Piermont, NY 3-6-10

[angel.]

Again, I'm gonna have to do this piecemeal. Just got home after having dinner with friends after the show.

Nothing At All
Panic
I Don't Care What You Call Me
To Hell With the World
Train
She's Not the One
Stephen
What Would You Have Me Do
[amateur harmonica interlude courtesy of my best friend Margaret and I while David ran backstage to get a piece of equipment he'd forgotten--this was surely a highlight for everyone present ;p]
Requiem
Waiting for the Storm
State of the Union
Song for the Road

Encore: Decimate/(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher medley

Runtime: Just over an hour.

I'm so tempted to go into detail now, but it's already 1AM and I have an appointment at the crack of dawn tomorrow. Doh!

OK, I can't resist...just one note...

That was my FAVORITE show of the tour thus far. Wow.

OK, bedtime. Nighty-night.

angel.

[Lalla32]

(03-07-2010 06:02 AM)angel. Wrote:  [amateur harmonica interlude courtesy of my best friend Margaret and I while David ran backstage to get a piece of equipment he'd forgotten--this was surely a highlight for everyone present ;p]

Ah ah, you must tell us everything about it!

[Kelly]

Seriously??? Hahaha!!!! I glad you said something. I'll pack my flute in case I need to cover for David in Chicago.

[angel.]

The Turning Point, Piermont, NY

The Turning Point Cafe is nestled among the trees in the kind of area in which you might describe something as being "nestled." Our directions actually took us through a state park along the way via skinny little winding roads. It was so "small towny" and quiet that it was hard to believe we were less than an hour from New York City--until we saw the gas prices at the corner station. ;p

The Cafe was small and rustic--Mexican restaurant upstairs, music venue/bar downstairs. 80-odd seats, most of them spoken for, sat aside three long tables that stretched straight back from the tiny stage. I sat in the front row, which was so close I thought it would feel a little awkward when he started playing--I was practically right up his nose--but he's so comfortable up there that he makes everyone else feel comfortable, too. And the proximity came in handy when he spilled his beer onto his foot pedal--Doh! We got a small napkin brigade working, and the show went on.

Like NJ, it felt like a primarily "locals" crowd, which I'm finding I quite enjoy; there's something special about being in a room full of people hearing David Ford for the first time. It was a more mature crowd than Jersey, though, both in terms of age and maturity. (No random "WHOOS!!" from the back of the room every time he said "f**k," for example.) It was by far the most polite and civilized audience thus far, and they were absolutely enthralled. He was mobbed after the show, and I chuckled to myself as I listened to the women in the ladies' room line rue his marital status. I imagine he'll be the talk of that town for a while.

On to the setlist. Loved it. "Panic" is evolving nicely. I was concerned about it in Philly; something seemed a little disconnected, and when I tried to put myself in the place of someone hearing it for the first time, I didn't know if I would have "gotten it." But the addition of the missing percussion for the New York show helped, and then the smaller stages in NJ and Piermont completed the picture by underscoring its claustrophobic quality. He's also taken to delivering a verse or two sitting down, which points the song even more inward and brings the audience in with it. "What Would You Have Me Do" was a gorgeous surprise. I'm not sure I've heard it live before, and it was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. Made me want to revisit that album, which I haven't listened to start-to-finish for a while. And speaking of tears, I don't know whether "Song for the Road" was particularly good or if I was just sad that my mini-tour was over, but wow...I haven't felt it like that in a long time. I enjoyed the first appearance of "Train" on this tour, and then "She's Not the One" once again filled the room with joy and laughter. I love that song so much now that even when I hear it in my car by myself I can't wipe the stupid grin off my face.

As "Requiem" was about to begin, he realized he'd left his guitar capo backstage, so he arranged a little interlude to keep the show going while he ran off to retrieve it. He played a cord, looped it, left it running, and handed his harmonica to me with the instruction to keep people entertained. Crap! I planned to hand it to my husband because he's a musician and I imagined he could actually do something with it, but I think he was enjoying watching me sweat so much he wouldn't take it. That's when my margarita-lubricated best friend grabbed it and started blowing away. Finally I took a turn, at which point David returned, politely noted our "Coltrane influence," and put the harmonica back where it belonged. LOL! It was silly and fun and definitely something I'll remember.

The "Decimate" encore--my friend's request--was fun. He added a section of "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" in the middle, which drew quite a few laughs and even showcased David's rarely-heard-these-days falsetto.

Then, alas, the show--and my mini-tour--was over.

The last four nights have been truly amazing for me, and I want to thank the "pair of Daves" for coming and blowing my mind repeatedly. The 25th can't come fast enough. In the meantime, I'll be watching the boards for field reports!

angel.

PS: I recorded most of the show. If it sounds decent, I'll post it here. And my friend has pics from last night and Friday, so you may expect to see some of them here as well.

[davidcotyalex]

wow sounds like a great night indeed!! and angel your reviews are awesome so thanks!

awesome set list.............was thinking of attending round II but unfortunately they are school nights.......ah well

hope the boys enjoy their little time off as they make their way to toronto......

[Lalla32]

Angel, you do know how to write a good review! Thank you so much for being our scribe for a little while! Hopefully the great reviews will keep coming... it's been fun till now!

[monkeyinahat]

yeah, brilliant, thanks Angel. You're very brave taking on one of ford's harmonicas, though; God knows what creatures dwell in those things.

[angel.]

Thanks to all of you for your warm words. I've been a member here for a long time, but I'm conditioned to think of online communities purely as places where people exist to be nasty with one another. Looks like the usual rules don't apply to this board--thankfully. I'm so glad to find such sweet and supportive people here.

@davidcotyalex: I was kinda hoping you guys would be able to return for the last leg. Booo! I'll miss you, but we'll surely catch up next time DF makes the trek across the pond.

@monkeyinahat: LOL! I thought he was joking about the herpes. ;p

angel.

[angel.]

Turns out I have a surprisingly good audio of the entire show from To Hell With the World on. (My first SD card ran out at some time before that, and I don't know how long it took me to notice--if there's anything on that first one, I'll let you know.)

Problem is, I'm not terribly tech friendly and have no idea how to upload it here. Any hints?

I'm currently uploading a video of IDCWYCM from the NYC show onto youtube, which I think I understand how to post here when it's done. I'll add it to the NYC pics/vid thread already started by davidcotyalex.

angel.

---

OK, I just checked the first SD card, and I got everything but IDCWYCM in it's entirety. Which is a strange coincidence since that's the only song I got the video of from NYC. Weird.

So all that's really missing is the rest of his monologue in which he speculated that "portion control" would be a fine topic for his next album.

angel.

[ChrisFlynn]

(03-07-2010 06:02 AM)angel. Wrote:  Just got home after having dinner with friends after the show.

I've not been to many gigs in America, but it seems that combining food with concerts is something that you do a lot better than the Brits. I remember being at awe that the World Cafe served food too - very civilised.

[davidcotyalex]

(03-09-2010 11:25 PM)ChrisFlynn Wrote:  

(03-07-2010 06:02 AM)angel. Wrote:  Just got home after having dinner with friends after the show.

I've not been to many gigs in America, but it seems that combining food with concerts is something that you do a lot better than the Brits. I remember being at awe that the World Cafe served food too - very civilised.

dont give us that much credit!! what ends up happening is everyone is eating during the opening act much to the dismay of that struggling performer I imagine...................and while the food in philly was half decent I certainly wouldn't write home about the fare in NYC!!

but to your point it was kinda nice to take in a meal and a show!

[angel.]

(03-10-2010 01:17 AM)davidcotyalex Wrote:  

(03-09-2010 11:25 PM)ChrisFlynn Wrote:  

(03-07-2010 06:02 AM)angel. Wrote:  Just got home after having dinner with friends after the show.

I've not been to many gigs in America, but it seems that combining food with concerts is something that you do a lot better than the Brits. I remember being at awe that the World Cafe served food too - very civilised.

dont give us that much credit!! what ends up happening is everyone is eating during the opening act much to the dismay of that struggling performer I imagine...................and while the food in philly was half decent I certainly wouldn't write home about the fare in NYC!!

but to your point it was kinda nice to take in a meal and a show!

Yeah, it's kinda weird. It tends to go hand-in-hand with the presence of a table: if there's a table, there's food. And fancy drinks in stemmed glasses. Sometimes you are forced to purchase said food or fancy drinks via a minimum. Other times it's just a convenient place to rest your pint. I find that in NYC proper, if there's a table, you're obliged to use it as an unannounced but obligatory part of your admission fee. Nothing comes easy around here!

I find eating during shows very weird. The fancy drinks are fine, but food is weird. I ate during the opener in NYC because I drank enough before the show to A) need to and B) not mind being that asshole eating during her set, but it's still uncomfortable.

BUT I'll also confess to nibbling during David's set in NYC, and I'll tell you guys why cuz you'll get it. They had--literally--Milk and Cookies on the menu. As an American fan, I am familiar with David's M&C shows, but I've never been able to attend one. So when I saw that on the menu, I felt obligated to partake. I figured it was the closest I'd get to a M&C show for the near future given the state of the economy (and my wallet). ;p

Like davecodyalex said, the food there--including the cookies--was nothing to write home about. But on an "inside joke" level, I enjoyed the milk & cookies anyway.

angel.

[davidcotyalex]

that is hilarious!! I was so engrossed in the show i entirely missed that..................engrossed being code haha!

as someone who has been more in the radio city/wamu/beacon nyc circuit of late (a la 2k - say 5k seats) I found both venues absolutely wonderful..........

ok leaving nyc tomorrow to get back home for the second half of the month of david.............now it is mr gray's turn