DALLAS. February 18, 2005. The Gypsy Ballroom
Sun Feb 20, 2005 7:37 pm
Dallas FEBRUARY 18, 2005 Gypsy Ballroom
I think it was Sherri that said something like, "...it's so hard; this is home...all our friends are here...I feel like it's so hard to impress you or something..." And now I'm feeling the same thing - I have so much to say, but I don't know how to say it. The Dallas show was the first of a new era. I'm still dazed and confused over the turn out.
But let's not start with my boyDrama. I'll talk about the show:
THE GYPSY BALLROOM
It might have been Eisley's least (worst) performance. The band had hobbled along from the Northwest thru the shortcomings and struggles in Boise and Salt Lake, taken a turn for the ill-worst, leaving the chasmic void in Denver, feeling glum as we traveled down, down, down... It had been almost a week since their last show. With Stacy's on and off again illness, fulfilling great expectations for a home crowd seemed dismal. I worried lil' fem-de-frog would croak on stage - passing the mantle to her brain-sake sister to carry the vocal weight of the set.
I can honestly say she tried her best, vocally. "Best" was perhaps 1/4 control, power, consistency, range, tone. Her performance was plagued by shortness of breath due to a bronchial infection - leaving her choking and pausing several times during the set, missing notes and having all sorts of problems. Still, she perservered and i was proud of her for having "the show must go on" attitude.
SOUND. All 3 bands sounded lame if you ask me. Eisley had moments of beauty, but I'm afraid the opening tune's mix set the stage for some degree of defeat. Levels and eq were off; Feedback was rampant. Yikes. It was rough. Tommy, the club's seasoned, knows-how-to-mix-the-room, house sound engineer told me: "I have to sit back and bite my tongue. Young engineers do their best but honestly, bands shoot themselves in the foot sometimes. The only way I'll intervene is if a a band's sound guy is driving people away because the sound is to bad or if they're about to blow up my system. (laugh's) It's a tough room with many anomalies... you have to be very seasoned to mix in this room. I know there were major problems tonight...but, I don't generally step in. sorry."
I feel so bad - that you guys didn't get the most amazing show of the tour. There had to be so many curiosity seekers that might now be driven away. That's live music. You get the good with the bad. Humans aren't computers. We sometimes suck and there's just nothing you can do about it. It's so disappointing. Aren't we all so disappointing.
But lookee-here. In spite of the problems Eisley faced, YOU guys made the show happen. You turned the evening into something special. Eisley was beaten down, sick, feeling insecure, tired... but you made the night. You understood. You made a covering... an atonement for their shortcomings... you made an oasis in the dessert... you threw a warm blanket over the cold, fragile performance and turned something incomplete into something complete; something fulfilling; something memorable. (boyDrama) Thank you.
Dazed and Confused
I forbid you to say that I'm trying to be reverse-psychotic or draw upon your sympathy. I just have to tell you how I feel. The thoughts might pile up like steamy cow patties on crisp, dewy dandy-lion thistles, but I'm going to attempt to put them into words (sips home made espresso sweetened with Ribbon Cane Sugar) anyway:
(i now attempt to type deep thoughts and will return)
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I fully expected and I'm not lying: 400 to show up; tops 475. I called Russell (promoter/manages Tree's/TeaRoom, etc.) earlier that day and had a nice chat... expressed my concerns about the room size, that it seemed like we'd just been at Tree's - and how turn out could be discouraging, to which he replied:"well, if it's really thin, we can pull some tricks to make the room smaller...Curtains and such; don't worry...." And, on the drive up, the band was saying, "dad...why are we playing here again so soon? Nobody is going to come see us... we were just here.... and why are we playing the ballroom!!? - it's huge; it's going to be so lame with like 200 people in that huge room.." I was like..." I know. I called Russell... I don't get it... it's scary...but whatever... we just do it and hope for the best..."
I ran into Tommy while unloading; "hey, I shrink to ask about advanced sales... do you really think we should play the ballroom? We're worried about turnout dude...we were just here for the New Years gig... yikes..." Tommy: "what?! Didn't somebody tell you? You guys have 550 advanced sales already... realistically, with 150 walk up, you're looking at a crowd of 700." (??@#$!%??) I couldn't believe it. Neither could the band. In the end, there were probably 1000 in the house with comps, vip's, staff and crew. (that's not paying customers, but...that's what the room felt like)
But let's back-track if that's ok. You have no choice really, but to stop reading. You should STOP your incessant reading. My drivelous spew is tiresome.
The Moment
At one point, I'll never forget... People were filing in like crazy. Kyle at the door tearing off those little tickets (for giveaway's) and trying to make sure the duplicate #'d ones in a little box on the floor; People were coming in so fast, he couldn't tear them apart fast enough so he asked me if I could separate them into single tickets. At first, I squatted and began tearing them apart but... there were dozens and dozens of long strands piled up and hanging out of the box. This was going to be a big job... so I committed further by sitting indian style to take on the task.
It was there that I entered my own cone of silence... drowning out the noise of the staggering crowd that was already pressing in on me at the back of the room; i just began ripping the little tickets off and placing them in a box until the repetition required no thought. I'd glance up - toward the door; I could see feet... all kinds; converse... high heels; i saw jeans, dockers, nettings, boots, so many styles, I can't remember.
I went into this kind of dream state; i began remembering the early days - how I'd poke my head out the door at dusk and peer down the long walkway outside BrewTones - hoping there were just a few more coming; but being relatively happy that 65 or so patrons decided to pay $3 - 5 to see the Towheads... then MossEisley...then Eisley play... They kept pouring in. It was misting - now drizzling outside. Occasionally, I'd look up and see people coming in - debutants with bleach blonde hair, guys with grey hair, 20-somethings, 30-somethings, guys with long hair... who were these people? Oh wait, there's Tim - my 27 year old friend that I met at a Towhead show in '99... he saw them cover "Zombie" by the Cranberries. He'll be yelling up at the front. Life seemed normal for a second.
I folded and tore and folded and tore those tickets - wondering why people were still coming in... it was at that moment that I...
I'm sorry. All of my "moment" is being squelched by a movie playing in the bedroom - Sherri and Kim rented "Almost Famous" so we could see the guy we met in Salt Lake - Patrick's flick. It's captivating. And I think it's going to save me from revealing my embarrassing revelations... ones I can't quite pull out of my head. I guess I was just trying to say - things are changing and it's taking me by surprise. Thanks for coming to the show.
My favorite moment of the show: When someone screamed out a song. (for the band to play) And Sherri said, "what? I can't hear you..." and someone else screamed out another song... and another; and she kept laughing and saying, "I don't know what you're saying! I can't hear you!". Eventually, it sounded like a mob - with indistinguishable shouts coming from all over the room - requesting songs.
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