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July 01, 2005
ma won't shave me, jesus can't save me, dog faced boy
Eels - June 30th, 2005 - Town Hall
Wow. I just came back to one of the best shows I've seen this year. I never really knew much about the Eels until I took one of those random online personality/music quizzes and out popped Electro-Shock Blues as the ideal album to fit convuluted soul. I enjoyed it but I only listened to it occassionally. It was just too depressing to listen to nonstop.
Last night's show at Town Hall definitely made me like them more. It's the type of music that you first have to experience live before you're addicted to it. There was no opening band, rather, the audience was treated to a Russian stop motion cartoon involving Gena, a crocodile in the city zoo and Churbarshnayk (I need to start bringing notepads to concerts to remember these names), a cute furry animal that lives in a phone booth that have the zoo baffled. Here's where it get's odd: the two animals meet through an ad Gena posted about looking for friends in the city. Thus they get together and create a house of friends for the friendless people living in the city. I definitely did not expect that.
The Eels finally came on accompanied by an all-female string quartet with Mark Oliver Everett dressed as an assasinated Communist leader. With his cane he conducted the band as he puffed on his many cigars. What the hell? I was expecting someone different and I was pleasantly surprised. He played a number of songs from the new album particularly Dust of Ages, Suicide Life, Railroad Man (which he sang on Leno when Laura Bush was on in protest for her husband's destruction of America and yes, that made me smile), Going Fetal, and Losing Streak.
From one of their multiple encores, Everett sang Hey Man (Now You're Really Living) which yet again threw me for a loop after hearing it for the first time. Why? Because it rocks.
Do you know what it's like to fall on the floor And cry your guts out 'til you got no more Hey man now you're really livingIt's just amazing how he can compose such upbeat compositions and then switch to songs like The Other Shoe:Have you ever made love to a beautiful girl
Made you feel like it's not such a bad worldHey man now you're really living
And soon they'll wake up To the stink of life passing them by Wake up and smell the stink of their liveThe garbage trucks are coming
To take your shit to the dump
Smelling pretty now
Such a pretty lump
Disturbing and yet poignant. Too bad he didn't play it. The entire concert was filmed for the Eels' upcoming DVD (which we previewed at the show) and probably contributed to the multiple encores they gave. They even managed to change into their pajamas for their last encore (which they've apparently done at some other shows and at Letterman last night)!
An Eels Pajama Party
Ms. Nola was there.
As was VC.
Pictures are on flickr.
P.S. New York does <3 Chet.
Posted by gopster at July 1, 2005 12:40 AM
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Comments
It was a sweet show. I felt like Blinking Lights was made specifically for that performace. Great review.
Posted by: Jerry at July 1, 2005 03:48 PM
