Review

Okay this is going to be long, so I'm gonna try and structure it correctly. The EELS show in Philly tonight was the most FUCKED up thing I've ever witnessed in my life. Let me try to explain. First of all, I got in no problem (we card for 21 my ass!). I even avoided the two drink minimum. The way the venue is designed, it's like a figure 8. There's a stange and lounge type seating in the bottom 0, then an indentation which opens out into a total bar area. So I was right up front in the bottom 0, totally oblivious of the bar region (until later). So Lisa Germano comes out and starts playing. I'm not familiar with her, but she seemed to be really struggling, both with her guitar and the song(s). After she finished the first song, she apologized and said she hadn't had a soundcheck. Then she started a second song, stopped halfway through, said she couldn't do it. She said she would play two songs off her new album, then go. She sits at the keyboard and starts playing (really well, may I add). So the crowd's starting to get into it, and she stops. She sits there staring at the keyboard. Then she apologizes to the audience and to the EELS for fucking up and goes offstage. So Lisa played 2 songs, basically (1 and two halves anyway).

Then the EELS show up (to the music from Baby Genius). E was wearing one of those hats like a businessman in the 50's and he had a pipe in his mouth. Butch had on a tan coat and a cowboy hat on. Sorry, Adam, I didn't pick up on your outfit. So they started playing and they were AMAZING! They tore the stage up and the audience was totally digging it... then E asked them to be quiet for Electro-Shock Blues. So everybody up front goes silent, but the assholes in the bar keep talking. So E yells back there for them to be quiet, they tell him to shut up. He explains that it's a really emotional song and that he'll rock out after he "emotes" a bit. They keep talking. So he plays Electro-Shock Blues with all these jerks talking and shit. After that Butch says to cut all the soft songs, but E marches on they play Climbing To The Moon and Efils' God (Butch sings really well). Then they start playing Not Ready Yet... the trouble begins. After the first verse, E refuses to go back to mike. He just sits behind the keyboard and plays thrashing white noise on his guitar. Butch and Adam just kinda humor him and keep the music going. I think Butch saw it coming, cause he had winced all throughout Electro-Shock Blues and then apologized to E for the audience.

They were all pissed, so I guess it was a punishment for the talking. So they go like this for like 5 minutes when all of a sudden, E gets up and walks offstage with his guitar in his hands. So Butch and Adam keep playing their parts, then Butch stops and leaves, leaving Adam playing this two note riff. So then Adam stops and leaves. Then Butch and Adam come back on. Butch looks REALLY pissed and slaps his high hat with his hand. Then he and Adam just kinda sit back and pretend jam for like 10 minutes (Butch plays drums with his hands, Adam just kinda picks aimlessly at the bass). So now the front of the audience starts screaming at the back of the audience to shut up. Really bad vibes all around. The guy behind me tells Butch to "ignore the idiots" and he smiles. So a LONG time goes by, then E comes back out with Lisa and they finish Not Ready Yet, with Lisa on wurlitzer. At the end, they do this huge "degrade into noise" finale, E hangs his guitar on the mike stand so the feedback is ridiculous, and they march off the stage. End of show.

I was right up front so I saw the playlist, they were going to be like 16 songs! Then like a four song encore. It would have been great. When they started out, they were totally clicking, the night would've been amazing! I'm not sure who I'm mad at, though: the assholes in the back, or E for throwing the hissy. I mean, I understand the serious emotinal importance of the songs, but still, you gotta press on man. On the other hand, if those fuckers had just shut up....ugh! Also, who the FUCK decides where they play on this tour? There are a lot of better places in the Philly Area. I don't feel ripped (I paid $10 and they rocked when they played), just frustrated thinking of what might have been.

[review sent in by Stefan]