Smith’s Olde Bar, 09/12/06

Atlanta? On a TUESDAY? Are you nuts? Maybe a little.
September 12, 2006

Just to start, how about a setlist?

Set One: LiMBO
(I missed the 1st song – cellcert issues)
Whipping post
Dontcha Lie To Me
Feelin’ All Right
She’s Into Something
Meat Man
Every Day I Have the Blues
Honky Cat

Set One: LiMBO w/Taylor
Will It Go ‘Round In Circles?
Hell of a Day
– You’ve Got a Friend in Me
– Tupelo Honey
– You Make Me Feel So Free
– Let’s Get It On
Gonna Move
– We’re Having a Party
– Chaingang (singalong with crowd)
– Brown Eyed Handsome Man
– Doraville

Taylor then brought out Wynn Christian and another drummer and bassist. Brian stayed on the stage. They played a couple songs that were written by Wynn and “Badge” by Cream and they kicked ASS!

LiMBO came back on, Wynn stayed
Rockin’ Pneumonia
– Mardi Gras Mambo
– Hey Pocky Way
– (light my fire, light my fire, light my fire)
– Why Does Love have to be So Sad?
– There was some Bill Withers call and response (Shake ‘em on down!)
– Then, he took us to church.

Set Three: LiMBO w/Taylor
Hip Hug-Her
Killing Floor
Hold On To Your Love
– Jump in the Line
– Wonderful World
– Good Morning Vietnam reference
– Day-O
– At Last
– Sunday Kind of Love
– Notting Hill Blues
– Electric Boogaloo
– Some like their love in the wee hours of the morning …
– Midnight Hour
– Can’t Trust Your Neighbor With Your Baby
– Big Legged Woman
– Grazin’ in the Grass
– Tighten Up
– Willie Nelson comments
– Night Life
Why Does Love Have To Be So Sad? (full)

Georgia
– Chattahoochie
– Eleanor Rigby
– Spanish Harlem
– Hard Day’s Night

From the AI Boards:
Brian said “tonight was Taylor being Taylor” and “that’s the Taylor that I know.”

I cannot possibly begin to tell you just how happy this makes me.
**********************************************************************

So…after much debate and freaking out, I decided I should go to the Atlanta LiMBO show. Trust me – I wasn’t gonna do it. However, as more and more Boogie Boarders started saying they were coming, it became harder and harder to resist. Finally, I relented. Let’s face it – my resolve wasn’t that strong to begin with.

I have been jonesing for a live LiMBO fix since Base Camp (in B’Ham). I’d kinda thought I’d make the trip back there to see them at Ona’s this weekend, but … a couple of things:

1) Atlanta is closer
2) Wednesday’s are my late night at work
3) More Boogiers were planning to be in Atlanta than B’Ham

So, I committed. I announced “Yes, I will be there.” Someone lock me up. A few hours after making this post, someone PM’ed me that they had it on good authority (Brian told her) that Taylor would definitely be at Smith’s – and if I repeated this to anyone, my life would be taken. Well, my general opinion is “Until I see him on that stage nothing is definite”, so my response was something along the lines of “Sure, whatever.”

I made plans to meet people, got my directions from MapQuest and a helpful local (thanks, Tee), stocked up on cell phone numbers, lined up a conference call number, and hit the road after a full day at work (like I got much done yesterday. I was a little excited.)

The drive was uneventful – until I got to Atlanta. Every single time I go there, I swear it will be my last visit … but then something pulls me back. Last time it was an Alton Brown book signing, but I digress. After much detouring and cursing of traffic, I pulled into the Ansley mall and quickly found Tee sitting outside waiting for me! Yay!!

We chatted for a while waiting for others when we got a frantic phone call from janibeth!!

Tee actually took the call, so I am going to use poetic license here:

janibeth: OMG!Therearesomanypeoplehereandthey’regoingtolockthedoorsaftertheyarefullandonly250peoplewillbeallowedinthedoorandit’sonly7
andwe’realreadyinlineandtherearesomanypeopleinlinealreadyandwejusthavetogetinI’lljustdieifIdon’tandyoubettergetoverhereOMG!!

Tee: So…you’re saying we should come get in line now? We’ll be standing for hours!

janibeth: OMG!

Tee: Okay! We’re coming!

It’s pouring down the rain and we head to my car so I can switch purses and grab my camera (shoulda left it – I didn’t use it). Tee and I head off to walk to Smith’s (it’s not far) and I have to turn around and go back! I left the phone number for the cellcert in the trunk. Doh!

Back on track, going across the street and I see…nobody. Is the place even open? We head into the back alley and enter through the patio door. There are quite a few people inside – playing pool, there’s a poker tournament, people are eating. janibeth is too excited and may need a Valium – there’s maybe 20 people in a line in the bar area of the club. (love yoooo)

Well, we wander over and there’s a crazy lady flailing her arms around over her head – Wait a minute! I know that crazy lady! It’s Robin4T! Woo! Big hugs, handshakes, intros. I meet janibeth and MaryBell and Mr. MaryBell (he is mean to me, but I probably brought it on myself. Nobody told me he is a RABID Ray Lamontagne fan!); Lynn arrives (yay Lynn!); Possum and Aunt arrive (yay Possum and Aunt!)

I met people from other Boards as well. I seem to be in the minority of folks who either don’t visit more than one Board or only visit others infrequently. I have a homebase and I only check the other spots when someone points out something cool over there. One woman I spoke with belonged to a site I had never heard of before. It’s fun, meeting and talking with complete strangers who have this same insanity, but I soon find out it’s not exactly the same insanity – most of them are there soley to see Taylor. LiMBO who? Hopefully, by the end of the evening, most of them will have awakend to the awesomeness that is LiMBO! Tee and I chatted with a nice woman who frequents TaylorMadeSoul and the AI Boards, before I stepped out to go talk with Possum and Aunt for a minute.

While I am back there, someone (I know who you are, and I saw what you did) not-so-surreptitiously takes my picture. If anyone sees me defaced or Photochopped in any way around the Internet sometime in the near future, please point it out. I’d really love to see and have a good laugh at it. Thanks in advance.

Now, here’s some comedy:

I get out of line to go find a restroom. After weaving my way through the poker tournament and going through a service entrance, I finally find the ladies’ – all two stalls (in separate rooms). Whose bright idea was this? I sit on one of the benches with two other ladies and wait. Meanwhile, this cute little brunette in a very very tight, low-cut dress and wa-a-a-y too much makeup on comes bee-bopping into the room. She’s obviously a bit tipsy and dancing the “I-really-have-to-go” jig. She looks at me, smiles brightly, and says “Are you here for Taylor Hicks?” (I want her to go away). For the briefest (briefest) of moments, I consider saying “Yeah, they told me to wait here. I shouldn’t be too long and then you can have him.” Am I here for Taylor Hicks? Gaw!

Instead, I just smile and say “Actually, I’m here for LiMBO. Taylor would just be a bonus.” She looks at me quizzically and asks “What’s LiMBO?” (I want to punch her in the neck) Me: “Taylor’s band.” Smiley: “Oh!”

A friend of hers comes up, similarly dressed, looks at me and asks, “Are you here for Taylor Hicks?”

What is it with me? Do I look like a hooker? Do I look like I’m waiting “my turn” at Taylor? There are two other women sitting right next to me!

I just look at her. She continues, “Or are you here for the Poker Tournament?”

“Actually, I’m here for LiMBO. Taylor would just be a bonus” She looks at me quizzically and asks “What’s LiMBO?” Me: “Taylor’s band.” Smiley #2: “Oh!”

Deja vu!

I finally get to go in the stall (I thought someone had fallen in. What the hell was she doing in there?), and discover that there is a hole in the ceiling directly over the toilet and I can hear someone watching TV up there. Well, I really got to go. If someone got an eyeful, I can’t be too concerned with that.

If you can judge a club by how awful the bathrooms are, this is one kick-ass club!!

As I am leaving the Bathroom area, and Smiley #1 is going in one stall as Smiley #2 goes in the other, I hear one of them saying that they left dinner at another restaurant because they heard Taylor was going to be at Smith’s and “I’m going to fuck him.”

Classay.

So! With the “unpleasantness” behind me, I head back to the bar and the line. I am surprised when a waitress asks if I want something to drink. They are going to serve us while we stand in “the insane people’s line”? Okay, so I have a beer. It’s about 9, I guess (my watch is still broken).

[Oh! And ... I GOT TO MEET MOLLYK! Woo!!! She's crazy as hell! I was glad to see her, especially since I kinda bullied her about going. hehe I can't believe I forgot to mention this. I shoulda had a V8.]

Anyway, back to our story already in progress: As we stand in this line, Mitch, Sam, and Brian pass by several times. Most people in line do not recognize them and they come and go pretty freely. Robin4T is trying (almost) desperately to get Mitch a t-shirt, but every time he passes she is talking to someone else or her back is turned – and quite frankly he moves like a cheetah.

Brian breezes by and Robin grabs his arm with a “Hey!” He turns to her and says “Hey, pretty lady!” (how cute). She has a conference with him regarding shirts, and prints, and autographs – she will probably want to tell that story herself (it involves everybody’s favorite Fin.)

Long about this time a not so pleasant young man who works at Smith’s (who shall be referred to as “Flashlight Boy” from here on out) comes by and starts barking at us to form a single-file line. He physically pushes some people and is downright abusive. Jackass turd. Some people start yelling that if they’d sold blankity-blank tickets they wouldn’t be having this problem. Very poor planning on the bar’s part.

Anyway, Robin and Tee snagged a table right on the edge of the line so we sit for a few minutes. It gets to be about 10:30 or so and I figure I better check in with the cellcert line. I grab Tee’s phone and slide out of the booth. As I do so, I feel an odd sensation on the back of my thigh – there is a nail sticking up about an inch and a half out of the bench seat and now…I have a three inch rip in my jeans. Just perfect. If it had been any higher, it would have been obscene, but it was in a good enough spot to not reveal any of “the goods” if you catch my drift. Luckily for the bar, the nail only rips the jeans and NOT my skin. A tetanus shot and potential lawsuit are not my ideas of a fun evening. I take the phone outside to chat with CLMM and Ash and, well, you can read that over here on the pbp thread. (I can’t believe you guys could actually hear us talking in the line. Did you like hearing that my “band insanity” is not really a new thing?)

The doors are supposed to open at 11. They don’t. People start chanting “Tay! Lor! Hicks! Tay! Lor! Hicks!” I want to die of embarrassment. Our little group begins yelling “Lim! Bo! Lim! Bo!”

The doofus announcer guy is asking over a P.A. system whether there are any members of the Soul Patrol in the house!?! Wooo!

Dumbass. Just let us in. They finally do about ten after or so. Flashlight boy is waving his stupid light towards the door and sneering at us. If I find myself alone with that guy and that flashlight …

************************************************************************

The doors open and people start pushing on me from all directions. I just want to scream at them to chill the fuck out! Everybody is getting inside, for God’s sake! Turns out that at Smith’s you can push all you like … it’s not going to help. The door is like a bottleneck – you go through and immediately have to turn to your left and go up a steep long staircase. It’s barely two people’s width. With one swift kick I could take ‘em all out like dominoes! BWAHAHAHAHA!

The club area is actually pretty nice. I’m betting it’s one of those places that looks better in the dark, though. There is a fairly good size bar to the right and some tiny cafe tables directly across from the door (probably 10-15) on a raised area so a distinct dancefloor is created. Robin4T beelines for centerstage and I head for the first table I see. The back three tables become our very own Boogie Board VIP Lounge (hehehe). Tee, PlayinPossum and her Aunt, MollyK and hubby – we’re all back there.

I don’t intend to sit, but I need a place to put my crap (phones, purse, camera). From being on the listening end of cellcerts, I know that a lot of times putting the phone on the table is a good thing. Apparently not when I am trying to transmit. *sigh* Sorry guys, I thought it was a good idea. I put my Mom’s phone on vibrate and stuck it in my pocket so I could wander around a bit, leaving Tee’s phone on the table. People are excited…mostly about Taylor. I have four maybe five people come tell me that Taylor is definitely coming – and then they get upset and want to argue with me when I say I won’t believe it until he walks out in front of me. I know what those AI people are like. Yes, I know they don’t have a show Wednesday night, but if TPTB decide to leave tonight for West Virginia, and order Taylor on the bus, it doesn’t really matter if he told people he would be here. You get what I’m saying? “but, but he said…” All right – this conversation is over.

I guess I’m a little testy. :p
CLMM “pages” me – we’re having trouble with the stupid phones already, so I switch to Robin’s phone.

Next: He-e-e-ere’s LiMBO!!

Set One:

LMBO came on about 11:30 (according to the PBP) and I missed most of the first song. That’s quite all right – I had a long night of incredible music ahead of me and if that’s all I missed then woo baby!

Their second song was “Whipping Post” and it was a bluesy and gorgeous rendition. Next up was “Don’t You Lie To Me” – which is a fave of mine. I just love Sam and Brian’s voices. You wouldn’t know they were “missing a frontman.”

They moved on into “Feelin’ Alright” and let me tell you – it was groovin’. That song is awesome anyway, but the guys just ruled it. Next up, we got some Muddy Waters: “She’s Into Something”. By this point I am hoping beyond hope that the rest of the night is going to unfold just like this – heavy on the Blues, groovin’ to the music, relaxin’ and unwindin’.

Brian decides to break out some “Meat Man” (which he knocks out of the park, per usual). It’s funny how this song gets confused (sometimes on the cellcerts) as “Great Balls of Fire” – but they do have a similar sound and feel to them. At any rate, it’s great dancin’ music.

Sam asks us if we want to hear some Blues? I shout out, “He-e-ell yeah! Play it, Bluesman!” It is out of my mouth and in the air before I have a moment to think. Thank God I am far enough back that they can’t hear me…I think I would be mortified. The people all around me are staring and I’m pretty sure that they are pretty sure that I am drunk (I’m not. That one beer was over two hours ago – I just dig the Blues.)

Anywa-a-a-y, LMBO starts playin’ “Every Day I Have the Blues” – and I am feelin’ it. Oh! It’s so good. Sam’s got a voice that cuts right into ya’ – in a good way. Lovin’ that Bluesman.

When we get done with the mellow, Brian launches into “Honky Cat” – I love this song! More specifically, I love Brian on this song! I proclaim that to the room and start back to dancin’! Somehow this is interpreted by everyone and his brother that I need to be told right that moment that Ruben Studdard is at the bar (OMG! *snark). I don’t care. “Ruben Studdard is over there.” I don’t care. “Ruben’s at the bar.” I. Don’t. Care. “I’m trying to watch the BAND!!!!” Quitit!

I am finally allowed back to my dancing – and the band takes a break.

Feck!

Break time:

I retrieve the phone and am informed that the sound was crap. I don’t know why this is – except that a certain person *ahem Molly* knocked the phone into the floor and almost required a trip to the hospital. We switch to Playin’Possum’s phone and it sounds a bit better so we’re going to go with that.

There is a tiny bar that I have been standing/boogie-ing in front of. It appears to be something they don’t use anymore, although the News cameraman has been hanging back there. I crawled under it – it was gross, but I could hear better. I am informed that Big Memphis is on the line and would like to speak with Brian. Ack! Why don’t you just ask me to turn water into Crown Royal while you’re at it.

I look around. Nobody is on stage. Jay is not in the sound booth. There is a very, very large man guarding the stage door. The backstage door (in the hall by the bathroom) is not guarded – but is locked tighter than a drum. I briefly considered using my debit card to try and jimmy it open, but spot a video camera and figure that’s probably not a smart idea. Flashlight Boy has conveniently disappeared. SHIT!

Back to the stage door and the mountain of man. I’m not some crazy! (okay, not at this moment) The keyboard player’s DAD is on the phone. No, really! I’m not lying! I am not drunk! Well, screw you too, John Henry!

I told you I’m not trampy enough to get backstage!

They are pulling the curtain back across the stage, so I carry my frustrated and pissed off self back to my spot. It really is a perfect place – it’s raised maybe two feet above the dance floor, there’s only about three feet of floor space right in front of that bar so nobody else is with me (it’s my own private dance floor), and it’s directly across from the actual bar (so no drunks are running me over on their back and forth trips). I love it!

Jay is back in the sound booth, so I ask him about getting the phone to Brian. He says to ask him on the next break because they are going to be starting in a moment. He does attempt to call Brian, but it goes to voicemail.

Meh.

The lights go back down. The crowd hoots and hollers. It’s about 12:30 and I am still not expecting any “special guests” (someone said the AI buses left). That’s fine by me, I’m having a great time!

The curtains open up and the band starts to play Will it Go ‘Round in Circles – woo! It’s great, the crowd is loving it … and a lone man very nonchalantly comes on the stage from the back and right side. It’s Taylor. The crowd went nuts!

He steps up to the mic and surveys the audience – biggest smile you’ve ever seen is stretched across his face. He picked up a guitar and just started playing and singing. Jumped right into it.

Vocally – he was on.
Musically – he was on.
His mood seemed very light and happy (my impressions).

I knew this was gonna be a great night.

Set Two:

Circles is wonderful. Everybody’s dancing and singing – or rather they are attempting to sing. Taylor is mixing up the words again. It’s that “musical dyslexia” of his. You know we all love it!

Taylor asks Jay something about his mic … and Zippy asks for more cowbell. LOL! They are going to do an original – and they start “Hell of a Day.” People sing along, but you can’t really hear them because of the sound system (thank God). I don’t want to hear them anyway.

The whole band is sounding fantastic this night (not like they don’t any other night, but whatever). Brian’s playing the piano solo and I have to veer off a little here…I have never been the world’s biggest piano fan. Usually I can take it or leave it depending on the song, but I believe I could listen to Brian play for the rest of my life and be a happy lady.

Now, where was I? Thanks to the video downloads, I can add this to my recap:

You can’t stop us on the road to freedom
You can’t keep us cause our eyes can see
Men with insight, men in granite
Knights in armor bent on chivalry

I knew he’d sung it, but couldn’t remember how much.

You’ve got a friend in me
You’ve got a friend in me
You’ve got a friend in me

Play the Blues…”You Make Me Feel So Free” – this so wails. Lots of long, sustained notes.

“Let’s Get It On” – Can you believe he DID that? Half the women in the audience just went woozy! HA!

He sings/says the words “Beautiful Vision” a couple of times (Van Morrison), but doesn’t actually sing the song. Poo.

When they go back into “Hell of a Day”, the crowd starts singing along even louder and I can hear them this time, but Taylor is singing so loud and clear that it doesn’t matter.

We are given an order:

Swing!!

(apparently foreshadowing)

“Gonna Move” was fantastic!! He did pretty much the whole song before going into “Brown Eyed Handsome Man”. It’s easy to see why Taylor loves GM. The lyrics are very close to home for him (I would imagine). I still say there’s a bit of vanity at play there when he sings “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” – he always gives a tiny smirk to the audience, who hoots and points appropriately. Cheeky monkey.

And then “We’re Havin’ a Party” – because we truly are, man!! Everybody’s swingin’! Coke’s are in the icebox (hep yerself), popcorn’s on the table. Woo!

I think it’s rather amusing myself that he decided to go from party time to working on a “Chain Gang” – that’s a hell of a segue there, pal. The sing-along is fun, though. Lovin’ that! He tells us, “Y’all sound good!” – twice. He is so-o-o lying. Watch that video – there is a very drunk and very tone-deaf girl singing loud and true! hehehe

We get more BEHM – baseball time! He goes through it once, then points at us, makes sure we’re paying attention, leans out and does it again. He runs the bases. Cute.

People make me crazy. Taylor turns around and “shhhs”, then he’s whispering and sounds like a scat or something – and people are whooping like they’re at a football game. He comes back up and is still vocalizing, but it is very soft. It’s difficult to hear.

When he throws out Atlanta, G A everybody hoots! Then, we get “Doraville” (I had a brief thought that I hoped Phandi was on the phone). He sings something like “Picked a buddy up from having a DUI in Doraville” – classic Taylor WTF moment. LOL!

By this point in the evening, I was feeling the effects of a full day’s work, little or no sleep, and LMBO and Taylor keeping me dancing. The Woo was in full force and my brain was a bit foggy. If I hadn’t been taking notes, I doubt I could have remembered a thing!

When they finished up GM, Taylor sang the line “Big ol’ jet airliner…” and I thought he was going to sing that song (I LOVE that song. I always sing Big ol’ Jed had a light on, though)…but he didn’t. Instead, he raised a toast and said something like “Happy 21st anniversary!” I don’t know if this was meant as a joke or if someone there was celebrating something. It didn’t matter – everybody cheered and tipped back their drinks like we all knew what was going on.

The stage was slowly filling up behind Taylor as he was toasting. There was another guitar player, drummer, and bassist. It turned out to be some of Taylor’s old college buddies. I think they used to play together: Wynn Christian, Quinn Borland, and Patrick Lunceford. LMBO left the stage except for Brian.

Taylor introduced Quinn as “A helluva fucking guitar player!” Cheers and applause! Wynn said he and Taylor struggled through an early Calculus class together. Ouch! I feel your pain. I had a 7am Statistics course – that’s some sadistic scheduling.

They played “Badge” by Cream. That is a truly weird song, lyrics-wise. Some good tunes, though. Y’know something, I haven’t heard that song in years. The classic rock stations used to play it a lot when I was growing up, but not so much anymore. Huh, weird. It’s a good song.

They also did an original called “Seven Mile” (you can hear it on Spoonful James’ MySpace. This is the one that has been labeled “Delta” on some downloads). I was very impressed. Wynn can really play the guitar and his and Taylor’s voices blended so beautifully! I loved the way they sounded together – blew. me. away!

The thing that struck me most was the expressions on Taylor’s face. He was smiling and clapping and dancing (nothing crazy – just grooving to the beat). He just looked genuinely happy. You could tell he was thrilled to be playing with these guys again – like it was a family reunion. Taylorography’s video captures the whole thing perfectly. I hope everyone has downloaded those spectacular videos.

Not only are they helping me with my recap, they are helping me relive one of the greatest nights of my life. From up close. It’s like you’re sitting in the front row. Go. Now. Download.

Sam and Zippy came back on stage, and I believe Mitch was back as well (hard to see him in that corner of his). There were a lot of musicians up there. Taylor stepped up to the mic … and there it was. That crisp, clear, beautiful harmonica ringing out – it was energizing!

I was unclear what song they were doing at first, but when the melody kicked in it was plain that it was Rockin’ Pneumonia”. Taylor did a Soul Patrol “sing out” in the middle of it – everybody hooted and hollered. He was just a grinnin’ and dancin’ … rocking out to the band when he wasn’t playing or singing.

There was a little “Mardi Gras Mambo” tag before they headed into one of my all-time favorite songs: “Hey Pocky Way”. It’s just a feel-good song. I usually listen in the car after a particularly horrific work day. Makes me happy – and the live LMBO version makes me even happier!

Taylor and Brian did a back and forth with the harmonica and piano. You can watch it at about the 4 minute mark on the Taylorography video. It was amazing. The two of them were having a blast with that! You could see the mischief on both of their faces. This picture was taken by a friend of mine, Robin4T:

Taylor sang something that sounded an awful lot like “toke a lot of …” something, but I couldn’t make it out. hehe Who knows?

Sam and then Wynn did solos. Wynn is really good, but MollyK’s hubby is right – he’s not in the same league as Sam. Maybe in a couple of years.

The band began a slow jam … and Taylor “disappeared.” Okay, not really, but he did go and kind of “hide out” behind the piano. He was handing over the spotlight, giving the musicians their due. He played a very quiet harmonica and called out the band members by name, eventually rejoining the group at the front of the stage. I really liked that. It was touching.

This is kind of funny – Taylor sang the line “Why does love got to be so sad?” a few times. People in the audience started shouting “Why? Why?” Well, I laughed anyway.

“Light yer fire, baby! Light yer fire!”
(That was hott)

The church bringin’ was smokin’! Lots of harmonica, double-time on the drums and guitars, dancin!

He did a call and response with the crowd that I didn’t fully understand. From where I was standing there was some trouble with the bass and hearing every word was difficult.

Taylor intro’ed the band again and boy does he love bandying about a certain “word” – “My fuckin’ buddy Mr. Wynn Christian! My other fuckin’ buddy Mr. Sam Gunderson!” Hmm…to a roomful of drunks, those statements could really be misunderstood.

There was so much music in that set! Way more music than vocals and it was fan-freakin-tastic! I absolutley loved it! So much guitar! So much piano! So much drummin’! So. Much. HARP!!!!

Ahhhh….

Break Time 2:

As Taylor left the stage, he assured us: “I’m comin’ back! I don’t have anywhere else to be!”

That’s good to hear, but at the same time I know he probably said that because he is aware that people leave when he does. I don’t like that people do that, but I can’t do anything to change it.

The whole band left the stage and the curtain was drawn. It was the exact situation as in the last break, so I opted to talk to CLMM rather than try (once again) in vain to get to Brian. So sue me. It wasn’t a very useful conversation because, even underneath the bar, I couldn’t hear shit.

There were some Chris fans sitting next to me and since I still had not found video of Chris singing “Suspicious Minds” at the Engine Room, I decided to ask. They looked at me like I am from Mars. The one woman to whom I initially spoke (because she had on a Chris shirt – she was identifiable, Female Chris Fan #1) seemed taken aback that I was speaking with her. She clearly did not want to talk to me and the three people at her table kept staring at me like I had grown a second head. I just said something like “Oh well! Thanks anyway!” and walked away from them. It was a little creepy. Okay a LOT creepy.

LMBO came back out (this is when i noticed Zippy was wearing a “Keep Austin Weird” tee) and went right into “Hip Hug-Her”. I really dig their instrumentals. This is funky and groovy and just makes ya’ want to move! Next up was “Killing Floor” – not my favorite title, but I do like the song. Sing it, Sam the Blues Man!!

So-o-o, Taylor comes back out on stage and picks up his guitar. The band started into HOTYL – and it is very different. There are no congas or chimes and no sax. This version is funkier, groovier…just different. And I love it!

People are singing along again. It tickles me that Taylor seems genuinely surprised each time this happens … like he can’t believe all these people know the words to his songs. I hope he can hang onto that tiny thrill.

What follows is an incredibly long stream of tagged lyrics and song titles – more than I can remember him doing in one song.

*“Jump in the Line”
– Lots of run-on “jumpinthelinejumpintheline…” No “Okay!” but we do get the tongue trilling.

*“What a Wonderful World”
– This song alone makes the HOTYL on the Christmas set my favorite. It’s just so pretty – no Louis impressions tonight, though.

*Then he said “There was a movie that inspired me! There was a movie that inspired me! There was a DJ in Vietnam named Adrian Cronauer. Go-o-o-o-od Morning Vietnam!!”
– Okay. This would have seemed really very weird to me if I hadn’t come to expect and accept that, well, he is odd. I’m not even gonna analyze it. Most likely he simply watched the movie in the last few days and it was on his mind.

* There are a couple of Day-Oh! shouts and for some reason he says “Adrian Cronauer” again (I think he just likes the way it sounds). Taylor starts to scat, and sing, and whisper all at once, his head jerking back and forth. He’s just making whatever sounds come out and it’s quite interesting to see as well as hear. I believe he smacked the mic at least once. He sure likes to beat up his equipment (don’t go there!).

* “At Last” and “Sunday Kind of Love”
– The other half of the women in the room just went woozy. It sounds off to me, and then I figure it out – he didn’t change the tune, just the words. He’s singing AL and SKoL to the melody of Wonderful World. ???

* “Yesterme yesteryou yesterday”
– There’s not much of this one, so I almost didn’t mention it. He repeats the phrase a handful of times, mixing up the order. People hoot and holler and hes seamlessly moves into..

* “Notting Hill Blues”
– I’ve been told by others that this is the song he did next, but to be honest? I can’t find those lyrics in the lyrics for NHB. Don’t know what it is, but you can hear the brass band blowin’ through the fields!

* He’s taking us down to “Electric Boogaloo” before he starts to rap the Jimmie Witherspoon lyrics about lovin’ in the rain. I don’t care what the name of that song is – I love it.

* HOTYL is back! Taylor is dancing around some, but it is nothing like the crazed, manic Workplay maneuvers. For one thing, the stage is a lot smaller, but I also think it has to do with the crowd and the venue. This crowd (while being wild about Taylor and LMBO) is not quite as nuts as the Workplay group. Taylor seems to echo back to the particular audience whatever they are expecting/wanting. He’s good at reading a crowd and giving them what they want. I also think he can tell when he can get away with being a little more low-key. But I digress …

It’s the climax of the song and the band is getting louder and faster – Sam and Taylor are playing off each other; Brian’s hands are like hummingbirds (blurry!); Mitch is moving the speed along; and Zippy is bangin’ it. And then …

the drop off!

It’s my favorite part of HOTYL – that slow, bluesy, beautiful music. Is it technically still HOTYL? I dunno. I just always call it that because it follows “the frenzy.” ODC – HOTYL Part Two (gah!).

There was a toast here. Some woman (she looked really put out) brought out a tray that appeared to have several plastic cups of beer on it and the band all grabbed one while Taylor toasted the band, Smith’s, and the room. He said it was “good to be back home!” I thought that was sweet.

Taylor brought Wynn back out to do some blues. Sam stayed, too (yay, Sam!). There was a rich, full sound coming off that stage. We’ve been talking lately around the Board how we pretty much all want to hear more Blues from Taylor and LMBO. Well, if they do them like this night – the Blues will sell.

There’s not a whole lot I can say here, except that this groove was f-i-i-i-i-ne.

* “In the Midnight Hour”
– Mmm, Pickett. That’s when my lo-o-ove comes tumblin’ down.

* “Can’t Trust Your Neighbor With Your Baby”
– I love the line, “My baby used to go over for salt, but I found out he was givin’ her sugar…” It’s clever and paints a perfect picture for the story. I adore the back-and-forth mic move, too. It sounds and looks really cool.

It’s right about here that Male Chris Fan #1 at the nearby table says (quite loudly) to his companions “This motherfucker’s puttin’ me to sleep!” Hey! Them’s fightin’ words, jackass. Before I can react, however, Female Chris Fan #2 smacks him in the back of the head and tells him to “shut the hell up!” I guess we have a conversion on our hands. MCF#1 keeps his mouth shut the rest of the evening.

* There’s a chorus of Charlie Musselwhite’s “Big Legged Woman” before he gives a holler about the band, and (for some reason known only to Taylor) repeats the word “Lady” maybe a half dozen times. I feel bad voicing this, but I giggled a little because that second or third lady reminded me of Jerry Lewis.

* Grazin’ in the Grass is briefly mentioned before Taylor shouts “Damn! Archie Bell’s from Houston, TX! We’re gonna do a thing called “Tighten Up!” (You guys in Texas must’ve made an impression on him)

A call goes out for a Crown and 7 – nicely sung, smooth. Then, he decides to torture Mitch.

“Mitch Jones on the bass. Mitch Jones on the bass. Ladies and gentlemen, Mitch. Jones. on the bass.”

- I’m not sure how many times he says it, but … at first, Mitch looked pleased. He smiled at Taylor a little, grooved a little extra, stepped forward just a tad. He was still smiling on the second call. A little less on the third. By the time Taylor was done, Mitch was shooting him a look that I interpreted as “Motherfu*ker, if you don’t stop it I’m gonna kick your ass.” And Taylor just grinned at him. It was freakin’ hilarious!

Taylor then mentioned how he played with Willie Nelson a week ago … no wait, almost two. “Willie said to me, ‘Y’know, I was thinking about trying out for that American Idol.’ And I said, ‘That’s cool. They’re taking fucking gray-hairs now.’ And Willie laughed. And that’s all I needed from Willie Nelson.”

Then there was a little of Willie’s “Night Life”

Oh, the night life, it ain’t no good life
But it’s my life
Oh, the night life ain’t no good life
Oh, but it’s my life
Yeah, it’s my life

They wrapped the bluesy set with a bit of “find me a way, To take me back to yesterday” (repeat) and then:

Jam it! Straight into the rockin’ “Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?”

Before it was all over, Taylor brought Ken Stabler (who I would later learn was some big time football player back in the day). He was apparently visiting backstage, so Taylor brought him out. I didn’t have a clue who he was, but I cheered and hollered along with everyone else.

************************************************************************

Let me be honest – I have not watched the Georgia video. I know – *GASP Shocker!* I just can’t seem to bring myself to do it. It’s downloaded, sitting on my computer and I am freaked out about watching it.

Why?

Because everyone has made such a stink about it. The debates, the arguing, the attacks – it’s all very distressing.

I am afraid that the video will show me something I missed in person. Or that the beauty of the moment was lost in its transference to “tape.”

Then again, maybe I am just talking out my ass.

At any rate, I am going to do this from my memories. I will watch the video after and respond to it.

Just in case you didn’t get it, here is the spliced, full-length “Georgia” filmed by kuser and CharlotteNCGuy, uploaded by Galaxieman:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/1m9n98

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The music ended, the crowd screamed and hollered. There was a woman next to me who had been whistling like she was hailing a cab all night – there may be permanent ear damage. The band started to leave the stage and I thought it was over. I was leaning on that old, unused bar satisfied and exhausted. I was starting to plan my trip home in my head. But wait…

There was still movement on the stage, and it wasn’t “packing up the equipment” movement. The curtain was still open and Taylor and Brian were still on the stage. They were talking softly to each other (people in the front maybe heard what they were saying). There was a sly grin on Taylor’s face. I didn’t see him grab the chair, and from my vantage point I couldn’t see from the waist down all night (the audience heads were blocking me) … so it looked to me like Taylor was on the floor. I am glad he had a chair as his legs probably would have gone to sleep.

Brian started playing something … softly, gently. I cocked my head and strained to hear. As he got just a little louder, it occured to me – “Wait. Is that? No. They’re not doing … They Are! – Georgia!”

The world’s biggest smile appeared on my face and I was permagrinned for the rest of the night.

Brian kept the piano low and Taylor started singing. As the realization of what was happening spread through the crowd, people started giggling, whooping, and gasping.

I was in such a state of WTF that I didn’t even think to check if the cellcert listeners were still there. Sorry about that, but you’re lucky I didn’t drop the phone (which almost happened BTW).

I spent the first bit in my shocked state, so not much bothered me. Female Chris Fan #1 was on her cellphone, but she got up and left the room fairly quickly. Yes, there was a lot of crowd noise, but it truly didn’t bother me (much). It would have been nice not to have had to strain to hear both the vocals and keyboards, but since the ODC is my favorite set, I have gotten used to “filtering the garbage.” To be perfectly honest, what did bug me was the “shushing” as that is a much harsher sound and is more difficult to ignore. Although, I suppose had I been in the midst of the crowd, the chatter would have been overwhelming.

The now infamous woman shouted “Texas loves you too, Taylor!” This struck me as funny and not as disruptive as some people felt (everyone’s perspective is valid, though). Taylor grinned a little and said, “Texas.” I thought that was cute and the way he said it reminded me of the song “Texas” by Wimme (I would post it for you, but it is a protected file. Damn them).

“Georgia” continued … it was soft and sweet and endearing. Taylor weaved around, over, and through the song. Brian followed effortlessly wherever Taylor wanted to go. A couple of times, I got the impression that Brian was doing the leading. Taylor would begin to drift too far into that abyss and Brian would “raise his voice” so to speak, as if to draw Taylor just a wee bit closer to the surface – but without pulling him completely from his reverie.

They really do work so well together it’s like they share a mind at times.

There was a harmonica break, but to be honest I don’t remember it as well as I usually do. For this particular performance, my memories are centered more around the vocals and the piano and the simplicity of the arrangement.

Somehow in this wandering, Taylor dove into “The Chattahoochie.” He swung his head around towards Brian and grinned really wide while singing those lyrics. People whooped and laughed. That was really fun.

Then, the mood was brought back down – and that’s when it fully hit me: I was hearing “Georgia” – live and like nothing I had ever heard before. My hand went up to my mouth, then fell to my heart, and I started to cry. I wasn’t bawling or anything, but there I was – standing with a big goofy smile on my face, my hand over my heart, and tears trickling down my cheeks. If I hadn’t been so in the moment, I probably would have felt like a big old goober.

Ten minutes after he had sat down and begun to mesmerize us, Taylor stood up (still clutching the mic) and once again thanked us for letting him be himself – and I truly believed it. I think I was shaking a little bit as he left the stage. I don’t even remember clapping or yelling.

To me, Taylor appeared as wiped and content as I felt, like he had just released something that he had been dying to release for ages. As he left the stage, he was very slightly grinning and I think he shook his head a little bit. It’s the kind of gesture that I imagine he was doing at the end of “Texas Flood,” when they are all “hoo”-ing and he says “We oughta do that more often.”

I slumped into a chair and tried to compose myself while I spoke a little with CLMM and the Board. Possum had to leave, so I hung up so she could take her phone.

There was a lot of confusion trying to get out of Smith’s. Brian had Robin’s shirts and she had to get them before we left. People were filing out calmly and quickly, but the staff felt the need to keep announcing that “Taylor has left the building” alternating with “Elvis has left the building” and telling us to get out. That’s what we were doing – getting out. There were two girls (that’s right – TWO) standing in the middle of the room clutching CDs that (I assume) they wanted to get signed. It’s not like there was a mob they had to run out. The AI Reporter tossed her phone at Brian and he talked to their cellcert while he was running around trying to pack everything up and Robin was trying to get his attention (so she could get her shirts). That’s when he said “the quote” about Taylor being himself. I gotta tell ya’ – I “Squeed!” a little when I read that the next day.

We finally left and I sat in the parking lot for a half hour talking to the cellcert before I absolutely had to head home – it was 3:30 am and I had to get home for work. And lucky lucky me, it rained the entire way home. I was exhausted all day and for the rest of the week.

But I didn’t care. I got to hear “Georgia” and can replay it in my head whenever I feel like it.

I am so-o-o-o glad I decide to go to Atlanta.

Some final thoughts:

To me, this performance was just heavenly. I felt like we were getting to see into Taylor’s heart, just like he told his Grandma. He let us in, if only for the moment and if only just a little. It was intimate and moving and beautiful – and I feel honored and privileged to have been allowed to share it, not only with Taylor and Brian but with the entire room. It’s definitely a night that I will never forget.

As for the reports that Taylor was drunk, I believe this is a way for people who either didn’t understand it, didn’t enjoy it, or thought it was weird to explain it away. Well, you know what? It was weird. It was different. Taylor is weird and different – isn’t that why we like him?? I know that’s why I like him.

Anyway … Yes, Taylor was drinking. I was not. So, unless he was doing shots or beer bongs in the back room (where we could not see) he was merely “feeling good” so to speak. I did not keep a running total on how many drinks Taylor had that night, but I do know it was no more than a couple beers and at least one Red Snapper (I believe empty bought him a round). At most we are talking four drinks in almost four hours. That does not make one drunk.

So there.

From the AI Boards:
Brian said “tonight was Taylor being Taylor” and “that’s the Taylor that I know.”