(TV) Seattle (long, rambling and half-awake)

["Michael Olcsvary" <olcsvary@icehouse.net>]

I'm still exhausted.  It was worth every cent.  More than my money's worth.
They were great.  Thus endeth the short version.

I've gotta admit, I struggled to keep my expectations low.  I saw them When;
I'd be happy if Now was competent.
It was better.
Maybe it's the coffee.
After the aptly-named Downer Trio's seemingly interminable set (I swear, if
I ever run into that guy, I'm gonna bitch slap him and say "Be a MAN!"  -
end of aside), Tom, Richard, Fred and Billy came on, Tom unloading a little
plastic shopping bag that turned out to have a few pedals in it.  "We have
to set up our Special Equipment, so just talk to each other for five
minutes," he said.  Some futzing with the pedals, some tuning (some things
never change) and I guess we were off into "Swells," "Clouds," whatever,
with lots of delay, that somehow swirled into "1880 or So" (which got a lot
of recognition - they still play it on KCMU/KEXP) - very faithful until the
break...
...and they took that song places I never thought it could go.  Richard
burning up the fretboard, Tom changing the dynamics and structure behind
him. Fred and Billy right there with him, moving the tune into double
time/rave-up territory and back again, and Tom taking a solo at the end,
eyes looking somewhere out in the middle distance, short but sweet - shit,
they could have stopped right there and I would have been happy.
They didn't, of course, going into "This Tune" -more rocking (I hate that
term, but it works ) than the album, with Richard playing some gutbucket
lines (maybe in tribute to John Lee?) around and behind the verses, Tom
using open stings to great effect.  As Philip observed, songs from the third
album really took on new dimensions live - "This Tune" turned into a modern
day blues.
And then there was "Venus", and after the applause came the reverential
silence that prompted Tom to say "Geez, you could hear a pin drop."  In true
rock concert fashion, this was interpreted by the Stupid People as a license
to expose their inanity, but I didn't care.
Okay, I won't bore you with a blow by blow - but one of the highlights was
Tom breaking a string in the middle of "Rhyme,"
finishing the song, moving to a spare guitar for "LJJ," playing three notes
and shouting "Shit!" loud enough for me to hear, and then - as Russ has
noted - going back to get the other, during which we were treated to
Television, the rhythm section, and Richard, Fred and Billy twisted that
little riff every which way until Tom rejoined them.  The set order was
changed, too:  "Glory" was part of the main set, moved up from encore
status.  "The Rocket," with Tom on slide and Richard on water bottle (!)
guitars somehow segued into "Beauty Trip," leaving me gaping.  My own
personal transcendent moment.  Then there was "Marquee Moon" - evidently
they liked what happened in Chicago, because the song went through three
false endings, one of them featuring some wonderful interplay between Tom
and Billy.  The encore of "Psychotic Reaction," with Tom breaking himself up
as per Russ, was worth 22.00 right there.  This was followed by the encore
of "Call Mr. Lee," which was scarier than the recorded version, and yet
somehow the perfect way to end the evening.  Check the other posts for
setlists and rearrange accordingly.
Some observations - while Richard just barely dominated the proceedings (due
to his playing all the lead lines behind the verses) the impression I got
was that of a band, all doing what they had to do to make it happen.  I
didn't detect any tension between the band members - they all seemed
(especially Tom) to be happy to be there.  Richard's somewhat dour
expression might have some people thinking otherwise, but I've seen him
before, and he ALWAYS looks like that when he plays, solo or in Television.
Billy Ficca obviously has taken the Dick Clark home study course in personal
appearance.  The man hasn't changed an iota.  It's kind of scary.
Gear notes:  Tom and Richard both played through Vox AC-30s.  Richard played
a Strat with a watercolor looking finish; Tom played a tobacco-burst
American Standard Strat with the styrofoam still attached to the tremolo
cover plate (and that yellow sticker over the trem-arm hole) for all but the
aforementioned "LJJ's" three notes, which were played on another American
Standard - ash finished, with the guarantee sticker still on the trem cover
plate.  Both guitarists had a few pedals on stage, but aside from delay,
tremolo and a boost, I don't know what kind they were.
On that subject, this show was also rather humbling.  You want to sound like
Verlaine and think "If I could only afford a Jazzmaster?"  No - like we've
all heard before, it's in your hands - or rather, it's in Tom's and
Richard's hands.  Give them Les Pauls and they'd probably sound the same.
It was everything I didn't want to hope it would be - faithful and
adventurous.  Rocking and thoughtful.  Intelligent and crude.  They've still
got it; they really ought to record again.  They've still got things to say.
Special thanks to the lovely Caryn and her equally lovely friend, who's name
escapes me.  I couldn't have run into nicer people.
And should someone print this out and show it to theband:
DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDES!

I'll stop now.

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