BoDeans
2008.04.03 Fillmore at Irving Plaza • New York, NY

Sam Llanas, Kurt Neumann, Bukka Allen, Eric Holden, Noah Levy

Thursday April 3, 2008
Fillmore at Irving Plaza - New York, NY

Funny how things like planes, trains & automobiles make travel so easy. So before I knew it my train arrived in Jersey, one friend's plane landed on time, and well, ok the second friend's car we didn't use until Philly, but you get the idea. :)

The Fillmore was a great place, the crowd was good sized but it seemed to have twice the energy as the previous night and you could clearly see that the guys were feeling it to. Some days people (and even yourself) think your crazy to take such trips as this, but once you get to the show, and in the company of those that feel the same way, then it makes every moment worth it. It's definitely a bond that has brought a lot of people together over the years.

As for the actual show, we were enjoying another great set by GB Leighton including a great Dylan cover, and a fantastic version of Hallelujah before the guys finally walked out. At which time they treated us to:

1. Pretty Ghost - Such a fantastic sound. I can't speak for everyone else, but between Sam's sultry voice, on top of Eric's bass, you can't help but just get completely lost in the music. For me, I found myself not even noticing the actual lyrics because the music itself is so powerful that it's hard not to literally feel every note.
2. Idaho - yeah!
3. Texas Ride Song - always such a fun one as we all know. Eric's bass was sweet as ever and Noah had a funky little skip beat thing going on right after the 4 of them meet in the back and walk forward. (gosh, do I ever love that part!)
4. Wonder Wonder - don't remember exactly how Sam's intro went, but he finished it off by saying that this is "Wonder, wonder...wonder, wonder,.... wonderful wonderful" in the same manner as Lawrence Welk (I admit I didn't catch that reference myself, but I was kindly informed :) And well, "wonderful" pretty much sums up the whole song!
5. Good Work w/Batman - Once again, an all out, sweat dripping, classic rock song. As Kurt described it afterwards, 'kind of like an orgasm.' Doubt you'd find anyone to disagree with that either. Between a sultry Pretty Ghost, a driving TRS and a climactic Good Work, we had already had one hell of a show! Only to be followed by 3 more songs right up that alley! :)
6. Lucille - Kurt tells us once more about seeing his exhibitionist neighbor, the only difference was that this time when he described the "hot summer night" we didn't have to imagine the heat too much - it was damn hot in the venue already!
7. Still the Night w/Hey Pretty Girl, Sedated - This might be "vintage" as the guys describe it, but it doesn't mean it didn't rock any less.
8. Naked - Always a crowd favorite, so it only seemed fitting that the last couple notes of the song Sam motioned for the crowd to sing along with the final "oh's".
9. Everyday - it was such a great sight to see people singing along with this. I go to these shows expecting the crowd to sing along with the old favorites, but to see lots of people singing along to a new song, especially since the disc is still fairly new, it definitely brings a smile to my face.
10. Ultimately Fine - from where I was standing, I could see the setlist taped to the stage. Funny enough, it actually said "audible?!?!?" When the time came, you could see that Kurt & Sam were quickly deciding on a song to throw in there. Definitely a fun way to keep them on their toes and to keep things interesting both for us and for them. Either way, the song was ever so fine! Sam looked like he was having a blast swinging his hips and tapping his feet! Not to mention that this is one of my all time favorites as well.
11. Trouble Again w/Stolen Car - Not surprisingly, there were quite a few cheers when Sam broke into Stolen Car. I was too busy getting lost in his voice to be cheering for a semi-local boy. :) But it was also pretty cool when the crowd sang the 'oh's' so well. Haven't hear a crowd sing that so loud since Boulder I think!
12. Round Here - I have a feeling this is going to turn into a classic BoDeans song to be heard for a long time to come. (that's a good thing :)
13. Fadeaway - I swear every time I hear this song live, I end up lovin' it more than the I did before. Tonight was no exception. Kurt's solo was even better than the night before and Sam's sweet acoustic putting a lot of smiles on a lot of faces (mine included).
14. Closer to Free - once again Sam pulled out his harmonica for the first chorus. While I love Sam on a harmonica, it was a little disappointing that Bukka's accordion seemed to be turned down for all the shows. Perhaps that had to do with how the record was mixed? Just a guess.
- encore- while the guys were off stage, the crowd was going nuts. When they finally returned to the stage, Sam said it was the best night of the tour..."makes up for the Giants beating the Packers" (I suppose maybe a little) A moment later Kurt pipes in commenting about the loud crowd and how you'd think it was a soccer game or something. Then he adds "just don't start the wave!" - that of course only inspired a brief & broken wave to form.
15. Far Far Away From My Heart
16. Waste A Lifetime w/Rebel Rebel - so very glad to here this one. I think that off the album, this one is one of the best live (tied with Pretty Ghost)
17. Good Things

What a fantastic (hot) night! The guys were in perfect form and you couldn't help but feel the love from the crowd. And with the very cool lighting it was all sort of surreal. (very sweet that Sam actually gave the lighting guy his due - because it did look great!) Unfortunately though, as soon as we walked outside, we were brought back to reality when we were greeted by a cold cold rain. Fortunately though, that reality included a few more shows! :)