after seeing the roseland show, i wasn't expecting too much, even if liz's other DC / 930 club shows have usually been pretty great. but i have to say that this show was so much better than the roseland show, it's completely wiped out my memory of that debacle. why was it better? hard to say. the set-list was much the same, except for the absence of 'glory'... :( the band was the same. and the opening act was still irritating. (not to mention, this was the longest line i've ever seen at 930).
but right from the start it was a better show. better mix, by far. better, friendlier crowd (which, i have to say, d.c. crowds are usually very reserved and dull, so i'm not being a homer here; but it was a good vibe). 930 may, literally, be the best place in the country to see a show. perfect size, great acoustics, good drinks at 3 bars, and if you get a spot at the balcony railing, even sondre lerche can be entertaining. so, while i'm sure there are more intimate places to see liz, 930 is just a great club, and i'd put it up against any club anywhere.
6'1 benefitted from a better mix than in nyc. the energy level was good, liz had on a dominatrix-ish black minidress and high-heeled leather boots, and she seemed to connect with the crowd the minute the lights hit her onstage. 'polyester bride' is a bad choice for a second song, a bit too draggy in the beat department, but the crowd loved it. 'rock me', as in nyc, sounded way better live than on cd. 'divorce song' in dc kicked the roseland version, and the band seemed to be getting a real kick out of playing these songs. liz mentioned that it was the last night of her tour with jason and sondre, so that may be one reason they were more relaxed. it also might've been that she wasn't playing for the industry pricks in new york, and just seemed to have some good give-and-take with the audience. 'help me mary' is always great. 'extraordinary' sort of killed. 'favorite' kept up the momentum. liz talked about being in the nyc black-out and running into the dandy warhols wearing miners' hats with the lights mounted on the front. 'fuck & run' rocked. 'johnny feelgood' was a nice change of pace. the wheels came off a bit at this point, because 'why can't i' and 'red light fever' were too similar in their tempo, and she and the band didn't seem into the songs as much as they had in nyc. after 'fever' the band left, and liz did a solo version of 'flower' that was awesome. she was back-lit, so the lights were on the audience, and that's perfect, because it makes the song more about the crowd reaction than it does about her as some fantasy doll. but then, the show was over. way too short, but better than i ever would've predicted.
i sort of wanted to hang and see the start of jason mraz's act, but we bailed after waiting about 15 minutes while the crew was setting up the stage for him and his band. the club was still jammed, but the parking lot was half-empty.
one other minor note: i parked the car by myself, and as i was walking toward the front of the club, i looked up and liz was standing right in front of me, or walking i guess, with some guy looked like pete yorn, but could've been her drummer or guitarist. i was very startled when she looked up at me (she's very short, as many others have observed in the past), and didn't say anything. which i'm fine with. what was i going to say? 'i LOVE that song "tell me i'm a liar", or whatever you call it!' it's not really me. i did sort of think later it wouldn't have killed me to say, 'have a great show' or 'hope tonight's show is fun', or something encouraging (even though i'm sure many on this list think i am the anti-christ -- or at least the andy rooney -- for my constant bummer 'tude and negativity). but i didn't, and in the end it didn't matter, because i believe (i have no way of knowing this, other than intuition) i believe liz is very glad to be rid of this leg of her tour. and, whether or not that's the reason, she did seem to be having a much better time tonight than on wednesday.
i am a little bummed that i didn't record this show, but i'm not sure the fun-ness of it would've come through on an audio recording, and maybe i wouldn't have enjoyed it so much if i'd been all stressing about recording levels and remembering to turn on the mic and make sure the minidisc wasn't full or whatever. in any event, if tonight's any indication, by the time she hits chicago, it should be great, for those of you going to the metro shows.
o