okay just woke up cause last nite I was entirely too tired to move. to give you an idea the troc is a pretty kewl place located rite next to that big gate thingie in chinatow. the security was kinda unkynd but not that bad for the city. anywhoo, when you first walk in your in a littel room w/ a purple ceiling and a small chandaler type thingin, then you walk out into the lobby, then you reach the floor. this is truly one of the kewl theaters I have been too. theres the main dance floor and then there are two small liltte steps that are all around and ther is like a platfor maybe a foot off hte dance floo that is th rest of the room(say what!?!?!?)
okay now to the concert
the opening band was like butch williams badn or sumin, they sucked.not that bad but ther wern't that good. then when they were done we had to wait a whole 40 minutes till the boys came out onstage. they opened w/ jockey full of burbon I htink(well my significant other and i were rackin our brains and thats what we came up with, miht be wrong) I forget i htnk next was a new song but hten thye went into this wired Jam thing very similar to lowest highest point. I believe that somehting like this has surfaced many a times along htis tour. it was about how some newspaper had used the word hippie to describe them and soo the "chorus" was every one int the theater singing "were all hippies and geeks" it was pretty funny(anyone else remeber folkfest 35?????) . they played some more songs but the order is fuzzy to me. I beneber king of spain(of course) surprisingly enuffr there was noo green eggs and ham which was a rarity. ummmm... really sorry bout this but i for some reason can benember the songs(see I am stupid and didn't write them down as they wer played)they played take me to the moon (maybe thats the title), the fish song and many others that I can't remeber. anywhoo, they came out to encore adn ddi my baby loves a bunch of autors and then did psyco killer. then they went back off sttage but since noone was plannig on leaveing they cam out for a second encore and did the drinking song. now this is p[robably the most incoherrient and incomprehensible setlist ever compiled but hey its the best I could doo. I htnk acually that thye closed w/ psyco killar but I'm not sure. well anywho that was the concert from my point of view. I was up fornt on murrys side. maybe you saw me, i was the tall freek w. the patched sweatshirt and the big colourful blue and yeppow pants(also patched)
From Kelly:
Guys, and gals, if you weren't there, you will soon understand, and if you were there, you know why I am imploring you to boycott the Trocadero in Philadelphia. To be honest, I told Dave outright that I'd go to see them in a mudy field before I would return to the Troc. My sentiment was fiercely echoed.
The opening act was the Butch Ross Band. Real newcomers, but not too bad. Not so polished, y'know? Kinda like I would imagine our lads back in '91... I think it would have gone better for them had we all not have been standing around forever.
It was a 40 minute wait, in which the security and other Troc people were nasty and rude, and playing such bad "filler" music that by the time the boys came on, the crowd was booing loudly - something I've never heard at a FruShow.
Then the guys came on. I know they opened with Jockey Full of Bourbon - most likely a nod to the Butch Ross folk, who did a Waits song themselves. Then they played something new, titled (I think) "Again and Again". It was pretty neat. I don't have the setlst myself, but highlights did include a great deal of new stuff (they're play testing because they're going back into the studio in March), a great deal of classic standards (KoS, Authors, Michigan), as well as some things I hadn't heard them do live before, like YWGTTM. Improv stuff included a song about hippies and geeks, in reference to the write up in the Philadelphia City paper; a Happy Happy birthday to our two special 30 year old birthday women :), and (of course) the continuing saga of the Intra-Pennsylvania Rivalry. Apparently Pittsburgh is on the march - Jian suggested it's time to get Harrisburg into it.
All good thing must end, and our boys finished up with three, count 'em THREE encores - Authors, Psycho Killer (I was SO happy), and finally, The Drinking Song. Beautiful, right? Then we tried to buy merch, hang out to talk to the guys, as usual, and commuine as FruHeads. Not happening.
Almost as soon as the House lights came up, the Troc staff were hustling us out the door. Literally. With things like "It's time to leave." and "Get out of here.", people were being forced out in droves, even away from the lines at the coat check and merch table. When we had originally come in, they patted Chris down rather roughly and PUSHED me inside the door, but I thought nothing of it, since there were a ton of people to get in. But afterwards was ridiculous.
We stood on the sidewalk, waiting for the guys, 'cause Toby said they'd be about once they'd sat back a bit. Well, apparently we were in the Troc's Holy Airspace, because we were told to move on. So we did, further down the sidewalk. This sort of treatment continued with fans and band alike being treated like so much cattle (they actually locked Dave out!), until the biggest jerk of the guards left with his cronies, remarking loudly that he hadn't been paid for Tuesday and they were going to the bar. We heard that.
Look, I know this has been a very long post, and if you've stuck with it, thank you. Please, please, I know the Troc was a big venue for the guys to play, but they don't deserve this kind of treatment, and neither do we. Most other band's fans would have gotten very raucous last night - it is to our credit as good, decent FruHeads that we didn't. Please, don't give this place your business. Tell your friends, e-mail the management, (quietly) tell the guys. As I said to Jian last night, "Can you please never play this evil place again?"
From Arabel:
We awoke around 3ish on Saturday afternoon. Around 4, we were ready to go out for lunch and head up to Philly. When we arrived in Philly, the line was about half a block long, but spread into three parts due to a restaurant entrance and a parking area entrance. The Trocadero was relatively easy to find, but we really didn't have long to wait in line and meet people. I was expecting to have a photo waiting with my tickets, as we were there specifically for this concert, and I'd sent an 8x10 off for the lads to sign and somehow return to Mollie, the birthday girl. The bouncers questioned our intent on bringing in 18 bottles of bubbles and a bubble gun, and looked severe with their warning "Just don't spill it, that stuff can be slippery!" We got in and the Butch Roth (sp?) band had already started, so we started working towards the stage in search of people to distribute bubbles to. We eventually settled into an area about 7th row, stage Murray.
Fruvous took the stage simultaneously. There was a very, very long anti-Starbucks/Think globally act locally/Glocally improv almost immediatly. We are hippies and geeks! About halfway through the set Jian announced "We normally don't do anything for occasions like this, because it's a little like chuck e cheeses... suddenly everyone is having a birthday... but we do have two very special birthdays tonight, two women, both turning thirty." They announced names and sang, which is more than I had truly expected them to do for Mollie's day. We blew bubbles and seemed to have a decent response out of those we had passed out beforehand. Jian did say to see Mike after the show for their gifts, and Mike made a comment about becoming an artist and having a few very special papier-mache works in progress which would be ready in about three years and cost roughly $89. The set continued and eventually led to the love potion medley as an encore, for which I was particularly excited. I had missed it so. The drinking song once again ended a wonderful night of Fruvous.
The Trocadero in and of itself is a wonderful venue. There is just so much character in this building.... it is perfect, in every way. Of course such a thing always means there is one major problem, and in this case, it was the staff. I'm sure the bulk of the staff is a really great group of people, but unfortunately, they have two or three complete assholes for bouncers. These men were almost violent in forcing us out of the building and onto the sidewalk, and then continued to force us off the property. There was a large collection of people on the sidewalk who were waiting for rides, etc, and they were constantly encouraged to wait elsewhere, and those who were merely waiting for the band were practically shoved off the property. Eventually, Jian came and allowed a small number into the area between sets of doors where he spoke with them. Mollie and I snuck into this group and the roughest of the bouncers was called inside by what I assumed to be a manager. I heard him told a few times that the band was willing to meet fans and he would have to be nicer to us outside because we were the reason he got paid. I was inside for quite some time after this, but when I returned outside it seemed he'd been accommodating after this talk.
We talked to Jian and got pictures, celebrating Mollie's official birthday. Murray was next out, and he was simply wonderful to talk to, even for just the brief moments we had. Dave arrived and I felt we were somehow intruding on his conversation with others he knew, so we once again made it brief. Mollie eventually went and joined the crowd on the sidewalk, as the lads were slowly making their way out there after taping some promo work for a radio station and collecting themselves a bit. Mike did eventually show up, and was *very* nice to talk to. We even got confirmation x2 that Fruvous *should* be down to Nashville this coming summer. I eventually got to ask Mike about the photo -- I knew they'd gotten my letter by their announcement of Mollie's birthday, but I was curious about what had happened with the photo that had been sent. He had not seen it, but apparently Jian had. Mike retrieved it from backstage, signed it quickly, and got Murray to sign it as well. I then thanked them profusely and headed out front to find Dave and get the final autograph. This accomplished, Mollie was finally presented with her birthday gift, and we were finally off. We were a group of 7 -- the Matt's Place fruheads plus Anna and Kevin -- as we headed to South St. Diner. Not the official place to get a philly cheese steak from what we've heard, but it sufficed at that hour, and we had plenty of stimulating conversation to go with.
We eventually arrived back at Matt's place, and sat for only moments while making a decision about departing. Rob had left from the diner, and we were contemplating our own 10 hour drive. We left there around 5:30 AM central time, and stopped fairly little. The most entertaining part of the drive home was what appeared to be a safari helmet, which was in the center of my lane (and I thought it was some sort of flimsy plastic which would pass under the car without problem, so drove over it without trying to veer in any way) It got all of our attention as we heard the "pop" of it catching on something, and the awful scraping of it along the road as we pushed it. Pulling off onto the shoulder, we drove in reverse until Jason could pick it up (smoking!) and throw it into the brush alongside the road. This was the only excitement of our trip, although we did also notice that Virginia is the state of the dead cars -- we saw at least one vehicle alongside the road every ten miles (and when you're traveling on I-81 that is a LOT of miles).
And now, I'm back to mundane life.
See you all this summer -- we need the living room floor initiated as FruSpace!
From Anna:
So, the Troc show. I didn't get a setlist, so I can't remember all the songs. Let's see what I can remember though.
Opened with Splatter Splatter (yay!), and then Jockey Full of Bourbon. The rest of these are in no particular order, and i could be very wrong -
Horseshoes, Fly, Minnie the Moocher (same jokes as DC, for the most part), Spiderman (lounge), Michigan Militia, Get in the Car, I Love My Boss, You Will Go to the Moon, Johnny Saucep'n, Independence Day, You Can't Be Too Careful, When She Talks (I Listen), King of Spain (It's laissez faire, I'm not wearing underware!), Darlington Darling, My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors (my baby's hooked on - my crucifixion!), Early Morning Rain, Love Potion Medly, Psycho Killer, Drinking Song.
A bunch of improvs too - most notable being the "Act Glocally" set. It started out as Jian implored the audience not to go to Starbucks, and to examine local options and "think locally." To this Mike responded, "Think globally, act locallaly, or...think and act Glocally!" Of course, there had to be a song :) In my head its somehow mixed up with the 'Ransom' satire, where they just sort of yelled "Give me back my son!" which turned to "You can't handle the truth!" which finally turned into "You can't handle my son!" (just a note - this might have happened on Friday, the shows are running into eachother a lot in my tired, sick mind! :)
This actually turned into a very long jam session, including Dave and Murray singing Van Morrison's "Moondance". Jian commented, pretending to be a reviewer..."This reviewer failed to understand why, three songs into the show, the band went into a ten minute long unplanned jam session."
Jian started talking about how the guys know eachother so well, they can communicate without actually talking. Sometimes they do it by rhyming. It started with Jian rhyming 'Trocadero' with 'a sombrero' because it could be part of the rhyming in "Boo Time" and how they talk like that all the time now. He then told us that sometimes they didn't even bother to rhyme, that they would just sing something like "Let's go back to the hotel - let's go there." The Mike added that they can add things into it subliminally: "My leg's bugging me, Murray's bugging me."
They made a few jabs at the "internet geeks" in the audience, which was fun, and somewhat embarassing. This turned into a short improv called "Hippies and Geeks" Jian said that this was going to lead to a mass "outing" of hippies. Murray said "In a phenomenon sweeping the nation, hundreds of hippies came out in Pennsylvania." Jian asked how it was supposed to be a national phenomenon if they were only coming out in Pennsylvania :)
Lets see - Dave played bass for Early Morning Rain and When She Talks, which displaced Murray to drums. Dave informed us that he was now "playing a bass guitar" and that we should watch how complicated his part was. (It was something like two notes, but a good job all around :) And Murray commented "It's good to see someone who knows what they're going with that thing. I couldn't make heads nor tails of the manual."
Mike made an incredibly bizarre comment about the G-Spot while introducing Dave as the King of Spain. There was abolutley no context :)
The Poland keyboard is a really nice addition. Mike was having a little too much fun with the sound effects, and picked on that seemed to hypnotize everyone. "I can't move," Murray exclaimed "It's put me in a trance." Dave and Mike went to go fix something on the piano, and Murray explained that "the boys are building an entire new addition to the piano." Mike yelled back "It's okay Murr-man! We got it!"
I forgot this earlier - but it was a riot - so I need to remember it :) I can't for the life of me remember which song it was in, but I'm guessing it was Minnie. Mike made the funniest rhyme, about how Cal makes the sound rock, and guitar tech Tobey has a twelve inch - woah!!! (We all know where that one was going!) Anyway, I saw Murray back up a bit on stage and laugh to Tobey who was off to the right side. Tobey then proceeded to do a really hysterical dance, which you could only see if you were looking off-stage. This seemed to cause Murray a lot of amusement :)
Random tidbits of personal stuff -- My friend Ben had come to the DC show and was so impressed with them, that he drove all the way to Philly, *without* a ticket, to try and get in. And he did! The weird thing is, Ben is more of a "friend of a friend" kind of guy, and we haven't always been on the best terms. I was really impressed that the night before he gave me the candy box Murray threw out at the audience. I ended up driving to the Philly show alone, and getting there a little late (I missed most of the opening band). I had made my way to a decent spot up by the stage, when I feel someone tap my shoulder. I couldn't have been more suprised that he actually came over to see me and then wanted me to stand with him and his friend. When the Drinking Song came on, he immediatly put his arm around me to do the whole swaying bit. I was just incredibly impressed, beause there was a time when I was certain this kid hated me :) Jian looked like he was sobbing during the song, and I was about to as well.
The night before, Ben and Murray had a pretty good talk about the Talking Heads, because Ben loves them. When Psycho Killer came on, Ben went nuts :) Talking to Murray after the show, he said he noticed us, and saw Ben going crazy when they started. I thanked him for Ben, who couldn't stick around to brave the evil security.
Ugh. Never, ever, ever go to a show at the Troc if you can help it. They are MEAN! Even when Tobey tried to reason with the guards, they still wouldn't listed. Then Tobey went beyong being "reasonable" and just got a little irate :)
Not only did they kick people out rudely, they also tried to kick out the band. They didn't realize that Murray was actually from the band, and they asked him to leave. (Or so I hear.) To combat evil guards, Dave went to talk to fans outside, at which point the quards locked the doors behind him so he couldn't get back in. Fortunatly there were other doors. I just thought it was a little rude. Grrr.
Um. Yeah. :) Hanging out with newly met fellow Fruheads was cool too. And Kevin even let me sleep on his couch that night. I have a feeling it was becuase he got his car locked in the parking garage and needed a ride back to it the next morning :) I got to meet the Vibro-Kitty though, and that was fun.
Really, I guess thats it for now. Of course, i will remember a million other details later, but for now my mind is friend.
by the way - between the two shows, i took over 100 pictures. I'm taking them to the mall tomorrow to get developed, so I could have some scanned as soon as tomorrow night. whee!!! if they didn't come out, i'm going to cry.
I will never, in my entire life, retain as much information as i did this weekend. I must have founs brain cells that were deep in hiding :)
From Lori Martin:
To: Michaela Majoun, Shawn Stewart, and other WXPN cool folks:
Just thought I'd drop a line to the station that makes life so great for Fruvous and Philadelphia Frufans alike. I really enjoyed their impromptu visit to the studio Saturday afternoon -- hearing I Will Hold On broadcast live, for I believe the first time, was amazing.
I think you folks should know what went on at the Trocadero that night, however. The show was great, and onstage the band apparently had a great time too, but the staff was just plain RUDE. From the start, when some of the goodies fans traditionally bring for the band were confiscated (we're talking pistachios here, not controlled substances! And no, they weren't my offering; I managed to smuggle chocolates in just fine, thank goodness), to the abrupt way all and sundry were kicked out by bouncers the moment the show was over, the venue's treatment was not a pleasant experience for loyal followers -- and newer fans who could have had a really special experience, meeting the band and finding out what wonderful guys they are, never got the chance. The only notable exception to this rudeness appeared to be the Troc stage hands, who were courteous and helpful.
This was NOT Fruvous' doing at all. Tobey (their merchandise guy) was VERY upset by all this, as they had had a deal to sell merch after the show to anyone who wanted it during the customary meet- and-greet. He and Jian were both seen in animated conversation with management, while the core Fruheads waited outside, knowing the band wouldn't just take off despite the rude treatment. At one point the bouncers also tried to kick Murray out, looking at him skeptically when he said "I AM the band". (Like, weren't they even watching the show?)
After a few minutes Dave did come outside, and while he was chatting with fans the Troc staff LOCKED HIM OUT. Cal (the sound guy) was likewise barred from the facility when he stepped outside.
I understand that the Fruvous approach to their fan base is far from typical -- that's one of the reasons they have such a loyal following. I also understand that there is a need for venues to protect acts from overzealous fans. But this was BLATANTLY going against the band's stated wishes, and apparently the contract for merchandising as well. We fans said as much to the bouncers, who of course didn't care at all, but we also mentioned to Dave and Murray that next time they're in Philadelphia, the TLA, though smaller, is much more accomodating as they've found in the past, and there's also the Tower.
Anyway, I just wanted to let the radio station responsible for bringing so many new and wonderful acts to town know that the Trocadero is not the ideal venue for any band that wants to reach out to its fans as Moxy Fruvous does. The disrespect they showed the fans and, even more, the band itself did cast a pall on the evening, and that's just not what this business is about for this band in particular.
From KingTony:
On February 6th, a few friends and I hopped in the car and started for Philadelphia. Our destination was finally reached after about a half an hour of listening to Moxy cd's and staring at road maps, and we left the car, about to embark on a profoundly enlightening experience; a "pilgrimage" of sorts. We were heading for the Trocadero theatre. . .for our very first Fruvous concert (cue choir of angels). (Somebody shut those angels up! Thank you.) Here's my account of the funkadelic groove-fest. It's told throught the eyes of a hippie geek has been an obsessed fan almost two years now, digs the band a LOT, and has never before experienced a Frushow. My malicious ramblings should inspire old and new Frufans alike:
We arrived at the Troc, and after being told not to stand in front of the building and to get in line, we looked down the street, and saw people for miles. So, we did the natural thing, and butted right in line at the front. We spent the next half hour standing in line, chatting with other Frufans who were very friendly folk, and dodging this huge, evil-looking Troc guard who looked like Ringo Starr on steroids (you know who I mean, people). When we went in, we secured a spot on the edge of a stair by the sound board, where we had a height adavntage over the crowd on the dance floor below and could see everything. The opening band was a groovy little country-fried rock sounding troupe, who my friends (who are musically gifted) mocked, but I enjoyed somewhat (you appreciate music more when you have no talent for it, I suppose). They need work, but they passed the time. The time didn't pass very quickly when they had finished, as Moxy took forever to get their bottoms out there. Still, my friends and those around us remained jolly, chanting, "Roadie! Roadie!" whenever the roadie walked onstage, while other, more impatient fans chose to boo. Finally, the fab four of Frudom walked onstage, and the show began.
Opening with Jockey Full of Bourbon, the guys set the tempo for an odd night of crazy jams and new material, with some classics tossed in just for good measure. I loved the jam, which began with hilarious Jian singing "Think. . .locally," and ended with, while the guys mocked Dave Matthews and Internet freaks (great stuff), us chanting the chorus of "We are hippies and geeks." That's power, especially since some of these bums were moments ago booing them. Of the newer songs, one sticks out in my mind: "Pisco Bandito, the Bandit Fish." If he wants your money, he'll get his wish. Shades of the "B Album," and likeable. Others were more on the serious side, but full of great harmonies, naturally, and the next c.d. will be great, I'm sure. I'd wanted to hear "Green Eggs and Ham," but the guys didn't do it (as I hear they usually do), so I'll have to continue waiting. They did play "Michigan Militia," "You Will Go To the Moon" (so. . .beautiful. . .), and the almighty "King of Spain." A triple encore also happened. After closing the first time with a medley of cover songs (including "Stayin' Alive" and "Love Potion No. 9."). The first encore was "My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors." Next, the guys returned for another encore, doing their intense "Psychokiller." Well, we still weren't satisfied, so they gave in and did encore numero trois, "The Drinking Song." All I can say about Moxy Fruvous is that they are impossibly good. To be as good as they are is not possible, so they're breaking laws of nature with every note.
The Troc was a groovy little place (which "Grampa Fruvous" pointed out was once a "slightly different" kind of place. . .), and even though Ringo and his fellow goons were jerk-heads, the concert was one of the truly great events of my life. Remember, though, I have no other shows to compare this one with, so I may just be too awestricken to realize what a hellhole it really was. Either way, I had fun, and can't wait to Fru it up again whenever they come back around these parts. Later-o, fellow Frufans, and thanks for reading. But don't read too much; loving a bunch of authors isn't a good thing, baby.
From Kate Leahy:
well, i’ll try to keep this one a little shorter.
i ended up outside of the troc at about ten minutes to 6:00, and my friends promptly ditched ,me there in line to get get some food at the gallery. that’s okay; i just made friends with the people around me in line, most of whom had been there the night before as well. i introduced myself to lori, who gave me white chocolate (my favorite) and called her husband and son over to “meet katie.” the staff took forever letting us in, and annoyed us with the oft-described will-call situation. once in, i checked my coat real quick and made a dash for my slightly-left-of-center stage position where i waited, warning people that i had three not-too-tall guys who would be standing with me but were tied-up at will-call. they were fantastically nice, and so things went well. when the guys got into the theater, i left to check their coats for them and say hello to tobey. i let him know about the parking ticket on the windshield of the van, and told him that as long as he left it on there he wouldn’t get another one. i think he was concerned with parking overnight, as the van certainly wouldn’t fit in a hotel garage. i came within two seconds of offering to let the whole crew stay at my place where the parking was free, but figured that my mother would freak, as she wasn’t exactly thrilled the last time i invited people to sleep in her house without her prior knowledge. then again, they had just come from nevada and hadn’t showered in three days or so, but still . . .
the openers were good, i thought, amusing and comfortable on stage. their drummer was the only other than jian i’ve ever seen stand at his kit, so that was a big plus for them, as was the fact that said drummer looked kind of like the guy from “austin powers” who threw his shoe—only not asian. anyway, i enjoyed their set—but didn’t enjoy the hour-long wait which followed. the audience actually hissed and booed. terrible, really.
once out, however, the band explained that the scheduled announcer had chosen to attend a steppenwolf concert instead, at which point a guy who sounded suspiciously like the death metal guy from the previous night’s show took the responsibility upon himself and boomed “ladies and gentlemen . . .” egged on by an expectant look from jian, he completed his intro— “steppenwolf!” the guys shook their heads, shared a laugh, and broke into . . .
splatter, splatter
slightly more energy than the previous night, still great.
jockey full of bourbon
again, more energy than last time i’d seen it. the guys were just having a great time, and it was evident.
get in the car (with segue about needing a car to get to harrisburg—explained below) again, high energy and fun ?.
horseshoes
the guys were really into it tonight. again, the beginning of the second chorus was all ours.
YWGTTM
again, with a resource-depletion segue. i couldn’t see the horn section, as my view was blocked by jian’s monitor—but i heard them loud and clear. perfect.
pisco bandito
yay!!!! i’ve been waiting for this one again since baltimore. great intro by mike, getting a big cheer for south central ontario, and mentioning that it’s full of americans. this song is great fun—hopefully i’ll get to hear it any time i want by the end of the spring—hint hint ?.
i love my boss
great rendition, with jian’s dancing getting a huge response from the female contingent. it seemed that the other three began to lose their pitches during the song, as they gathered around murray’s mike for the majority of the tune. my companions were astounded by their ability to recreate studio-perfect harmony on stage. dually noted ?.
early morning rain
SHAMELESS PERSONAL BEGGING: if you guys put a cover on the new album, let it be this one. please. so gorgeous and amazing that my friend anthony refused to believe that it could have been a gordon lightfoot tune. i think he’s still in doubt. is it just me, or has this been done totally a cappella before—the 11/9 baltimore show perhaps?
minnie the moocher
nearly identical to the previous night’s; even the same pizza joke from murray immediately following. an interesting addition—“minnie had a heart as big as john leclair’s goal output”
love me do
just a tease, much like the girl jian and murray knew in grade 9 ?.
you can’t be too careful
i still can’t think of what band this reminds me of. i think peter gabriel has the same effect as one of those laser-pointer things from “men in black.” dammit. oh—great tonight. more together than DC, me thinks.
michigan militia
really_ on tonight. huge crowd response. this song has been especially meaningful to me in the past week—i got an A on a paper discussing the milita trend as a result of isolation and radical individualism. whoo hoo ?.
johnny saucep’n
i sang it all the way through without a breath. unfortunately, as much cannot be said for jian ?. guess i have those seemingly-inane breath control exercises my vocal coach makes me do to thank ?.
fly
jian was truly emotionally involved in this one tonight. i thought i was going to burst out crying just looking at him, but didn’t. beautiful as usual ?.
when she talks
another shameless plea—put this on the new album. either that, or make a recording of it for me ?. affecting, well written, and all-around beautiful.
independence day
i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again—record this. it’s amazing. this has been a paid announcement ?.
spiderman (lounge version)
reminiscent of the “studio orchestra” version from their 4.1.97 world café appearance. great again tonight.
king of spain
mike managed to work g-spot into the intro somehow. more references to jewel’s shit poetry ?.
darlington darling
complete with coordinated murray-jian mini dance routine and jian drumming on murray’s back and face.
love potion #9 medley
always a blast. jian thanked everyone he could think of, including manager jack ross (in town that night), and WXPN—the greatest radio station in this country. yes they are, thank you ?.
and we got three (yes, three encores):
my baby loves a bunch of authors
my first time hearing it live. so exciting. this song has helped me get a summer reading list together ?.
psycho killer
even more energetic than last night. talking heads would be proud ?.
drinking song
this time, i bawled. i was there with my friend carlos, and we both knew a girl from my high school who died while trying to drive home drunk after a designated driver left her at a party when he was a senior and i was a junior. i thought i was going to make it through, but jian looked like he was crying, and it killed me. another catharsis—thanks again ?.
banter for the records:
früvous revisited the intra-pennsylvania rivarly when they suggested we get harrisburg into the fray, as pittsburgh is getting pretty angry. this led to a “get in the car” segue in which dave said the harrisburg people would need a car to get here.
jian gave his usual welcome to all the corporate subsidy advocates and starbucks boycotters, reminding us that there’s always a “local option,” to which murray replied “but their coffee sucks.” mike suggested we think globally and act locally—or just think and act glocally. an extended jam ensued featuring let’s get together, o canada, and the star spangled banner, and ending with a cracked-out version of van morrison’s “moondance.”
the guys apparently enjoyed the word trocadero. jian rhymed it with sombrero, mentioning that it fits into “boo time,” and let us all in on a little frü-secret. the guys know each other so well that they don’t actually talk to each other. dave said that they communicated by farting, to which jian replied that only some of them farted. he went on to explain that they just rhyme things in the rhythm of “boo time,” like “who wants a food stop? time for a food stop,” “my leg is bugging me, murray’s bugging me,” (mike’s contribution) and even twisted blank verse like “let’s go back to the hotel? why don’t we go there?”
they also talked about the multitude of internet geeks out there talking about früvous, which turned into a jam in which they tried to get the audience to sing “we are hippies and geeks” in three part harmony. carlos and i did just fine harmonizing on the first and the third ?. murray played reporter stating “in a phenomenon sweeping the nation, hundreds of hippies came out in pennsylvania.” jian pointed out the broken logic, all laughed, and the show went on.
the band switched up instruments for “when she talks,” and dave talked about how much he liked the song. jian added that dave had written it. dave clarified by saying that he was playing bass on it, and jian added that they would finally get some tasteful bass playing. murray stipulated, saying that he was glad to see it in the hands of someone who knew what they were doing, and that he “couldn’t make head or tails of the manual.”
“minnie” included a line about cal’s proficiency with the sound, and tobey’ s, um, endowments.
the guys seemed to be having quite a few technical problems, often running to the “wing” to request help from the stage hands. at one point, mike and dave were fiddling with the Poland, and murray commented that they were building an addition onto it. during “psycho killer” (?), both dave and mike broke strings, and dave spent a great deal of time attempting to get his disturbed instrument back in tune. they both soloed right around the problems, though ?.
everyone knows what happened after the show, so i won’t go into it again. at any rate—can’t wait to see everyone in toronto!!!!
From Jessica:
Well, this is my first review although it is def not my first show!! I was determined to get a set list from the 2/6/99 Phila show but since I barely had space to breathe on the floor, I certainly couldn't write anything down. I was shocked at the wait (40+ minutes!!) - people were booing and hissing at a Moxy show!?!?! But I'm sure the guys have their reasons (...guys?). After our guest fan announcer from the balcony announced "Ladies and Gentlemen.....STEPPENWOLF We got our long-awaited first song - Jockey Full of Bourbon ( and last was def. Drinking Song-sing along version). Encores included Love Potion No. 9, Authors and PsychoKiller.
In between there was a great Pisco Bandito, Fly (the 14 year old behind me was moved so much she actually shut up for a few minutes), Get in the Car, Horseshoes, Minnie the Moocher, Spiderman, KOS, Michigan Militia, Hippies and Geeks segue, YW Go to the Moon, I Love My Boss, Darlington Darling, Johnny Saucep'n,and at least 4 new songs - can't wait for the album! I thought for a few minutes we might get a Dancing Queen/Walk on the Wild Side circa PFF 1997 but we didn't. Instead we got one verse of Love Me Do which was fun. There was also the briefest possibility of Turn me Loose by Loverboy (one of Canada's best exports) but we were spared. And of course, the requisite Phila. "Freebird" request (who is this guy?) was acknowledged and then ignored!
Until I read the other posted reviews re: the rudeness of Troc staff I would have highly recommended it as a great Moxy show location - but now I will have to say - go back to the TLA. Overall a fun show and a decent crowd. Can't wait for festival season. See you there!
Jessica - Woodbury, NJ
From Harlan:
By the way, my friend and I happened to pick up a set list after the 2/6 Troc show. here it is:
SPLATTER JOCKEY CAR HORSE MOON WHEN PISCO BOSS EARLY MINNIE 2 CAREF MICHY SAUCE FLY INDY COCKTAIL KING DARLING POTION
encores were my baby loves a bunch of authors, psychokiller, and the drinking song
From Dan Godwin:
Ok...I'm not going to go into all the Pre and Post Show BS. Enough other people all ready covered that.
(only somewhat in order and maybe missing something) Splatter Splatter Jockey Get in The Car When She Talks Boss Early Morning Rain (To Jack Ross) Pisco Horseshoes Moon Too Careful Minnie Michigan Milita Saucepan Fly Independence Day Spiderman (w/ Instruments) King of Spain Darlington Darling Love Potion Authors Pyscho Drinking
Highlights for me included:
The new songs of course. I really liked all the new songs. You Can't Be To Careful seemed to be really on. When She Talks still needs work I think. I also was happy when they did Early Morning Rain. Minnie was good as always. One line about doing something with a furby was great. Thought it was weird that they saved all the Bargainville stuff for the end. Also having Spiderman on it's own was different. Anyways...my mini review. A good Show. Definitely worth Driving 8 hrs in one night (roundtrip.)
From Brian:
I managed to catch a bit of soundcheck, where they did bits of "B.J. Don't Cry" (at one point, doing some at a funky half-tempo pace), "Till There Was You" (from "The Music Man") and "Michigan Militia". Now, here's the show list:
Splatter Splatter Jockey Full Of BourbonGet In The Car Jam, consisting of: -Think Globally -That Thing -Moondance (complete verse and chorus) -Hippies & Geeks (with a Hendrix quote...Voodoo Chile, methinks) Horseshoes You Will Go To The Moon Pisco Bandito I Love My Boss Early Morning Rain Minnie The Moocher Love Me Do (About a verse or so) You Can't Be Too Careful Michigan Militia Johnny Saucep'n Let's Get Together/Happy Birthday/Star-Spangled Banner Fly Independence Day Spiderman (lounge version, to use the popular terminology) King Of Spain Darlington Darling Love Potion #9 Medley My Baby Loves A Bunch Of Authors Psycho Killer The Drinking Song
Hope this helps those of you who are minutae obsessed like me.
From Alan Sigman:
It's been a long time since I posted here; in fact, I haven't even had much time to keep up with the newsgroup lately. I'm not sure how I got so busy at work.
I've read all the comments about the rude Trocadero staff. I've been to this venue before, and it was never the kindest venue in town or anything, but never as bad as it was Saturday night for Fruvous. I don't know why they had to treat us like that, but I do know I won't go back there, even though I was all psyched to see The Nields there later this month. I guess I'll just have to see them some other time, somewhere else.
I liked the opening act, though I don't know if I'd go out of my way to see them. It was interesting to see two bands in the same night with drummers who stand at front of the stage with a mini-drumkit. The wait between bands was awful. Someone said it was 45 minutes, it seemed like at least an hour to me. With nothing to do but stand on the crowded floor, listening to that horrible music they were playing, watching the roadie come down the steps, tune a guitar, go back up the steps, come back down, adjust the mikes, go back up, come back down, put out towels, go back up, etc. It was inexcusable to be kept waiting that long, in the dark. Literally in the dark. They never turned up the house lights during the break. I guess the Troc didn't want to pay the extra electricity that would have cost. I at first figured they didn't bother with the lights because it was going to be a very short break. After all, most of Moxy's stage was already set up before the opeing band played. The amount of preparations that were spread out over that 45 or so minutes could easily have been completed in 10 minutes. People were getting very annoyed; yes, at first they were yelling "Fruuuuuu", but later, it was booing, and hissing too. (I liked whoever it was that posted about Flyers fans making that sound whenever Luke Richardson "escapes a fight") By the time they finally hit the stage, my legs were killing me, my back was sore, and it took me a few songs for them to put me back in a good mood. The sound wasn't stellar either. Give me the TLA sound system any day.
A few people already supplied the setlist and some comments, so I'll just add a few things I haven't seen mentioned yet. That line about Tobey's...(rhymes with rock) was at the end of Love Potion #9, not in Minnie the Moocher. Love Potion was the dueling-broken-strings version. Dave broke a string on the electric guitar seemingly before the song even started, and spent most of the first two verses trying to re-tune the guitar. Mike joined in the fun and broke a string on the acoustic about halfway through the song. As for Minnie, here are the verses I can remember parts of: first verse ended with "Minnie had a heart as big as John LeClair's goal output"; there was a verse about how up in Canada, they couldn't understand America's obsession with the Super Bowl, "That one game sends TV ratings soaring, it's too bad the game was so fucking boring"; something about staying home and jerking off to a furbie; and the last verse which Mike has been using lately, about Chelsea being a lesbian hooker. A most fun rendition of the song, with good audience participation. The crowd was very enthusiastic throughout. Murray told us after Minnie that the lyrics were guaranteed to be written 30 minutes or less before the show, or our pizza was free. I liked all the new songs they played. The two that especially made an impression were You Can't be Too Careful, and Independence Day. At the beginning of the show, they apologized that the DJ from WXPN who was supposed to come introduce them couldn't be there, they were at a Steppenwolf concert instead. Somebody with a very loud voice from the back yelled out, "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN...", and Jian looked in his direction for him to continue, so he said, "...STEPPENWOLF!" This same person also responded when they said, "we love you Philadelphia", with "WE LOVE YOU MOXY FRUVOUS!", and Jian commented, "it's good that you've elected a representative." I'm glad to see the band finally put some pennies together and purchased a real keyboard, with cool hippie sound effects and everything. Mike had fun with those hypnotizing effects during the long hippies-and-geeks improv bit, which started with the "think globally, act locally, think and act glocally" rap. I liked Mike's intro for King of Spain, he did the end of Rubber Biscuit ("whattaya want for nothing- rrrrrubber biscuit?"). There was also the Happy Birthday bit, and Dave started singing Oh Canada and then stopped, then sang all of The Star Spangled Banner instead.
Ok, that's about all I can remember now. If anyone has a tape, pass it my way.
From Philadelphia City Paper:
Every show by this Canadian eclectic hippie pop group is a unique experience - even when compared to other Fruvous shows. Yeah, they've nailed their melodic, comedic fan favorites (like their musical interpretation of Green Eggs and Ham) and they know when to play them. but They've also got a talent for switching up their lyrics to fit their locale (there's almost always a Flyers reference), creating entire improvised songs and getting the audience involved in extended between-time banter.
- Patrick Rapa
Sat., Feb. 6, 7 p.m., Trocadero, 215-922
From New Park Entertainment E-mail; January 6, 1999:
Canadian superstars Moxy Fruvous come to the Trocadero on February 6! One of Philadelphia's favorite live acts, Moxy Fruvous in concert is an event not to be missed! And on a Saturday night no less! On sale this Friday at 10am! All ages welcome!
From Philadelphia Inquirer, Weekend Section, 2/5/99:
"Canadian pranksters Moxy Fruvous act silly at the Troc on Saturday"
Some other tidbits from the performance include:
Back to the tour dates 1999 page