Last night Carrie came with me to Schuba's to see Michael Penn. This was my second time seeing him live there, and he put on another great show. There were chairs this time, which was nice on the feet, but it added a subdued element to an already mellow crowd. I'd guess there were a hundred or so people there, and they were very polite (listening attentively; clapping appreciatively; no shouts to hear "the one about the black pants"). MP seemed a little more surly this time around, although he was appreciative of the three people who spoke at the open mike (telling two jokes and one factoid about Walter Reed hospital). The mike was Michael's way of killing time between songs without him having to always think of clever things to say (and, as he pointed out, Bush-bashing--his previous time-filling method--is now like shooting fish in a barrel). The music, of course, was fabulous. It was just Michael on guitar with a keyboardist to back him up. My favorite songs were "Me Around," "Cupid's Got a Brand New Gun," and my all-time MP favorite, "I Can Tell." He ended with "No Myth" and didn't come back for any encores. He also didn't stick around for photos and autographs, which was kind of disappointing. I guess he did after the second show; next time I'll go to that one instead. Regardless, it was a treat to hear him live again. And I highly recommend his new best-of album, Palm & Runes, Tarot & Tea, or any of his other albums ("Resigned" is my favorite of the bunch).
1 comments:
I think Michael just doesn't dig touring. Time away from his son and Aimee - and this was the end of a lot of driving.
Anyway - I saw Michael tour in 1992 or 1993 at a little club here in Philly where it was packed, you had to stand, and it was a full band. The crowd was much livelier - I'm glad I got to see him that way since he doesn't seem to do that anymore.
Post a Comment