Preceding us on stage was Charli, a cartoonish group of characters ranging from a portly gangsta wielding a shiny blank and white strat to an Ann Wilson-ish vocalist who started their set with a karaoke performance whose conviction captivated everyone in the room.
Then it was our turn. We found the room a bit empty by our standards, but I think that was a good thing because we were definitely not ready for a packed house. Dave had only played with us once before (at the MEANY festival a few weeks before) and various flus and trips to who-knows-where made rehearsals difficult. But once things got started, I found myself having as much fun on stage as I've had in quite a while.
The groove felt great and there was a sense of drive and emotion that I think had been lacking for a while. We had played the first album live so many times that it was (rightly) starting to get a little boring. But when Dave's style forced us to change things up a bit, it was as if we were playing everything for the first time.
The rather strict time constraints imposed upon us by the otherwise excellent sound engineer put a bit of a damper on our spirits towards the end, but when all was sung and done, we had a blast.
From almost the moment we started breaking down our equipment, the room rapidly began to fill with bridge and tunnel types (albeit the upscale variety) for a dancy funk band called Kite. Now whatever image you have in your head about what a dancy funk band might look like, keep in mind that Kite is from Staten Island. If you know anything at all about the place, you'll also know that they look like this:
Didn't have the chance to stick around to hear much of the set, but they did sound like fun.
On to, well...The Delancey again on December 4th at 11pm for the MEANY fest's big "Notable Mentions" show (we were among the most popular bands in the festival, but alas not among the top three). See you there!
