Ok so here it is - 2:33am and we're back at my apartment after a bit of post-show fun. We decided we're gonna try to make it up to NoHo tomorrow, despite our lack of fundage. should be interesting. If anyone wants to donate to our "buy tickets instead of sitting outside the club" fund... hehee, feel free *grin*
Tonight's show was amazing. After a very, very weird day (ok, nothing can beat the weirdness of my trip to NJ but it was still very odd)... running into some of my old friends from high school, seeing an amazing a capella group perform at the Bowery Mission, and basically doing other odd stuff that only happens to me in the city... Amy and I decided to head up to Irving Plaza. Ok, so I live no more than 9 blocks from the venue but we managed to get soaked on the way over. The rain was pretty bad and the wind made it so bad that you just couldn't use an umbrella without it getting torn apart (not that i ever do - NYC was not made with umbrella's in mind!!). Doors weren't for another half an hour so we decided to go get some tea in the cafe across the street and wait for our buds to show up. We see them standing in line about 20 minutes later and basically chill in this cafe for quite some time. We saw the line start to move and decided to head over to IP.
We got in to the club well after everyone else but because we had no desire to check our stuff we just went straight upstairs and staked out some awesome spots stage-dave.
Sarah Harmer took the stage soon thereafter and despite the fact that she played the same set as last night - something was different. I was thoroughly impressed by tonight's set. wow. I'm not sure what it was but I seriously got into the vibe. Which is cool because there are very, very few female singers that i dig these days. Go Sarah. Seeking Homer. What can I say for these hometown boys other than that they are amazing. Being the only American band playing tonight they did an awesome rendition of the star spangled banner and uhm yeah, i'm still proud to be an american... lalalaaa! If anyone is around on May 5th - go check 'em out at the free show at the seaport! We had fruvirgins with us and after these guys finished playing they turned to us and asked, "ok, whoever the headlining band is - has some major standards to live up to now." and that they did... but from the first song that fruvous played, she realized that they were going to have no problem whatsoever in doing so.
I'm not sure what that first song was (something new, and something cool) but it was totally rockin. The show just got better from there. I don't have a setlist or anything but I'll just outline a few of the highlights.
There was more Murray banter which led into another Murray song tonight... which was cool. But it got super-duper-alice-cooper cool when Jian started singing Run DMC's "It's Tricky." Oh yeah baby. Growing up in the hood of denver (and yes, it does exist) I'd have to say that Run DMC was one of my fave bands... yes laugh at me now if you must. If you ever get a chance to see Run DMC live - go for it. they're amazing, especially in the past two years. Just awesome. So all i gotta say is "Go Jian." *grin*
Mike, during Minnie the Moocher made some crack about the Bloodhound Gang's new song... again, just going to plug the fact that my buds in this band called Nerf Herder are on tour with BHG right now - go check 'em out!!
Throughout the entire show the lads had so much energy - that was really cool. They all looked good and I have to mention Dave's "Liz Claiborne" outfit. very nice.
Also throughout the show were the hecklers (as always) and jian just seemed to be getting love from all the guys in the audience - not to mention the thirteen year old girls next to us screaming "WE LOVE YOUR PANTS JIAN" and then snickering to each other "Can we get in 'em?" hahaa.
The final highlight of the evening was Mike during green eggs and ham. "look at what you did to him!" to which he took a seat on stage and rocked himself back and forth while nibbling on a pear/apple which I believe he called a "naranja" later on *grin* Anyways, he started speaking in spanish and that was just too funny. When they moved on - Mike crawled back to the rear of the stage - it was nice.
OH OH OH!!! the *REAL* highlight of the evening for me - they sang Kick in the Ass... which was teh first time I ever got to hear it live. I was souped cause that was the song that initially got me liking the lads.
Before Ash Hash, Jian started talking about the fact that you should avoid X and other drugs (they are rold models after all and need to get the message out there) rather, go for the hash - it's easier to hide. There was some banter about Britney Spears being the real thing and Christinia aguillera (sp?) being nothing but fake. She'd be the Tonya Harding of the music industry...
Finally, after the show ended - the house lights come on and music starts playing... only it's Fruvous... and it's a pretty damn nice recording of "disco bargainville" so we got a bit of a C album teaser tonight. very nice. :D
Allright, sorry this review blew the fatty... I've got two research/term papers to write tonight/before tomorrow night's show... oh yeah, i gotta love the end of the semester - what a way to spend a friday night *sigh* ah well, fruvous made it excellent :)
From Amy:
Hey there! Day two of the Moxy Fruvous weekend is over! Woohoo! Ok, so i guess I shouldn't be excited about that...because that means I only have one more day and then have to return to Virginia... After a day of walking around in the rain, getting totally drenched, then chillin in Jordan's pad, we head for Irving Palace. The walk over there was like walking through a wind tunnel, let me tell ya.
Craziness...by the time we got to IP, I was soaked yet again and the hair definitely needed to be pulled back. Jordan and I chilled in a cafe after talking briefly with Jill (pretty cool pants she had on, I must say). Robbie came and joined us and he's a pretty cool guy. I love Jordan's friends! I guess that makes me part of her "posse" (which even though I typed that, I am still in denial).
So, we head inside and get great spots stage Dave. People were making shadow puppets on the screen...ya. That was fun. So, Robbie's friends join us and we had fru-virgins! Yay!
Sarah Harmer rocked. Same set, but I think the fact that we were all standing and stuff made it better so we could dance and stuff (as compared to Mays Landing). I enjoyed her.
Seeking Homer. Ok, these guys are "sex on a stick" to quote Jordan. They were totally awesome. Definitely what we needed to get us going. I could tell that I was going to loose my voice last night (I am kinda sick, by the way...so my voice is almost gone anyway). They remind me of Dave Matthews and this other band that I can't quite remember. I want to say Everything or the Pat McGee Band...but I'm not too sure since both those bands are not at all like eachother. Anyways, they rocked my world.
Fruvous came on... Jian had on jeans and sneakers, which is totally different from what I'm used to seeing him in. It was a pleasant change in a way. Dave's suit was awesome. And, taking a closer look, brought out the blue in his eyes. Very beautiful, if he doesn't mind my saying.
So, the first song was great. I'll be very happy if I could find out the name of the song and if it's on the C album.
Jian told everyone the story about his new hat and where he found it. He said that they were practicing in their rehearsal space last week in Toronto. The rehearsal space is actually a piano repair spot that is filled with just about anything and they are constantly discovering new things. Anyway, so Jian finds this hat and thinks that it's cool and decides to take it. Then, Dave comes in and starts singing "Persian Cowboy" to the tune of...something Jordan and I can't remember...it was funny, though. So, ya. The hat. I don't know about you, but it doesn't look like any of the cowboy hats I've seen. But, whatever. If Jian likes it, then that's fine with me.
During Michigan Militia, a string on Dave's banjo broke and he looked like he was going to pull it off, but then after a bit of trying took it off and handed it to Toby in the wings. He then ran around the stage and eventually picked up a guitar and started playing that. Suddenly, Michi turned into a metal band song. Made it sound sooo different. Dave rocks. Even though the sound of the song changed, he compensated the loss of the banjo with the electric guitar. Is this yet anothe example of why we all love this bald headed man? I know it's why I do. :-)
I Will Hold On was played in a new way. Murray and Mike exited the stage, and I was like, huh? where are they going? Jian and Dave were left to sing...no instruments except for the guitar. Beautiful but different. I liked it. Kinda made me think of what Fruvous would be like on MTV unplugged, if that program still came on...
So, yet another night of pleasant surprises coming from Fruvous. We'll be seeing them tonight in NoHo! This'll be Jordan's first trip to Massachusetts and my second. Yippy! So, we're headed out now and we'll see you there!
From Robin:
Morning all! Here's the set list from Irving Plaza.
Substitute (An old Who tune) Half as Much Horseshoes some banter re: Jian - the persian cowboy Fly some banter re: Murray wondering if pale blue light made him disappear on stage which led to a tune on Murray's pale blue shirt - --Hey Murray! (Toni Basil-type cover) Go To The Moon Kick in The Ass banter re: pie graphs, statistics to being role models - stay away from xtc, pot, but stay with hash, which of course led to - Ash Hash Minnie the Moocher Jockey Full of Bourbon a little riff of People Who Need People Michigan Militia a little rock version of Michigan Militia Johnny Saucep'n (but i think Jian though they were going to do Present Tense Toureen) I Will Hold On (done by Jian and Dave) Nuits River Valley Get In The Car Your New Boyfriend Disco Bargainville encore 1- King of Spain Green Eggs & Ham (it was a pear Mike was eating) encore 2- Splatter, Splatter Drinking Song
whew! it was a great show & i'm glad to supply this list - especially for my friend, Andrea, who couldn't be there last night.
we brought our daughter, Sara - it was her first show - and she had a wonderful time. i think now she understands why we like the lads so much! on the way out, she was approached by Jian who chatted with her a bit (then we got bounced out by the IP staff ).
kelsey has thoroughly enjoyed the past two days, since she and i did the Mays Landing show the night before. that was a great show also - i love small venues. at one point at Mays, the band left the stage, asked for the house lights & came off stage. after some conversation with the audience, Jian proceeded to climb into the audience by climbing over the auditorium seats! what a kick!
so, on that happy note, i go to gather laundry (i really know how to live!). have a great day all. :)
From Jill:
Hey hey! It's time again for everyone's favorite style of review!
Ok, so I had to work on Friday at my new job, which was all good 'cause it's walking distance from Irving Plaza. Unfortunately, they had me doing deliveries in that awful rain, so my pants, shoes and socks got soaked. However, being the shorty I am, I wear platform boots to shows. I didn't want to wear those boots to work, so I had them in my bag to change into later. This would have been great-if my socks weren't drenched. So when my friends (both fruvirgins) met me, we went over to Kmart where I got $1.99 Kathy Ireland socks. It made all the difference in the world. Moving on...
We made it to IP, my friends jumping in puddles along the way, so we were of course, quite drenched....only to get moreso waiting in line. The line was cold and wet and annoying, but nowhere near as bad as the Westbeth back in December. That was "please god, shoot me now" cold. We got inside, and after I stopped by the merch to say hi to Tobey, I staked out space stage Jian for me and my friends. We were all just glad to be warm and out of the rain.
Sarah Harner came out and did a pretty good set. There was a lot of talking during her set, but it was further back in the venue. She finished, and Seeking Homer came on. I enjoyed their set a lot. They reminded me a lot of DMB given their sound and jamming tendencies. Their rendition of the Star Spangled Banner was fantastic, and plenty of people shouted "PLAY BALL!" when it was over. They chuckled, as did the audience.
Their set finished, and after a relatively long amount of time, but not TOO bad for Fruvous, the lads came out. While we were waiting, people were doing hand puppets on the screen that Irving Plaza keeps over the stage before bands come out. People did things like "moxy fruvous" and album names with their hands. It was really great.
The set was excellent, and I got to see songs I hadn't seen yet. YWGTTM, KitA and Ash Hash were all special treats for me. YWGTTM had a false start, which was kinda funny. After that, someone noticed that Dave's beer had spilled, so that person got KitA. Whether or not that was on the setlist, I don't actually know, but it was appropriate *and* great.
They played Minnie after Ash Hash, and I went to dance with my friend Andrew. The rest of the set was *really* dancable, so I ended up dancing with him the rest of the show and not being up front as usual.
After the show, I got to give Jian the gift I had for him. (A piece of paper with his name written on it in Celtic Knotwork lettering.) I had gifts for the other lads, but I didn't get to see them that night. I introduced my other friend, Erin, to Jian. He asked her if she liked the show, and she said she'd enjoyed it. I said that this wasn't entirely her cup of tea, that she is a major KISS fan, which she is. At this point, Jian starts singing Love Gun, and she sang along with him. I said to him, "Uh oh, I think you just got another groupie!"and we all laughed. Andrew, through all this, was pretty much passed out on the floor. ; )
I went home, looking forward to hitting the road Saturday afternoon and going up to NoHo....
From Kelly:
Well, this was my second show in three days, having hit the Wilmington show by the graces of Pat Taddei and her car and extra ticket :) After that AMAZING night, I decided to say to heck with responsibility for a day and do everything in my power (and my wallet) to hit the NYC show.
I did not regret it.
I won't bother to put up the setlist, as it has already percolated through a few times. Rather, I just want to comment on what made the night different from any other night (re: the box of Matzoh someone gave to Murray). I got to thinking about that because I got snagged for an interview by one of the CBS Sunday This Morning reporters for an interview, and she asked why I would go to see the same band twice in three days.
Last night's show was exemplary as explanation. It was totally different from DE. Not just the improv, either. The setlist, the way they played, they way they reacted. Dave switching over to the guitar in the middle of Michi was a perfect example. Who else DOES that? No one. Not to say that the improv wasn't great, too -- I love any time the Mur-Man gets more play, and his little, "Do I get lost in this blue light" into Jian's version of "He's Tricky" was to me as much a "real song" as any of the others.
Speaking of the "real songs", you just never know what they'll play. Of late they have taken BJ and "Authors" out of the lineup and replaced them with covers, things from "Thornhill", and now "c" highlights. But last night, they did a completely unexpected move by playing Nuits du Reve (which I will NEVER pronounce correctly). Tis was an intersting choice, delighting some "hardcore" Früheads, but causing some of the idiots up in the balcony (where I was because I am short and couldn't see otherwise) to start talking incessantly because they couldn't understand the French. Sigh.
Finally, I was grooving on that little ole balcony last night -- something I NEVER do for any other band because while I sing and have that sort of rhythm, I am no dancer. But I didn't care. there's something about "Get In the Car" that makes me need to move.
In summary:
Faves - Horseshoes (as always), Kick In the Ass (all Psychology students want to kill that guy who wrote the book about the Bell Curve), Minnie (that f*cker Giuliani), Michi and Disco Bargainville, because they showed the versatility of our lads.
Wish they'd played - Gulf War Song (they ended on it in DE on 4/19 and I
was standing right at their feet! I guess you can't top that), It's Too
Cold (I've never heard it in concert), Independence Day
Some other tidbits from the performance include:
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