![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Oct. 12th, 2002 06:24 amFun, fun show. I left work a little after two, headed home, and got on the road a few minutes after 3. Traffic sucked going in -- partially because of the weather, which was really rainy and ugly. Nasty. So it took me about two hours to get into the city (usually takes 75-90 mins.), but I was right on time to meet some folks at a diner on 72nd. I saw several people I'd met before, met a few who I'd emailed and/or traded with, and met a couple more that I hadn't known at all. It's so cool to get to meet the people whose names you've seen so many times in your email. And the variety of the people is interesting. Tonight I met George, who works for the NY Port Authority; Denise, who is a med student and works at a hospital up near Columbia; Mark, who's the Massachussetts equivalent of a "good ol' boy," Andrew, who unfortunately is a rather sleazy-seeming accountant; and several others. And I got to see my friend Ken E. from Minneapolis, who is a very interesting cat; he used to be a journalist who wrote for national magazines including The Smithsonian and now is a tax lawyer. I've been trading and corresponding with him for about two years, and I met him at the Roseland show last year. He's probably fifty years old and is probably the only red-haired Jewish guy I've ever known. He's probably one of the most thoughtful and genuinely nice people I've ever known. At first I thought it was in part an act, but I've come to decide that he's totally genuine.
Anyway, so we sat around talking, ate, and headed over to the Beacon area. Most of the group from the diner went to the P&G for drinks, but Ken, Adam and Donna H, and I went to get rid of some extra tickets and try to find a decent cup of coffee. We were going to go to the Zabar's coffee shop or snack bar or whatever they call it, but only the grocery part was open -- so we turned around and walked back to the theatre w/ no coffee. But I always love just walking around the city anyway. It is such a fantastic place -- I truly, truly love that town. I didn't ever think another American city could compete with New Orleans in my heart, but New York does. It's just so -- well, goddamn, it's New York.
So. Went and got seated at the show. Then Mark, the Mass. guy (whom I've traded with), came over and we were talking about different shit. We went down front for a bit but got run to the back by the ushers. My seat was near the back of the orchestra, very close to where I sat for the 3/23 Allmans show.
As for the show itself, it was, of course, mind-blowing. Actually, there have been moments during the last couple of Mule shows when I've thought, "OK, I'm thoroughly enjoying this, but it's not quite the same thrill as it was when I first started seeing these guys." Of course they then usually throw me a curve and blow my mind. But I was with them the whole time tonight. They had four bass players during the show (one at a time), and I hadn't heard any of them with the Mule before. George Porter, Jr., from the Meters played the first set and was quite good. He hit all the right notes and of course added an extra funkiness. So I was impressed with him, as I expected to be. But in the second set they brought out this guy named Greg Rzab. I'd never heard of him until recent reports of this leg of the tour. I think I heard someone say that he's played with Buddy Guy for a long time. But that guy was incredible. He's the closest match for Woody I've heard. He doesn't play exactly like Woody, but he brings the same sort of combination of thunder and groove. And that's really where the Mule is at for me. I think they should offer him the job if they're at all thinking of getting a permanent bass player.
Also on bass were Andy Hess and Roger Glover of Deep Purple! Hess was cool, but not quite as amazing as Rzab. It was really fun seeing Roger Glover, though. I've never been much of a Deep Purple fan; I don't hate them, but I've never listened to them much. They always seemed too goofy for me. I mean, face it, "Smoke on the Water," "Maybe I'm a Leo," and "Highway Star" are goofy -- way goofier than "Iron Man" or "The Wizard" in my book. But they played "Goin' Down" and, yes, "Maybe I'm a Leo" with Glover and they sounded amazing. I never realized how heavy "Leo" is, or that Glover is a pretty scary bass player.
But, as has happened before, it was the Zep cover that made my night. The Mule plays a lot of Led Zeppelin covers. Off the top of my head, I can think of "Since I've Been Loving You," "How Many More Years" (they use the original blues title, but they play it like Zep's "How Many More Times"), "Good Times Bad Times," "No Quarter," and I'm sure there have been several more. So I have a list of Zep songs that I want to hear from the Mule, and "Trampled Under Foot" has always been high on it. Tonight I got it. OH MY DOG, you have no idea how hard this rocked. First time they've played it.
God, they were on tonight. This is seriously the baddest rock band on the planet. Trampled Under Foot. Trampled Under Foot. Trampled Under Foot.
Anyway, so we sat around talking, ate, and headed over to the Beacon area. Most of the group from the diner went to the P&G for drinks, but Ken, Adam and Donna H, and I went to get rid of some extra tickets and try to find a decent cup of coffee. We were going to go to the Zabar's coffee shop or snack bar or whatever they call it, but only the grocery part was open -- so we turned around and walked back to the theatre w/ no coffee. But I always love just walking around the city anyway. It is such a fantastic place -- I truly, truly love that town. I didn't ever think another American city could compete with New Orleans in my heart, but New York does. It's just so -- well, goddamn, it's New York.
So. Went and got seated at the show. Then Mark, the Mass. guy (whom I've traded with), came over and we were talking about different shit. We went down front for a bit but got run to the back by the ushers. My seat was near the back of the orchestra, very close to where I sat for the 3/23 Allmans show.
As for the show itself, it was, of course, mind-blowing. Actually, there have been moments during the last couple of Mule shows when I've thought, "OK, I'm thoroughly enjoying this, but it's not quite the same thrill as it was when I first started seeing these guys." Of course they then usually throw me a curve and blow my mind. But I was with them the whole time tonight. They had four bass players during the show (one at a time), and I hadn't heard any of them with the Mule before. George Porter, Jr., from the Meters played the first set and was quite good. He hit all the right notes and of course added an extra funkiness. So I was impressed with him, as I expected to be. But in the second set they brought out this guy named Greg Rzab. I'd never heard of him until recent reports of this leg of the tour. I think I heard someone say that he's played with Buddy Guy for a long time. But that guy was incredible. He's the closest match for Woody I've heard. He doesn't play exactly like Woody, but he brings the same sort of combination of thunder and groove. And that's really where the Mule is at for me. I think they should offer him the job if they're at all thinking of getting a permanent bass player.
Also on bass were Andy Hess and Roger Glover of Deep Purple! Hess was cool, but not quite as amazing as Rzab. It was really fun seeing Roger Glover, though. I've never been much of a Deep Purple fan; I don't hate them, but I've never listened to them much. They always seemed too goofy for me. I mean, face it, "Smoke on the Water," "Maybe I'm a Leo," and "Highway Star" are goofy -- way goofier than "Iron Man" or "The Wizard" in my book. But they played "Goin' Down" and, yes, "Maybe I'm a Leo" with Glover and they sounded amazing. I never realized how heavy "Leo" is, or that Glover is a pretty scary bass player.
But, as has happened before, it was the Zep cover that made my night. The Mule plays a lot of Led Zeppelin covers. Off the top of my head, I can think of "Since I've Been Loving You," "How Many More Years" (they use the original blues title, but they play it like Zep's "How Many More Times"), "Good Times Bad Times," "No Quarter," and I'm sure there have been several more. So I have a list of Zep songs that I want to hear from the Mule, and "Trampled Under Foot" has always been high on it. Tonight I got it. OH MY DOG, you have no idea how hard this rocked. First time they've played it.
God, they were on tonight. This is seriously the baddest rock band on the planet. Trampled Under Foot. Trampled Under Foot. Trampled Under Foot.
