From: clare@aero.org (Clare Waterson)
Newsgroups: alt.music.tmbg
Subject: First LA-area TMBG Debut Album show review *SPOILER*? Long!
Date: 20 Nov 1992 11:20:44 GMT
Organization: The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: auto.aero.org

I just got back from The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano
(11/19/92).  TMBG did a ``Debut Album Show'' as mentioned in Bo
Orloff's tour date listing.  It was AWESOME!  So great to hear some
unusual songs.  I got John F's setlist, and here's what it looks like
(the left column was typeset, the right column was hand printed):

     +---------------------------+
     |				 |
     |	EVERYTHING	SPIN/	 |
     |	PUPPET		   /TWIST|
     |	#3 / DON'T		 |
     |	HIDE		DINNER	 |
     |	32 FT		ANA	 |
     |	TOD / RABID	PART/	 |
     |	NOTH / HOTL	   /CONST|
     |	ANGEL			 |
     |	YOUTH		DIRT	 |
     |	BOAT /			 |
     |	  MOOD		BIRD/	 |
     |	CHESS /		   /POLKA|
     |	  HOPE			 |
     |	ALIENATION	FRANK/	 |
     |	DAY /		    /DIG |
     |	  RHYTHM	---------|      (written smaller)
     |			ISTAN	 |     /
     |			WHIST  I PAL I
     |			GUITAR	 |
     +---------------------------+

Well, They followed this list pretty exactly.  Except for not playing
``Whistling In The Dark'' as the next to last tune. The ``I PAL I'' note
looked scribbled in at the last minutes, and it was played instead.

Some notes:

 1) It was SO great to hear ``Number Three''!
 2) In the middle of ``Hide Away Folk Family'' we were supposed to do
    the ``Brooklyn Car Alarm'' by going ``Woop-woop-woop'' and then all
    audience members over 200 pounds were supposed to shout ``Hey, get
    away from my car!''.  But the second part was hard to hear over the
    guitars during the song.
 3) I was a bit disappointed that John L didn't do that cool accordion
    thing during the ``When you're following an angel...'' chorus part
    of ``She's An Angel''.  That part where he does a rapid in-out thing
    with the accordion, sort of shaking it.  I remember it from an old
    show I saw, and I miss it.
 4) John F. ACTUALLY SANG the ``Daddy sang bass'' part in ``Boat Of Car''.
    And it sounded like ``Daddy sang bass''.  It was NOT a sample this
    time!  And, no, I didn't ask him about it later, I thought it was 
    too silly for me.  You guys go ahead!
 5) How could they bring themselves to do ``Rhythm Section Want Ad'' 
    with a backup band?  Just asking.
 6) The ``SPIN'' on the list was the first thing they did after the first
    album was over.  John F. produced a small boombox, and twisted the
    dial until he'd find a song.  They found (I think it was) some 
    Carpenters song, and the band passed on it, then they found 
    ``Hey Paul'' (or something like that -- I'd never heard of it) and
    John L. started playing along.  Soon the rest of the band joined in,
    and then guitarless John F. started singing it.  It sounded cool,
    but short, and since I'd never heard of the song I have no idea how
    it compared to the original.  But the transition from boombox to
    band was very smooth and cool.  John F. remarked before doing the
    ``SPIN'' that they used to take audience requests, but the audience
    kept requesting ``YMCA'' so they stopped doing it.
 7) John F. remarked that ``Piece Of Dirt'' was a song about being
    depressed.
 8) Again, ``The Famous Polka'' had no words.  Too bad.  I was slightly 
    disappointed that I didn't get a chance to do the audience-member
    guitar strumming part that he often does in the song.  Through early
    dinner reservations and sheer luck, I was sitting basically right at 
    John F's feet during the show, so I missed the strumming and ``Stump
    The Band'' stuff.  Especially since John F. usually took suggestions
    primarily from his immediate vicinity in the past.  Oh well, that's
    the way it goes.  Oh, to hear John F. croon ``Roxanne''...
 9) They did the cover of ``Frankenstein'' again.  How come everyone else
    has heard of it but me?  I must have been so out of it...
10) The line in the setlist indicates encore.
11) They did ``Istanbul (Not Constantinople)'' straight, without that
    weird echo-y vocal stuff they had done in their last pass through LA.
12) I sure missed ``Whistling In The Dark''.  Especially the old version
    where John F. would strap the large marching bass drum to his chest
    and lean out over the audience and beat it.  Awesome.  Oh, well.
13) Ok, I also missed more songs, such as ``Lie Still, Little Bottle'',
    and ``Shoehorn With Teeth''.  But it was worth it to hear ALL the 
    first album songs.  
14) It was great to hear John L. playing that bass sax again!
15) New shirt:  $20.  Black.  Nice guy working T-shirts named Mike.
	Front - William Allen White face, and a very large `T' below it.
	Back  - Same face, a bit smaller, with large column of `M' and
		`B' and `G' letters.    
16) New Postcards: pack of four, two each of two pix, $2 for a set.

:-) :-) :-) .

Yeah, it's probably more than you wanted to know, but OH WELL.

Gee, only three more LA-area shows to go.

Later,
  Clare
Newsgroups: alt.music.tmbg