tuesday night and I overheard him saying, "...he came to my show, I couldn't miss this..." (I got in a fight with some jerk who was pushing him around, sometimes the Troubador crowd can be way too cool for my taste) and sure enough, there he was hangin' with Paul after the show. Poor Winona didn't seem to have as much luck though, she was in the crowd both nights but left before he came out to meet and greet. My most memorable concert moment ever (memorable because it was so so surreal) occurred the same night at the Troubador, Paul was singing "Here Comes a Regular" when halfway through the song I was accidently pushed into the guy next to me and when I said, "I'm sorry" the guy who replied sweetly, "It's all right" was none other than Tommy Stinson! He looked amused and maybe a bit sad. It was all so errie and strangely appropriate. If I hadn't of froze up I could have asked him, "What must you be feeling right now???" It's a good thing I froze up, that would have broken the spell. He (Tommy) spent most of the night going back and forth, to and from the bar, so that when I did get to ask him a few questions after the show about Perfect he was pretty drunk (he mentioned something about his old friend "JD"!!!). Finally, everything you've read about Paul being humble and friendly is absolutely true, he seems incredibly patient and affable. Thanks again for all the amusing stories, its nice to know I'm an obsessed fan among many!!! A.C. From: Nick R. Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: The Troubador Was Rockin' Last Night, Man Date: 18 Sep 1996 14:21:49 -0700 I prefered this performance over Saturday night's because of the smaller venue, the choice of songs, and the presence of Winona Ryder. Yes, she was there, as was Tommy Stinson, who snuck in quickly into the Troubador and after the show stood around the stage talking to people. No, he didn't play. Although I was wishing he would, of course. LOTS of song mistakes, and Paul would either laugh it off or give the "I'm gonna kill you when this is over" look to his band members. I gave Tommy Keene a copy of "Here Comes Irregular" (the alt.music.replacements tribute tape) and he said he'd give it to Paul. I'm almost certain Paul already has a copy, but I wanted to make sure. Too bad I couldn't ask him in person. I have lots of guitar info if any tech heads are interested. Nick From: Duncan deGraffenreid Subject: Yahoo Westerberg article from 9/16 Date: Mon, 23 Sep 96 15:26:43 EDT REVIEW/PERFORMANCE: Paul Westerberg, A Master Of Catchy Songs Paul Westerberg (El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles; 800 capacity; $16.50) By Phil Gallo HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Dressed in a suit, plaid tie and wearing glasses, Paul Westerberg dons the colors of a rock 'n' roll elder statesman as well as he wore the uniform of the soothsaying drunk of the '80s indie rock set. In a 90-minute show that mixed and matched songs from his two Reprise solo albums, "14 Songs" and the current "Eventually", as well as his days heading the Replacements, Westerberg demonstrated with conviction the progression of a punchy sound he pioneered in Minneapolis years ago that has been co-opted and generated gold discs for Soul Asylum and the Goo Goo Dolls. Westerberg, who consistently mixes major key concerns with minor key chords, roke his show Saturday into three sonically separate sets: round one was electric and mildly upbeat; round two emphasized a full-bodied acoustic sound; and round three was pure crunch -- big and fat chord-based tunes such as "Merry Go-Round" that carry the Westerberg signature loud and proud. Why he nor his former band never caught on at radio is anybody's guess. Westerberg is so masterful at hook-laden songs that an hour and a half of this material is numbing from the core for nothing but its pure hit potential. Never mind that he plays midtempo songs at a ratio of 10:1 to ballads or wild rockers; Westerberg knows his place and he fills it well. As for the dexterity and depth of his sound and its ability to support a wide lyrical range, Westerberg flashed -- probably quite unexpectedly -- a coy segue of the new "These Are the Days" and the Replacements' classic "On the Bus" from 1985's "Tim." While "These Are the Days" possesses a toss-away melody, it examines a songwriter's relationship with his craft, the downtime spent in coffee shops and the introspection the public never sees; "On the Bus", however, is one of those career-defining moments in which Westerberg takes the simple notion of kissing a girl on a bus and supplies a sweep that approaches epic proportions, lyrically and musically. Together, the songs show Westerberg's willingness to get dressed in public, scrutinize the nitty-gritty, and expand his self-examination, a concept that started 15 years ago with Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash. And for anyone concerned that Westerberg has dropped the Mats' habit of wacky cover songs, sleep well: the guitarist raced through David Bowie's "John, I'm Only Dancing" with considerable verve. Westerberg closes his Southern California run Tuesday at the Troubadour. Presented by Goldenvoice. Band: Westerberg, Tommy Keene, Josh Freese. Reviewed Sept. 14, 1996. Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1996 15:24:25 -0700 (PDT) From: rhart Here is the review that was in the LA Times..... ------------------------------------------------ WESTERBERG ADDS NEW DEPTH TO HIS PASSION FOR PLAYING At the El Rey Theatre on Saturday, Paul Westerberg took things a spirited step beyond the spirited exuberance that keyed his 1993 solo tour, his first after being unshackled from the tensions of the Replacements, the Minneapolis band he led through a colorfully unruly 20-year career. His fans couldn't have asked for much more than this show's range of material and level of execution. Guitarists Westerberg and Tommy Keene, bassist Ken Justine, and drummer Josh Freese delivered the leader's songs with assuredness and ferocity, interlocking with thrilling finesse at high velocity at one moment, then providing the softest of shadings for a tender ballad the next. Their empathy and dynamism were enough to give a good name to professionalism. Their tightness wasn't a matter of being clinical and accomodating. It was a reflection of their respect for the music and the audience. That professionalism, as well as the show's pacing and the sound's balance, weren't exactly the qualities that made the Replacements such a beloved institution. When that band's chaos and conflict wore thin, Westerberg went solo with the intent of cementing his reputation as a great American singer-songwriter. But once an underdog, always an underdog, it appears. As was his debut album, "14 Songs," the recent "Eventually" has been a commercial dissapointment. So the Replacements' old spirit of having something to prove remained as a driving force in Saturday's show. Without belaboring the point, Westerberg simply asserted his will to survive through the quality and the passion of the playing. The crowd may have been smaller than his original game plan once envisioned (he was scheduled for two nights at the 900-capacity El Rey and plays the Troubadour on Tuesday), but there was a lot of loyalty concentrated in the gathering. This wasn't an audience inflated with drop-ins checking out a passing radio hit. It was a serious, hard-core crowd with two decades of goodwill, partaking of music that accompanied, illuminated, defined, challenged, and questioned their rites of passage. Westerberg's songs have both distinctly individual features and a genetic bind with rock traditions. There's invariably an urgent kick to the beat and a buoyant lift to the melody and the guitar hooks. Rage is usually tempered by ruefullness, skepticism by semtimality, and he sings his intimate anthems in a voice toughened by trials, a shredded but tenacious intsrument fighting the elements. The question is whether his newer material - more reflective, mellower, more considered - can become more than a postscript to his great Replacements work. The new songs held their own in the wide overview Westerberg presented, but when it came time to cap the night, he turned to his old band's pinnacles, mainly songs from "Tim" and "Pleased to Meet Me." -Richard Cromelin From: cford@vnet.ibm.com (Charles Ford) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: LA 9/15 - Westerberg's View Date: Thu, 19 Sep 1996 14:29:59 GMT I just read a Westerberg interview in the Austin paper. In it he discusses the 9/15 show which has generated some discussion in this group. This should be the final word...What follows is an excerpt from the interview with reporter Chris Riemenschneider: ............................................................................ '"It's funny, I can't even give a bad performance anymore, because then the crowd loves that," he said, pointing to his show the night before in the ever brain-dead Los Angelos, where he said the crowd "looked like they were watching an infomercial and were waiting for the announcer to tell them when to clap." "I started getting pissed, and made it pretty clear. I went back and played three of four songs from the dressing room with the rest of the band on stage. I flipped everyone off...And they thought it was part of the show. I can't even flip a crowd off anymore. They enjoy it!" To make the circumstances even funnier, former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, now an LA resident working with his new band Perfect, was in the crowd, and Westerberg didn't even know it. "I felt so bad because I stormed out of there and somebody told me later that Tommy was there and I didn't even see him," Westerberg said. When it was suggested that maybe Stinson was standing in the back with the old Replacements fans watching Westerberg struggle with the crowd, he said, "No, I know he was right up front. He was up front and loving it."' (reprinted without permission.) ............................................................................. Charles _____________________________________________________________________________ SEPTEMBER 20TH, 1996: THE MUSIC HALL - AUSTIN, TX From: thesarge@mail.utexas.edu (thesarge) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: Austin Show Date: 21 Sep 1996 19:46:23 GMT I'd like to be able to say that Paul's Austin show was a raucous triumph, but that would be to overstate it. It was solid but unexceptional--at least compared to the two shows I caught in NYC. Part of the problem was the venue: it was too large and hence was only filled to about half of its capacity. This made it feel like the show was sparsely attended. The other factor was the crowd--pretty lackluster. There were some hardcore 'Mats faithfuls up front, but the rest of the crowd was quite sedate. Best moment? Undoubtedly the highlight of the evening was Paul doing a solo acoustic IF ONLY YOU WERE LONELY with a cup of soda/juice (?) balanced on his head. It tumbled off in mid-song, almost dousing him. He chucked the cup into the crowd and gave someone a nice souvenir. The five song encore was a bit of a treat, as it included pretty scorching versions of CUSTOMER and I'M IN TROUBLE in addition to SWINGING PARTY, NEVERMIND and IOU. I was yelling for "Galveston" (hey--we're in Texas, right?) but no dice. And Josh Freese is definitely the man. --SS From: cford@VNET.IBM.COM Date: Mon, 23 Sep 96 11:30:21 EDT Subject: Westerberg Austin, TX Paul Westerberg 9/20/96 Austin, TX Wow! Paul Westerberg on a Friday night in Austin, TX...seems like I'd been waiting a long time for this show. It took place at the somewhat cavernous Austin Music Hall--a venue with a capacity for 3000, but on this night I'd say less than 1000 were in attendance. The general sentiment was that this show would have been alot better at the smaller, more intimate, Liberty Lunch where Westerberg has played countless times. But, I think Paul wants to go for the grandiose on this tour as can be inferred from the snappy suits and the stretch limo out front. Probably the most obvious observation on this show was the sheer duration. Most shows I've been hearing about on this tour are in the 90 minute time-frame, but on this particular night Paul slugged it out for a solid hour and fifty minutes! Get a load of this set list: Waiting on Somebody World Class Fad Valentine Hootenany (partial) Once Around the Weekend Mannequin Shop These Are The Days Kiss Me on the Bus I Will Dare Stain Your Blood Ain't Got Me Century They're Blind Achin To Be Things (partial) Mamadaddydid Black-Eyed Susan Here Comes a Regular If Only You Were Lonely Skyway Waitress Merry Go Round Angels Walk Love Untold Talent Show/Send in the Clowns Can't Hardly Wait Left of the Dial Alex Chilton * ENCORE * Swinging Party (Paul sings, "Someone please call Roscoe"--an Austin pal) Customer I'm In Trouble Nevermind IOU The review in the local Austin paper criticized Westerberg for leaning heavily on the Replacements tunes, but I think that's an unfair assessment. looking over the list, it's clear that he played almost the entire 'Eventually' album, he dipped into '14 Songs,' and he did some other post-Mats stuff as well. He had an exciting two hour show to fill, and those Replacements songs had to be played. After the show Paul graciously signed autographs for the 30 or 40 fans who hung around. The most common item he signed was the numerous 'Eventually' posters that fans had ripped off the venue walls. I got mine signed and that thing is getting framed! One other thing to mention...Paul did a quick radio spot on Austin KGSR radio Friday afternoon which was almost ruined by a technical failure at the station. They got back on the air and Paul performed acoustic versions of 'Mamadaddydid,' 'Love Untold,' and 'Skyway.' Charles _____________________________________________________________________________ SEPTEMBER 21ST, 1996: HOUSTON, TX From: Derek Olson Subject: Paul in Houston 9/21/96 Date: Wed, 25 Sep 96 18:02:27 CDT The Paul Westerberg show in Houston, Texas on September 21, 1996 was fantastic! Living near Dallas, I was kind of surprised that he wasn't playing here - good thing my brother just graduated from the University of Minnesota and is now living in Houston. One e-mail and a few days later - we had our tickets! We arrived at the club just before Thermadore played. Having never been to the club I didn't quite know what to expect. The guy taking tickets told us the show was no where near a sellout. I sure wish we had a DAT - we weren't searched at all! The club itself was pretty small - say, First Ave. without the side areas. But that's about what I expected - Paul and the 'Mats just aren't that big here in the Lone Star state where your choices of music are like: country or western! By the time Thermadore started their set, there we around 100 people in the club (maybe). To our surprise, they were only on for about a half-hour. They seemed okay - they did a pretty good Beatles cover of a song I can't remember the name of (sorry). After their set ended, my brother and I walked right up to the stage, front and center. As it neared 9:00, they crowd had "swelled" to over 300 people. At 9:05, we were 10 feet from the stage when out walks Paul, looking very sharp in his white/green suit, black shirt, and red and white checkered tie. He also had on shades, but they wern't so dark that you couldn't see his eyes! They really seemed to be in great spirits (I know we were!). I was totally blown away. The small crowd recieved the guys very well - there might not have been a whole lot of people there, but here were definate sing-alongs to most of the songs, especially the Replacements stuff! Some highlights - the third song they did was "Another Girl, Another Planet", after which, Paul remarked "Haven't played that in awhile." About half-hour into things, Paul looked back at the TVs in the back of the club and said into the mic - "Could someone please turn off those TVs? Or at least change the channel, I've been watching the same show for half-an-hour!". "Waitress in the Sky" was played by Paul standing on a chair and bending over to sing into the mic - it didn't look too comfortable, but it was a fun trick (or maybe I'm just easily impressed). The new songs, as well as most of the others, were played pretty fast! The new songs sounded better live, in my humble opinion. They last encore they did was an great version of "I'm in Trouble". I was yelling for "Johnny's Gonna Die" - but it was all for naught! Here's the setlist: -Waiting for Somebody -World Class Fad -Another Girl, Another Planet -Valentine -Once Around the Weekend -These are the Days -Kiss Me on the Bus -Stain Yer Blood - I Will Dare - Ain't Got Me -Century -They're Blind (why?!!) -Achin' to Be -The Ledge -Hide and Seekin' (first few lines only) -Mommydaddydid -Black-Eyed Susan -Skyway -If Only You Were Lonely -Waitress in the Sky -Merry-Go-Round -Angel's Walk -Love Untold -Talent Show -Can't Hardly Wait -Alex Chilton -Little Mascera -Answering Machine -Swingin' Party -Daydream Believer -I'm in Trouble We left the show, and being inspired by other "Skywayers", I was determined to met Paul! We walked around back of the club and to my surprise, there was Paul sitting on the steps of his bus and talking to other fans (and drinking a ginger ale)! I couldn't believe it! If we were in Minnesota, he'd probably be getting mobbed - but in Houston, there were only a dozen or so people in line. After waiting in line for 10 minutes, it was our finally out turn. My throat was hoarse from all the yelling I'd been doing, and my mind was spinning thinking about what I was going to say! We walked up and told him thanks for coming to Texas and shook his hand (gasp!). We handed him the flats to sign, and lucky for me, my brother did the talking, I was just dumbfounded in the presence of greatness. I guess I blew it. After my brother chatted with him about the Huskers and the early days, I did manage to ask him if he planned to release any live stuff, and he kind of looked at me and smiled and said "Well, you just never know." After that our time was up. We thanked him again and wished him good luck. It's a moment I'll remember forever. The show was great, and Paul was great. What more could a couple of Westerberg fans in Houston ask for? Thanks too for the Skyway. I'd really like to trade tapes with people - 'Mats or other stuff. Just drop me a line at derek@castit.com and let's work something out. Since security at the show was so lax, I don't suppose anyone has a tape of the Houston show out there, would they (or any other Westerberg shows for that matter)??????? Sincerely, Derek Olson - Hillsboro, Texas _____________________________________________________________________________ SEPTEMBER 24, 1996: HOUSE OF BLUES - NEW ORLEANS, LA From: jimmiek@aol.com (JIMMIEK) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: p.w.'s show in New Orleans Date: 25 Sep 1996 21:55:12 -0400 Paul Westerberg played the House of Blues in New Orleans. And he rocked. It was amazing. The House of Blues is a small club with a dance floor and a balcony - great place for a show. After Thermadore came and went (ehh) he strode onto the stage, stepped up to the mic and said, "The last time I came here, I was a young man." He then ripped into "Waiting For Somebody." The band was tight and with him every step of the way. On "Valentine" Josh Freese even quoted Chris Mars' drum fills over the solo (pretty interesting considering the bashing Mars gets from Westerberg). He and Ken Chastain made a great rhythm section. The show's start time was pretty early (7:30), and Keb Mo' was coming on after him, a fact he alluded to after a roaring "Century" when he said, "We gotta make this quick; we gotta be outta here by a set time." When the crowd voiced its displeasure, he said, "Hey, they didn't even want us to play New Orleans, but I said, 'We Must!'" Later on, after a pounding "I Will Dare," he said, "So they make you all leave afterwards? Well, what if we refuse to go? That's it, WE'LL START A RIOT!" He then (wisely) backed away from that, saying, "Well, maybe not, though we'd end up in the papers. Maybe that'll help my record!" Highlights: 1) The acoustic section in the middle of the show. He donned his guitar and asked, "Any requests?" He then walked to the edge of the stage and feigned kicking someone in the head. He then said "Any other requests?" He then looked at the person in the audience he feigned stomping on, and said," I'll do _this_ first, and then 'Shooting Dirty Pool'." He then did "If Only You Were Lonely," doing some fine country picking. After that, he reached down for his capo and, grinning, put it on the third fret. And then started into "Skyway," and the place came apart. 2) Looking like a cross between a young Elliot Gould and an older Krist Novoselic, Tommy Keene proved himself the MVP, backing Paul ably with little fills and shards of sound where needed, ripping it up where allowed. His solo on "They're Blind" was a thing of beauty. 3) The new material seemed larger live than on the record. Especially "Century" and "Love Untold". 4) The most telling moment for me came during the encore. He was running out of time, so when he came back on stage he put on his acoustic and played "Swingin' Party" (great fills by Mr. Keene). He then RAN (not jogged, ran) for his electric, and played "Never Mind," with Ken taking the "All over but the shouting" and Tommy the "Waste of time" sections of the chorus. He then ran again to get his SG, and TORE INTO I.O.U. This was an amazing moment, since the song is essentially a big f.u. to the record business and its trappings. He spat the words like they'd been festering in his gut, and took the solo like he was throttling his guitar. Eyes shut, body tensed, holding his guitar damn near upright, while his band reached velocities not ventured by X or the Sex Pistols, this was his big affirmation to everyone (and himself) that underneath the sartorial splendor and advancing age he was still the same punk of "Sorry Ma" and "Stink," that age and maturity has only deepened his passion for the music and not for the business of making music, that he was in it for the long haul, and that bands like Offspring and Oasis may come and go but he continues on in his own way. He then gave the audience a wave, and he was gone. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Q: How much more juice did the new songs get live? A: About 66 2/3% Q: What did he wear? A: A grey striped suit, white shirt with French cuffs, yellow patterned tie. Black shoes. Q: A song list, maybe? A: Not in order, but - From "Eventually" - Once Around the Weekend, Love Untold, Century, MamaDaddyDid, Ain't Got Me (which he introduced by saying, "This one has a Scandinavian title," and then burst into a bit of what I can only assume is, uh, Scandinavian.) From "14 Songs" - World Class Fad, Black-Eyed Susan From "All Shook Down" - Merry Go Round From "Don't Tell A Soul" - Achin' to Be, They're Blind (done in a great heavy soul version, heavier than Motown, lighter than Vanilla Fudge) From "Pleased To Meet Me" - I.O.U., Alex Chilton, Nevermind, Valentine, Skyway, Can't Hardly Wait (the second pause of which he said, "Wanna bet?" and strode to the side of the stage for a good minute, then went back to the mic and tore into the last part). From "Tim" - Kiss Me On The Bus, Waitress in the Sky, Swinging Party From "Let It Be" - I Will Dare From "Hootenanny" - Color Me Impressed From "Friends" - Stain Yer Blood From "Singles" - Waiting on Somebody Misc. - If Only You Were Lonely, Another Girl Another Planet (where they actually played the tricky chord change in the chorus the 'Mats often glossed over). q: Did you meet him after the show? a: Nope, sorry. The limo was parked, gassed and waiting when the show let out. The artists' entrance faced the street and the limo was parked in a loading zone. Anyway, in short, it was an incredible show. And, as a bonus we also got Richard Thompson tickets for when he plays on Oct 7! What a night.... JMK "I'm just a dipstick searching for truth" - Television _____________________________________________________________________________ SEPTEMBER 25, 1996: GEORGIA THEATER - ATHENS, GA From: cford@vnet.ibm.com (Charles Ford) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: Paul In Athens G. Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1996 15:58:10 GMT John Davidson What a night in tiny Athens, GA, which of course is most famous for being R.E.M.'s hometown. I dragged my wife by the hair up there from Atlanta and we met up with the king of SKYWAY, Matt Tomich (rah!) who had driven the six hour trip from Chapel Hill. It was also great meeting other fans like Al from South Carolina. Tidbits: We walked by the Georgia Theatre right after Paul left the soundcheck so we missed that little scene, but one star struck fan was still waiting outside, having got an album signed as Paul left to hop in the limo. He said Paul was really nice and down to earth, but didn't know what songs were done in the check. Thermadore opened and got started at 8:45 or so. They were fine, playing to the scant crowd of 50. As soon as they finished (9:30) the place filled customarily and Paul hit the stage at 10:01. Here's the blow-by-blow... * Waiting for Somebody - loud & proud as always * World Class Fad * Valentine * Merry Go Round * Another Girl, Another Planet * Once Around the Weekend * These Are the Days * Kiss Me on the Bus * Stain Your Blood * I Will Dare - highlight was the last verse, played in a blazing double time! * Ain't Got Me * Century * They're Blind - powerful, awesome version. Would make a killer b-side as a live one. * Achin' To Be * John, I'm Only Dancing (David Bowie cover) * Androgynous - Keane started this up on the piano, and Paul begrudgenly began but didn't know the words too well. We all helped. * Mammadaddydid * Another Girl, Another Planet * If Only You Were Lonely - even though this song is at least 16 years old, he sang it with heart. Or as much as anyone on the wagon can. * Here Comes A Regular - "And if you're in the arms of David Minnehan right now..." * Answering Machine - solo as he has apparently played this tour. Guitar folks out there: he played this and Left of Dial on the Gibson SG. It has to be in open tuning, but I don't know what key. * Angels Walk (dramatically slowed down version)I liked this slow version a lot, but to be brutally honest, it was hard to fit into the set of songs, especially since it was played toward the end. * Love Untold * Sadly Beautiful - a deliberate, dramatic song again, bluesy and great. Hated in on the album, now I hold new respect * Talent Show (with Send in the Clowns in bridge) - my wife knew who he was covering on the bridge. Do you!??! * Can't Hardly Wait * Color Me Impressed * I'm In Trouble * Customer - wow, this song was loud and fast and pretty damn tight. It was wonderful! You could see Green Day and all the rest of the young punks in the song. * Swingin Party * Alex Chilton * Left of the Dial * Nevermind Paul seemed to really be enjoying himself a lot, and was not going thru the motions in my opinion. He was wearing what he wore in New Orleans, and took off his blue/yellow striped tie and tossed it into the crowd. Keane looks like he just jumped out of that new Tom Hanks movie (That Thing You Do) in his four button suit coat, but he's a great player. Whoever said Ken looks like a porn star, they were right. I didn't think he was being all rock-star at all: if I got the chance to EVER play with Paul, it would be impossible to look like anything but a fan, which Ken did. After the last song of the encore, Paul got off the stage and walked thru the audience out the front doors of the Georgia Theatre. Mass confusion, but it was really pretty neat. Everyone followed him out and he went to the bus and we all went thru the drill of meeting him. I watched him for a long time, and he was SO genuine with everyone, a little sarcastic at times with the zingers you would expect. I was very nervous to meet him because I didn't want him to fall to earth, but he was really nice, looked me square in the eye, and wasn't pulling any bullshit. I don't know what's come over him, but he really put up with some morons who were yelling questions, a few groupie type women who were making fools of themselves, and then the rest of us who were acting like frothing fans. I think he must have stayed for at least 45 minutes to patiently sign stuff. R.E.M. alert: Michael Stipe was there, and my wife nearly ran him over (not with the car) afterwards. I was right by Paul when Michael and his two pals climbed right thru everyone who was waiting to see him and jumped into the bus. They kind of had a conversation as Paul was carrying on with the fans. I would say Michael vs. Paul in an arm wrestling match would be close. They are both so slight and short. The lesson I learned is that I've had my chance to meet him, and if I ever see him in the street or somewhere else in public, maybe I should just leave him alone. He was so generous with his time last night, what more could I ask? If anyone taped this show, I have lots to trade for. John D. From: matt@novia.net (Matt Tomich) Date: 21 Oct 96 9:22 pm I already had written up a review of this show...however, I'm afraid that the space on my hard disk drive that it was under was probably called "concert.txt" and I think this whole new Skyway file is sitting right on top of it...whoops... I'll make this short and sweet. It was the best Westerberg solo show of the six I've seen between this tour and the '93 one. Tommy Keene, complete with new larger, more rockin' amp, was incredible; the man never missed a single note. When he sang, it sounded like pop heaven. Josh was a madman on the skins. And Ken the bass player grinned and bounced his head along to the beat like only a fan can. While driving down to the show with fellow Durhamite and 'Mats nut Chris Willett, he asked, "So hey, what songs are you hoping to hear tonight?" My answer could not have prepared me for the incredible onslaught of tunes new and old that Paul graced us with that night. It started off as any other Westerberg show this tour had: Waiting For Somebody, World Class Fad, Valentine, Merry Go Round, and a couple of tunes from "Eventually". The first surprise of the evening was a sudden dive into "Another Girl, Another Planet"...played perfectly, note for note. And then halfway through the standard acoustic part of the show, Paul seemed frustrated with his old routine as he ripped off his jacket and said, "It's time for some fun goddammit" and started "If Only You Were Lonely". If you've kept up with the set lists, that wasn't any surprise. When he followed it with the double hitter of "Here Comes a Regular" and "Answering Machine", it was. And then he played a breathtaking full band version of "Sadly Beautiful" that should replace the original as the definitive version. And if "Once Around the Weekend" was played at double speed, a somber version of "Angels Walk" was played at half. I certainly would've been satisfied enough at this point to go home in complete exhilaration. However, Paul had a homer left in him: Color Me Impressed, I'm In Trouble, Customer, and Alex Chilton, Left of the Dial, and Nevermind as an encore. If there was one night to see Paul, man, I can't have imagined a better one than this. - Matt P.S. It was great meeting all the Skywayers who showed up to this show! _____________________________________________________________________________ SEPTEMBER 27TH, 1996: RIVERSIDE PARK - AGAWAM, MA From: Kathms@aol.com Subj: How do you spell "disaster"? Date: Sat, 28 Sept 1996 There have been many bad descions in the history of mankind - the Edsel, Suddenly Susan and New Coke, just to name a few. Right up there with those classic errors in judgement is the desicion for Paul Westerberg to play the WMRQ Fesitval in Agawam MA last night. When I heard Paul was booked for this show I nearly fainted - I grew up in Western MA and worked at Riverside Park (where the concert was held) for 5 summers and believe me when I tell you this is not Westerberg country. When I heard that in order to play this show, the band had to spend 18 hours on a bus from Athens, I was (and still am) totally clueless as to why? Was this a last desperate stab at promotion? If so, spending the money on a billboard or something would have been wiser - I can guarentee you that no one who attended that show will buy Eventually because of it. The details: WMRQ sponsers this thing once a year - 15 bands for 15 bucks. Ironically, the mean age of the attendees is 15. The other bands on the bill were Goldfinger and Poe and Supersuckers and 10 other bands I never heard of. The Violent Femmes played at 3. Paul was scheduled to go on at 8, play for an hour and then sign at the booth from 9:20 on. The closing band was something called Local H - they are apparantly huge, though I never heard of them... Ok so this is the scene, the concert is on a speedway where they hold races during the summer. The stages are setup at the far short end of the val and there is a mass of about 5000 people on the speedway. This mass of people is bascially 13-15 years olds, blue haired, eyebrow pierced, flannel wearing, baggy pants "alternative": kids. They scared me. Paul follows Poe who ended her set by diving into the crowd to mosh with the kiddies, most of whom are drunk or stoned or just plain obnoxious without the benefit of chemicals. The stage goes dark at 8 and Paul comes on in his spangly vest, the rest of the guys decked out in suits, to the strains of a Hank Williams tune on the PA. Guess how they were received? Not well is an understatement. It was a disaster of pretty near epic proportions. I was way back in the stands, away from the crowd and wound up next to a nice couple who, along with me, were screaming our support for Paul the whole set and doing our best. The rest of the crowd reaction was utter lack of interest or violent opposition. The band was pelted with stuff thru the entire set. After the show I talked to some PW fans who were up front and they said at one point Paul got hit in the chest with a bottle. The set list is at the end of this email with comments - hell I enjoyed the set because it IS Paul after all and I got to hear 3 songs I haven't heard yet on this tour. But it was really just a shambles. It ended at 9 with a dirge- like Angels Walk - imagine Sadly Beautiful on qualudes and that's about the speed. That rambled on for about 5 minutes and then they just sort of left. Ever hopeful, I went over to the booth where Paul was scheduled to be signing stuff. After waiting about 40 minutes, I went to talk to a radio station guy who said that Paul refused to come out. I sure don't blame him for that. It's a shame though because in line I ran into at least 10 people who came just to see Paul and maybe it would have helped for him to see that not everyone there hated him....I was disappointed but I felt so bad for him I totally understand. This wonderful, talented man should not have to put up with this type of shit. I was real close to not going yesterday - I have a cold and standing in line last night did a job on my back, I'm feeling pretty crippled today. But yesterday I got an email from someone saying that they heard from a good source that Reprise had pulled the funding for the rest of the tour -- the dates that are booked will be played but that's the end. I wasn't sure it was true but I figured I really wanted to make the effort - I'm not sorry I did, I'm sorry for the band they had such a shitty experience. When I got back today, I had another email from another source with the same information so it looks like I made the right choice. Set List: Waiting for Somebody World Class Fad Valentine (I never tire of this song) Once Around the Weekend (Tommy and Paul shared the mike for the chorus) Another Girl (I was psyched! Paul intro'ed this with "Here's a song written by a bunch of junkies before you all were born") These Are The Days Kiss Me on the Bus (Both of these songs were played slowed down and practically whispered at points) Stain Yer Blood Ain't Got Me Century Color Me Impressed (I don't think this was on the set list, Paul consulted with the band before playing it; perhaps it was an attempt to please the mosh pit) The Ledge (Awesome! ends with the first line of Hide N Seekin -- why he chose to grace this hideous crowd with such a classic is anyone's guess) Merry Go Round Angels Walk (and walk they did...right off the stage) Anettee and Sharon thanks for the packages BTW - I brought the Lik M Aid to show Paul but it was not to be :))) Kathy From: bkc@inforamp.net (Brad Casemore) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: Re: Paul in Agawam 9/27 Date: 28 Sep 1996 22:58:06 GMT For Westerberg, this disaster must have seemed reminiscent of some of the Mats' worst dates on the Tom Petty tour in 1989. Those are memories he probably didn't want to revisit. One is compelled to wonder what Paul, his management, and the folks at Reprise were thinking when they booked this dubious engagement. From everything I've seen written here and elsewhere, the current tour and the latest album have not attracted a superabundance of new, younger followers to Paul and the Replacements. His album sales and the demographics of Paul's concert crowds suggest he's not about to crack the youth market -- and probably never will. Most of these youngsters haven't heard of him, aren't disposed to give him a listen, and are unlikely to identify with the basic sentiments of "Eventually" or even "14 Songs." They might like the Replacements if they'd ever heard them -- but when is the last time most of us have heard the Replacements on "modern rock" radio stations? The audience that attended the show I saw earlier this summer was probably typical of the crowds Paul has attracted throughout this tour. Looking around the hall, I saw an audience that was decidedly skewed to older demographics. This was not the same crowd, in terms of quantity or maturity, that you'd find watching the Cranberries, Oasis, or Goldfinger... or whatever the hell that band was called that headlined Agawam. To conclude on a positive note, I'll just mention that the Larry Sanders booking was a stroke of genius. ;-} From: MRTimmins@aol.com Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 08:15:25 -0400 Subject: Paul in an Amusement Park I went to see Paul in concert last Friday night (9/27) at Riverside Amusement Park, in Agawam, Mass. I got the scoop on the show from website-master and inside-scoop-getter Kathy Shine, a fellow native Western-Mass'er. Since this was Paul's first appearance ever in our must neglected end of the state (we both live in the East now... :-), we both felt obliged to attend, I think. We never did see each other there, for the swarms of pre- and mid-teen twinkies, and the show was a major disappointment. My friends and I felt pretty old there, and joked that some people probably thought we were waiting for our kids.... Paul was something like seventh on a long list of bands that played all day there. Fortunately his show was at 8:00 pm, so I didn't have to skip out of work too early.... Anyway, there were thousands of people there, most of whom were indifferent to the fact that Paul & Co. were on stage. I did hear some folks cheering, probably way up front, but there was a sea of crowd surfers between me and there, so my two friends and I were a good 50 yards from the stage. The set lasted maybe 45 minutes, and had the most pathetic ending I can imagine, although given the circumstances it seemed, sadly, appropriate. The ended with the slowest, most yawn-inspiring rendition of "Angels Walk" that you can imagine, that just sort of dissolved at the end as the band melted offstage without even a word of goodbye. I can understand that it must suck playing for a large but indifferent crowd, and I am now convinced more than ever of the importance of venue. At the show in the small club full of adoring fans in Boston back in August, the band gave an amazingly inspired performance. Friday night's show was definitely even weaker than when I saw The Replacements open for Tom Petty back in '89. I don't know what Paul was thinking (fear of success?), but he didn't even play "Love Untold," the one song that may have connected him with the ears of the majority of the non-fans in the crowd. Maybe he's sick of that song, but still.... Anyway, sum it up to say the show was underwhelming. -Mark As a postscript, I think it was interesting that although the show was only an hour and a half from Boston, there was not one iota of advertising for it in Eastern Mass. This is probably because the whole shebang, billed as "Big Day Off" was sponsored by a Connecticut radio station... From: "PARKER, KEVIN M" To: Skyway@novia.net Date: Sun, 6 Oct 1996 13:10:02 +0000 Subject: Paul in Massachusetts Hi everyone, I just read Kathy's review of Paul's performance at that "alternative" rock radio deal in Massachusetts and I felt the need to send something to the list to vent. I don't have to tell anyone on this list that Paul is an extremely gifted songwriter and performer who along with bands like Husker Du and others basically created the sound that so many bands today have used to catapult themselves to commercial success. It disheartens me to hear that he would have even bothered to drive 18 hours to perform for a bunch of little kids who think that Kurt Cobain (no slight intended but the rock revolution that Nirvana launched sure sounded like it owed quite a bit to the Mats sound) invented fucking music. The fact that he had to stand up there and have people throw things at him on the off chance that some moron might play his new record a couple of times in between the latest Bush and Alanis Morisette records is a joke. I had to laugh at her story about the kid turning around and asking her who was playing. All the kids who were at that show with their grunge "uniform" on and their blue hair should realize that all they do is conform to a media created image of what the "alternative scene" is supposed to be...it's not about pierced appendages and stupid haircuts, it's about songs. Paul has given the listening public more great songs in his career than any of the so called "alternative" bands that she mentioned were on the bill could ever dream of writing in their entire careers. All I could think of was the Petty tour when I read her review. That tour killed the band and Paul has admitted that they went on the road for the wrong reasons (hoping to sell records, etc.). He regretted it then and probably still regrets it today regardless of the fact that he is happy that the Mats are history. I would hate to watch him try to court mainstream acceptance and get burned like he did before. I understand that he wants to sell records and that's fine. Whether his records sell two copies or 2 million it won't change the fact that his songs have had an immeasurable impact on myself and many other members of this list. However, he shouldn't need to cowtow to radio stations in order to get his records played. Paul is a great talent and he has a loyal and loving fan base. Anyone who saw him play live on this current tour knows this is true. He's been playing great and having fun giving his real fans a great show night after night. I just wish that he would realize that it doesn't matter if his records get played on radio or his videos are in constant rotation on emptyTV. His fans will still love him and that his music will still have an effect on people that record sales could never measure. He just seems to be one of those artists who has been out of place with the current music scene no matter what he does. The Mats were too wild for the record buying public in the 80's and now that Paul is grown up and sober (IMHO a very good thing) everyone runs around recycling Mats riffs and trying to act outrageous just like the Mats did all those years ago. Great bands and artists sometimes never do well commercially (Velvet Underground, Ramones, Mats, Huskers, and the list goes on and on). I just hope that Paul knows that his real fans will never go away and that he doesn't have to go through the bullshit that went on in Massachusetts. If people want to buy cheap imitations of the originals (Bush, Goo Goo Dolls, Offspring, etc.) let them do it. As anyone on the list knows and as Paul himself said on 120 Minutes in April, "the original is always the best" Thanks for letting me vent. I'm sorry it ran so long but I just had to blow off some steam and I knew that their would be some sympathetic people on the list. Talk to you soon. Kevin FA09@Iona.edu P.S. Kathy, keep up the great work on your homepage. It's comforting to know that I can always get the latest info about Paul all the time. P.P.S. I am looking for tapes of shows from the current tour. I would especially like copies of the two NYC shows (7/30 and 7/31) but I am willing to trade for good sounding copies of any shows. I have a good amount of Mats/Paul stuff to trade and I also have other stuff too. Please e-mail me at FA09@Iona.edu so we can work out some trades. _____________________________________________________________________________ SEPTEMBER 28TH, 1996: METROPOL - PITTSBURGH, PA Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 09:22:11 +0100 From: hlc2@psu.edu (Heather L. Chakiris) Subject: Paul Does Pittsburgh I caught Paulie at the Metropol in Pittsburgh on Saturday night (9/28). Of the three shows I've seen so far on this tour, this by far had the best set list and the most chipper Westerberg. Unfortunately, it didn't have Michael Bland, and there was definitely something missing without him. For me, the best surprise was hearing "Talent Show" again live. He also did "Here Comes a Regular," which he didn't do in Philly or Cincinnati. Will he ever do "Nobody?" Maybe next time ... Anyway, he started off by saying that the club looked familiar and asked if he'd played there on the last tour. He was supposed to, but cancelled when he hurt his back. Someone told him The Mats had played there, to which he responded, "Oh yeah? Did we make it through or did we suck." People laughed and he said something like, "You know, I'm still capable of doing both." Then at another point between songs he said that he smelled someone he knew, and added that he wasn't kidding. Another surprise was "If Only You Were Lonely." He forgot the words half way through it, was noticeably embarrassed, then started over when someone in the front row reminded him of how it went. Pretty funny. The show was over by 10:00 (started at about 8:20 or so). My friend John and I ended up ducking into an adjacent club when we heard the R&B band playing inside. When we came out a while later, the buses were still in front of the Metropol and I saw Tommy Keene standing by one of the utility poles. I walked back over there and found Paul sitting on the steps of one of the buses signing stuff for a small group of people. I figured, for old time's sake, I'd say hi -- what the hell. I said something profound like, "Hi, Paul. Great vest." Didn't yack long since John and I still had a three-hour drive ahead of us and it was already pushing midnight. On the way home, John surprised me with an advance copy of Slim's new record. Way more polished than The Old New Me, but I liked it. I hear his wife produced it. The interview I did with Tommy over the summer will hopefully be out soon. I'll forward it to you when it hits the pavement. Heather Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 11:58:14 -0400 (EDT) From: Jennifer R Romero I'm one of those phantom Skyway readers, who gave their little Mats story and now just sits back and happily reads each issue. I was at Carnegie Mellon when I originally wrote to you, and I'm now at Pitt Medical School. I wanted to send in a review of the great show at Metropol Saturday night! The show at Metropol was amazing! I'm comparing it to the show in Columbus which I drove 4 hours to see this summer. Paul was full of energy and spoke to the band as well as the audience almost between every song. I was the lucky listener of 'John, I'm Only Dancing', 'If Only You Were Lonely' and a part of 'Send in the Clowns' smack in the middle of a ripping 'Talent Show'! Before the Bowie cover, Paul commented that "Since we were being so good, he do us a favor..." I arrived early to ensure an upclose and personal experience. There were probably 20 people waiting to get in at 6:30 (show at 7:30). Thermadore opened and seemed quite unhappy to be in the Burgh. They were a lot less arrogant than in Columbus and I enjoyed their music much more...especially a cover of Elvis Costello's Valerie. Paul came on stage soon after Thermadore's graceful exit. He was decked out in a grey pinstripe suit and rose colored glasses. A beautiful sight if I do say so myself. The song list was similar to that I've read from other shows, but the band was really together, as compared to the first leg of the tour, where there seemed to be some musical tension. The highlights of the night included a four song solo perfomrance, taking requests from the audience for a giant sing-along to Black Eyed Susan, If Only You Were Lonely, Skyway, and Here Comes a Regular. Comments during Waitress: "They respect me in first class now...(laughs)... Fuck not." Oh, as tradition has it, Paul forgot the second verse of "...Lonely" saying he couldn't even remeber the chord, let alone the words... but with our (my) help he finally came up with "I woke up this morning that was half of my goal..." Paul declined a request for "Unsatisfied" saying "That's just too damn depressing, it's sad." My favorite song of the night was probably "I Can't Hardly Wait", which isn't my favorite song...or even close to it. But the band rocked this tune, the audience was near hysterics and everyone screamed the words. It was the purest of friendships between a large group of strangers. I went to the show alone, but felt more warmth and welcome than I do with almost any of my friends. The end of this story is the greatest moment of my life (and I'm married, but you guys understand). I waited outside the tour bus since everyone else said Paul is more than willing to meet fans after the show. This was the first time I had ever tried to meet anyone even remotely famous. I was first in line and chatted with the guy who drove the bus, who gave me some gum. And then within ten minutes three people came out of the van...the first some familiar tech person, then the suit and tie manager, and then with my heart in my throat, Paul appered and smiled and sat down on the steps of the bus. He had changed into a striking purple shirt. I was afraid I would have nothing to say (the words I thought I brought...) but I found myself wanting to talk for hours (unacceptable to the people waiting behind me). So I introduced myself and shook his hand, and he kissed my hand saying it was a pleasure to meet me. I stammered to say I had been waiting to meet him for 9 years now, blah, blah, blah and thanks for playing "...Lonely" and what are his favorite songs (Achin to Be and Sadly Beautiful ?!?!) I thanked him for being the most honest voice in my life at times and then I felt the pressure to leave. He willingly signed my 14 Songs CD inner picture. I wanted to ask if I could kiss him goodbye, but was afraid he'd say no, so I just leaned over and kissed him, and touched his hair. He held on to my hand and said again, it was a pleasure Jennifer. I told him to have a good night and walked to my car in a daze. He was just as Matt described: a wonderful, real, nice, warm man. His voice was so much softer and gentler than I would have guessed from his singing. He was radiant. I was happy. Thanks Matt. Sorry to have been silent for so long, but the meeting with Paul is something only my friends at Skyway would understand. Bye! Jenn From: Maxsilent@aol.com Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 21:24:08 -0400 Subject: Paul in the 'Burgh Well, it was Paul's finest performance of the three shows I've seen on the tour (so far). He was in a really good mood all night, which was kinda baffling due to the fact that it was the lamest Westerberg crowd I've ever been part of. Unfortunately, we didn't get any of the extras I was really hoping for ("Androgynous", "I'm in Trouble," "Customer," or "Little Mascara" (which continues to elude me on this tour). We did get an okay version of "Talent Show/Send in the Clowns" and a very fine solo acoustic "Here Comes a Regular", but those were the only two songs new to me on the tour. Ah, well. He says they may do a swing back down our way after the current leg, so one can hope. We got to talk to him after the show. He was calmly sitting on his bus steps, in front of a line of about ten people, which we joined. Steph (who has a cold as of today - did Paul infect her or has she infected Paul?) and Vicky got hugs, I got a handshake and suggested that he let Tommy have the spotlight for a tune (even having the temerity to suggest what they should do: Paul on "Nobody" followed by Tommy's "If You're Getting Married Tonight" or vice versa). Paul said if they were to do it, "it would definitely be those songs". Probably bullshit, but if it ever happens, you heard it here first. John _____________________________________________________________________________ SEPTEMBER 29, 1996: OGDEN MUSIC HALL - BUFFALO, NY Date: Sun, 29 Sep 1996 23:53:54 -0400 (EDT) From: Eric R Neffke Subject: Paul in Buffalo 9/29 So there I was, standing 15 feet in front of the man who's songs have defined the last four years of my life... To put it short and sweet, someone I went to the show with who has seen Paul two other times on this tour told me that without question, this was the best show of the three. I didn't even see the other two and I couldn't agree more. Westerberg was having one hell of an ON night. From the opening bars of "Waiting For Somebody" (the song that converted me in the first place) on, it was just incredible. A couple songs he pulled out of the grab bag that threw me for a bit of a loop were "I.O.U." and "Trouble" (yes, I couldn't believe he played something from the FIRST ALBUM!!!!). Another shocker came from the fact that the Buffalo crowd actually seemed to know their stuff pretty well (I've lived in Buffalo for all my life and this is the first show by a non-huge musical act I've seen where the crowd wasn't a bunch of drunken morons screaming for Journey covers). Oh boy...sorry if this is incoherent, but I just got home from the show and I'm still in a daze. What can I say...Paul is the man!!! ************************************************************************** * Eric R. Neffke - Amateur Musician and Student at Canisius College * * e-mail me: neffkee@gort.canisius.edu * * "I only get jealous when I listen to the Beatles" - Raymond McGinley * ************************************************************************** ______________________________________________________________________________ SEPTEMBER 30TH, 1996: ODEAN THEATER - CLEVELAND, OH Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1996 12:51:34 +0100 From: loraaw@gwis.com (lora) Subject: santa claus Thought I'd share something very funny the guy in front of me in line at the bus to meet Paul after the Cleveland show said. As we were all standing there, waiting to take our turn, a few people were even taking pictures with Paul. He was being really nice about it, posing and all. "Kind of like waiting in line to see Santa Claus," Jeff said. After that I felt really stupid and didn't say much to Paul. (Maybe I should have asked if I could sit on his lap). --Laura White fin. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The //Skyway\\: The Replacements Mailing List (digest only) To subscribe, send a letter saying "subscribe skyway" to "majordomo@novia.net" http://www.novia.net/~matt/sky/skyway.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I used to have a notion that I could swim the length of the ocean, if I knew you were waiting for me..." - Yo La Tengo