Date:  Sun, 17 May 1998 01:53:23 -0700

From:  rahrahreplica, diopter@teleport.com

Went to the Elliott show tonight....Very good, as usual. The acoustics at the Showbox are always (always--the two times I've been there :) better, but Elliott was incredible...

Quasi and Birddog opened. I wrote a little blurb on Quasi too, but, basically, they played the new album, _Featuring "Birds"_. Elliott played bass on a song or two.

I wrote the setlist down during this show (yes, I'm a dork), so that I wouldn't forget, as I did with Seattle.

Elliott came on, opening with "Say Yes". The five, or so, times I've seen him, he's opened with "Angeles" twice and "Division Day" twice. I haven't heard "Say Yes" as an opener. My all-time favorite Elliott song was next -- "Angeles". It's literally mesmerizing to hear him do that song. That sounds really corny and I usually can't get into a song enough to call it mesmerizing, but that song is mesmerizing.

Ppl were shouting songs for him to do...he said "I think I'll go with my setlist right now", implying that he didn't have a full setlist already written out. I don't think he ever does, does he? Ppl were also yelling for Neil. Elliott said I think he's back there. Were they referring to Neil Gust? I was writing in the dark, and I wrote "XO" and "Southern Belle" right over each other. I think "Southern Belle" came before "XO", though. Next songs were "Clementine" and "Rose Parade". He did "St. Ides" next, by request of an audience member, followed by "Alameda", "Between the Bars", a new song, and "2:45 a.m." I think that was it for the regular set.

He came back on for the encore, with Janet Weiss and Sam Coomes from Quasi. They did "Pictures of Me", and a new song that I think Elliott called "Blood White". It was so rocked up from the version I remember--I either heard it in Seattle on Thurs, or it's on my boot of the Portland 1/98 show (it's 1:57 a.m. -- I'm too lazy to go listen). It was so incredibly different than the acoustic version, that I barely recognized it. I think I like it better than the acoustic version. I just love Janet's harmonizing, too. She adds to the songs. They finished with "Division Day". Janet's vocals also really sounded good on that.

All I can say is that I am really disappointed that my mini-Elliott tour has come to an end. Maybe next year, instead of being a shameless Sleater-Kinney groupie, I'll spend my tax refund on an east coast (or west coast or international-whereever) tour with Elliott....I can only dream. --janice

Mon May 18 22:00:09 1998

From:  deyj0747@tao.sou.edu

Oh my goodness, the show at La Luna was wonderful. Indescribable. We drove up from Ashland to see it and it was so worth it. I don't know if Elliot was more comfortable playing for Portland or what, but he was just amazing. This is probably the third time I have seen him perform solo, not counting numerous times wqith Heatmiser, Pete Krebs, Sean Croghan etc. It was by far the best. He seemed so relaxed and I don't know, almost ebullient, I was shocked (happily). He sounded really drunk, and I say, more power to him if it made him less shy and more at ease. The other times that I have seen him left me less then excited as he did not seem to have much stage presence or rapport with the crowd, but now I am very excited to see him again. I have never felt as devoted to Elliott's music as some of the people on this list, thinking him to be something of a whining substance abuser ( we all know enough of those right?). Well, I am a believer. Quasi, Birdog, whatever, they were just time fillers as far as I'm concerned. Also- we met Michelle from this list there by a coincidence. She was talking to our friend Charles, back from Yale, who managed to get a scalped ticket, and so after talking to her for a bit we all realized that wew were on the same list.

Michelle, hello, and I hope that you'll mail me with some instructions as to how to get that bootleg. I don't know if I have a lot to trade, do you just want a blank tape and postage? Payment for the ride to Reed. Just Kidding.

Once again, I am totally happy with my Elliott Smith concert experience and am ready to go again. -Jessi