styx
veruca salt
inxs
jesus jones
oasis
a flock of seagulls
eric b. & rakim
kismet
madonna
sharon redd
depeche mode
david bowie
heart
fleetwood mac
george michael
oak ridge boys
nine inch nails
blur

Thankfully I’m awake at a respectable hour today: 9:00. After some coffee and a turkey sandwich, I don sunglasses and head out the door.

I’m iffy on my transport route today. In order to get to the 9:30 Club box office, I have a couple of different options. 1) take the 96/97 (informally known as the Racist Bus); 2) walk to Potomac Ave station and Metro it from there; or 3) walk.

I chose option 3, just because it will be something new to do. I’m a little apprehensive walking the entire duration of the direct Florida Ave (it diverts it’s traffic later than my destination, so the length of FloAve proper) because it runs through a couple of potentially sketchy neighborhoods, but since it’s daytime I think I can maneuver the course unscathed.

I’m headed to 9:30 so that I can purchase tickets without suffering the “convenience charge” that online services pile on. Plus, there’s really not that much else to do today.

+$4.75 / Presets convenience fee saved
+$6.00 / Ladytron convenience fee saved
+$0.10 / money found on sidewalk
-$1.25 / bus ticket home

+ $9.60 total saved

While everybody knows that you can get free coffee from Starbucks or ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s on election day, here are some two local establishments getting in on the act.

Chef Spike’s Good Stuff Eatery is offering a free Good Stuff Cookie or Brownie if you show your “I voted” sticker. You must present the emailed certificate when ordering so print it out now. The certificate, really html, is here so just print this and trim it out. This offer is good only on election day.

The 9:30 Club is having an even better offer. For one hour on Wednesday (it’s an “election hangover special”) from 10–11am it’s buy-one-get-one-free for all concert tickets. Great deal, but unforch there’s not really any shows coming up that I’d want to see. Too bad The Charlatans aren’t coming until 2009.

I’m finding myself being a messenger and also a sleuth. There are so many aspects and details of Todges’ life that I feel compelled to have answered. I know this isn’t a quest like in the movies where I will come to a huge realization in the end, but I still need to know more information.

Today I’ve been given the name of the contact person in Todges’ Blade obit; I’ll call him tomorrow and navigate through that difficult conversation.

Tonight I met up with mcG before the Sandra Bernhard show, and had to tell him about Todges. mcG was there the evening that I met Todges, and had he not been late I might not have met T. So again I’m sharing the information, of what little I feel I know.

This conversation takes up most of our time before the show, but I’m glad we got it out of the way so we could enjoy our evening. Which we did. Sandra’s show was a little off, in timing and content. It’s a redux of her 20-year-old Without You I’m Nothing, and due to current events it was obvious when she was lapsing into the script of the old show. So it was a little disjointed. Enjoyable, though. And funny as hell too (natch).

Afterwards we walked over to the 9:30 Club for Blowoff. I think this was the first of the season after their summer hiatus/roadshows. Am I wrong? It was packed and a lot of fun, great music by Rich and Bob, and Nick turnt it out with the visuals. Trippy. It was nice to be taken to a better place for a little while.

and when I do, it’s normally for a get-together (birthday) or before/after some other event (concert). Let’s chronicle last night:

Stop 1 » Dinner at La Lomita. Yes, yes, I know you’re rolling your eyes because I’ve eaten here again but shut up, it’s the best Mex in town. I went with Melba, as a prelude to Stop 2 and subsequent stops 3 & 4. Even though it was a little warm and the threat of mosquitos was high we opted to eat out on the patio as we always do. It wasn’t very populated which was nice. We were sat at a table right behind Olive, who was out on a date (check Olive’s Facebook page, that’s what is said) with Scott. They recommended the margaritas so we had to order a pitcher for ourselves, just to see if they were as tasty as Olive was saying they were. And they were. We texted O during the date to see how it was going and if he needed to be rescued. It didn’t look like a rescue was needed so we minded our own biznis.

Afterwards, I heard someone calling my name and I turned around to find Dawn, with her new baby, sitting a couple of tables back. I had not seen Dawn in a few years and it was nice to get a little caught up with her. I know Dawn from back when Blowoff was held in the basement, where it was much more cozy and personal. She also went to Duran Duran at the Warner Theater with me and Christopher V, and she said she was going to be visiting him out in the country in a few weeks. I gave her two Moo cards, one for her and one for Christopher, hoping they’ll get in touch. Those were some good times back in ’03.

Stop 2 » 9:30 Club to see The Faint, just about the only American band I like. Melba’s friend Ed was going to be joining us, and while waiting outside the Former Mr C comes up and says hello, he’s trying to scalp some tickets to get some friends in for the show. Apparently they’re successful, because I see them inside afterwards. He tells me my recommendation for Sticky Rice has been a success. Mmmm Sticky Rice. I’m going to have to go back there this week for some delicious sushi. Two-second review of The Faint: great show, nice imagery, but too short (1:15:00).

Stop 3 » Nellie’s. Since it’s a summer Saturday night we decided to have a drink afterwards. Walking down U we spot the expansive rooftop of Nellie’s, the gay sportsbar, and while we’ve already missed Michael Phelp’s 8th gold medal win, we decide to pop in-and-up anyway. Up on the roof it’s crowded but we find a spot that gives us a little elbow room. Before long, up comes another friend, Single, that I haven’t seen in what seems like a very long time although it’s probably been six months or so. I’ll save the history of Single for another post, or maybe it’s already been written in the archives somewhere, but he’s a treasured friend and it was nice to see him and talk for a bit. We disagreed on our own reviews of the Batman movie, and that’s alright. We’ll still have dinner together soon.

Stop 4 » BeBar. Ed wanted to head down the street to a dance party that happens every 3rd Saturday called Pulse: cutting edge electronic music and visuals. Me and Mel were down so we scooted down there. Ed talked our way out of paying the cover charge, which was kinda fun. The music was great, not a lot of people, but that made for more room to dance. And dancing there was Chris L, who is yet another blast from the past. I know Chris L through EFP and our nights dancing to DJ Carlos at Pearl in Adams Morgan. Quick laughs were shared and then Chris L had to bounce into another room, as he always has.

Thankfully I didn’t run into anybody I knew on the Metro on the way home, as Melba and I were too engrossed trying to play Monkeyball on our iPhones to really notice anything that was going on around us. Unfortunately, I think last night might do it as my quota of running into friends unexpectedly for the year. 

“One of the things I’ve learned over the last 25 years, is that only once you’ve performed a song live do you really get the essence of what it is you’ve written.”

This is the opening quote from Alison Moyet in Yaz’s tour programme for their Reconnected Tour 2008. Last night’s show at 9:30 Club was, in one word, flawless. The sound was great, actually not too loud. The visuals were great, utilizing IBM’s original 8-color palette of early 80s computers. And Moyet’s voice was incredible. Her enthusiasm and genuine appreciation of the audience’s reaction was heartwarming. You could tell that she and Vince Clarke were really enjoying playing these songs from 26 years ago, some of which, the ones from their second album, they never had a chance to perform live due to the implosion of the band.

They played all the songs I wanted to hear, yet the evening’s most magical moment came when Moyet asked everyone to silence their conversations for the next three minutes and they launched into the stark, ominous Winter Kills. The crowd relented and it was as quiet as a concert hall. Absolutely spectacular. 

The setlist:

Nobody’s Diary
Bad Connection
Mr. Blue
Good Times
Tuesday
Ode to Boy
Goodbye ’70s
Too Pieces
In My Room
Anyone
I Before E Except After C (remixed!)
Walk Away From Love
State Farm
Sweet Thing
Winter Kills
Midnight
Unmarked
Bring Your Love Down (Didn’t I)
Don’t Go
—
Only You
Situation