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Write, Nate, Write's Journal

10th November, 2002. 4:06 pm. I'm looking for one thing real tonight.

Dan Bern, Martyr's, Chicago, November 9, 2002, set list:

1) "Lightning Jazz"
2) "Ballpark"
3) "Black Tornado"
4) "One Thing Real"
5) began "I'm Not The Guy," switched to "Sweetness" after one verse
6) "My Little Swastika"
7) "Cure for AIDS"
8) "God Said No"
9) "Hannibal"
10) "Talkin' Al Kida Blues"
11) "Witness"
12) "Chelsea Hotel"
13) "Friends"
14) "Peach in Paris" (?)
15) "Suzanne"
16) "Jerusalem"
17) "My Little Swastika" (reprise)
Encore:
18) "Missing Link"

The full story:

I lef tthe dorm sometime after 8:00 PM, and realized that I didn't have my CTA farecard or any change, since i had changed my jeans. I decided I might have enough dimes to pay for the bus, and then I would buy another farecard at the Red Line station. As it turns out, the bus fare machine was broken, so someone was looking out for me. :-)

I got lost on the Brown Line. I wasn't sure which stop was the right one, so I went too far. Also, it was as rainy as I had ever seen Chicago. For a moment--just a moment--I considered giving up and going back to the dorm. It was 9:45 by this point, and the concert was set to begin at 10:00. But I knew that if I didn't go, I would hurt myself for the longest time (a phrase from a friend's email a year ago, when he thought he had missed out on seeing Billy Joel live), so I got back on the train and trucked ahead. As it was, I found the club (Martyr's) without too much trouble, once I was at the right stop. I picked up a CTA map, which helped. The directions were the other thing I had left in my other pair of jeans.

I got to the club at exactly 10:00 PM, but there was no music yet, which was good. I got a Diet Coke and a slice of pizza, as I hadn't had dinner, and I didn't want to cloud my judgement or enjoyment of the concert with alcohol...plus drinking makes me sleepy, which would have been bad, since I got back to my dorm at nearly 3:00 AM. There was going to be an opening act, which I hadn't realized. It was Andy Stochansky, who Ian tells me is Ani Difranco's husband and long-time drummer. He was very, very good...He was very alternative poppy (no, not the flower, the sound), and a lot of fun. I got kind of mad because people right up front talked through the whole thing, but I suppose that's what being an opening act is about, sometimes. He had some dedicated fans there, as well, which was good. I also saw some girls from school at this point, which made me happy. I know we will greet each other happily the next time we see each other on the quads.

Andy played for nearly an hour and a half, which was great. When he was done, however, I was SO ready to see Dan. I pushed my way to the front (it helps to be a 5'3" blonde girl who can sneak between people and charm some of them, and if necessary use the "I can't see" excuse. Using all these tactics, I got to the stage, and sat down on the edge of it in between a couple of speakers. Here I met another college-age girl who had been into Dan for a year and a half, and a couple of frat-looking guys who were also big fans.

Dan's band, and finally Dan, wandered around on the stage setting up for awhile. Dan came over and found a copy of Andy's set list on the ground, and handed it to me, and I gave it to the girl behind me (I'm sure I will kick myself for doing so if he ever gets famous...but, whatever). Dan started playing around 11:45. He seemed to be in a great mood, as he started without back-up, performing "Lightning Jazz," which is one of my favorite songs, and one of the ones I use to introduce other people to his music. It was great to finally be able to sing "Hey God, hey God" with the rest of the audience. Next he welcomed himself to Chicago with, "So, the Cubs lost this year. That must be weird for you guys, what's it like?" Heehee. Then he talked about how he used to live in Chicago and loved Wrigley Field, leading into the song "Ballpark," which is about his midnight jaunt in Wrigley Field a few years ago. Then the band came on with a heart-wrenching version of "Black Tornado." Wow. All the time I was sitting on the edge of the stage singing along, and he and his keyboardist Will kept looking at me and smiling. This came to a head in the next song, "One Thing Real," when he was doing a guitar riff and leaned down right into my face. I could see every drop of sweat on his forehead, and I wanted to touch his cheek or kiss him, but I was kind of frozen in shock. I nearly fainted afterwards, and the people around me understood exactly how I felt.

The next "section" of songs started with a discussion of a conversation he had had in the restroom with some guy before the show. The guy and his friend had a bet going as to what the first song was going to be. It turned out they were both wrong, but the guy's friend bet on "I'm Not The Guy," while the guy bet on "Sweetness." Dan wondered if the bet still stood based on which song he played first, but he was upset because there was no money riding on the bet, so he started "I'm Not The Guy." After half a verse, though, one of his strings broke! So he stopped playing, and while he was adjusting another guitar, the guy yelled out "$10 bucks!" So "I'm Not The Guy" was forgotten and he played "Sweetness" instead. Dan apparently got $5 from the guy for helping him out. After "Sweetness" he segued into "My Little Swastika," an amazing new song, by saying that he and Will had a bet as to whether they could sell all the copies of the new Swastika EP that night. I hope he won, since he said they would. He also said that he would do anything (within limits) "for or with" anybody after the show to get them to buy a copy. This is the new theme song for his band, the International Jewish Banking Conspiracy. Heehee.

The band then broke into a great, thumping, fun version of "Cure for AIDS." This was followed up by a tear-jerking, very quiet version of "God Said No." After the show, my friend Ian, who saw him at Borders earlier that day, told me that when he played the song there he had introduced it by saying it was about "a chance encounter I had one day." Hee. I really noticed tonight (again) how much he sings about God and such. And how well he does it. Yay. The band took a break, except for the drummer, after that. The drummer pulled out a bongo drum, and Dan and he did a very beat-based version of "Hannibal." There was lots of screaming when everyone heard the first line and realized what it was. SO powerful. It is so good to hear him play the old stuff.

Next was Dan all by himself, beginning the song with "this wouldn't be a rock show without a talking blues song." Damn straight, I love how he thinks. He launched in the "Talkin' Al Kida Blues," from the new EP. It is a very funny and poignant and well-rhymed song about America since September 11th, and he had a lot of fun with it, as did the audience. He does a great Dubya impression, by the way. Next, the band all came back on, ready to jam. They played "Witness," with a very long bridge in the middle, which included a vote by the audience as to whether the Sox rule or suck. According to the audience (but not me) they suck...I guess that's proof that we were on the North Side.

After each of the last few songs, the girl behind me and the guys next to me had been yelling "Chelsea Hotel." I was yelling "Estelle," which I realize rhymes, so he may have thought I was saying the same thing. In any case, the band did "Chelsea Hotel" at this point, and I couldn't complain..it was amazing. It's definitely one of his best songs. I especially liked it when he sang "practicing for the NEXT millenium." Hee. Next, by himself, stomping along (if you've seen him in concert, you know that he stomps the beat A LOT), he sang "Friends" from the new EP. A cute, short, funny song involving the question "Where did my friends go?" and all the possible answers. The next song was very talking blues, and I'm not sure of the name. I think it is the French-named song from his new book/CD, but I can't be sure. There is French in it, but part of the refrain is "the peach that I bought in Paris." If you know what it is, more power to you. Anyway, it was a lot of fun, especially with all the alliteration. Next he and the band launched into "Suzanne," which is one of my favorite songs of his. It almost made up for not hearing "Estelle."

Next, in possibly the highlight of the entire show, was an awesome sing-along version of "Jerusalem." The band apparently has sign language for the words to this song, which was hilarious. And when Dan reached "I am the Messiah," everyone in the audience was screaming and shaking their fists in the air. At this point he body-surfed into the crowd. Really. It was so cool. He's a pretty big guy, but we handled it well. And yes, I got to hold his ass. When he got back onto the stage he said "You guys have been working out!" It was so cool. I think that's the theme of this essay.

To wind up the concert, he and the band sang "My Little Swastika" again, and of course the entire audience sang along. It's a great theme song.

Of course there was an encore, which was "Missing Link," a fabulous older tune. The refrain, "Aliens came and they fucked the monkey, they funked the monkey, they fucked the monkey" was sung about 20 times. It was great. The version went on for at least 8 minutes.

When the concert was over, Dan put on a winter cap and hung out at the merchandise booth, as promised. Before going over to him, I crawled onto the stage and grabbed his beer bottle, a Heineken (Ian says this is what he always drinks). I dumped out the last of it (I know I should have drunk it, but I hate beer), put my lips around the edge, and then stuck it in my pocket to take home. I'm going to keep flowers in it, I think. Then I went over to Dan, and worked on opening the CDs I had bought so that he could sign them while he took a picture with the girl who had been next to me. He recognized me from the front row and was incredibly friendly. I told him that I love his music, and that the concert had made my month. he signed a CD for me and one for Ian, and then he gave me a big hug. He was still all sweaty from the show. He kissed me on the right cheek. Yay! I would say I'm never going to wash it again, but...ew. And anyway, I already have. I had to get that makeup off, after all.

I made it home safely, floating on my own little cloud (unfortunately, I also had to take the CTA). It was the best night of my life, by far. Wow.

Love,
Anita

Current mood: enthralled.
Current music: "Estelle," Dan Bern.

(Mark it up)

10th November, 2002. 11:28 pm.

I'm listening to a love song.
Why is everything a love song?
I hate love songs.
I've never been in love.
I don't relate. I can't relate.
I'm sure I'm not the only one.
So why do people keep writing them?
And why do I?

(3 constructive criticisms | Mark it up)

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