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My sister, Jen goes to school in Boston and works in Cambridge. She had to work to 4:00. So instead of her coming back here and then go back to Cambridge, we decided that it would be easier if I met her at the t-station. I got dropped off at the t-station in Braintree at 3:30. I got onto the red line and got off a Park St. Then I paged Jen, and got on the green line and met her at they Hynes Convention Center. We walked to her work and called home.
Then we went to Newbury St., went into the stores. Walked back to her work at 5:45. Then we drove to Mass. Ave and we parked right across the street from the Middle East. We crossed the street and went in to find out what time the doors opened and confirmed our tickets that I charged. We left and walk around some more. There was really nothing exciting on this street so we went back to the M.E and sat on a bench, by this time it was only 6:15. Around 7:30-7:45 we went and stood by the door. Jen was being silly and dancing around and singing. We chatted with 2 guys that were standing there about Art and Everclear. We went in at 8:00 and a lined formed at the inside door. We were like the 5th and 6th person in line. They started to let us in around 8:05-8:15. I knew the "upstairs" was gonna be small...but not this small. It was a little bigger then my living room. It was very cool though. We sat on the one big step to the stage. It was a low stage. There was this chair up there and it looked very uncomfortable. So I commented on it to Jen. We were saying that they should at least give him a better chair.
Like a recliner or something, that way he could just lean back and put his feet up ( I wasn't really serious about the recliner though) Christian McNeil (of Schtum) came up on the stage and tuned up and got off. We kept getting in his way when he was getting off or coming onto the stage. We're said "sorry!" He came back on around 9:15, introduced himself and began to play. There were some people in the back that were talking over his vocals and we could here them up where we were. he wasn't that bad. There wasn't too many people in there at the beginning of his set, by the last few songs, I had turned around and there was a huge crowd now. Art came on around 10:00.
He climbed up on the left side of the stage. He said Hi and announced that Everclear will no longer be playing large venues like Great Woods anymore. We all cheered. They prefer the smaller more intimate venues. Which are so much better anyway. He talked about the new album and about the songs that are gonna be on it. He says people always ask him why he's so depressed. He says he's really not depressed, that's just the way the songs come out (or something to that effect). Art was about 3 feet away from me, I tried to ask him if he mind if I took some pictures. He didn't hear me though. When he came on he said "god, you people won't stand up for anybody" we laughed. It was very awkward to stand up where we were because of the low stage and step. We stayed seated.
He opened with "Harvest". Some other people snapped some pictures and Art didn't seem to mind. Next he played "Strawberry" everyone was singing along and he says "great, the more you guys sing, the less I have to. Cause I'm just getting over the flu". Next was "Heartspark $", "Loser Makes Good". Then he said I'm gonna do a new one and he said a little about the song "Normal Like You" and played that. Then he did another new one "I Will Buy You A New Life", Then he says I'm gonna do a song that I've been fucking up at almost all the gigs this is "Nervous & Weird". He almost made it through, he stopped at the last verse and says something like shit, I was almost there, now I could have kept playing and no one would have probably noticed but...(I didn't notice anything) he was funny. Somewhere in the mid set he play "Why I Don't Believe In God (Culver Palms)" and explained that he ex-wife named the song wrong and said that it will be on the new album. The next song was "the Twistinside", everyone was singing it was so cool. You could tell that 95% of the people here were true Everclear fans :) and not just there to hear "Santa Monica". Then he did "Summerland". He introduced "Annabella's Song" and said that it was about his daughter and was suppose to be on Sparkle and Fade but didn't make the cut and still wasn't gonna make it on So Much For the Afterglow. Someone requested "Pale Green Stars" but he says he can't play that live, cause it makes him cry. Everyone let out an "AWWWW". Then he went into "Heroin Girl". I love it when he changes the words and throws in the extra swears in the songs. We all scream and shout. It Rocked!! I was shouting "Happy Hour" he never heard me (I'm too quiet) someone on the other side of the room shouted it loud. and Art says, no we don't play that song live, that was another song that was suppose to be on Sparkle and Fade but didn't make and then was gonna be on So Much For The Afterglow and didn't make it again. He said something like maybe it'll end up on some box set or b-side thing. The next song was "Santa Monica". He introduced a song that he saud his mother used to sing to him, it was called "Night Train To Memphis". Then he did an encore of another new one, "Father Of Mine". The new songs sound great and I can't wait for the new album. After the song he said that he's gonna stick around and talk with us and sign stuff (what a guy!!!)
After I was really positive that he was done, I reached over and snatched the set list. We waited around until like 1/2 the crowd had already talked with him. We went over to him. When he was done talking with the people before us. I said Hi, you were great, the new songs sounded really good. He said thanks for coming. Then he said oh, I like your shirt, what band is it? (he said the same thing to me at the summerland show,hehe) I told him it was no particular band. Then I asked him if he remembered meeting a girl over the summer, and signing her leg? He had look of "not really" then Jen put her hand on my head and said "do you remember the girl on crutches?" He smiled and said yeah I do" He asked me how I was doing and how's my leg doing. I said fine, thanks. Then Jen told him how much she loves the song about his daughter (Annabella's Song) he said you're so nice, thank you. I asked him if he minded when people take pictures while he's on stage, and he said that he doesn't mind at all. That's cool I said (I would have gave him my camera if he didn't like it) I asked him to sign the set list and he says oh, you the one that snagged it (said in a friendly way) He is so nice and really down to earth. They all are very down to earth and friendly to talk to also. He signed Jen's wallet for her and she asked if we could get 2 pictures. The guys behind said he'd take it. He forgot to turn the flash on the first time. Then he took another one with the flash on. We thanked him. We thanked Art and said bye, see ya next time. He said thanks for coming, bye. When were leaving we saw Christian sitting at a table with 3 other people just drinking and talking. We stopped (we didn't interrupt them) and said you were good, we enjoyed the show. He said thanks and we shook his hand and left. Then went across the street to our car and drove home. We had the film developed the next day (1 hour developing kicks ass) and they came out really good. They all look very similar but who cares? We had a really great time and more excited to see them again.
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