whitesail

Been busy doing nothing all week, so I decided to finally post about our concert weekend last weekend.

We saw the Cowboy Junkies here in Omaha on Friday and again in Des Moines on Saturday. Friday night’s show was a mixed bag. The band was hot, but the crowd was not. It was pathetic. I have never been to a concert where the crowd was so loud and obnoxious. It’s one thing to have a crowd like that for a punk or heavy metal band, but for a band like the Junkies it was utterly moronic. The band pretty much feels out the venue and plays accordingly, so they really rocked out that night, playing more upbeat and rock-type songs than they normally do. But, being who they are they also slowed it down for some quiet acoustic numbers, and that’s when our lovely Omaha crowd’s ignorance shown so brightly. The venue asked people to be quiet. Margo asked people to be quiet. They passed out notes. And still the noisy, self-centered fucks wouldn’t shut up. Unbelievable. Of course, Mike got pissed and really stretched out on a couple loud, feedback-laced solos, as if to try to exorcise the demons in the crowd. That was fun.

Saturday night was much better. The venue was nice and the crowd was fantastic. During the acoustic numbers you could hear a pin drop. The band played a very quiet, introspective set, completely different from the previous night. It was like seeing a different band in some respects. Mike’s guitar playing was beautifully understated much of the night, although he did let go a couple times. Jeff Bird was amazing, as always, playing everything in sight and complimenting the band perfectly. Pete and Alan played their usual perfect drums and bass…..Alan is one of the most melodic bass players around. And Margo was just stunning all night. Her voice is absolutely hypnotic, and she has this perfect sense of how to phrase Mike’s lyrics, almost in a Billie Holliday type manner. From hushed whispers to almost snarling vengeance, she is a wonder. One of my favorites was Witches, with just her and Mike. I have some of the lyrics on the right of this page. Absolutely beautiful, and they could not have played this Friday, because of the atmosphere in Omaha.

We also got to see some friends we hadn’t seen for a while. In Omaha we met up with Joe and his girlfriend. In Des Moines we went with Laure, who we hadn’t seen in over a year. It was her first Junkies show. Hopefully, she has been converted.

Also, got to meet Margo and the band before the Omaha show. We brought her some flowers and talked during soundcheck before the show. She is so sweet. Also got to meet her again after the Des Moines show at her meet and greet after the show. It is so awesome that she takes the time to meet her fans after every show.