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Oct. 26th, 2008 12:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rivkaMy favorite band, in Baltimore, on my birthday. What are the odds?
Maybe the second-best Great Big Sea concert I've seen, and I've been to a bunch of them. It's hard to beat the first time Michael and I ever saw them, in a little hole-in-the-wall college bar in Iowa City about ten years ago, during their first U.S. tour. A busload of Canadian students had been brought down from some college near Dubuque, so the crowd was intensely enthusiastic. GBS were a little drunk on the fun and craziness of suddenly being obscure, and they did things like an extended medley of 80s songs. Alan Doyle launched into "It's the End of the World As We Know It" and then visibly realized that he didn't remember all the words.
It's hard to beat that, but this show probably takes second place. It was awesome.
They played in the Ram's Head in Baltimore, which is a large-ish club that manages to fake "intimate" pretty well. We stayed sitting down until GBS actually came out, and were able to just walk up to a spot 20-25 feet from the center of the stage.
They played everything. All the old stuff: The Process Workers' Song, The Night Pat Murphy Died, General Taylor, Mari Mac, Old Black Rum, Lukey, When I'm Up I Can't Get Down, Consequence Free, Ordinary Day for God's sake, the first GBS song I ever heard. They played When I Am King and John Barbour and Scolding Wife and End of the World (Alan Doyle is much smoother about the words he's forgotten, ten years later) and some gorgeous songs from the new album, like Here And Now and England.
They played and played, and we sang ourselves hoarse, and I learned that jumping up and down while six months pregnant, while not advisable, is sometimes necessary.
My favorite band. In Baltimore. On my birthday.
It was awesome.
Maybe the second-best Great Big Sea concert I've seen, and I've been to a bunch of them. It's hard to beat the first time Michael and I ever saw them, in a little hole-in-the-wall college bar in Iowa City about ten years ago, during their first U.S. tour. A busload of Canadian students had been brought down from some college near Dubuque, so the crowd was intensely enthusiastic. GBS were a little drunk on the fun and craziness of suddenly being obscure, and they did things like an extended medley of 80s songs. Alan Doyle launched into "It's the End of the World As We Know It" and then visibly realized that he didn't remember all the words.
It's hard to beat that, but this show probably takes second place. It was awesome.
They played in the Ram's Head in Baltimore, which is a large-ish club that manages to fake "intimate" pretty well. We stayed sitting down until GBS actually came out, and were able to just walk up to a spot 20-25 feet from the center of the stage.
They played everything. All the old stuff: The Process Workers' Song, The Night Pat Murphy Died, General Taylor, Mari Mac, Old Black Rum, Lukey, When I'm Up I Can't Get Down, Consequence Free, Ordinary Day for God's sake, the first GBS song I ever heard. They played When I Am King and John Barbour and Scolding Wife and End of the World (Alan Doyle is much smoother about the words he's forgotten, ten years later) and some gorgeous songs from the new album, like Here And Now and England.
They played and played, and we sang ourselves hoarse, and I learned that jumping up and down while six months pregnant, while not advisable, is sometimes necessary.
My favorite band. In Baltimore. On my birthday.
It was awesome.
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Date: 2008-10-26 04:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-26 04:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-26 04:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-26 04:34 am (UTC)Yeah, that's pretty awesome.
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Date: 2008-10-26 04:46 am (UTC)They are such a great band, especially live. So much fun.
I think Ordinary Day may have been the first song of theirs I heard, too!
Happy birthday!
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Date: 2008-10-26 05:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-26 05:50 am (UTC)Ah, yup. That's Great Big Sea, all right. What a great way to celebrate your birthday!
I had the good fortune of seeing them in 1996 at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. They've been among my favorites ever since. I've only seen them live a couple of times -- Winnipeg, the Minnesota Zoo -- and never yet indoors. One of these days....
"General Taylor" and "The Chemical Workers' Song" have been favorites since the first time I heard them (both at that first Winnipeg show). Then there's "Lucky Me"; that song leaves me filled with hope and a wry happiness every time I hear it. Road Rage is my favorite album, though there's also a special place in my heart for Great Big Sea and Play.
Thanks to your post and a bit of poking about online, I now know they have a new album out. I have all of their others, except for Rant & Roar (since I had the previous albums the material came from. However, I don't have either of the DVDs. Neat! They'll go on my Christmas list.
What a great band. I'm so glad they've had such staying power and that they continue doing interesting things, all without leaving most of the great, old material behind.
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Date: 2008-10-26 06:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-26 08:03 am (UTC)What a nice present.
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Date: 2008-10-26 10:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-26 11:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-26 11:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-26 11:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-26 12:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-26 12:14 pm (UTC)I <3 GBS. I saw them about 6 months pregnant, too, with Edward. Now, he has an unabating love of music and guitars. Coincidence? I think not! ;-)
s
Date: 2008-10-26 01:40 pm (UTC)I'm so glad you had a good time. Happy birthday!
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Date: 2008-10-26 06:48 pm (UTC)My newspaper this morning informed me that it is also Hillary Clinton's and Pat Sajak's birthdays as well. What an odd combination! :)
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Date: 2008-10-26 07:02 pm (UTC)happy birthday!
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Date: 2008-10-27 01:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 01:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 06:19 pm (UTC)