setlist: (thanks
Brandon)
son of sam
needle in the hay
angeles
plainclothes man
between the bars
southern belle
happiness
speed trials
independence day
waltz #2 (xo)
st. ides heaven
everything means nothing to me
say yes
division day
the biggest lie
encore:
nightime
clementine
oh well, okay (most of it before announcing he'd fucked it up)
condor ave (the first couple of lines but he said it had too many words and
quit.. then promised to play a full song)
somebody's baby
From: "ecapps" <ecapps@ice-az.com>
Well let me just say the show was amazing. I've seen him in portland and boston,
but this ranks very high. I don't have a exact setlist but he played son of sam,
everything means nothing to me, happiness, needle in the hay, clementine,
southern belle, st. ides heaven, biggest lie, speed trials, between the bars,
angeles, say yes, waltz #2, independence day, oh well ok(aborted), nightime,
somebodys baby, plainclothes man. As we waited what seemed like forever for
grandaddy to go on stage(doors opened 7:30 they went on at 9:15) we had the
horrible dilemma of drink in the all ages section or go get a good spot to watch
the show. As it turns out we took shifts. Anyway, Grandaddy went on and I was
impressed. They are very...interesting. Lots of technology mixed into the music.
After a 30 minute set we were ready for Elliott. They said it would be about 20
minutes. After a while I noticed that nobody was setting up any band equipment.
It looked like this was going to be an acoustic show for some reason. Elliott
finally came on, sat down in his chair and started to play. He is still sporting
the long hair and beard. Elliott appeared to have a few drinks in him, but it
didn't affect his playing whatsoever. I do hope he's staying away from the evils
of the road. Sorry, enough social commentary. I think he played three songs
before he said anything, but after that he was very talkative. He explained that
the bus had broken down and the band thing wasn't gonna happen tonight. He said
he was having a lot of fun because he hasn't played acoustic in a while. What a
treat for us. He sounded great. The standard happy/sad or old/new requests were
made. Somebody up front was pleading for christian brothers all night, but he
kept telling them it was too sad. Elliott kept remarking how great it was to be
outside instead of in some hot smoky room all night. We got one encore. He was
about to play somebodys baby, and was explaining to us that if we could get past
the fact he says baby alot it would be ok. Somebody from offstage requested oh
well ok, and he responded with "I'll fuck it up". After going back and
forth he finally played it...half way through he fucked it up :) He apologized
and said he finish a song sooner or later (he also aborted condor ave. before
that "too many words" he said. Finally after I screamed for somebodys
baby he played it. The crowd was a little quiet I thought, but I believe it was
the first time he's played in arizona. He ended the night saying "go get
drunk and celebrate".
Erick P.S. see everyone in atlanta, portland, and seattle
From: "Simon Hilcove" <peekay_us@hotmail.com>
Hello everyone,
I went to elliott's concert here in tempe AZ tonight. It was the first time i had seen him live and it was an amazing concert. I've always preferred elliott's acoustic music, and luckily this was an acoustic show. He said his bus broke down so he just had his one acoustic guitar. I couldn't have imagined a better concert - it was outdoor's (he commented a few times how it was fun to be playing outside), he played nearly all my favorites (including plainclothes man). In the encore he almost finished oh well, oh okay but aborted it after a wrong chord. Then he tried playing condor avenue, but aborted that too cause 'that song has too many words.' I don't remember the set list really, but i heard that the guy that owns the venue site makes excellent bootlegs.
Simon
From: "Kristy Hoffman" <Ligeia@doldrums.net>
Nita's hideaway is in an interesting spot... right between the "Erotic
Emporium" and a motorcycle shop. Going past it in the dry of the day, it
looks like a sketchy place, kind of beat up and run down. Not far from it is a
billboard that advertises Marriage Ceremonies for only $35. You know, meet
someone you really like at the club, go down the street, get married for only
$35. (Sorry, sidetracking a bit, but just want to let you get an idea of the
area). Last time during my visit to the Tempe area I missed a Cat Power show
because of the looks of the place. But this did not stop me from seeing Elliott
Smith... I was reassured that it wasn't such a bad place by a friend of a
friend... so, I bought tickets on-line. (Unfortunately through Ticketmaster...
took forever to get to me)
I should mention that I'm from Connecticut. I should mention that one of the reasons I went out to Tempe, AZ for the weekend was to see Mr. Smith perform. (That and my best friend begged me to come out) I mentioned this to the guy checking my ID (to get a wristband as it was an all ages show) and he said, "Well, I don't know if this show is worth coming all the way here for." I replied with a laugh, "Of course it is. Crazy, but of course it is." I never get to see Elliott Smith in New York because by the time I go to get tickets... all gone... even if he does play in New York more often than any other place.
The inside of Nita's Hideaway is small and dark. Too small to fit all the people that were there now... they have a stage put up, outside in the back (which looks as if it might have served as a parking lot at one point). There was a gate up as well, separating those who could drink alcoholic beverages and those who couldn't or didn't want to (they got the closer spots which wasn't such a bad idea). There was a really good turn out, more than I expected. Most people were friendly during the periods of no band playing, or the opening band playing (Gran daddy... who sounded like a cross between Built to Spill and Radiohead, which turns out to sound pretty cool. They actually kept my interest with their songs and the film they had running in the back ground - landscapes of fields with windmills and mountain tops and the occasional animated bird flying by, or bunny hopping about.) But, when Elliott Smith finally came on, people started getting stupid. I got pushed around a little more than I should have, but such is being in a crowd, right?
He came on alone, which was surprising... I thought he was supposed to be with a band, but their bus broke down (he explains this a little later on). He was very friendly, but very out of it and funny in a bad, drunken way. He did play the songs rather well for his state, except for "oh well, okay" and "condor ave" which were cut off shortly. He kept the crowd interested, and quiet, and laughing at his comments. (The reviews posted before this go into more detail about what he said) He even commented on how nice it was to play outside... and he was right. The weather was beautiful. Not too hot out, and there was an occasional breeze that came by. The set was short, but sweet. I was surprised that he didn't play his newer songs, but that was okay with me, and with the rest of the crowd. He asked for requests, declined most of them coming up with excuses like "That song's too sad" or "too hard to play". It was nice to be treated to an all acoustic show, though. And I hope that the show is as good when I finally get to see him in New York at the end of this month.
Kristy
http://doldrums.net