12th & Porter 12/19/08 - Nashville

[Acrobat]

So, who else is going?

[SarahBeth]

Me. But you knew that already.

SO EXCITED!

[razzledazzle]

have fun tonight, ladies! soooo jealous

[beautifulghost]

12th and Porter is always an amazing show, have fun and enjoy the new clean bathrooms

[Sanzen]

One of you gals better write me a review for my site! lol

Have funnnn!

[Trathena]

It's 8:48pm central time.

They're there right now! Listening to Ours, right now!

I'm so jealous.

[Acrobat]

Will post later tonight, but IT WAS AWESOME.

They played Red Colored Stars! And Kill the Band!

*runs off to head to downtown Atlanta*

[SarahBeth]

One of you gals better write me a review for my site! lol

Have funnnn!

Oh you'll get one. A long one. It was an EPIC EPIC SHOW. SO fucking amazing. Jimmy was in rare form, so giggly and smiley and it was a BLAST. Pictures, a full recap and the set list to follow - right now we're about ready to head out the door to The Masquerade.

Oh. And I got to meet and talk to Jimmy and got JIMMY HUGS!!!!

Duke was incredibly wasted - he is now our unofficial pimp. We have lots and lots of pictures and stories to share - so keep an eye out. It was a blast - we got back to the hotel at like, 230 and didn't go to bed until about 3- I didn't sleep much last night so I'm running on caffine and pure adrenaline right now.

More to come - stay tuned.

[Trathena]

I hate you both.

[SarahBeth]

I hate you both.

You love us. Gotta run to see them again -- toodles!!

[Trathena]

Gotta run to see them again -- toodles!!

What!? Oh my god, you are cruel.

[redcoloredstar]

They played Red Colored Stars!

I am SOOO jealous! Can't wait to hear more about it:clap:

[SarahBeth]

Alright girls and boys....here's the setlist from Nashville -- the show was fanfuckingtastic -- and just Epic. I mean....I was without words after we left. Jimmy was in RARE form last night -- smiley, making a ton of eye contact, all touchy-feeley - it was awesome. Duke was so wasted....talking to him afterwords...the pictures say it all. Pictures will be forthcoming, at least from me from last night once I get home from Atlanta -- it may be a few days. A full report as well will come - once I wrap my head around it all.

Willing
Mercy
Black
Here Is the Light
Ran Away to Tell The World
Saint
Sometimes
Autumn
Murder
Live Again
Fallen Souls
Meet Me in the Tower
Red Colored Stars
Kill the Band
Get Up
Worst Things Beautiful

I got to talk to Jimmy after - Erin and I went over and thanked him for singing HB to her in Boston since we didn't get the chance a few months ago. He was really sweet and he put his arm around me. I started talking to him (I think I rambled actually for a bit) and told him that I was from Boston and I had flown down for the show and was going to Atlanta tonight - he seemed really pleased that I had traveled all that way - I was shaking talking to him, but he was cool. I got a great picture with him - and here's the cool thing - my camera battery had died earlier that evening but I turned it on just for the hell of it - and I had enough juice for 1 picture. And it came out great - plus I got a Jimmy hug, plus at the end of Worst Things Beautiful, he was taking the hands of those of us standing up front as a thank you - some got kisses and a forehead, and some just got eye contact. I got serious eye contact with him while he was holding both of my hands -- as well has some smiles and such during the show -- and I just have no words quite yet. But I PROMISE a more detailed report and pictures soon.

I just knew y'all were anxious for the set list and a few details.

What!? Oh my god, you are cruel.

But you love us! Lots! And I so see you online on here right now hoping that you'll get a bit of a report and not just a tease....*smirk*

[Trathena]

And I so see you online on here right now hoping that you'll get a bit of a report and not just a tease....*smirk*

::pout::

[Acrobat]

So. The show.

HOLY SHITBALLS, y'all.

(I'd considered ending the report right there, but you're getting a novel/photo essay. Bear with me.)

We arrived in Nashville around 4:30, hit the (incredible) hotel which is about two blocks from the venue, and did a little pre-game drinking/getting dressed/doing hair/being annoyingly girly. After a quick dinner/happy hour at a local bar, we went to the venue. I like 12th & Porter a LOT; the sound was great and we were able to get right up front. The lighting was a photographer's dream.



There were two opening acts before Plain Jane Automobile. The first was a solo guy with an acoustic guitar (can't remember his name), though he brought up Kenny, who used to be the guitarist in Kid Rock's band, to play a song with him.

Opening guy: "You guys like Kid Rock?"

Crowd: "Noooo!"

His music wasn't really my thing. Then came another local band (whose name I ALSO forget), and they were... again, not quite my thing. Also, the lead singer might want to consider turning off the morphine drip before coming onstage next time. Their drummer completely kicked ass, though.

Up next: PJA. Know how I said the sound is great in the venue? Well, it was great once they straightened it out at the beginning of Ours' set. For PJA -- not so much, unfortunately. Having three guitarists onstage doesn't help much either, as the sound got a little overwhelming at points and the vocals were completely drowned it. They were still fun, but I have yet to see them play where the sound techs have gotten it completely right.

During "Starving Streets," I noticed Jimmy standing just off the stage in the back, watching. Me: "Oh, this'll be good." Sure enough, he jumped in halfway through and sang with Duke. Awesome.

Ours came on not long after. And I have NEVER seen them look like they were having so much fun. They clearly love playing that venue and were all in a great mood. Very, very smiley, all of 'em (well, except for Race, with whom I would not want to play poker). And because they were obviously having a good time, we all did, too. The kickass music didn't hurt either.



I was right between Static and Jimmy up front. Damn, Static photographs well.

The vocals were still too low when the show started -- Jimmy sang one line and immediately started gesturing to the sound guys to turn him up, and kept doing so through Willing and Mercy. After Black, he smiled down at the front row and said, "You guys having a good time now that you can hear me?" Hee. Yes, Jimmy, we were.

Jimmy was very chatty and really heavy on the eye-contact during the songs. Before Sometimes, he told a story about how it wasn't even going to be on the first record, but a friend of theirs convinced them to put it on there -- [heavy New York accent] "Man, that's gonna be your first single!" You had to see him do it, but it was hilarious.

April came up and played with them during Murder. The crowd still cannot clap on-beat during that song *raises eyebrow at Sarah*. It cracks me up.

Live Again was at least twenty minutes long. If I had one complaint about the show, it would be this -- I love that song and dig it when they jam on it for a few minutes, but they stretched it out way too long. I was exhausted by the end of it, which I suppose is the idea, but GAH. On the plus side, we got to see Jimmy show off his mad piano skillz.



Just for you, Trathena:





The hat only stayed off for the second half of Live Again, though. Heh.

Watching Static and Jimmy exchange looks while they play together is a treat. It's just a pleasure to watch two incredibly talented people who are that in tune with each other, musically. At one point Jimmy said, "Can we get Static a shot of Maker's Mark and put him out of his Misery?" Apparently Static was hungover and on the verge of being sick all day. Jimmy: "And get one for me, too." Cheers!



For Meet Me in the Tower, Jimmy didn't just bring up Duke. Brett Manning, his wife (I don't know her name), and a girl named Kim (again, I don't know who she was, but she was really beautiful) were all pulled out of the crowd to sing with him.





Jimmy: "Duke, are you wasted?"

Duke: [pause] "...yep."

Hee. Those two have obviously become really good friends, and watching them together makes me laugh.

Jimmy wouldn't let Brett and his wife leave the stage yet, though, saying they had to know something else they could sing with him. Brett suggested Red Colored Stars.

Me: "Okay, I like you."

And so they played it! Not full band, just Jimmy playing with his guitar and Brett and his wife singing backup. I freaked. AMAZING. Then the rest of the band came back onstage. Jimmy turned around and got the crap scared out of him when he saw Quincy behind the drum set -- I guess he wasn't expecting him. "Oh god! Hi." Snerk. I'm not describing it well, but it was funny. Jimmy then played the Kill the Band riff once and stopped, the tease that he is. Then Static played it once. Me: "Don't stop there!" Jimmy mentions that they played it the other night and heard that James from PJA knew the drums for that song, so he got James and Quincy to switch places, and they played Kill the Band. It. Was. Awesome. James didn't quite know how to end the song, though, so we all got a good laugh when the song just sort of... stopped. Heh.

Then came what we thought would be the end of the show. Jimmy told us all to sit down and get comfortable, because they were going to play for another hour (referring to how long they stretch out Get Up). I plopped my ass on the front of the stage, because my feet were really tired at this point. So they played Get Up and did the extended jam, and we all had a blast.

Jimmy and Duke reprised their dance-off from the Atlanta show. Holy shit, y'all, they can dance. Yes, it was funny, but they're also just really freaking good. I wish I had video of it.



And I thought that would be it -- oh no. They launched right into Worst Things Beautiful! Speaking of wishing I had a video camera... you guys, you have never seen anything like the bouncing and flailing that Sarah did during that song, and she managed to do it all while sitting down on the speaker. It was HILARIOUS and awesome, so much so that Jimmy and Static both noticed her freaking out and grinned. I half-bounced with her, when I wasn't doubled over laughing. Jimmy went down the line on the front row, grabbing everybody's hand and thanking them. And what I love about him is that he's not doing that just to do it -- he stops, really grabs your hand, holds it for a long time and makes sure he makes meaningful eye contact with you. It's all incredibly sincere.

I freaking love this band.

So Sarah and I hang around for a little while afterwards, and went over to talk to Jimmy when he was hanging out onstage and talking to another fan. He hopped down and talked to both of us for a few minutes. I thanked him for singing Happy Birthday to me a few months back, and he smiled like he remembered it. Sarah, I was so proud of you for keeping it together -- you say you were shaking, but I didn't notice. LOL. I asked him what would be on the solo album; he confirmed that I Heard You Singing, Darling, and Mystery(!) would be on it. Jimmy said that he wrote Mystery in 30 seconds(!)

I tried taking two pictures with him. The first was really blurry and the second was slightly less so, but still sweet.



He said that we could take as many pictures as it took to get one that wasn't fuzzy, but he practically had a receiving line of people waiting to talk to him, so we took off.

Then we went off to find Duke, because Sarah and I were still kicking ourselves for not taking a photo with him in Boston. If you're wondering why I like Duke so much, this is what happened when we found him outside the venue:

Me: "Hey Duke!"
Duke [takes half a second to recognize me]: "Erin! I sang a Britney Spears song with you. What are you doing here? You live in Atlanta."

He then gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek. Seriously, Duke rocks. I can't believe he remembered all that. And did I mention he was traaaaaaaaashed? Because he was. He's hilarious. My first picture with him was blurry, again, but then Sarah and I took this one with him.



And THAT is how we ended our night. As Duke's hos.

finis.

All photos are here: http://s247.photobucket.com/albums/gg135...2-19-2008/

[SarahBeth]

Erin, I love you. EPIC.

[Formica Linoleum]

That is completely and utterly awesomeness. Those pictures are WAY better than last night. Wish I could have gone. The lighting looked absoutely fabulous. Wow... what a night. Thanks or sharing in such detail.

[Trathena]

As Duke's hos.

haha! I love you.

And pictures without That Fucking Hat! You are awesome! Thank you so much for this fantastic review.

And can I be the first (on this board, at least) to say that you and Sarah are gorgeous!

[SarahBeth]

As Duke's hos.

haha! I love you.

And pictures without That Fucking Hat! You are awesome! Thank you so much for this fantastic review.

And can I be the first (on this board, at least) to say that you and Sarah are gorgeous!

Pictures without TFH for the win!!!

And thanks Trathena.

[Sanzen]

You two I'm so jealous! Yeah, I saw them this month but it sounds like your shows were doubled up on the fun...literally actually.

Bitches!!!!

But seriously, I love your photos. They're so great.