There’s a very short list of musicians that I care to see live. The live environment involves people, and people generally ruin everything. Tom Waits is on that very short list. I’ve been a fan of Mr. Waits since the fall of 1992, borrowing a tape of ‘Bone Machine’ from Jason Guski (sp?) and reveling in the harshness of ‘Earth Died Screaming’ and ‘Goin out West’ as well as the heartbreaking performances of ‘Little Rain’ and ‘Who Are You’. I went on to accumulate the entire Wait’s collection. Mr. Waits’ music has always been with me.
Note: while waiting for the show to start, we noticed a gentleman taking the stairs to the upper balcony dressed in an old suit, with a full beard and his hair wrapped in a clip to to the back of his head. I said to my brother, “That’s Jim James.” The lead singer for My Morning Jacket was there, and we actually had better seats then he had. It took a bit of restraint to not go and become an annoying fanboy (MMJ is one of my top five bands at the moment, and their work gets better with every release).
It was a great show and I feel very lucky to have been able to see him live. The duet performance (piano and bass) of ‘Tom Traubert’s Blues’ was incredible, the audience became silent and and reverential and I’m sure there were a few tears shed during that tune.
Setlist
- Make It Rain
- Hoist that Rag
- Shore Leave
- God’s Away on Business
- All the World is Green
- November
- Falling Down
- Tom Traubert’s Blues
- Tango til they’re Sore
- House Where Nobody Lives
- Lucky Day
- Who’s Been Talkin’ / Til the Money Runs Out
- Eyeball Kid
- Murder In The Red Barn
- Lie to Me, Baby
- Shake it
- Circus
- Trampled Rose
- Get Behind The Mule
- It Rains on Me
- Goin Out West
####Encore
- Day After Tomorrow
- Don’t Go Into That Barn