The plan was to meet up at Ms. Meg’s fantastic apartment around 6. Switzer and Josh were driving down from Vermont after a class. For myself to get to Meg’s around 6, it meant I had to drive on the Turnpike and the Schuykill Expressway into Philly during rush hour. I hate rush hour traffic. I have a commute of a little over a mile and it’s one of the things I really like about my job. But in the name of all things Tour, I was willing to bite the bullet.
Boy was I wrong. I’ve hit more traffic on a Saturday afternoon. Smooth sailing the whole way, even at obvious choke points. Thought I was off by a few hours. Chill at Meg’s until Switzer and Josh arrive. Meg had to skip the show as her Saturday was going to be an 18 hr. marathon of grad school and a high society ball. We were in no rush because
1) Meg’s crib is 5 minutes away from the Electric Factory
2) To quote Switzer, “It’s not Phish”
We arrive a little after the show had started. The bass was rattling the windows, echoing through the parking lot. After the usual incredibly tight search that is typical for the Electric Factory, (no I don’t have anything stashed in my smokes, but thanks for double-checking), we head inside and upstairs.
03/09/12 (Fri) Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA
Set 1: Skrunk, Cathedral, Godzilla > Runaway Overlude, Suck A Lemon, Awesome Gary > Moth > Don't Fuck With Flo
Set 2: Seat Of My Pants > meat. > Puebla > Billy Goat > Moth, Silver Sun, Rebubula, E: Queen Of Everything > Akimbo
And you can stream it here
http://archive.org/details/moe2012-03-09.mk41.16bit
We got there sometime after Godzilla. It was, to quote another friend, “a total shreadfest”. Moe is all about the twin guitar attack and tonight was no exception. The Gary>Moth>Don’t Fuck with Flo was awesome and a great way to end a first set. After going through a human sausage maker to get outside for a nic fix, the second set was on.
The Meat had a Voodoo Chile theme running through it. There were also several passages throughout the second set that would not have sounded out of place in a 1975 Floyd show. Nice spacey segments coupled with the high energy of Moe is a recipe for success in my book. Old school fav Rububula closed out the set with its tribute to East Coast mommas.
We split during the encore but not before Al comes out and rattles off people who are seeing there 20th show, third anniversary, etc. He gave a shoutout to someone who had been seeing them for 15 years. Well, I saw you guys back in 1996 and loved the Dead cover you did, so how about some dap for that?
Sleep on the couch, until the rumble of the El train wakes me every 30 minutes. Alarm goes off and I’m instantly up and ready to roll. As I remarked to Switzer while she was still half asleep, “I love Tour”. We had to drive back to Hanover because we had another show to go to, this time featuring Hanover’s own Boxcar Social.
The plan was to meet at my crib at 4:15 to get ready and hit the road. As Josh and Switzer were leaving Philly, they got a flat. They pulled off the highway and ended up in one of the nicest sections of Philly, right by St. John’s College. Which by the power of Tour, is where Megan’s grad school class is located. So they got to have lunch with her and made it to my place around 5.
Boxcar was playing a daylong fest produced by MonkeyLion Productions (whose founder, Nate, is originally from Hanover) and sponsored by Roy Pitz Brewing Company. It was live music all day and Boxcar was playing right before the headliner Hexbelt. I drove because they had driven down from Vermont the day before. What’s it like when I drive to a show?
It was held at a restaurant/banquet hall called the Orchards. The restaurant was rather fine, upscale dining. No dirty hippies in there. The banquet hall was full of them, along with a lot of kids. Glad Boxcar is a PG rated band, except when the Steelers lose, then Brian gets profane.
We got there and found our crew. As I getting out of my car, I get a text from Paul Kraft, mandolin picker for Boxcar. His dog Chloe needed emergency surgery and he would not be able to make the show. Damn that sucks. And the boys have gotten a new bass player, one Lann Lucas. As the Chinese say. “May you live in interesting times”.
When we first arrived, a bluegrass band called the Boro Boogie Pickers were performing. They were an authentic bluegrass band. They had male and female vocalists and a washboard. They were really good. Did an amazing cover of “The Battle of Evermore”.
The other band was called the Cabin Fever Project and they were definitely suffering from something. Their percussionist had a set up that would make Neil Peart from Rush blush at it’s size. They had 3 guitarists, except when the one guitarist played the washboard. He played it in the style that made him look like Clyde from the Clint Eastwood Every Which way but Loose film series. And if you have no idea what I’m talking about, “precocious souls, enjoy your youth. Like Mohammed, it’s the truth.”
They also covered Folsum Prison Blues, which is hilarious because that was on Boxcar’s list of Songs We can do that don’t suffer from lack of Mandolin and Songs Paul does not Sing On. Their originals were pretty bad and the lead singer sounded like he gargled battery acid. So after a little bit of help with the setlist, Boxcar took the stage.
Boxcar Social, 3/10/12 The Orchards, Chambersburg, PA
Push, Something To Say, River Song > MSWS > Unrest > Whipping Post > Unrest, 43, Symptoms, Normal We're Not, Thinking It Over, Frannie Mae
*Debut Show with Lann Lucas playing Bass and Brian Davis playing Acoustic Guitar and Djembe. Mandolin player Paul Kraft was unable to perform due to a last minute emergency.
For a first show with a new bass player and no mandolin, they fucking killed it. Lann’s more subtle bass playing fits in perfectly with their sound. The added dimension of the acoustic guitar playing rhythm could be the sound that the band was missing before. The Man Smart Women Smarter got all the hippie chicks up and shaking what their mamas gave them. Normal We’re Not is another strong original and Frannie Mae is a great way for crowds to remember them by.
The strangest thing that occurred was the appearance of a Scott B. lookalike. And I don’t mean he was wearing a Superman costume. Back in the golden Era of Devolver, Scotty B. had developed a unique style of dancing. Imagine Chris Farley trying out for the Chippendale’s Dancers, but with Patrick Swayze’s moves and without the girth.
So the Bizarro Scotty B. hits the floor wearing a bandanna circa 1980’s Bruce Springsteen and owns the dance floor. The funniest thing was that no one in attendance had been around to see Scotty B.’s moves back in the Golden Age of Devolver. Man I’ve been living the life I love and loving the life I live for a really long time.
Would like to add that Chloe had successful surgery and is back doing her thing, which is being a very chill dog. So there you have it. Just another day in the life of hitting the road in the search of eternal joy and never ending splendor.
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
Ph.D. in Rock and Roll
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