Another excellent show in the beautiful town of Buffalo, city of Ontario. Oh wait, it's part of New York... Well, you wouldn't know it based on the response the boys get in this border-hugging city.

I left Rochester around 1:30 and got into Buffalo at three. It didn't take me long to find Lafayette Square, where I hung out near the stage as the guys were setting up for sound check. I ran into Katie, talked to her for a bit, and eventually met up with Kevin Burg, fellow Fredonian, so we staked a place out on the grass and relaxed.

Lafayette Square is smack in the middle of downtown Buffalo, surrounded by a traffic circle and a subway/tram that makes part of the road annoyingly inaccessible. There is a large statue in the center of the green, and Moxy made sure to poke fun at it during their set (how do you spell phallic?).

The local radio station, nicknamed Alice 92.9 (not sure of the number), was hosting the evening and had a tent set up. From four to five, Moxy were signing autographs and handing out posters and promo pics. At five, they took off, and Animal Planet graced (or is that grossed?) the stage for about an hour and a half. I really didn't care for them; it was just another typical rock band.

Before Moxy started, Laurie showed up, as well as Frufamily and they decided to hang back (Mike was videotaping), but I stayed as close to front and center as I could. I met a girl that went to Fredonia the same time I did, and was even in the same major. For about twenty minutes before we started talking to one another, we both looked at each other every couple minutes with this 'you look soooo familiar' expression on our faces. The world is definitely way too small.

Moxy came on stage at seven, as planned, and wowed the audience with a great ninety minute set, which included Cross-Border shopping, a Buffalo standard that they don't normally do anywhere else. I heard from someone that these outdoor shows generally bring in upwards of 7,000 people, which filled the streets and city blocks surrounding the square.

After the show, I met up with a bunch of people: friends from college, Charlie, Brenda, Caren, Heather Rolph and her friend Karen, and various others whose names escape me at the moment. We chatted with the guys, and Mike told me to release the crossword puzzle the Tuesday of next week. Yay!! :-)

After some quick food with my friend Eric from school and Mike/Kelly/Kids, I headed home around 11:30 at night, still bouncing from another great night. See you all soon!!

Thanks to Zac for telling me what was written on the guys' setlist:

BJ
Video
Car
Boyfriend
Boss
Moon
Rush
Fly
Medic.
Border
Stuck 
Michi
Organ
Sauce
Authors
River
Dancing Queen
Encore #1  :  King, GE&H, Potion
Encore #2  :  Drink

From Artvoice magazine (July 2, 1997)

Moxy Früvous w/ Animal Planet at Thursday in the Square: It wouldn't be a proper season if Bflo favorites Moxy Früvous weren't there...how do you get to play this gig year after year anyway? Let us in on your secrets boys...Lafayette Square, 5pm (FREE!)

• The large tower
• The guys on stage
• The sign above the stage
  Thanks to Sarah Newhouse for this one:
• Dave and his accordion

• Chatter
  • The huge crowd goes nuts when Moxy comes on stage.
  • Jian: You people look sexy.
  • Jian and Dave comment on the large statue behind the soundboard, and the horses behind the stage.
  • Jian: We could really have an insurrection here, you ever see 'Planet of the Apes'?
  • Murray: It's all of us against those two horses.
  • Murray does the official intro: Watch my show, the Murray Foster show on NBC this fall. But first, here's a bunch of guys that got together in the auspices of the CIA five years ago, Moxy Fruvous!
• B.J. Don't Cry
  • Jian, during the drum intro: An hour and a half of unadulterated fun.
  • "Buddha and a brush"
  • Mike uses his megaphone for the "Now on the street..." section.
  • "every Thursday hit the Roxy"
  • "looked just like Carlton Fisk ... but he'd rather hang by the obelisk!"

• Video Bargainville
  • Lazlo has Jian's voice through distortion for this one.
• Chatter
  • Jian: What a pleasure it is to be in Buffalo.
  • Murray: What's the price of real estate here, cause we may just move.
  • Jian: Cause right now we live in Utica.
  • Jian: No, we live in Toronto, and if you're from Buffalo, and you want to visit us, one way is to 'Get in the Car'.
• Get in the Car
• Your New Boyfriend
• Chatter
  • Jian mentions the recent outdoor Rochester show, and how he feels Buffalo is better. (jokingly)
  • Jian: There should be an armed "problem" between Rochester and Buffalo. You know, you can meet somewhere on the 90...
  • Dave: Right at Darien Lake. It's a trip you can take.
  • Jian: There's more people here near the border than in our entire Army. Just start walking north, and three of you can overturn our three tanks.
  • Dave: And then you'll be meeted by greeters.
  • Mike: The last time this many people were massed at the border, Sir Isaac Brock lost his lunch.
• I Love My Boss
  • "Who knows what Bytor will be bringing?" (Bytor's owner was up in the front row)
  • Jian teases the audience with the final line of the song.
• Chatter
  • Jian thanks the people way back in the crowd who can't even see the stage.
  • Murray: Don't just clap for the dancing. I know we're great dancers...
  • Jian: You can see the people in audience. And they don't know we can see them.
  • Dave: They're picking there noses. Touching themselves.
  • Mike and Dave talk about "hard times", and Dave intros the next song.
  • Murray, trying to give the guys their note: My pitch pipe is broken. It was my father's pitch pipe.
• You Will Go to the Moon
• Chatter
  • Mike talks about Fruvous visiting the US, and how, during their first visit, a presence pervaded the air.
• The Greatest Man in America
  • "...love and praise G. Gordon Liddy. Charleton Heston is a nice man too. Moses!"
• Chatter
  • Dave: Has everyone tried the wings? Well, you live here...
  • Murray: Dave is going through his Buffalo file.
  • Jian: I don't want to bring things down.
  • Murray: Life is full of ups and downs.
• Fly
• Chatter
  • Murray: This next song is about one of the great luxuries we have in the modern times.
• The Incredible Medicine Show
• Chatter
  • Jian talks about their "street theatre" roots, and how they played in Buffalo the first time they ever played in the states.
  • Jian: Here's a song we can't really play in any other city.
  • The guys start the song, and then realize they're in the wrong key.
  • Mike: That was the Alfred, NY key.
  • Jian starts drumming and singing "Lafayette Square". Mike sings some trumpet.
  • The song mutates into a "Particle Man" parody.
  • Mike: 'Cause I got me a job working in the Media Lab! (ala spring MIT show)
• Cross Border Shopping
• Stuck in the 90's
  • "Sounds like more George Pataki"
• Chatter
  • Jian talks about how the next song is getting a lot radio play in the states. He thanks a couple local radio stations as well.
  • Mike goes into a quick tease of "These eyes are cryin'".
• Michigan Militia
• Chatter
  • Jian: If you have the album 'Wood', you'll know about a secret song, and a secret guy who hangs out on the corner of Queen and Bay.
• Organ Grinder
• Johnny Saucep'n
• My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors
  • Jian, during the drum intro: We're having too much fun. I've gotta calm down.
  • "I was looking straight!"
  • "Pulp Fiction"
  • "Who needs a grave? He's Robertson Davies!"
• River Valley

• Chatter
  • Jian brings a special guest star on stage, Lou.
  • Murray: Talk to the good people, Lou. Speak of your poetry.
  • Lou: Bury me in my shades, bury me in my shades. Burn my guitar in Lafeyette square, BUT bury Lou in his shades.
  • Dave, commenting on the bass not working: Something's weird with the bass.
  • Lou: Something's weird with the bass, and something's weirder with the bass player.
  • Murray: As long as I still have the gig, Mr. Reed.
• Dancin' Queen Medley

• Chatter
  • Jian asks both halves of the crowd how they're doing.
  • Jian, commenting on one half of the crowd: These people have had a little more coffee.
  • Jian: Is this guest star the little Earth Tonka toy that's on Mars right now? Is it a big slab of Evander's ear?
  • Jian: Yes, it is. We have it in a box, we'll be passing it around for everyone to have a lick. No, here's the introduction!
  • Mike: Here comes a story about a guy who when he's not saying 'Go, Bisons, Go', when he's not saying 'Go, Buffalo wings, Go', he's saying 'Everybody go kung fu fighting', the King of Spain!
• King of Spain
  • During the intro, the crowd sings "Now I eat humble pie" to Dave, and he turns to the crowd and says, "You too?"
  • "there's a fallace overhead, ruff ruff!"
  • "It's laissez faire, I'm not wearing underwear"
  • "Now the Sabres call me up..."
  • During the epilogue, Jian: Enquiring minds want to know the epilogue.
• Green Eggs & Ham
  • During "Not the Beatles", Dave: People, what year is it?
  • Murray: There was a Beatles song written for Buffalo, 'The continuing story of Buffalo Bill'
  • Mike plays a Beatles riff on the harmonica.
  • Jian: Three things in life that are sacred: 1, The Beatles, 2, William Shatner, 3, Elvis Costello.
• Love Potion #9 Medley
  • Jian, during the drum intro, thanks the crowd and Alice (radio station).
  • Jian: There's no reason not to go crazy, tear off your clothes...
  • Ohio, Stayin' Alive, Jungle Boogie riff, Who Will Save Your Soul?, "and who will save Jewel's soul?", Love Shack, "I'm heartbroken...", You Oughtta Know, "can she go down on Meredith Brooks, that bitch?!"
  • "just go to the rink and watch the Buffalo wings!"

• Chatter
  • Jian: We're on a tour for YWGTTM till early 2003. We should be back in Buffalo in November.
  • A fan in the crowd has a sign reading "Play Laika", and the guys almost do it. Jian: This guy's been asking for this all night.
  • Mike thanks some people he knows that are at the show.
• The Drinking Song

Some other tidbits from the performance include:

• Feel free to help contribute to this section!