Thoughts on Rufus 10/31

[ccfalzon]

I was totally bummed out at how little first and second album material he was playing. Almost like he's ignoring the really quality material in favor of the more recent/outspoken songs that have made him a gay icon.
 
 There were a lot of kinks that needed to be worked out...obviously, first show of the tour. His female back-up singers had a tough time with a lot of his songs, almost like they couldn't hear themselves in the monitor.
 
 Personal highlights: Chelsea Hotel No. 2 (WOW), Go or Go Ahead, I Don't Know What It Is, Little Sister. (Does anyone have a setlist?)
 
 "The Gay Messiah" was annoyingly campy. Could he not play Agnus Dei (boresville), and please retire Hallelujah? I had to leave after hat one because he was bothering me. Maybe I missed a few killer tunes, but I hope not.

[you be betty]

well i thought the show was AMAZING.
 
 though, this was the third time i've seen Rufus and it was the smallest venue i've ever seen him in, and it really made such a huge difference.  the first two times he was amazing and wonderful, but last night it was just a completely different story.  it's very overwhelming hearing his voice captivate a whole sold-out audience at 9:30, and i thought he did a beautiful job.  
 
 i also thought that he did a fairly good job on the setlist...while i do see that he didn't play a whole lot of the earlier stuff, you've got to give the guy credit.  he played a good two hour set.  and though i was EXHAUSTED and lost my voice half way through (damn singing along), i still loved that he played for that long.  i hate when i spend a fair amount of money on a ticket to a show and then they play a ridiculously short set (coughcoldplaycough).
 
 i loved the dance, and thought the Gay Messiah stuff was great.  he closed the show with Beautiful Child which sounded absolutely amazing.  and Go or Go Ahead was definitely a highlight...but then again, that's probably my favorite Rufus song.  i was just in complete awe at how captivating it was...being, like, three feet away from the guy when he sang that.  it was funny, cause i made some comment to my friends before the whole crusifiction deal, like "DUDE...HE'S JESUS!"  
 
 i'm bad at telling stories though, and i guess you had to be there.  but it was totally side-splitting at the time.  
 
 anyway, Ok Go were great too...i was personally disappointed that they didn't play a longer set, but it's alright because THEY'LL BE BACK AT THE BLACK CAT ON NOVEMBER 20TH (take that, Pollstar).  and though it's a school night; i'll have to be there.  i'll just charm the shit out of my parents for the next two weeks and then it'll be an awesome show    
 
 
 i'll have pictures (and videos) uploaded from last night some time by this evening, too...

[ccfalzon]

The best Rufus show I've seen was a completely solo show at McCarter Theater in Princeton in 2002. He played almost everything off of the first two albums and debuted a few songs off of the Want sessions. He was amazing....still struggling to find his confidence and voice. The songs were totally skeletal, just him and a series of instruments (pian, guitar, or mandolin) with no sidemen. I've seen him a couple of other times, but that was by far the best show.
 
 Much respect for debuting the new material last night. I can see how people would dig his performance, but I missed hearing the old faves.

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

The only time I saw Rufus play was in 1998, when he played the side stage of the travelling Newport Folk Festival at Merriweather. After his performance, he stood next to me when Mark Eitzel was on. I could tell he wanted me, but I was having nothing of it.

[BookerT]

i was at one of rufus's first ever shows outside of nyc -- maybe even his first ever -- at the 930 back in the summer of '98, i think, opening for sean lennon on the "my genes are better than your genes" tour. i wonder who'd be opening for who now? they were both quite ordinary, the most memorable part of the evening were the deranged beatles fans in attendance.
 
 are montgomery county school closed today or something?

[you be betty]

Originally posted by BookerT:
  i was at one of rufus's first ever shows outside of nyc -- maybe even his first ever -- at the 930 back in the summer of '98, i think, opening for sean lennon on the "my genes are better than your genes" tour. i wonder who'd be opening for who now? they were both quite ordinary, the most memorable part of the evening were the deranged beatles fans in attendance.
 
 are montgomery county school closed today or something?

haha, yup!  why do you think i got to go last night?   :cool: