I Be Joyful

Jeff's concert #242 was another great one, Matthew Good w/ The Ladies and Gentlemen at the Phoenix Concert Theatre. It's still a bit strange to attend certain shows here in Toronto that start at 6 PM, a fact that Mr. Good himself noted, but I'll get to that later. :) Here's the setlists from both bands:

The Ladies and Gentlemen
1) 'she's so strong'
2) Threw It All Away
3) Won't Make It Easier
4) 'going all the way'
5) She's The Source
6) It's Easy
7) Small Sins/Big Within
8) 'San Andreas, San Juan and San Francisco'
9) Stay

Matthew Good
1) Prime Time Deliverance (Matt solo acoustic)
2) Tripoli (Matt solo acoustic)
3) Near Fantastica
4) Load Me Up
5) Hello Time Bomb
6) Suburbia
7) The Rat Who Would Be King
8) Oh Be Joyful
9) Everything is Automatic
10) Avalanche
11) Blue Skies Over Bad Lands
12) Weapon
13) Apparitions (Matt solo acoustic)
Encore:
14) Giant
15) Alert Status Red
16) Advertising On Police Cars

The Ladies and Gentlemen are a solid band live, although the 'band' on record is the creation of one man, Thomas D'Arcy. With D'Arcy on bass (insert groan from Steve here) and vocals, the live band is rounded out by a drummer, guitarist, and two guys on various keyboards/synthesizers and tambourines. :) The songs are quite enjoyable live, and the band kept the crowd entertained reasonably well. The one thing I don't understand is the all-white clothing (it goes along with the album motif, but come on :)) I didn't actually buy the album, so I completed the setlist as best I could from the lyrics I heard; now I know for sure We Won't Last The Winter was played, I just can't remember if it was the 4th or 8th song. Oh well. :)

The audience reacted with great warmth to Matt Good's entrance, and he proceeded to blow us away with awesome solo acoustic performances of Prime Time Deliverance and Tripoli. The rest of the band joined Matt for Near Fantastica, and it truly became a rock show. There were no rants from Matt tonight, but he did make some humourous comments about how playing live was his only type of exercise, and the fact that it was too early for a rock show. Matt: "It's 7:45. Apparently later there has to be dancing. Where people can drink - look for their soulmate - fall in love - for an hour - and forty-five minutes - but I'll be long gone by then. That was totally irrelevant." Good stuff. :) I very much enjoyed the opportunity to sing along with my favourites, and Matt made a good mix between the faster and slower songs. On Apparitions, but Matt varied his emphasis on notes and words from the original recording, which made it frustrating for those of us trying to sing along. Ah, live performances.

Before the band returned for the encore, the chant of K-I-C-K-A-S-S went up from the crowd and continued through the playing of the backing track of the cheerleaders from Giant, on Beautiful Midnight. The show ended before 9 PM, and left me wanting more, but that's usually a good thing. I just hope it's not another 3 years in between Matt Good shows this time. :)

Well, Tim McCarver is still an idiot...

...as he has conclusively proved by his early work in Game 1 of the Yankees-Angels ALDS. He still delivers the lame jokes and fumbles frequently in trying to get his points across (although I could just blame that on his age, and forgive him for it). I still can't stand listening to him, though, and it certainly makes me wish Jamie Kennedy were doing some of these games. :)

The Blue Jays, in not dropping 4 straight to the Red Sox, allowed the Yankees to steal the AL East. The 2006 Jays will be a force to be reckoned with indeed, if their never-say-die attitude continues on from this year (and if Halladay stays healthy, along with another power hitter and starting pitcher). :)

John McCain certainly took the overstatement of the month award for September in declaring the "transcendent importance" of the steroid issue. Yeah, sure John...don't you have hundreds of young men and women dying for nothing over in Iraq? Someone really needs a reality check. :)

Jake Peavy is now out for the year, because he broke some ribs during the division-clincher celebration. :) I'll go on record as saying the Padres will go 3 and out in the NLDS. Ah, rib x-rays - almost useless, since there's no real treatment if they are fractured. Basically all you can say is, "Yep, you've got broken ribs!" :P

All right, that's enough random rants for now...I'll return to watching the Angels struggle against Mussina (down 4-0 in the top of the 5th). Next up, my song-by-song review of the Our Lady Peace album, Healthy In Paranoid Times, just for you, Steve. :)