NYE

[harryminorhood]

well, I have to say my new years eve experience was definetely a dissapointment. We drove 3 hours from RI for this show in the snow, rented a hotel room, payed $25 and got a 2+ hour show. This to me was really shocking. There was really nothing unique and special about this show, it just seemed like all their other typical shows this past tour...the staples were brought out such as poor boy, children of december, proud, last one standing...etc.

The only improv to speak of was in Get Me WIth Fuji (the highlight of the show) and honey melon (with a tease of baba o'reilly). But overall the show was just plain boring. I felt that the Sommerville show was definetely better than this one, and I only payed $15 for it.

Besides the uninspiring music, the crowd was absolutely awful. Since when did drunken beefy frat boys wearing backwards baseball caps and north face fleeces start liking the slip? When I first started seeing the slip in 2002, I felt like everyone in the crowd was totally chill, understanding, friendly, there for the same reason...to listen to great music. It was my sanctuary. And now it seems that my sanctuary is being utterly destroyed by moronic drunk sluts screaming "I wanna bang Andrew" and dancing as if they were at a rave. What has become of the slip crowd I used to love???

As a final disclaimer, I do enjoy the new songs, I simpley wish that they would sometimes tone it down a bit on the volume. When Children of Decmeber was first played in 2003 it did not have the ridiuclously loud and abrasive drum part that andrew now plays. Eveything seems to be a contest for who can be louder. I really miss the days when you could actually ehre each individual instrument. On songs like Get Me With Fuji and Honey Melon it is clear that they still are virtuoso musicians. I just wish they would utilize this side of them more often.

remember last new years show at the narrows? I left that show telling myself it was the best live show I had ever seen. Now I wonder if it is even worth it to attend another slip show.

[RL]

Hey, thanks for the review. I don't know but for some reason when Nathan was there at the SMMD shows here in So Cal...it must influence something in them to come out. I remember hearing so much about last years NYE show. I love the new songs and the old. It is cool that they are bringing out some older ones like TEWDACYATM, 74 and even Honey Melon. Anyhow, I can see the crowd getting a little anoying but hey there's always going to be some kind of something that's going to bother us, it seems. Don't lose hope there will be more amazing shows to attend and man it won't always be a dissapointment. Take care Harryminorhood.

[Dan]

For me, the entire experience was bitter sweet. I had never been to a New Years Eve show by the slip in all of my existence, so I made it a point this year to go as last years was to some people the best show in all of their life.

From the "gecko" I was in an odd situation with people who really were not at the concert for the music. I seperated myself from them in the very begining and found myself absorbed in friends. When brad opened up with poor boy I wasnt wildly into it because i put in the back of my mind that he would slow it down and go right into playing soft warm simple wonder. I set an expectation and that crushed me at first.

Children of december i think was next however and out of the last 3 i have seen, brad was singing an octave higher or sounded like it to me atleast then what he had been doing lately, I like this version but i do agree it was getting real loud when everything just bled together and you couldnt pick out certian subtile sounds.

I got to hear Rise and Shine for the first time, and i enjoyed singing it out. The next thing i know i see brad mouth to marc "Fuji?" and marc nodded then that sweet smooth body eruption bassline kicks in and i was dancing crazily. I had a real good time after that until a person in my party wanted to leave and grabed me from my spot up front durring YOu cant always get what you want". I was really annoyed and pissed off and it ruined my mood for most of that song and then proud moved my bones . I thought then at that moment they were gonna take a setbreak, but then they didnt announce it and bowed and then we were cheering for an encore? Right then i was confused because it wasnot intamite with rude frat kids grinding to some girl who is upfront not even looking at the stage. telling me she wants to F the brains out of andrew. it was them who didnt know what was going on durring fuji and were being rude cutting infront of littler guests and dancing obnoxously.

When the show ended with honey mellon i was happy but at the sametime kind of in shock because the boys were not going crazy durring it, and we all know they dont enjoy that song all that much. Friends of mine recorded an album softmore year and they have a bunch of songs that I really enjoyed but they hate playing them now because allthough they sound good, the music wasnt really all that hard to play, and its not fun anymore because they can do so much more. Thats probably not the same concept that BAM has after 9 or 10 years you want other stuff, and it was their night just as it was any of ournights. I was just dissapointed with the alloted time. If there was another hour or two we would of felt so muhc more energy and who knows what.

_____________________________________________________________

All i know is that the afterparty left me in such a wonderful mood. The good vibes flowing from that hotel room was enough to bring a smile to a statue. It is really a blessing to me, for people to recognize who i am and what i do. It really warmed my heart and made me feel a part of this family of Compadres. Thanks everyone for having such a good time that night. Especially since i was 10 years everyones junior. Some highlights were booth and marc going at it, Something i have never seen before in my life.

Cannot wait for these pictures. ANd if they are too private someone get them to me!

SO long everyone

Dan

[diesel]

dude, you should have just gotten trashed and picked up one of those sluts.

[Guest]

"since when did drunken beefy frat boys wearing backwards baseball caps and north face fleeces start liking the slip?"

who are you?? since when did it matter what people wear to see music?

-Joel

[harryminorhood]

what they wear does not bother me, it is how they acted. They were loud, drunk, rude, pushy, and not at all respectful toward the musicians on stage or those in the audience.

by saying what clothes they had on I am simply noting that those in the audience with a disrespectful attitude seemed to be wearing similar clothes

usually I go to a slip show and feel like I could make conversation with anyone standing around me, it was as if we were all friends. Now i feel a great deal of anger towards many members of the audience for their behavior in general

[gabe]

not to beat a dead horse (i would've said this if i had been on the board a month ago) but northhampton is a college town, so if you go to a concert there you should expect rowdies.