My Favorite Concerts - Part 2

10. Bruce, Seeger Sessions, Blossom, 2006
The Bruce regulars attended, including Mike, Aunt Liz and Linda, Jami, Kelly, and Brad. From the time the upright bass on "John Henry" kicked in, I knew it would be a great show. He played "Into the Fire" for a soldier killed in Iraq, and "Bring 'Em Home." There were a couple of dipshits in front of us, which seems to be a Cleveland thing. Toward the end of the evening, he played a crazy version of "Ramrod," which I would love to hear again.

9. Bob Dylan, WVU Coliseum, 2001
Me and Brad went to Mo-town for this gem. Piss poor seats near the top of the Coliseum, but a great, great show. A pretty long show, and he was really on. I first saw Bob in 1993 with David at the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh, and it was dreadful. I then saw him a couple of times in the next several years, but this was the first time I really felt like Bob gave it his all. On top of that, Brad and I were speculating what he might do for an encore. Jokingly, Brad says, "Country Pie," and lo and behold -- he comes out and plays it. Magical it was.

8. Mojo Nixon, Nyabinghi Morgantown, 1997-1998?
This was particulary particularly memorable for two reasons. First, a bunch of us went to Pittsburgh the previous night to see him at Rosebud. Second, I took a piss right next to Mojo (at the urinals in the men's room), and he was singing Joe Strummer. He said, "Sorry, I'm just in a Joe Strummer mood." I asked him later if he would sing, "If I Can Dream," but he said, "I don't know...(singing) dream! DREAM!...[cough] I don't think the vocal chords are up to it."

7. Tom Waits, Louisville, KY, 2006
Of course roughly waiting fifteen years to see Tom in concert will get you in the mood. I had a disturbing dream ten years earlier after "Mule Variations" came out that I got to see him in concert, but he brought out a mule wearing some kind of canvass diaper. He then, in the dream mind you, reached into the diaper and started throwing mule shit at the audience. Luckily, the real concert did not resemble this in any way. Greg and I went to a bar before the show and drank some expensive beer. Then we formed a line a half mile long to get into the theater, and me and Greg took turns running to a street vendor to buy cheap, cold beers. Tom did not disappoint. He played very few old songs. I kind of thought this might be a "best of" type tour, but he acted like he'd never stopped touring and played mostly new stuff with some "best of the last ten years." And he needed nothing special to create an atmosphere. Just some lights shining up and creating huge shadows on the curtain, a six inch riser in the middle of the stage, and Tom Waits.

6. Warren Zevon, Odeon Cleveland, 1996 (Dr. Baby, girl, German song)
I think I've got the year for this correct. There are a few shows at the Odeon that kind of blur together for me. General seating, a bar the length of the place, and standing room for a few hundred souls. According to this website, Warren played there March 7 and October 27 in 1996. I may have seen him there twice. I remember Tony, David, and me talking about "Mutineer" on the way there, and Tony said he disliked "Something Bad Happened to a Clown." David said that he hoped the concert was nothing but "Something Bad Happened to a Clown." He was still opening his shows at the time with "Splendid Isolation" on a twelve-string, I believe. He was so polished and rough at the same time, and charismatic as hell. If he had said, do you guys want to drop everything and ride around in a tour bus and get wasted for the next ten years, I probably would've ran up the bus steps. When there was a sound problem, he started pounding on a random key for a sound check and transitioned into a German song that started with that note. He sang the whole thing in German, too. I may have conflated another show, but I believe at that same show, Dr. Baby, the sax player (I don't even remember what song he played sax on) came out with saran wrap on his face. And there was a random blonde woman who came out and sat on the piano bench with Warren as he sang "Werewolves of London," but she got mad when he changed the lyrics to something like "...Jimmy Buffett got mutilated late last night..." I don't think he played "Something Bad Happened to a Clown" though.

There was just something about Warren's spirit as much as his music. A knowing grin, a cool cynicism, a cocky stride, and a really infectious attitude that he had unlocked some secret to how to live life. And he brought us along with him. There'll never be another Zevon. If you'll excuse me, I believe I need to have a drink of bourbon and listen to "Piano Fighter."