Smoking Popes / You Am I / Houseguest

So here are the shots from the Smoking Popes/You Am I/Houseguest show last Saturday at the Beachland Ballroom:


We missed all of Houseguest's set, but I'd seen em enough that it was no big deal. You Am I was fine, and toward the end of their set, the singer came into the crowd to sing a song. This pic's not very good since I was sitting down when I took it. I didn't really feel like getting up and I didn't think the picture would suffer from my decision. I was obviously wrong. Tommy Teabagger's girlfriend Jen in the ponytail. The singer's to her right near the guy in the white shirt.


Here are the Smoking Popes rocking out. My camera must have some kinda flash, since it was pretty dark in there and this almost makes it look like they had all the lights on. They didn't.


I was never a fan of drum & bass music myself. I like dancey stuff, don't get me wrong, but raver stuff, downtempo, etc., never really appealed to me. Personal preference, I guess.


So at the end of the set, they ask what everyone wants to hear. I waited all night for Need You Around, but hadn't heard it yet. You may recall how I named it THE Summer anthem of 1995, with all due respect to Skee-Lo. I had heard that they weren't gonna play it, and it might be because it was on the Clueless soundtrack or some other reason, but by gosh they busted it out. It might just be the first time I ever yelled a request that actually immediately got played. Here's what the band looked like as they played my favorite song.


And Jen got the setlist. Unfortunately, I didn't get a shot of the whole thing, so Need You Around isn't on there, but I assure you that it was played. Speaking of Jen, I don't know if she'd want me to say this or if she reads this in the first place, but she got some AWESOME shots of the band. These dinky pics I took aren't even in the same hemisphere as hers. Mine are more "I was there and here are some pictures to prove it" while hers are "I can probably get paid real $ to go to shows and take pictures of rock bands." Also, I almost forgot to mention the Beachland's gorgeous bartender. I had seen her around at the last few shows I'd attended and had no idea she worked the bar there, since I'd seen her in social situations. Maybe if I ever get some nerve I'll talk to her again instead of writing about her on the internet. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

Until Then,
Later