Set List (from Brittany):
Son of Sam
Happiness
Southern Belle
Between the Bars
L.A.
Rose Parade
Pretty Mary K
Angeles
Needle In the Hay
Say Yes
Waltz #2 (XO)
St. Ide's Heaven
Biggest Lie
Independence Day
Encore 1
Easy Way Out
Everything Reminds Me Of Her
I Figured You Out (dedicated to Mary Lou Lord)
Last Call
Encore 2
Pitseleh
Night Time (Big Star)

From: KneeXsocks@aol.com

<< This was only my second time seeing Elliott live and it was amazing!!
During
Angeles this incredible surge of emotions like flooded through my
body....the
simple beauty of it all...I was speechless the entire night. >>

yes. this was one of the best elliott shows I've seen. I am getting somewhat
sick of always hearing the same songs, but last night they all sounded
amazing. Last Call was definitely the highlight...the very end of that song
is so beautiful i always seem to get chills. Biggest Lie and Angeles sounded
great too. And the new stuff. although it woulda been nice to hear no name
#1. but once again, no luck.
I definitely think the middle east sucks for that kind of show though.
Luckily, it wasn't a problem for me since Jen and I got there at 7 and sat in
the rain waiting for the doors to open, so we got to sit right on the stage.
But, how could anyone more than four rows back see anything? But, i think
jen and i got some pretty good pictures, so i'm sure i'll post mine when i
get them developed.
..mer..

From: stephen shutt shutt@fas.harvard.edu

Too much of a wraith to write up the Boston show properly ... it was a
fantastic performance from Elliott. He looked so healthy and happy, that
alone had me thanking the gods before he even played a single note. He
also seems to be washing his hair now ... funny how you notice these things
on a guy.

His guitar playing was absolutely magnificent--the best I have ever heard
(and I've heard lots of tapes of acoustic shows of his). I also wonder
whether he has been doing vocal exercises because he seems to have made a
quantum leap with his singing. His voice was always exquisite, but his
best singing used to be in the studio. He just seems to have more control
over it now. His phrasing is shockingly beautiful and he even threw in a
few little grace notes here and there that had me grinning ear to ear.

Also, a couple of times he leaned out and shook hands with folks in the
front rows. I was way way in the back on the side balcony thingie standing
on a bench between two lovely friends. Perfect way to see the show.

He played for about 65 minutes. He ended the first set of encores with
Last Call, which literally took my breath away. It is one of my top
favorite songs of his, and I had pretty much given up ever hearing it live.
I was very excited when I heard he had brought it out of the mothballs for
this tour. Of course he did play it at the Amoeba acoustic gig last year
but that was very unusual. And I have a tape of a 1998 concert where he
says that he is sick of playing "Last Call" and "that other song with all
the words that I made up when I was 16"--i. e. Condor Ave.

It was interesting to hear him play Pitseleh. It was requested repeatedly
at the 10/99 Satyricon show and he finally informed the woman that the song
was too long and too boring! Glad he changed his mind!

xo

Steve

From: Stephen Shutt shutt@fas.harvard.edu

The band that opened for Elliott at the Middle East was called Kingsbury
Manx and I believe they said they were from N. Carolina. I'm sure there
must be someone here who knows EVerything about them.

To me they had a kind of late Sixties psychedelic sound, mostly pretty
mellow with some percussive surges (they ALMOST had a drum solo during one
song). My friend who knows more about psychedelic music than I do said
they sounded like early Pink Floyd to him. I liked their opening number
best. They were WAY too loud for me--I don't mean they were noisy but the
sheer volume just about flattened me. Wish I had thought to bring my ear
plugs!

From where we were standing, we could look over and see them watching
Elliott during his set. They seemed quite absorbed, particularly the lead
singer/guitar player.

xo

Steve

From: "Dave Gooblar" dgoobl@hotmail.com

Here's my (inconsequential) Boston story,
Me and my girlfriend got to the middleeast at about 8...and went in
to have a drink..who should we see sitting down in a boof for dinner, but
elliott himself. Immediately we sit down two seats behind him, and frankly,
I'm glowing. My girlfriend, who's met him before (and played pool w/ him)
tries to calm me down, and we plan to talk to him when he gets up.
Unfortunately, he didn't go to the bathroom once during dinner, but we
walked up to him as he was standing to leave. My girlfriend asks if he
remembers her (I played pool w/ you in Montreal..) he sez he does, but it
seems like he doesnt. She then sez, "This is my boyfriend,
Dave."..Dumbstruck, (me, that is) we exchange, Hey, how ya doin's...all else
I can think to say as he turns and leaves is "Have a good show"...smooth,
damn smooth.

Although this was a rather stupid encounter with someone who's unbelievably
important to me, I don't know what else I'd say to him. Your songs mean a
lot to me? (I said that to Freedy Johnston...dead silence) I love you? I
wrote a song about you? (probably more than one)...I don't know what I'd say
w/o sounding like the typical fan.
I kinda like having him speak to me just through his songs.. I don't need to
know him on any other level...but maybe that's just rationalization...We all
know damn well that I would have loved to play pool with him...

later all
-Dave

From: Brittany Burrows soma@mit.edu

In response to the thread about the opening band at Middle East (Kingsbury
Manx):

I thought the opening band was, uh, *really* bad. I was laughing the whole
time, actually. I won't go into details because clearly some people really
liked them, but I think that they looked quite absorbed while attempting to
sing some sort of harmony, but I'm pretty sure that it's just beause they
were really drunk. I'm not saying that everything I listen to is perfectly
in tune and that I even seek that out as a primary characteristic, I'm just
saying... well, they sucked :) And I *love* Pink Floyd and psychedelic
music, so clearly it's not just that I'm closed of to that genre (but I'm
not sure I'd place them there...).

They were pretty nice, though, and that matters a lot, too, for live
performances. The drummer had the best sense of time of all of them, but,
unfortunately, he was amazingly uncreative and that got pretty wearing.
Lastly, I agree, they were really [too] damn loud. I may have even liked
them more if I could have had a less harsh sense of what they were playing.
I used to be able to deal with that all the time (my brother had a couple
bands back in the day so I went to all the local shows for about five
years... saw lots of bands worse than these guys :) . I loved watching the
bass/keyboard player, actually. He was having an amazingly good time.

Anyway, hope no one takes this personally if they liked 'em. Like I said,
at least they seemed to be nice guys, and that's cool that they actually
stayed to watch Elliott.

-brittany

From: Lucia Rios luciathepoet@yahoo.com

Hey All!!

I know this is kinda late to be writing about the
Boston show but I haven't been able to get to a
computer all week! Anyway, that acoustic show
was WONDERFUL!! I have never seen Elliott live
before and I must say that it was worth a trip to
MA just to hear him sing (and visit the sights).
I got a great spot right on the right side of the
stage sitting in front of the Kingsbury Manx!!
They were also great too and I got to meet
them...unfortunately not Elliott but was it just
me or did he seem a little shy I guess you could
say. I have always been to concerts where the
performers are onstage yelling to the audience
and more talkative...but Elliott was quiet...but
man was I pumped the whole night!! My friend
unfortunately just thought Elliott was 'okay'

Lucia