What an incredible show! All the guys were full of energy and seemed to be having a blast. The last show I saw was good, but this show was in another league. If the show last fall was a 4 cylinder, this show was a souped-up V8 muscle car.
The sun was glaring, so all the guy wore sunglasses on stage. Dave danced and spun around and headbanged so enthusiastically that he sent his sunglasses flying off his face several times. During Without a Trace, Dave spun around so wildly that he nearly whacked Dan with his guitar.
Dave and even Dan told so many corny jokes that some loudmouth in General Admission yelled out, "Enough with the jokes already!" No one else seemed to mind, though.
Sometime to Return: I must disagree with you about All is Well. The album version is good, but it is so much better live. What a rush!
Some highlights:
-- playing Runaway Train as if it were a rocker instead of a ballad. Last fall, they played RT with an air of cheerful resignation to duty, but this time they made it seem fresh and seemed to have fun doing it.
--They went crazy with Cartoon. They all just jammed out together on it -- all four of them playing off each other with so much energy and enthusiasm. They followed this with a rowdy, hard-rocking version of Gone Til November (instead of the romantic-ballad version they played last time they were here).
--At one point, Dave and Dan one-upped each other with dueling guitar runs.
--Guy in audience to George: "Can I buy you a beer?"
George: "You are wonderful, man, but I'm good right now."
--Dave promising a family with young daughters, "I've used up my quota of foul language for the show."
--Dave's performance of the last verse of Stand Up and Be Strong (the part of the song I like). He sang it in a goofy, childlike voice and hammed it up with such a silly, playful, charming performance that I view the entire song more fondly now.
--On an immature note: I was standing at the rail between Reserved section and the stage just to my left of center stage. At one point, Dave wandered over to the edge of the stage near where I was standing. I watched his hands while he played acoustic guitar. Then he flipped up his guitar at an angle toward him and suddenly I could see skin where his inner thigh showed through the ripped-out crotch of his jeans. I managed not to gawk (too much) and looked away. Then I realized, Dave Pirner just flashed me.
Not on purpose, obviously, and not just me. Dave flashed about a half dozen of us at that section of the railing. And he did it three or four more times during the show.
After the show, I met up with my friend again and told her what happened. She said, "I believe it. When he bent over earlier, I could see the band of either ugly underwear or a jock strap. Later I decided he was wearing a jock strap because of all the holes in his jeans."
Jock Strap v. Ugly Underwear: who knows? All I actually saw was a little thigh.
Dave should probably get some new jeans.
All in all, Soul Asylum kicked ass. They performed with such high energy, fun, and pure joy. They rocked the rafters.
If that stupid reviewer of the Fargo show had seen SA in Kansas City, he wouldn't have suggested SA resign themselves to being a half-assed, sleepwalking nostalgia act. They have too much energy and too much creativity for that.
Soul Asylum still has so much to give. I can't wait to see what they do next.
