|
|
They Might Be Giants: Live in New York City: 9/10/01Oct 04 '01 (Updated Feb 04 '03) Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Music
The Bottom Line 10 hours before the World Trade Center collapsed, I was in NYC with They Might Be Giants who were performing and signing autographs for their new album.
John Linnell and John Flansburgh, otherwise known as They Might Be Giants. People seem to either love 'em or hate 'em. Personally, I fell in love with these guys way back in ninth grade when I heard Birdhouse in Your Soul on the Dr. Demento show (of all places)! TMBG became one of my favorite live acts sometime in the late 90's when I finally saw them perform at First Avenue in Minneapolis. This would have been around the time they released Severe Tire Damage (a collection of live and previously unreleased songs). TMBG are silly, humorous, and above all fun! They lovingly create a joyous atmosphere with energetic music and an almost unrestrained use of props and gags: the confetti cannon at the end of James K. Polk... the dueling puppet show performed above the stage while the band runs around in the dark below... the way they can play some songs backwards or sped up as if you’re skimming through the concert on your cd player! It’s not uncommon for them to start the show with a lively crowd pleaser like Doctor Worm and then end the show on the same tune, proclaiming "We’re going out the same way we came in!" My favorite TMBG concert moment was the time they encouraged the crowd to conga, and then refused to play anything else until the whole floor was one giant conga line! Everyone snaking around the floor while the band played conga music on their accordions! Yeah... it’s safe to say that They Might Be Giants is one of my all time favorite live acts. So when I found out that TMBG was doing an in-store performance and autograph signing in their hometown of New York City, while I just happened to be in NYC on vacation, I knew I had to be there! It was Monday, September 10th, 2001. We all know what happened on 9/11/01 in New York City, but the night before, after the rain had finally let up and I was sore and exhausted from my full day of seeing the city, I felt like the happiest man on earth. I stopped by my hotel to change out of my wet clothes and take a quick shower. I walked across the street and boarded the E train beneath the World Trade Center, took the subway a few blocks north and walked past NYU to the Tower Records on Broadway. There were already quite a few people in line. I took my place at the end and started talking with the people around me. How wonderful it was to see all these other music geeks wearing glasses and screen printed T’s! They Might Be Giants may be the epitome of "cool nerds", but their fans are definitely next in line! Once inside, I found myself staring through the sea of people to "John and John" who were already midway through their first song... something off the new album, only I forget which track. After this song, John F. took a moment to explain that his guitar was somewhere on the New Jersey turnpike and probably wouldn’t be joining us this evening! "But, not to worry! We can perform all of our songs with our accordions instead!" They tried to stick to songs that play well with the accordion, of course hitting up the crowd with Istanbul, not Constantinople and Particle Man. I remember hearing Meet James Ensor in there somewhere too. "How’s the show in the back? Can you hear us o.k.?" "It’s great! Your foreheads are wonderful!" someone next to me shouted! At one point, John F. introduced the crowd to a guy with a digital camera who had been shooting the nights events from the stairway above the "stage". He explained that this guy was doing a TMBG documentary and that tonight was the last show he would be shooting. He then asked the man if there were any songs he still needed to get footage of... any tunes they hadn’t played that he would like to hear. The camera guy thought for a moment while the crowd shouted their suggestions, and finally he requested Boat of Car! I thought this was a particularly good choice as they rarely play this one live. It’s an older one from their first album, and very slow so I’m sure it’s easily overlooked when they decide upon a concert set. The highlight of the evening came when they performed New York City. "Cuz everyone’s your friend! In NEW YORK CITY! And everything looks beautiful when you’re young and pretty! The streets are paved with diamonds and there’s just so much to see! But the best thing about New York City is… You and Me!" I have always loved this song, but hearing it live in NYC was a personal moment for me. I remember thinking that my trip to New York was now complete. NOTHING could top this. It had been one of the best days of my life! I had climbed to the crown of the Statue of Liberty, visited the Imagine Mosaic at Strawberry Fields in Central Park, eaten dinner at a café on Bleecker St. in the Village, and now New York icons TMBG were performing their ode to the city. It was perfect. After the show, they told us we had to clear out of the store so the staff could prepare for the autograph signing. Being at the back of the line for the concert meant I was at the head of the line for the signing! After a short wait, they started letting us all back in where we were able to purchase the new album Mink Car before meeting the band. We also got a promo companion disc with a few tracks from the album plus live/remixed versions as well. When it was my turn, I had John F. date and sign the album sleeve as a token of my trip to the big apple. He wrote RYAN in big puffy letters, signed John F. and added "9/10/01: NYC". After John L. added his signature, he gave me a poster which they both signed as well, and I had someone take my picture with John L. (I was a big tourist you know!) I took the subway back to the World Trade Center, beaming as I admired my souvenirs. Once I reached the surface, I stopped in the middle of Church St. between my hotel (The Millenium Hilton) and the signature towers of the World Trade Center. The street was empty. It was 1 a.m., Tuesday morning. I took a moment and admired the dark towers shooting up toward the sky and said a little thanks for such a great day. I had no idea what was to come, or that my prized autographs would end up left behind in the rubble of the towers I was now admiring. 8 hours later I was running for my life.  |
| Read all comments (1)|Write your own comment |
|
Ads by Google
|
by starcollector
by kiwifella
by George_Chabot
![Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast Reviews](http://di2.shopping.com/images/pi/95/a4/8a/2006752046-100x100-0-0.jpg?p=p5.3e5cd74fe5b3dd7ba450&a=2&c=1&l=8071320&t=120604071305&r=2)
