Parker's rehearsal booklet

Via Parker Kindred's IG stories back on February 19

Barrister's Reviews, Part 2

 

Submitted by Steven

Subject: JBEL: last night's show at barristers'

Date: Tue, 29 Apr 1997 19:31:14 -0400

From: audreyroofeh<ar5331a@american.edu>

Organization:American University

To: jeff-buckley-eternal-life@mail.usyd.edu.au

  to put it simply-go. there are a million details (if you go-take note that barristers' is not on jefferson and second, but on the alley behind 147 jefferson) but i'll say that the show was unbelievable.

  JB showed up around 9:30, i think, and at the time there were maybe 50/60 something people there. it's a small dive, and i think it could hold 100 people. the opening band, and the band that followed were both poor, and it was too bad that JB's show was short because of them.

  i don't know what time he went on, but it was simply arranged. small stage, jeff stood out of the path of the lights, completely in the shadows, just his guitar and a glass of wine. his presence is strong but he's a small man-maybe 5'9". he spoke a little in our general direction, and i don't know all he played. he looked sad. one song he performed, i don't know the title but it had lines like "don't tell her that i miss her...if she's in town, tell her to look me up, i'm not a hard man to find..." when he was finished, he stepped back into the shine of the lights, and you could see his tears. there was So Real, Last Goodbye, (even better than you could imagine) The Sky Is A Landfill, Morning Theft, a couple others, and then he attempted to say that his set was over. we screamed for him to stay, so he asked what we wanted to hear. some of us yelled "Lover You Should Have Come Over!" and he said "you got it." it was a loooong intro, but when he began it was mesmerizing. every line pulled at my heartstrings, and it easily made me dizzy. it's a twisted thing to "appreciate" his music, when it so obviously was excruciating for him to write it (i asked, and he said that it doesn't make him sad anymore). someone hurt this man-bad. his eyes were clamped shut and it looked as if he was PURGING the song from his soul. i cried at it, and i felt weak during it. i have never seen a more moving performance of any sort than this rendition of lover. when it was over, there was a streak down his cheeks. he continued to play, some song, i don't know which. then it was over.

  i am sure i am missing details, and i know that efia has a story, once she get's back to georgia, and i know there are others.

  there were some rumors that this wasn't to be the last show, and i asked jeff if he was playing in may and he said yes. then some more details...margaux and i stayed for the last band...weird. on our way out, i ran into  a  guy, sam, who works at barristers', and, looking like a little kid who GOT the bike for christmas, he said to me "Do you know what jeff just did?!" obviously, i didn't. he said "well, we thanked him for his month at our bar, and he said 'i don't really want to go, i like the monday shows', so jeff is playing every monday night in may and june." i'm outta school in two weeks. see me in memphis. audrey

***

JBEL: Barristers'-4/28

Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 17:13:44 -0400 (EDT)

From: Efia Ruth Miles<gs01erm@panther.Gsu.EDU>

To: Jeff Buckley<jeff-buckley-eternal-life@mail.usyd.edu.au>

  Audrey's just about explained everything about the songs and the other bands, but I experienced something this past Monday night that I never imagined could happen to me.

  This was the most intimate I've ever felt at a concert/performance. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to hold back tears while Jeff sang some of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard in my life; including sweet renditions of "Mojo Pin", "So Real", "Lover,..." and "Last Goodbye." Besides being mesmerized and overwhelmed by his voice and that heavenly sound coming from his guitar, Jeff was even greater after the set. He was walking around and signing CD sleeves and shaking hands, and I just watched until he was in a corner with just a few people around. He was sitting on the stage and I walked over, stood there in a sort of a line and this jerk came up with his girlfriend and started talking to him as if I wasn't even there. But Jeff held out a reassuring hand to me and I placed mine there on his soft palm. He just held my hand until the guy was gone. I asked him when he might be coming back to Atlanta and he said it would be after the new album is released and he and the band go on tour again--then he emphasized that it would be a LONG time. I wasn't too happy to hear that, but I told him I would be happy to  wait.

  I asked him later about something the woman in the last band was using on her guitar and he told me it was an e-bow and that U2 used it in "With or Without You." And on the way out of the door, he was standing there talking to someone and we all said goodbye to him individually. I told him my name and that it was good to see him and he said the same back. I heard him say that this month at Barristers' has been one of the best places he's ever played and that it would not be his last Monday. I'm so glad Audrey talked to someone to find out that it's not over!! Needless to say, I left that place in another dimension all my own. It still feels like I dreamed the whole thing.

  When I was driving the 200 miles home on a dark and lonely two-lane highway from taking my friend back to school, when it was just me, God and Jeff, I played Grace in its entirety and cried while I sang with him. Efia

***

JBEL: Memphis-Jeff dirt

Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 15:32:30 CST

From: "michelle"<mbod9867@iunlab1.iun.indiana.edu>

Organization: Indiana University Northwest

To: jeff-buckley-eternal-life@mail.usyd.edu.au

  Well, I finally made it to Barrister's. I never thought I would. Well, here's my Jeff story....(Sorry it's a little long) I'm sitting anxiously, waiting for Jeff to arrive. I go to the bathroom and when I get back, my best friend is talking to some guy. He seemed pretty nice, 42 years old, named Steve. He was pretty cool and he really liked Jeff. So we all talked for probably 20 minutes to a half hour and Jeff walks in. Steve waves and Jeff waves back. I'm thinking to myself "Hmmmmm. What is this?" I ask Steve what his last name is and what he does.  His name was Steve Berkowitz (sp?) and if you look inside the Grace and Sine CD's you'll see his name under executive producer. OK. So at this point I'm ready to die. I've been talking to Jeff's producer without even knowing it. So throughout I got a bunch of little Jeff tidbits....(Sorry if any of it is old news, it was all new to me)

  Jeff is in Memphis because they are recording in a studio down there. (Well, they're supposed to be recording) I guess Jeff is rewriting and perfecting a lot of his songs before they record. Steve said Jeff really likes playing Barrister's because it gives him a chance to test out some of his stuff and stay in touch with what he's doing. He also likes Memphis because he can just chill and relax there.

  Jeff was not aware that so many people are traveling from so far away to see him there. He also kept going on about how wonderful of a musician and man Jeff is.  I thought that was really great cuz I wonder how many producers are really huge fans of the people they are producing. He did sound a little frustrated that the album wasn't finished yet. I can't really remember everything we talked about because I was sort of in an excited daze and we kept getting interupted because Steve kept getting up and correcting the sound guys controls. I guess Jeff wasn't sounding as good as he could. Well, I left Steve then to get closer to the stage. Of course, as everyone knows the show was wonderful.

  When it was over I wanted to go up to Jeff and say something, but I just froze. I've met him before and it wasn't a problem then. I guess I was just obsessing over what to say (or not say). Well, Steve pulled me out of my post-Jeff daze and pulled me over to Jeff. I really wanted to go up to him on my own, but I guess being introduced by his producer is OK too. Steve said, "Jeff, this is Michelle and Trisha. They rode a Greyhound bus all the way from Chicago to see you here tonite. Jeff looked at us like we were crazy. Like, who in the hell would drive 12 hours to see him? He took my hand and bowed down. I fumbled out a "You were really great". Steve left and left me standing awkwardly next to Jeff. We talked for a little while about his Chicago show a couple years ago and then I went off to buy him the beer he wanted.

  Later, he came up to me and asked, "Did you really ride a Greyhound?" I said "yeah".  He asked why we would do that just to come to Memphis. I said that I just wanted to see the show that badly.  He couldn't believe it. He looked at me sort of like I was crazy or something. So throughout the rest of the night he stopped by a couple of times, once to ask how we knew his producer and once to ask what we were doing after the show.

  Well, I must say that this meeting definitely beat the last time I met him, even though I acted like a awkward 16 year old at times. I only wish I could have met some of the people on the list. michelle

mbod9867@iunlab1.iun.indiana.edu

Barrister's Reviews, part 1

  Submitted by Niella

Date sent: Thu, 10 Apr 1997 12:02:43 +1000

Subject: JBEL: jeff in memphis

I was working in the lab at school on Monday and decided to check my mail (I had signed up for this mailing list only last week) and much to my surprise found out that Jeff Buckley was playing in Memphis that night. It was 4 pm, and I had no idea what time he was going to play, but I called my friend Jimmie, and he and I decided to take the risk of driving to Memphis and getting there before he quit playing. We thought it would be worth it even if we only got to hear the last chorus of his last song. We left Birmingham at 5:11 pm and got to Barrister's at 9:30 pm, and luckily there was an opening band who hadn't even started playing. Jimmie and I sat at the bar right in front of the stage. When we got there, only about 8 people were there. The opening act was different but pretty good-they seemed to be heavily influenced by King Crimson. I think the name of the band was Seven Four Slide. I talked to their guitarist Ben and his ex-girlfriend Melanie. They were very nice. I think Jeff started playing around 11:30. I had never heard him before live. He was incredible. His voice is so amazing. He played Grace, Mojo Pin, Last Goodbye, and some new songs. I was completely mesmerized throughout the entire show, and only came out of my trance when he would joke about something. He sang a bit from the song "Nicky" from Purple Rain. We were yelling the lyrics out to him because he couldn't remember them all. It was great. He played for about an hour and a half. After the show he hung out talking to everyone. Jimmie and I stayed at the bar until it closed at three. Jimmie, Jeff, one other guy, and I were the only ones left at the bar besides Kevin, the owner, and Andy, the bartender (both are really nice guys). We listened to Led Zeppelin on the juke box, and I watched while the guys played pool. Jeff beat Jimmie twice. As a prize for winning, Jimmie gave Jeff a copy of his band's tape (the suburban love junkies). Jeff seemed sincerely appreciative about receiving it. Then Kevin and Andy kindly kicked the four of us out of the bar, and we followed Jeff in his white Dodge Neon to the lamplighter where he was supposed to meet some friends. The lamplighter was closed, so we said goodnight to Jeff and went to find a place to stay the night. We were so wide awake that instead we ended up driving back to Birmingham. We are going back next week, and I highly recommend that anyone in the vicinity of Memphis make it to one, if not all, of the rest of his shows at Barrister's. If I were a millionaire, I would send all of you plane tickets (NY, Connecticut, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, etc.), but unfortunately all I can send you are brief descriptions of the shows. Until next week...

Julie

gene004@uabdpo.dpo.uab.edu (juliej@uab.edu)

***

  

It was not a dream.
  After borrowing a car and a microcassette recorder; after packing the camera and the CDs; after rounding up my friends--we left for Memphis yesterday at 4:30 PM. We weren't sure that we would be able to get into the bar, but we came anyway. Even if I couldn't get in, standing outside and listening would suffice, right?
  We got to Memphis at around 7:30 and finally found the place ( Barristers') in a dark alley off of Second and Jefferson. When we approached the place, I saw a thin guy with a guitar walking in, and my heart started to race. I approached the figure, and to my dismay I discovered that the figure was just some guy named Jake of John or some other "J" name. Anyway, I introduced myself, and we talked for a minute. I was surprised when he said, "My band goes on at nine o'clock, and that other guy, Jeff, goes on at ten thirty."
  "That other guy, Jeff?"
  The man did not even know who Jeff was. It was really odd to hear him say "Jeff" with no "Buckley" attached. Yes, odd.
  We went inside, and the owner just asked us for five dollars. No ID check, nothing like that at all. Nobody at all was there. The place had maybe four other people in it. I was hoping it would stay that way, too. We hung around for about five minutes, then we went to Beale Street and ate some barbeque, and then we came back at nine to find that the opening band had already started.
  I didn't like the opening band, so I went outside to get some air. I saw the owner of the place, and I must've talked to him for an hour and a half. We talked about the internet (he posted the announcement on AOL) and how effective it was for this sort of thing, and we talked about Jeff a whole lot. It was really neat to talk to someone who seemed to know Jeff personally, I must say.
  Barristers' advertised this show, so people started flowing in at about ten o'clock. I'd say there were about 75 people there altogether, though I'm not sure how accurate that estimate is. Anyway, the owner and I were the only ones standing outside when Jeff pulled up. He drove up in a white Neon at about ten-thirty, and got his guitar and amp out of his trunk. I asked him if he needed a hand, and he said no. I was disappointed, but I knew I'd see him again. He threw his things onstage and then came back outside to move his car. When he came back in, I introduced myself, and we talked for about five minutes. I asked him if I could tape the show, and he said "No, no, no, please don't...well, okay." We talked for just a few more minutes, and I asked if I could get some autographs after the show. He said "Sure, Doug," and then went inside. A few seconds later, he came outside and asked me not to tape the show, but said that it was lovely for me to ask. He said that it was just too dangerous, and started telling some story about the British mafia and bootlegging. I was disappointed that he didn't want me to tape the show, but I just couldn't find it in my heart to press the record button afterward. He asked me not to--I wasn't going to.
  He went inside, and even though the place was relatively crowded, no one approached him at all. Either no one knew who he was (that wasn't the case), or nobody had the guts to approach him. He went over to the pool table and began to play pool with a guy I had met earlier in the night, so I followed and watched. The guy he was playing was really bad, so about halfway through the game, I asked Jeff if I could have next game. He said an emphatic "Yes," I guess because the other guy was just so bad. They finished up (Jeff won), I put in 50 cents and Jeff the remaining 25, and Jeff racked the balls up. I won't tell you the play by play, but I won the first game, Jeff the second, and I the third. I didn't quite know what to do. I beat Jeff Buckley in pool. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Who knows. Anyway, we talked some more and then he went onstage. I was really the only one to talk to him, strangely enough. I didn't hover or anything, I was just friendly. He is really very approachable.
  He popped onstage at about 11:15, tuned up, and launched into the most amazing version of "Grace" that I have ever heard. It was just him and his guitar, of course, so that made it even better. He cracked a few notes (not the really high ones, though), and afterward told us all about how smoking will make your voice "suck." He proceeded to play (I don't know about the titles of the new songs, but I'll take a guess) "The Sky is a Landfill," "Witch's (????something)," and a GORGEOUS version of "Morning Theft." That song was by far the best of the night.
  After that, it was time for "Last Goodbye," and then he went into a really long Prince (back when he was Prince) imitation, and he talked about "Purple Rain" a whole lot. It was quite funny, but then he brought us back into our trance with "Mojo Pin." He finished off the set with a song I hadn't heard before, but I think it might have been called "Wild is the Wind." It was wonderful...the whole show was beautiful and it was my first.
  After the show, one or two people approached him asking for pictures , but he asked them not to photograph him. After they left, I asked him for one autograph, but he signed (defaced is the word) the covers of "Grace," "Live at Sin-e," and "Live at the Bataclan." On "Bataclan," he signed it "Le AAARGH!" He drew sunglasses on his picture on "Grace," and signed "Take me with u!" I was thrilled. We talked for just a second more; about the book I was keeping my CD covers in--Hume's "Dialogues on Natural Religion," and then I left. He had remembered my name, thank goodness, and as I left he said, "Catch you later, Doug." He will. Next week, hopefully.
  You need to come to this place. There's no carding for entrance or at the bar, and though it may be quite a trip; it will be worth the mileage. He only played about an hour and a half, but I would have driven three times as far as I did just to hear him. I would have driven 10 times as far if someone had told me that I would get to meet him and to play pool with him. The show was short but beautiful, and I'd love to get it on tape next time, or at least get some pictures if he'll allow them. If you're going to boot the show, ask him first. Don't boot it if he doesn't want you to--don't take what isn't yours to take.
  I hope to see some of you there next Monday. Let me know if you plan on coming, and maybe we can meet up there. Come. It's more than worth the gas money.
  If there's anything I left out (I doubt it, considering the length of this post), just mail me and I'll fill you in. Rock on, etc.

-Doug "I beat Jeff in pool" Jennings

Doug Jennings <jenninda@ctrvax.Vanderbilt.Edu

*  *  *

Submitted by Steven

JBEL: barristers show 5/26/97

Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 10:59:22 -0700

From: gaylekelemen<gkelemen@goodnet.com>

To: jeff-buckley-eternal-life@mail.usyd.edu.au 

  ok, here's my barristers post. i know that others that were at the show won't be able to get online till later this week (starting tomorrow) and/or next week, so i hope everybody tells us what they thought! set list (this is probably 95% correct, always giving for the standard deviation of .05 hahaha):

  1. a song with the words "terminal cancer" in it. i think this was a cover. julie said that he played a neil young song, i believe, but i don't know neil as well as i oughtta....this song was pretty aggressive, and when jeff stopped playing it, he said, "this is how the guy from brainiac must have felt" or something like that. :( somebody from memphis says that jeff has been playing a lot of bad brains lately as well, so.... 2. hallelujah 3. morning theft 4. corpus christi carol---what a shocker, eh, to see this on a recent setlist!?!?! i was pleasantly surprised! don't know if he's playing this to get the voice ready for the studio or if he just wanted to play it. it wasn't quite exactly like the album, but it was damn good! 5. unknown--hadn't heard this before 6. grace 7. the sky is a landfill 8. a rockin' instrumental (neil young?)...i'd heard the song before, but i don't know where from... 9. an aggressive aggressive song with the words "your flesh is so nice" in it. ;) 10. a new song i didn't recognize...

  i believe that's the entire setlist...the show was way over an hour...jeff talked a lot...surprisingly (with hallelujah and ccc in the set), the show hit me as very aggressive. not surprisingly, it was extremely intense.

  just for the notetakers ;): my memphis friend was surprised (how many times can i use that word in one post?) that jeff was wearing a suit (with jacket, with tie) and fancy shoes (what do you call those black and white shoes with the big tongue?), as he's been dressed down (comparatively) for the other barristers shows he'd seen.

  barristers was pretty crowded, but not packed per say. most of the people (including me) from the list sat in the first few rows in front of the stage. a lot of sitting at this show, with the standing people over at the bar. as i said before, jeff talked a lot before and after songs. at ten to 1am, he said that he'd play one more (to be done at/before 1am), and he finished that song at 1:10am or something like that. mash-o-matic, the opening band, was pretty good. the band after jeff played for a brief time...i don't know what happened, but i was standing outside, and the drummer ran out. ??? (perhaps due to the sound system...i don't know) the sound system was pretty off. at one point during his set, jeff asked the soundperson to sit the set out and go do something else. this was followed by about 10 minutes of jeff making the microphone feed  back-both with his mouth and with his head. ??? jeff commented that his head fed back a lot and that he was used to it. ;)

  jeff offered the audience free red wine at the bar, so we all got a free drink. :) there's  lots more to tell, but i'll let the others tell us (most probably have a better memory of the show than me as well). it was a "different" kind of jb solo set than i've seen. parts of it were off-kilter due to the sound problem...and probably due to my intake, fatigue from the long weekend, etc. as always, though, worth the effort to get to the  show. :) "intense" could be a key word...and my memphis friend thought the show was very different than previous barristers shows.

  it was definately great hanging out with and meeting the others from the list. huey's (is that the name of the restaurant some of us went to pre-show and post-beale st. tap room?) was a riot, as i've never had the experience of trying to blow toothpicks into the ceiling via a straw. ! :0 (it's a "huey's thing") efia, your absence was noted, and you were missed. :( most of the memphis crowd was pretty mellow, with the exception of a few people at the side/front of the stage, who rocked out during the instrumental and other rocking moments. pretty young crowd as well. i asked my memphis friend what kind of crowd it was for memphis, and he said it was huge for a monday night and that it was the "hipper" crowd. not that it was new york city hip (ugh)...a different kind of hip. i was pretty bummed that jeff didn't play dylan's "if you see her, say hello" or the smiths' "i know it's over". or "so real", for that matter...but there are new songs that are new within the last few months (at least not performed at his january and february shows). special thanks from me to patti (for trying to find out how timmy died so i would shut up about it), jenny (sera) for kindly getting me some wine (very polite, eh?), julie for the beer, and kim for doing "the pose" even though i never got the chance to be there with you. ;) :0

  barristers said that this monday was the show with the most online people there (ie: with reservations), so that's pretty cool. lots of people from new york. it was a very surreal evening for me, and that seems to fit with the surreal aspects of the trip that were woven throughout. the barristers guys (john!) are very nice. :) if i think of more, i'll post it, but i'm looking forward to hearing everybody else's thoughts and comments (and recollections)!

***

  Hi all, so I dragged myself into work this morning after having been on a bus for 26 hours returning from Memphis, for 2 reasons only: to not waste a vacation day that could be put to better use in Memphis ;-), and to post about the show ASAP before my memory goes fuzzy--and mind you, it was pretty fuzzy to begin with considering I was quite sloshed for the majority of the evening...since Gayle did most of the hard work on transcribing the setlist, I’ll just quote her post and add my bits here and there.

  The show was about 1-1/2 hours long, but Jeff spent ALOT of time in the beginning tuning and futzing around... <<1. a song with the words "terminal cancer" in it. i think this was a cover. julie said that he  played a neil young song, i believe, but i don't know neil as well as i oughtta....>> Yeah, the lyrics kept repeating the line “the world has terminal cancer” but I thought  this was a new original Buckley tune because the opening chords were very similar to parts of Eternal Life (live versions). <<2. hallelujah 3. morning theft>> actually, he did a short song between these two, which I think was a cover but I’m not sure. His phrasing on this song was very Joni Mitchell-ish, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a Joni song...He also stopped in the middle of Morning Theft (my fave new song, BTW) to berate the sound guy quite harshly and then started the song over again...Then Corpus Christi Carol absolutely floored me. (good thing we were sitting down!) <<5. unknown>> I couldn’t even understand the words to this one <<6. grace 7. the sky is a landfill 8. a rockin' instrumental (neil young?)...i'd heard the song before, but i don't know where from...>> #8 was most definitely an instrumental cover of Smoke on the Water, which is not by Neil Young but by, um, not sure but I think it’s a Deep Purple song? (the extent of my familiarity with this song is from late-night 70’s rock compilation CD commercials, but I also think the guitar intro of Smoke has been referenced on Beavis & Butthead...) <<9. an aggressive song with the words "your flesh is so nice" in it. ;)>> This one sounded familiar too, the lyrics were full of double entendres of the cat/woman variety. the song might be called “pussy”, since that was in the lyrics alot, and some more bits are: “gonna tell you a story”, “you’re flesh is so nice, gonna take a bite” and “take off my belt, go up the staircase”. Does anyone have a clue what song this might be? It seemed just a little too rude to be an original Jeff song... <<10. a new song i didn't recognize>> Actually, he did 2 different songs to close the set. The first one had lyrics that kept mentioning the word “politician”, and something about “I was mesmerized” and “stars was insane(?)”. The second song kept repeating the lyric “I’m not with you but of you”, and also had bits about “the special one” and “some other love becomes you”. And I have to agree with Gayle that there was a very aggressive vibe in the air throughout the set, though Jeff did mellow out afterwards...the only other solo Jeff set I've ever seen was the Mercury Lounge New Year's show, and the difference in atmosphere between that show and this one was like night and day.

  Now for some non-setlist-related observations: The shoes were b&w wingtips with fringed tongues/flaps. For the sartorially curious, Jeff was wearin a dark gray suit with a powder blue tuxedo shirt and red tie, and was sporting a black hat as well. He was playing a big black guitar and at one point you could see there were lots of butterfly stickers plastered on the back of it. So I yelled out between songs “what’s with the butterflies?” At which point he looked at me, played a couple of chords and then Jeff (who I shall now refer to as 'Mr. Cryptic') replied: “what’s with the porcelain skin?”, ignoring my question and then started the next song...so you all can call me Porcelain Skin Girl now if you’d like ;-) Much later on in the evening (after the show) Jeff was saying  something about having two jobs(?) in Memphis, one of which had to do with butterflies (catching them, I think), but I was so inebriated at that point that I don’t really remember what he said exactly or even how it came up in the conversation...I’m hoping Audrey can save my ass on this one, or else we’ll never solve the butterfly mystery! <<the sound system was pretty off. at one point during his set, jeff asked the soundperson to sit the set out and go do something else. this was followed by about 10 minutes of jeff making the microphone feed back-both with his mouth and with his head. ??? jeff commented that his head fed back a lot and that he was used to  it. ;)>> like I said before, this was during Morning Theft, and he was really, really harsh towards the poor soundguy...it was funny but the tone in Jeff’s voice was also very disturbing, at least it seemed to me. Hey, at least we got to hear Morning Theft twice because of it! The mouth-induced feedback was quite amusing--think Madonna circa Truth or Dare with the water bottle and you’ll get the idea. I don’t remember any head-induced feedback/comments though, Gayle...was he rubbing his head against the microphone too?

  The whole cop/paranoia tip that Jeff has been on lately in his recent show/posts banter was continued at this show as well: at one point he was raging on about cop shows on TV, and how he would film all of us and turn us into a TV show, I think. Just more grist for the aggression mill, I suppose. <<jeff offered the audience free red wine at the bar, so we all got a free drink. :)>> Yeah, and a free beer+wine hangover to boot! <<there's lots more to tell, but i'll let the others tell us (most probably have a better memory of the show than me as well). it was a "different" kind of jb solo set than i've seen. parts of it were off-kilter due to the sound problem...and probably due to my intake, fatigue from the long weekend, etc.>> Well, I think a few of us had the same alcohol intake problem ;-)...but here are some more moments that I can sort of recall from the post-show scene: Jeff displayed *lots* of aggression and evasiveness when I prodded about the Brainiac situation, which included him throwing a beer bottle against the wall (he didn’t break it though) but he cooled down soon afterwards and even graciously signed my LP jacket. He spent most of the rest of the evening shooting pool (kudos to Julie, the coolest aunt in the universe, who came all the way over from the UK with her niece *and* trounced Jeff’s butt at the pool table--you go girl!) and prancing around when he was moved by the selections playing on the jukebox. Especially when a Zeppelin song came on, and he climbed onstage and straddled one of the speakers while singing along. It was a sight to see, wish I hadn’t been so drunk that it didn’t even occur to me to take out my camera and document the scene...the booze was cut off around 3am, and we all ended up leaving Barristers around 3:30 (they were actually locking the doors as we left!) and going our separate ways... <<as always, though, worth the effort to get to the show. :) "intense" could be a key word...and my memphis friend thought the show was very different than previous barristers shows.>> I second both of those points wholeheartedly! I wonder if this intensity was a one-night thing...In fact, late June or maybe July 4th weekend might be a good time for another Memphis trek so we can find out! (I sure as hell am not doing the bus thing again, though ;-)) <<it was definately great hanging out with and meeting the others from the list. huey's (is that the name of the restaurant some of us went to pre-show and post-beale st. tap room?) was a riot, as i've never had the experience of trying to blow toothpicks into the ceiling via a straw. ! :0 (it's a "huey's thing")>> Yeah, it was Huey’s, and your honorary toothpick is up there as well! And I loved meeting all the other listees too--it made the show that much more special. I hope we can all do it again soon! A special thank-you to Audrey for putting up with my drunken incoherence after the show and for being a wonderful travelling companion throughout...And now I’ll shut up and maybe get some work done (yeah, right) Thank God the owner of my company is computer-illiterate: as long as I'm typing, he thinks I'm working!

4/20/97

Chicago Tribune Quotes

Jeff as quoted in the June 20, 1997 Chicago Tribune from an interview done shortly after an Uncommon Ground show February 7 or 8, 1994.
By Greg Kot
Submitted by Ana

"It's all about getting to a place where I can let my deepest eccentricities out, I just see things a little differently and express myself a little differently and I think it's because I haven't been in one place for very long. So I was seen from my childhood as hyperactive, homosexual, weird, insane, obnoxious, offensive, funny. . . . It's a tremendous point of pain, my inability to relate to the status quo.
  "Moving to the East Side from California was the most extreme and successful self-rescue operation I'd ever implemented, Otherwise I was going to rot from the inside. It was do or die. I've always done music, been in bands, but at the time I was staring at the walls, with no hope and no confidence. New York is stinking with industrial waste, but it's also stinking with purpose.
  "I am a storyteller, lounge singer, I am the entertainer, I am the rock star, I am gay, I am wrong, I am there for the story to go down, the cocktail host-shaman, the little romantic chanteuse wanna-be. All the men hated my Judy Garland jacket (trying to explain the cover of Grace).
  "Sometimes it's life-affirming to say you want to kill yourself, because I've felt that way, that I'm useless, a withered old flower, but there's something murkily beautiful about living this life, and to recognize it and sing about it is tremendously nutritious. . . . That's why when I go see a movie or a play or a concert I want to be ripped apart, to witness something that totally sucks the life out of you. I want to be dashed on the rocks. That's what I'm going for when I make music."

Barristers Autograph

Arlene's Grocery

Exactly one year after the NZ interview, Jeff played this show, the first at the newly opened Arlene's Grocery, a notable one for many reasons: for those who don't know, not only is it another bittersweet one as it was his last one in NY, but he was the first one to play here as a sort of blessing to owner Shane Doyle after he closed the now legendary Sin-e (Jeff was also the last show there) and it's the only one with new drummer Parker Kindred. It's also made up mainly of new material that would later appear on Sketches...another fun fact recently learned? The show was apparently originally scheduled to be played at Maxwell's in New Jersey...(website)

Setlist:
1. Nightmares by the Sea
2.Witches' Rave
3. So Real
4. Haven't You Heard
5. Lover, You Should've Come Over
6. Morning Theft
7. Vancouver
8. Snail
9. The Sky Is a Landfill
10. Mojo Pin
11. Grace
12. Last Goodbye

Poughkeepsie Journal: Jan. 31, 1997

NY Daily News: Feb. 7, 1997

NY Daily News: Feb. 9, 1997

Courtesy of Natalie Belamonte

Knitting Factory: 1997

On this day in 1997, Jeff played a show at the Knitting Factory in NYC (The Knitting Factory, which moved to Leonard Street in TriBeCa in 1994-the NY Times, Jan. 1, 2009)...a rather bittersweet one as it was one of his last there. A highlight though, is a reunion with Gary Lucas and the debut of a few new songs...enjoy!☺ (website)

Setlist:

1. Lover, You Should've Come Over 
2. Jewel Box
3. Morning Theft
4. Grace (with Gary Lucas)
5. The Sky Is A Landfill
6. Everybody Here Wants You
7. Yard of Blond Girls

The location now 

Current venue (101 Avenue A)

"Ulalume"

Two of my favorites meet: Jeff reading Edgar Allan Poe's "Ulalume" from the 1997 album "Closed on Account of Rabies" :-)