TMBG Live in Nashville

[Mike Reed]

the Johns put on a killer show in Nashvegas
last night. They performed for about
two hours and included a lot of obscure
stuff for the truly hip as well as *Istanbul*
for their second encore.

The final song was *Spy* and J.L. directed
the band during the improve part after
the last chorus. He gave the huge crowd
a part to play and all of a sudden we were
all in on it.

Soul Coughing opened and put on a killer
show as well.

[Tommy Williams]

Just before they came onstage, they cranked up the pre-show music and
played a Frank Sinatra song. I didn't recognize it, but it began: "When an
irresistible force like you meets an old immovable object like me..."
After that was over, John Linnel came out first, and punched a few buttons
on his keyboard, and then Flans came out and sang "O, Do Not Forsake Me"
in a Sinatra style. It was funny, and those in the audience who knew the
song got a kick out of it.

I do not have a playlist, but I'll try to give the highlights. They played
a lot of stuff off "John Henry" (not in this order):

Snail Shell
Sleeping in the Flowers
Nyquil Driver
Spy (second encore)
O, Do Not Forsake Me
No One Knows My Plan
Destination Moon
Meet James Ensor
Out of Jail
Stomp Box
The End of the Tour

We got to hear Why Does the Sun Shine (I think it was the third song,
after Don't Let's Start). They didn't do Frankenstein, though. I was
looking forward to hearing their version. We got to hear The Famous Polka
during the first encore, and towards the end, Flans yelled "Let's do it
wicked fast" and they played so quickly that Linnell had to abandon the
accordion in favor of the faster keys on the keyboard.

Also played: Birdhouse in Your Soul, Istanbul (second encore), Your Racist
Friend, Twisting, Whistling in the Dark. I know I"m forgetting a number of
songs, but I've got a brain block right now.

328 Performance Hall is a good place to see bands. I stood near the back
beside the mixing board, but since I'm pretty tall, I could see over
everyone and had a great view (and a great sound, too). It didn't look
like there was too much moshing up front, just people jumping up and down
and dancing. They started pass the person about two-thirds through the
concert, and it continued pretty much constantly till the end.

This was my first TMGB concert. I hope it won't be my last.

If you have any specific questions or want clarifications, I'll be glad to post.

--
Tommy Williams
mailto:to...@nashville.net