A Tale Of Two Nights

The Von Bondies / Vue
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco
March 26, 2004

High On Fire / Old Grandad
Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco
March 28, 2004

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." So saideth Charles Dickens in an old book I once read.

The Von Bondies: When I walked into the Great American I noticed all of the kids who were in The House. The number of Abercrombie & Fitch outfits was noticeable. Some guy was telling another guy about an article he read in Rolling Stone. I miss the days of 'zine conversation at shows ("Dude! Have you seen the new Racecar?!"). Still, I must admit that I dig the Von Bondies. They have a badass Asian Brutha on drums who makes you wonder why Meg White even qualifies to be called a drummer from Detroit. The Vue are like the Brian Jonestown Massacre without The Habit. Number of Judas Priest shirts seen = 0.

High On Fire: When I walked into the Bottom of the Hill I noticed all of the neck tattoos in The House. The number of face tattoos was noticeable. Twas the Goddess of Acid King's birthday. When else you gonna see the bassist from Sleep walk through a crowded club with a lighted birthday cake?! I ain't never seen that before.. and I've been around. Even if they are the Nu Motorhead, HOF's '10,000 Years' is still one of the most godhead songs ever. The fact that they played it was reason enough for me to be there. It's comforting seeing Old Grandad 'cause the bassist also works at Rainbow. I see him rocking AND I see him when I buy my food. That's really Zen. Number of Judas Priest shirts seen = 2.

On both nights, on the way back to the car, some pimply faced teenagers called me a fag. A fight broke out at the Von Bondies. There were no fights at High On Fire. I guess the Alternative Rock crowd is tougher than the Metal crowd. Bummer. Beer count = 1 at Von Bondies, 2 at High On Fire + pre-show margueritas.

The verdict: I'm old.

The Mekons

The Mekons
Amoeba Records, San Francisco
March 24, 2004

The Mekons are a band I'll always associate with my days living in downtown San Jose in the late-80's. Living in a house with 3 other dudes. Two of them were in a band together and had a studio set up in the basement. The other roommate worked in a record store. I was the token Asian. Twas a house of music geeks. For one reason or another I haven't seen the Mekons live in over 10 years (Hi Jayne!). What am I? Stupid?!

The in-store was like seeing them in a pub. Low key. Low-fi. It was nice being in a crowd who all looked to be around my age. 40-ish aging indie rockers. Greying hair. Some with kids in tow. I heard one guy say "I'm glad they're doing an in-store so I don't have to go to a club.." There were no drunk scenester kids. No one talking during songs. The aisles were packed with people who were there for THE MUSIC. Plus, Robin Williams was there too... or so I heard a clerk tell someone afterwards. Shazbot! Na Nu Na Nu!

They played my favorite Mekons song ('Hey! Susan') and closed with a nice version of 'Last Dance'. 40 minutes. Free. As they finished up and the crowd applauded I realized I really loved being alive at that moment. I felt like getting on my cell phone and calling everyone I know to say "Why the f*ck weren't you here?!" I was in such a good mood that I drove across town to The Mission and got dinner at my favorite falafel place.

The only bummer was when I got back to the car and realized I didn't have any Mekons on my iPod for the drive home. Life in the 21st Century is full of such unexpected hardships.

On the way back to the car some pimply faced teenagers called me a fag. Before the show I popped into a pub and had a pint of Guinness... which I chased with an expresso a little while later.

Lock 'N Loll.