I'm not sure if anyone else here cares about the Eels, but I think they are generally excellent. Anyway, they just played a warm-up show for their 2008 tour. I'm attaching a detailed post by "helenback" from the Estranged Friends message board that provides all the relevant details.
Of huge significance was the onstage reunion between E and former band member Tommy. A public in-concert reconciliation is a total Spinal-Tap manoeuver, but I'm a sucker for that kind of thing anyway. Now bring back Big/Krazy Al, dammit!
(all of the following was written by "helenback")
Opening act was the BBC Parallel Lives documentary, played in its entirety on the stage curtain. As the credits rolled, the curtain went down and E took the stage, just him and an electric guitar. Same 'look' as the St. James show, by the way – mechanic outfit & baseball cap. He played a few songs and then introduced The Chet, and it was those two (mostly – more on that later) for the rest of the set, alternating instruments. Toy piano, saw, drums, pedal steel or whatever it’s called, electric guitars, etc etc.
In addition to playing a shitload of different instruments, Chet also read excerpts from E’s book between songs, prompting E to say, “what can else can I possibly make you do -- don’t answer that.” Each of the readings segued nicely into songs – for example, the story about E’s landlady seeing a ghost walk into his house, followed by Last Stop: This Town.
E talked a lot more to the crowd this time around – sharp contrast to the last tour -- and Valentine’s Day was a running gag throughout the night. Lots of tongue in cheek “I love you's” bandied about, with E wondering why it’s considered odd for men to say that to each other, ha.
But back to the music. Many, many highlights to the set: Flyswatter - kickass version with E & Chet alternating piano and drums. LOUD. This & I Like Birds in particular were crowd favorites. My personal favorites: Three Speed, Last Stop, Somebody Loves You, PS You Rock (the quintessential eels song and an ideal show closer – melancholy, hopeful and inspiring at once). Favorite cover of the night: Led Zep's Good Times, Bad Times with Chet singing & E on drums.
By far the biggest highlight came during the encore. E started playing Beautiful Freak on the piano, said he hadn't played the song in years and reminisced about the old days – flying around in the Novocaine video, Butch, Tommy, etc. Then he said he should call up those guys, though they’d probably punch him in the face, and as he continued with the song who should walk out onstage but … Tommy!! (who by the way looks fantastic). Wearing a BF shirt with the white cat, carrying his French Horn. E turned around, saw him and said: “Tommy! Can you hear me?” LOL. The song was beautiful, absolutely gorgeous, with the piano & French horn; Tommy had a huge smile the entire time, and afterwards he & E hugged and I think E said ‘I love you’ to him, seeing that it was, after all, Valentine’s Day. A great, great moment that gave me chills.
All in all, a masterfully crafted show – one befitting the retrospective nature of all the current releases.
Oh – no lights-on encore, although plenty of people stuck around hoping for one. Security shooed people out pretty quickly, so I assume PS You Rock was the last song played.
Sorry this is such a jumbled mess. I’ll post more as I remember, and hopefully others will come along with more detail (and photos -- saw a few cameras there).
Setlist:
Daisies of the Galaxy
What I Have to Offer
Millicent Don’t Blame Yourself
Ugly Love
Strawberry Blonde!!
Three Speed
After the Operation
Last Time We Spoke
Souljacker I
Elizabeth on the Bathroom floor
Dog’s Life
Beloved Monster
I Like Birds
Jeannie’s Diary
In the Yard, Behind the Church
Last Stop This Town
I Want to Protect You
I’m Going to Stop Pretending
Flyswatter
Bus Stop Boxer
Novocaine
Good Times Bad Times (Led Zep cover) - Chet sings, E drums
Somebody Loves You
Souljacker Pt II
Encore 1
Girl from the North Country
Can’t Help Falling… (Elvis cover)
Beautiful Freak – with Tommy on French Horn
Encore 2
PS You Rock
Of huge significance was the onstage reunion between E and former band member Tommy. A public in-concert reconciliation is a total Spinal-Tap manoeuver, but I'm a sucker for that kind of thing anyway. Now bring back Big/Krazy Al, dammit!
(all of the following was written by "helenback")
Opening act was the BBC Parallel Lives documentary, played in its entirety on the stage curtain. As the credits rolled, the curtain went down and E took the stage, just him and an electric guitar. Same 'look' as the St. James show, by the way – mechanic outfit & baseball cap. He played a few songs and then introduced The Chet, and it was those two (mostly – more on that later) for the rest of the set, alternating instruments. Toy piano, saw, drums, pedal steel or whatever it’s called, electric guitars, etc etc.
In addition to playing a shitload of different instruments, Chet also read excerpts from E’s book between songs, prompting E to say, “what can else can I possibly make you do -- don’t answer that.” Each of the readings segued nicely into songs – for example, the story about E’s landlady seeing a ghost walk into his house, followed by Last Stop: This Town.
E talked a lot more to the crowd this time around – sharp contrast to the last tour -- and Valentine’s Day was a running gag throughout the night. Lots of tongue in cheek “I love you's” bandied about, with E wondering why it’s considered odd for men to say that to each other, ha.
But back to the music. Many, many highlights to the set: Flyswatter - kickass version with E & Chet alternating piano and drums. LOUD. This & I Like Birds in particular were crowd favorites. My personal favorites: Three Speed, Last Stop, Somebody Loves You, PS You Rock (the quintessential eels song and an ideal show closer – melancholy, hopeful and inspiring at once). Favorite cover of the night: Led Zep's Good Times, Bad Times with Chet singing & E on drums.
By far the biggest highlight came during the encore. E started playing Beautiful Freak on the piano, said he hadn't played the song in years and reminisced about the old days – flying around in the Novocaine video, Butch, Tommy, etc. Then he said he should call up those guys, though they’d probably punch him in the face, and as he continued with the song who should walk out onstage but … Tommy!! (who by the way looks fantastic). Wearing a BF shirt with the white cat, carrying his French Horn. E turned around, saw him and said: “Tommy! Can you hear me?” LOL. The song was beautiful, absolutely gorgeous, with the piano & French horn; Tommy had a huge smile the entire time, and afterwards he & E hugged and I think E said ‘I love you’ to him, seeing that it was, after all, Valentine’s Day. A great, great moment that gave me chills.
All in all, a masterfully crafted show – one befitting the retrospective nature of all the current releases.
Oh – no lights-on encore, although plenty of people stuck around hoping for one. Security shooed people out pretty quickly, so I assume PS You Rock was the last song played.
Sorry this is such a jumbled mess. I’ll post more as I remember, and hopefully others will come along with more detail (and photos -- saw a few cameras there).
Setlist:
Daisies of the Galaxy
What I Have to Offer
Millicent Don’t Blame Yourself
Ugly Love
Strawberry Blonde!!
Three Speed
After the Operation
Last Time We Spoke
Souljacker I
Elizabeth on the Bathroom floor
Dog’s Life
Beloved Monster
I Like Birds
Jeannie’s Diary
In the Yard, Behind the Church
Last Stop This Town
I Want to Protect You
I’m Going to Stop Pretending
Flyswatter
Bus Stop Boxer
Novocaine
Good Times Bad Times (Led Zep cover) - Chet sings, E drums
Somebody Loves You
Souljacker Pt II
Encore 1
Girl from the North Country
Can’t Help Falling… (Elvis cover)
Beautiful Freak – with Tommy on French Horn
Encore 2
PS You Rock