Fri May 22 00:21:40 1998

From_: Marsperl@aol.com Thu May 21 19:17:26 1998

hey all - elliott played the last two nights at the troubadour (venerable club in l.a. that has seen it all from the 60's folk scene on...).

sorry to report that the the first night was a somewhat dismal affair. e.s. sounded a bit hoarse, the set felt rather low-energy, the sound mix SUCKED (waaaay too much bass in his vocals, twangy, tinny guitar sound...). i just figured the boy needs a rest. he was in a good enough mood - it just didn't happen. birddog opened - thought they were very cool.

last night however, was amazing - one of the best sets i've ever seen him perform. he was solo for the first half - playing all the songs he usually refuses to perform due to weird tunings, high vocals, too many words, etc. he opened with an amazingly intense version of good to go, then played last call, condor ave, xo (plus at least two other new ones - titles escape me), angeles, say yes, between the bars and probably a few i've forgotten. oh yeah, the mix had been fixed from the previous night - it was excellent!

he took a break and came back with jon brion (his pal from largo who is a musician-extraordinaire) on keyboards, and quasi backing him on bass and drums. elliott played a beautiful cherry-red gibson. the "e.s. band" did a few new tunes, rose parade, alameda, i'm so tired (beatles: white album), pictures of me, & division day. geez - they sounded grrrrrreat! ya know, for as many interviews i've read with e.s. stating that he didn't like being in a band, he sure seemed like he was having the time of his life playing bass for quasi when they opened the show, and also later, during his set. he really seemed to thrive on the comraderie, and the added harmonies and instrumentation made the songs **sparkle**.