I can't think of anything clever to say to start with, so I'll just start from the beginning. :)

Jo, Jen and I left Rochester around four in the afternoon, and headed right to downtown Buffalo. Once there, we met up with Chad and Sharilyn, and my friend Eric from college also showed up. Chad, Eric, Jo, Jen and I grabbed some food at a bar/grill across the street, realizing that we were way too early. :)

We made our way to The Tralf by eight or so. My friend Jim and his wife Catherine were waiting in line, as well as Zay, Katie, Jenn, Heather, Jered, and I'm sure others that I'm forgetting. Doors opened fairly soon thereafter; we proceeded inside and grabbed some tables. Mike and Kelly SantaLucia and Laurie arrived before the opening act went on.

The Tralf is a really nice club. There's a balcony area, plenty of tables and chairs, and the sound system is very nice. Jason and Rob finally showed up from NYC (I was worried that they wouldn't make it actually). Susan Tanner, from Bottom Line, said some hellos as well. Hell, there were so many people at this show that I know, I'm sure I'm forgetting people.

Hammel on Trial went on pretty much on time, by nine. The crowd seemed to like him, although he had to tone down his performance due to the all ages crowd. He once again (he did this in Albany too) made fun of people who are on the internet, but it was all in good fun.

Fruvous hit the stage a little past ten, and played for a little over two hours! Buffalo crowds are usually very receptive to Moxy, and this was no exception. Although I, at first, was a little upset about people standing in front of me while I was trying to sit at my table and enjoy the set, I accepted it and became a part of the crowd's exuberence.

After the set, we chatted with the guys, and, of course, each other. Some of us hadn't seen each other in a while, so this was catching up time. I scared Marcus by buying the baby-T shirts (don't ask), and all of us hung out till around one in the morning, at which time we were politely (I'm not being sarcastic), asked to leave.

Afterwards, I drove Jo and Jenn home, while Eric, Rob, and Jason followed me back to Rochester. Rob, J, Eric, and I grabbed a late snack and finally hit the hay by five in the morning.

One more show to go. Back to Buffalo, everyone!

From Chad Maloney:

The next morning came around with a nice (free) breakfast, some packing, and a trip out into the drizzle to the cars in the nice donut smelling Albany air. If someone knows why Albany smells like donuts, please share.

The drive to Buffalo wasn't so bad. A pretty straight shot with a stop at an Expressway service island so Jered could get some Chili Dogs and Jenn could partake of a bad batch of Sour-Patch kids. We left saying that we'd meet around 5 at the venue in case we got lost. One of the two cars got to the venue a little before the other and the other car got to learn how Michigan and New York have a little pact going and how it makes life a little nicer.

The Tralfamadore Cafe is on Main street in downtown Buffalo. 642 Main to be exact. Of course at 800 Main street, the street ends as far as car traffic goes. That threw midwestern boy for a loop so I circled around until I found a meter, fed it a bit and walked to where main street decided to end before the place I was going to. In place of the cars on Main, there was this Trolley thing and the venue was there on the second floor. I wandered up to check it out and talked to a couple of staffers about parking. They said stay at the meter and you'll be fine and I did and I was fine. Parking solved cheaply and easily. Meters don't charge after 5 and I got there at 5:15! Yay for me!

I sat around the front of the Tralf for awhile waiting for friendly Frufaces to venture. Chris, Jo, and Jennifer and one of Chris's friends, Eric came through the building behind me. We were out front talking. Sharilyn showed up while we were talking and went inside. The rest of us went over to a pub/food place across the trolley tracks (Breckenridge's or something maybe). Chris got his fish fry and the man painted on the wall with the pick axe and climbing rope was happy when Jo and Eric got the Avalanch beer. We talked for awhile and had a nice lazy meal and comforted Jennifer about the guys making fun of Starbucks when she works there =)

We went back across to the venue to find a small line forming and Laurie, Jered, Jenn, Sharilyn, Heatherrr, and other I don't know as well in it. Tonight was the all ages show and there were some groups competing in the sing pop songs the other group doesn't know battle. Katie got there and was able to sell my extra ticket to one of her friends. That was good. Ticketmaster didn't get me that badly. I also saw Beth that I met at Philly too. It entertained me that I was in a city I'd never been to and knew so many people from before. The doors opened and we walked in. Most of us were waylaid talking to Marcus in the coat room. Forunately Heatherrr and Sharilyn had the sense to keep going and get us some prime spots at the tables right between Murray and Jian.

Mike and Kelly SantaLucia showed up and it was great to finally meet the FruFam. I signed shirts (they got coool shirts) and we talked for a bit. We had three tables of Fruheads, two smaller tables and one long table. There were a lot of tables and the younger crowd didn't appreciate that much. The management tried to enforce the tables so people could watch, but it didn't work out that way.

Hammel came on right on time again and did a similar set to the night before. He started out by saying that this would be his first all ages show. I didn't believe him for a minute. And it took him three or four sentences before you told the audience F*** you and that was there. We got the blew the seal joke and more poking fun at computer people. You know, in prison they have... nevermind. I listened to Hammel lyrics completely this time. He is a darn good story teller with a lot to say. It was really good. He actually did break a string this time (the A) but he troopered on slamming the low E string and it lasted and he traded off for his backup guitar (which fortunately wasn't in hock at the time =)

In between Hammel and Fruvous, Jason and Rob showed up. They got tickets at the door and they had SRO (standing room only) written on them. We had saved them seats though, so all was well with them...

Fruvous did a long set, playing to the home crowd in Buffalo (really, they measure time by when they play in Buffalo. Before Buffalo, they are just warming up to Buffalo. After Buffalo, they are just keeping busy until they can get back to Buffalo). The set was very close to the previous night, but it was more energetic. I thought Albany was wonderful, but Buffalo made it look slow (kinda like when a snail is riding on a turle - wheeee!). They guys had a lot of great banter (and Murray had a Spector that looks a lot like his but Lazlo said it wasn't his).

Jian threw in Kid's Song instead of Ash Hash which was great. And before Saucep'n there was talk about how the band is pro-food. Food is good. Everyone needs food. We need to drive down the anti-food people. During BJ, Mike used the Megaphone and said Mozart released the Magic Flute which brought to mind a big CD release party for Mozart. Made me laugh a lot. Horseshoes was added into the first encore too and it was great to watch people's faces during Grunge of Spain when they realized what the words were. How many songs do you know with the word Crokinole in them?

The crowd loud and into it. Lots of high pitched shrieks, but this was the all ages show =) Hopefully the taping went well. We hung out afterwards till the lights were flashed and we were kicked out and everyone went their ways, some back to Rochester, others to their homes. Heatherrr, Jered, Jenn, Sharilyn and I stayed at Laurie's which was big and great and we stayed up late chatting, doing puzzles, and preparing for the surprise.

(Be sure to check out the articles from Artvoice and Gusto).

Thanks to Chris & Moe for these:
• Jian in his GE&H garb
• Murray & Jian
  Thanks to Mike & Kelly for these:
• Boo Time - Jian & Mike
• Boo Time - Murray
• Jian (w/ Dave in the background)
• Message to You - Jian, Mike, & Dave
• Murray on bass
• Jian calls in to WLUV

• I've Gotta Get a Message to You (A Cappella)

• Chatter
  • Jian: Good evening, Buffalo!
• Poor Mary Lane
• On Her Doorstep
• Chatter
  • Jian: As always, it's a pleasure to be back in Buffalo. A 2 1/2 month tour for us is just doing a bunch of dates around the Buffalo date.
  • An audience member yells "You guys are cool!"
  • Jian: I said the same thing in Boston, pal. I'm a lier.
  • Jian: There's a number of tiers to the crowd. The standing, the sitting...
  • Jian plugs YWGTTM to intro the next song.
  • Jian proceeds to re-intro the song due to "bass trouble". (some hum in the monitors)
  • Murray: It's called bass-switching.
  • Mike: Watch for Michael Keaton's new movie, "Bass Trouble".
  • Dave: Featuring a dog called Beethoven.
• Michigan Militia
• Chatter
  • Jian: How many people like food?
  • Murray: Who here has had a meal today?
  • Jian: Food can bring us all together.
  • Murray: Or it can tear us apart. Beware of food.
  • Jian: Food is like love.
  • Dave: The last time I had a bunch of food that tore me apart, you guys were all crossin' me for riding in the van with you.
  • Mike sings: "Food... It's got that stuff, that indigestible..."
  • Murray: We're a pro-food band.
  • Jian: Food is an affirmative thing.
  • Murray: We have a one word slogan: eat.
  • Dave sings "All we are saying...is eat shit loads of food" to the melody of "Give Peace a Chance".
  • Dave: Eat the good stuff, no crunchy cheetos.
  • Jian: On the contrary, my friend. 3 O'Clock in the morning, Bob Newhart re-runs, some Doritos...
  • Mike: Cool ranch.
  • Dave: It's like when we ask Cal about recording and he says "Shit goin' in, shit goin' out".
  • Dave: Should we crack into this song?
  • Jian: No, let's talk some more.
  • Mike & Dave do an acappella version of The Oatmeal Song.
• Johnny Saucep'n
• Chatter
  • Jian: You're a noisy ass crowd! How many people have a stereo that rocks? How many people wish they had a stereo that rocks? How many people will just scream when I say "stereo that rocks"? Excellent. Perfect. Good to know.
• Lazy Boy
• Boo Time (Jazz version)
  • Mike, intro, audience call and response: Hoot owl noises. Whistles. Cat noises. Dog noises. Screeches.
  • Mike: I hear a hoot owl. I hear a hoot owl. I hear a hoot owl, Lord Bayden Powell, Adam West puttin' on the Batman cowl, and everybody know what time it is, time it is...
  • During the previous line, a girl says to Jian, "You are so hot".
  • Mike & Dave call and response: Various scat lines. Sweet patootie.
  • Mike & audience call and response: Chippewa Chippewa. Anchor Bar. Doin' twistin' grot (??). Promo the Robot.
  • Final improv line (repeated 4x): Give the man the slip on the Elmwood strip.
• Chatter
  • Dave: If it really was Boo Time...
  • Dave: People always say "Moxy Frugous".
  • Jian talks about when they came up with their name, they wanted something accessible, so they came up with Moxy Fruvous.
  • Murray: It was either that or The Tables.
  • Mike: I suggested The Renegades.
  • Murray: The Runaways.
  • Dave: I suggested Love Bonus.
  • Jian: We didn't get that one.
  • Dave: Clearly, and look where we are now.
  • Jian: They love us anyway.
  • Jian: I have a story to tell. When I was 8 in Toronto, we got Buffalo TV. Rocketship 7, anyone remember that? It was the late 70's. On the show they said in 50 years there would be a colony of people on the moon. The show was in '78, that means in 50 yrs., that people will be living on the moon. As we get closer to that date, I'm realizing that was a Rocketship 7 crock of shit. Because there won't be people living on the moon in 30 years. We haven't got any closer to that.
  • Murray: Hey...slow down there.
  • Mike talks about some drug that was mentioned on Rocketship 7.
  • Some discussion is given to Dave Thomas (Rocketship 7) vs. Commander Tom.
  • Mike: No respect for Buffalo television.
  • Dave: Well, we're gonna send this next one to Irv Weinstein.
  • The guys all crowd around each other to prep for the song and hear the pitch pipe.
  • Jian: That's a great move we do. We just do that for the audience. Everything is on tape that you're hearing. As if we need to hear the note. We have to present that illusion.
  • Murray: Let's do it again, like in a 40's musical.
  • The guys do the move again, with much theatrics.
• You Will Go to the Moon
• Chatter
  • Murray: When we do put that colony on the moon, that song will be a tape loop playing all the way there and all the way back. And everyone's gonna have to listen to it all the time.
  • Mike: It will be "You have gone to the moon".
  • Murray: You are on the moon.
  • Dave mentions how YWGTTM was played to wake up the shuttle.
  • Jian: But WE didn't wake them up.
  • Mike: The digital us.
  • Dave plays the chord for Ash Hash.
  • Mike: And now another song about space.
  • The guys decide to do a different song.
  • Dave talks about Canada and its divisions, its problems.
  • Jian: Unlike America, we have ethnic trouble.
  • Jian talks about the Spicer commission and how it travelled the country asking people for their opinion on how to make everyone in Canada get along. There was one group of people that wasn't asked. Who were they, Murray?
  • Murray: People who love polyester.
  • Mike: The surviving members of the Beach Boys.
  • Jian: They're not Canadians.
  • Dave: It was the people who love polyester.
  • Jian: Boy, you guys are dumb.
  • Murray: We're a polyester advocacy group, actually.
  • Jian: It was the nation's young, the kids!
• The Kids' Song
  • "Is there something you like? Barney!"
  • "squirt gunning my pablem!"
• Chatter
  • Jian thanks Alice 92.9 in Buffalo for promoting the show.
  • Jian: There's a better station in Toronto, it's a talk station, it's called WLUV. Dave turned me on to it.
  • Dave: I turned you on, and she turned me off. I call in for advice.
• Your New Boyfriend (Slow version)
• Fell in Love
• Chatter
  • Murray: I liked the candle action here (motions toward the audience)
  • Dave: I wanted to order a bottle of chablis during that.
  • Murray: I wanted to ask someone to the prom. I don't get that urge often, but when it hits, it hits big... So if there's a prom anywhere...
  • Dave: These little kids I drive to school, they make the noise, I get the headache. When I get it, I get it big. So I take this stuff, Anacin. It's got 7 grades of pain reliever in every tablet.
• Get in the Car
  • Dave, during the guitar intro: I was wathing Rockford Files the other night. The whole gang was there. It was that one where Jim was hanging with a hippie. All the new age stuff finally got to him, finally he looks at her and says, "Sky, forget the Karma, and get in the car!"
• Chatter
  • Jian: We're releasing that to the royal family, called "Don't get in the car".
  • The audience groans.
  • Murray: That's a dark joke for you.
  • Jian: I'm a dark guy.
  • Murray: This next song is about the modern world.
  • Jian: It's called "The Modern World"!
  • A quick drum jam and some singing ensues.
  • Jian: Wrong jam song, Mike.
  • Mike: Catch me every week doing 'The Jam'.
  • Mike does a little advert with some drum accompaniment.
  • Murray: One of the great things about living in this era, as opposed to the Bronze Age? He says rhetorically. We can, for a certain amount of money, we can do stuff like get cellulite sucked out of our legs, and that type of thing.
• The Incredible Medicine Show
• B.J. Don't Cry
  • Jian during the drum intro: I wanna hear somebody, I wanna hear somebody, somebody, somebody, scream!
  • "banished him for life he did"
  • "Buddha and a brush"
  • Mike uses his megaphone for the "Now on the street..." section.
  • "In 1774, Mozart releases the Magic Flute"
  • "like a UFO he's boarding...but he'd rather do a live recording"
• Video Bargainville
  • Jian, during the intro: Unless you're 10, or younger, you may not remember 10 years ago.
  • Dave, laughing: Especially if you're 10.
  • Jian: I swear to God I remember when Robert Kennedy was shot. I was 6 months old, but I remember it.
  • Mike does a Kennedy impression.
  • Jian: If you remember 10 years ago, renting a video was like 9.99. Now I'm walking into a 7-11, and all of a sudden there's a 99 cent video sale. They're like Caddyshack 2. It's not quality. Actually, that one was quality. My point is, it really changed things. We've headed into this new world.
• Chatter
  • Jian: How many people here just can't stand Starbucks?
  • An audience member hands Jian a Starbucks card, which he tears up.
  • Jian: As less of us go to Blockbuster and Starbucks, the world will be a better place.
  • Jian: When a monarch that I love and respect, when he is deposed, does that bother people?
  • Mike: Here comes the story, not alot of people are aware of the fact that the character in this song, is also the lead character in the song 'My Baby Loves a Bunch of Spaniards', the King of Spain!
• King of Spain
  • Jian, during the intro: The king, in his Tibetan hat.
  • Mike: A wily king.
  • Murray: The hassle with the tassle in the castle.
  • Jian: More shoes than Imelda Marcos.
  • "King, how are you such a chomskyite? There's something on your head. Cheektowaga!"
  • "give ALL of these people chocolate eclair!"
  • "Now the Sabres call me up..."
  • "Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you Provo and the Provos!"
  • Before the epilogue, Dave: You are no doubt curious as to how I came to be working at these shit jobs...

• Chatter
  • Dave: Go, King Go! The king is running as an independent in the next election.
• Signed, Sealed, Delivered
  • Jian, during the drum intro: There comes a time when every show has to end.
  • Murray: Except this one. We're playing forever!
  • Jian thanks the crowd, talks about Fruvous virgins, and "it feels like home in Buffalo".
  • Jian: We're not an MTV band, we don't care to be, we depend on grass roots movements, so if you like what you hear, spread the word.
  • Jian: Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready? 1 2 3!

• Chatter
  • Mike: Do we have any fans here of great works of literature? We'd like to talk to you about someone who changed this band. Changed it. Like that part in T2, when that woman (Mike makes crunching sounds)
  • Mike: We discovered some amazing books. 'Whim of the Carpenter'. 'Me, I invented spaghetti'. 'The cry of the meat-eater is more hospital'. I speak of none other than the late, great, Dr. Seuss.
  • Murray: Oh Yeah! Oh Yeah!
• Green Eggs & Ham (full version)
  • Murray: Mr. Cheese voted Republican. How're you feeling, Mr. Cheese?
  • Dave: Can I tell you what I want, what I really really want?
  • Murray: You can tell me what you want, what you really really want.
  • Murray: The other! He grew up in Tonawanda. Sam I Am!
  • During "Not the Beatles", Jian: Hey! Not the Beatles... This is upstate NY, they...love the Beatles.
  • Dave: Did they play Artpark?
  • Jian: The Beatles wrote all of the best songs ever.
  • Jian: Daydream Believer. Break on through to the other side... Girls who meet boys...
  • Mike sings Champagne Supernova in his megaphone.
  • Dave: As far as I'm concerned the best songs are "Polka Dots and Moonbeams", "I'll be loving you always" and "Tea for Two".
• Chatter
  • Jian: How many people here would consider themselves a loser? How many people have had a relationship that has ended. If the person next to you didn't put up their hand, give them a shot in the head. Everyone has to have had a relationship that has ended, otherwise their life is too good. And they deserve punishment. If you've been in that situation, you know what that feeling is like, when you love someone, there's that moment, where you realize that you're just not right, and it has to come to an end. This song is about that feeling. It's kinda a sickly-sad feeling... Your stomach is eroding into a mess of sadness and reflection.
• Fly
• Chatter
  • Murray: Do I have time to tell my coffee story? I gave up coffee yesterday. And the timing is probably terrible. I felt bad for two days.
  • Murray talks about how all these waitresses kept asking him if he wanted coffee.
  • Murray continues his story with musical accompaniment.
  • Murray talks about how he reads his paper in a cafe called Coffee Sanctuary. I fortunately spied hot chocolate. The story kind of ends there, except that I felt terrible for 2 days.
  • Jian: Way to go Murray, for giving up coffee.
  • Jian: How many people can't stand health-conscious, moralistic people like that?
  • Jian continues to rave against Murray.
  • Jian: I ain't givin' up coffee for nothing!
  • Mike: How many people want to cheer Murray for replacing that craving for coffee with delicious tobacco and nicotine?
  • Jian: Murray's taking up smoking!
  • A quick song ensues.
  • Jian: At least coffee is not THAT bad for you. Since the beginning of time...
  • Dave: Well, people have been shooting heroin since the beginning of time.
  • Dave: This is better than Kurt Loder's special on drug use.
  • Mike: Who can't stand Kurt Loder?
  • Another song/tease follows.
  • Mike: Hi, I'm Kurt Loder, I'm Dick Clark for another generation.
  • Dave briefly asks the audience for what they want to hear.
• Horseshoes
• Grunge of Spain

• Chatter
  • Jian thanks the crowd again, The Tralf, and talks about the Your New Boyfriend tour.
  • Jian: The tradition in this next song, if you can do it without getting all goofy on us, is to swing and sing along.
• The Drinking Song

Some other tidbits from the performance include:

• Feel free to help contribute to this section!