I have been slacking on this blog lately. The holidays consumed me both mentally and physically to the point where I was barely able to speak English, let alone type in complete sentences.
Last Thursday I hit the road to Arlington with my husband to visit my sister and to catch The Dresden Dolls. The drive was hellacious, I detest the whole D.C. area with a great passion. I got a ferocious headache that never really did go away. My sister accompanied me to the Dolls show, which was an absolute joy in every way possible.
The Dresden Dolls played at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue right in D.C. The incredible facility was built in 1908 and restored in 2002 (see the picture above for the detail of the stage area above). The line to get in the show wrapped around the block, but the seating was such that everyone got a good seat. I had never been inside a synagogue, and it made me want to convert instantly. There's a synagogue around the corner from where I live, I think I'll have to pop in there some time. Attending this concert was like going to church except one of my favorite bands played instead of hearing a boring, depressing sermon about how gays are damned and so am I! The doors opened at 5:30pm and the band started around 6:15pm. Perfect! The show opened with singer Amanda Palmer performing an a Capella version of "The Wind that Shakes the Barley". The acoustics of the synagogue were stunning, the reverb was amazing. Palmer and drummer Brian Viglione appeared to be delighted to be playing together (this was the first stop in their winter tour, their first after a long hiatus). It was a fun, giddy performance full of obscure songs and covers. My sister is a drummer, she fell in love with the band while admiring Brian Viglione's unique and playful style.
All of this, and the show was out by 8:15pm. My dream come true! We left, ate Indian curry and watched "Flight of the Conchords" and I was able to be in bed by 11pm. This is my old lady dream, to have concerts begin at 6pm and end at 8pm so that I can get to bed early. The reason the Dolls show began so late is that they had another engagement in Baltimore later that evening. I bet they had a late night.
Remember, The Dresden Dolls just might be in your area sometime soon! If you are nearby, be sure to see them at The NorVa on Jan 13th! You can bet your bum I'll be there.
3 comments:
when jared and i saw pj harvey on the uh huh her tour, she was on by 7 (no opener) and we were back at the hotel by 10. he was ecstatic that he went to, and thoroughly enjoyed, a rock show and was home by 10.
In response to iso.bot, isn't it wonderful also to attend a show with no opener? Sometimes an opening act can surprise you, but more often than not an opener is simply put there by a record company to market that band. It's so nice to go see a show from time to time where you get what you paid for. Also, I'm sick to freakin' death of waiting 45 minutes or more after an opening act for the main attraction to get their bums on the stage. Why on earth do artists need an hour to primp and check cables while their audience loses interest and grows tired? I think 15 to 20 minutes to set up and check equipment should suffice. The rest is just rock star posturing. Thanks again, Dresden Dolls, for your punctuality at your Early Bird Special!
When we saw Tom Waits in Akron there was no opener, unless you count the drunk guy trying to pick up my wife and her sister the opening act.
We've actually begun skipping the openers, which we'll definitely do in March if The Pogues have the same guy opening for them that they did two years ago.
Granted, I did see Pixies as an opening band back when I was in high school.
Post a Comment