You missed out again bitches!
You know that feeling you get near the end of a really great show where you just don't want it to end? The Polyphonic Spree is the only band that I have seen where the feeling is mutual. "Do we have time for one more?" Tim Delaughter asks the Cat's Cradle manager with a childlike pleading expression on his face. When informed that the show is already past curfew and in fact the water in the building has even been turned off, he accepts responsibility, apologizes, and then leads the band into "Soldier Girl" to close out the show. I had to wait almost four years to see my first Spree show last Spring, but this time the wait was only half a year as the band returned to Carrboro on a bizarre tour that paired them with The Redwalls and Rooney. I arrived as The Redwalls were leaving, but unfortunately Rooney had yet to play. There are very few things that I am willing to wait through a Rooney set for, and the Spree is definitely one of them.
After Rooney left the stage and the screaming preteen girls were ushered out by their parents, there was a cleansing of sorts. One memory that sticks out in my mind from the May show was "Good Vibrations" playing over the PA before the Spree came on. This time it was Pet Sounds played in its entirety as a big red banner was hung across the stage while instruments were changed and the risers needed to help squeeze two dozen people onto the small Cat's Cradle stage was assembled. The harpist did not even bother with the stage, instead placing himself in the crowd stage right. Then, at 11:00 on the dot, a spotlight was lit, the harpist got into gear, and from the other side of the banner came a pair of scissors as Delaughter cut through in the shape of a heart. Down came the banner, and the show was on.
The setlist was somewhat similar to the show in May, with some notable changes, such as the addition of Fragile Army songs "We Crawl" and "Guaranteed Nitelite". Perhaps most significant were the two covers, "Live and Let Die" (only the Spree could pull this off) and an explosive encore with a rendition of Nirvana's "Lithium" that took Cobain's words literally. Tim noted that the crowd was bigger this time, and I'm not sure anymore people could have fit into the club. Even the Rooney fans that stuck around for the Spree set seemed to quickly forget what they had came for (I noted to myself that Rooney is how I picture Weezer if they had just skipped their first two classic albums and started with The Green Album) and were sucked into the experience. Just as they did in May, and just as they do every night in every city, the Spree played like it was their first and last show, bringing down the house with unbelievable energy and enthusiasm. It is difficult to explain to someone that has never been to a show just what the experience is like. I read about it on the Internet for years and still was not prepared.
Lots and lots of pictures:
http://flickr.com/photos/jhawkins/sets/ ... 172224279/
