BTE = Better Than EVER!
Aug. 26th, 2023 09:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
just_cydI've had nearly three weeks to digest the Better Than Ezra concert in Cincinnati, and I am still flying high on the fact that bassist Tom Drummond knew me by name/on sight. Mind. Blown. but I'm getting ahead of myself...
I busted ass after work that Tuesday to get to Cincy before rush hour traffic got bad, and to ensure I'd be at the venue well before 6pm, when doors opened for VIP pre-show. got to the hotel ok, and it was fine. not scary, but not overly-swanky. for the $80 I paid for the room, which included hot breakfast the next morning, I was happy with what I got.
I'd pre-booked my Lyft ride to the venue, and it was $15 or so (I actually watched the price increase while dithering on committing to it. gah! but it was still cheaper than Uber, so...). I had enough time to get to my room, get changed, stress out about how I looked, and then get downstairs to wait for my ride. for my outfit, I settled on jeans, my Dr Martens (aka Stompy Shoes), a smallish cross-body purse and this freaking awesome Tshirt from Grace. I knew that BTE were a black-tee sort of band, and I didn't want to look too out of place. I also guessed (correctly!) that it'd be a conversation-started.
Lyft driver to the venue was super friendly, and when he saw the cane nearly dove out of the car to help me get in. back seats of sedans are not my friend, because I just can't fold myself up like that, and Stompy Shoes on large feet don't fit through the openings very well. The drive was nice, and I got to see neighborhoods I've never seen before. It was also uphill (away from the river) so yeah, walking was NOT an option no matter how close!!
I get to the venue, and there's various clumps of people around, some that looked like they were in line and some very much not, plus a string of bars and stuff across the street. We're a block from University of Cincinnati, on Short Vine, so I think this is Party Central. (I likened Short Vine to Columbus's Short North or Dayton's Oregon District). I walked to where I saw people lined up behind ropes, and asked if they were in line. three more steps and I see the signs - one for Fast Lane and one for VIP. I was the first in the VIP line, and there were about 8 people in the Fast Lane line. the woman first in lane for Fast Lane explained what theirs meant, and I shared about the pre-show VIP package. She kindly let me know that unless I'd booked a seat in advance, it'd be standing only. I didn't stress it too much, but was starting to wonder if I'd be able to be on my feet for the next 5 hours.
As we were chatting, I realized that the woman's daughter was the girl mentioned in a post on BTE's facebook page a few days prior - she had a broken elbow with a full-arm cast, and had made a cool sign requesting the band sign her cast. she's 12 and came armed (ha!) with a purse-full of sharpies. one of the other ladies in line thought she recognized me from New Orleans -- a BTE show in New Orleans! -- so I had to confess that this was my first BTE show.
Eventually staff started filing out, all very young-looking and in all-black. Also all very friendly. First order of business was to check IDs and get the wristband needed to buy alcohol. I didn't plan on drinking, but it didn't cost anything to get the wristband. Besides, it was purple. and as Dougger told me in 2010 at the Avett Brothers Concert: "always get the wristband/stamp. If you see a hottie without one, then you'll know they're underage". Wise words, my friend. (he was also much closer to the "potentially hitting on too-young girls" age back then. I suspect his advice came from a lesson learned the hard way). A couple filed in behind me in the VIP line and we all started getting chatty and excited for the show to commence. A few minutes later, someone checked that I actually HAD the VIP ticket on my phone, and then it was time to enter.
I was hoping that I'd be on some ACTUAL VIP list, and get to meet Tom before the show. I mean, I had just dropped big bucks on one of his prints ... the least he could do was thank me in person, right? no dice.
instead, first order of business was to scan the VIP ticket and then the event ticket. then it was straight up a flight of stairs to the balcony. at the top of the stairs was an open area behind the seating, and I was immediately greeted by food. a catered spread of wraps, mac & cheese, and some other stuff was waiting for us, as was the guy from Cartridge Brewing with samples. I took the sample (just a tiny bit) before getting food, and the guy all but threw gift cards at me when I said I knew right where the place was, but had never been in there. "Have a beer on me!" he chimed and I think I made his night. the rest of the crowd began streaming in, or I would've chatted with him longer. I got food, sat to begin eating, realized everything was marked "reserved" so I waddled over to the desk where I could inquire about the reserved seating. John Harvie, the opening act, was warming up, so conversation was near impossible. I got the high-level overview, picked the table on the side where i'd be in line with Tom the Bassist, and paid the $35 for the pleasure.
I felt a little defeated by this. i WANTED to be down front to catch one of Tom's guitar picks, but I was also tired, in pain, and feeling crummy (scratchy throat started on the drive down. why?!?). Instead I decided I'd video what I could, and remind myself that I was in the same room as him, and that itself is pretty freaking cool. I hit the bathroom, bought a sparkling Liquid Death, and settled into my seat to wait for the show to begin. Other people began filling in the seats around me. the first row was just a row of seats with no tables. Behind them were normal-height tables that I was told are always fully-booked. Regulars, I guess? I was behind them at a bar-height table, sitting on the bench that ran the width of the seating area, and it had two tall stools facing me. the table to my left never got occupied, but the table on my right soon had a couple about my age seated there. The lady went down to the merch table, and came back up with tshirts. I asked about the shirts and the line, and we chatted a bit, so I went on down while there was no line. tshirts were $40 or I would have got two of them. I liked this navy one the best for the fleur-de-lis, but I really wanted the one with the cities/dates, too. It was becoming a VERY expensive night -- rapidly approaching the cost of my prior concert which was a four-day road trip! Got my photo taken by the indoor marquee, and hobbled back upstairs. As I approached my table, the lady asked how it went, and then she saw my t-shirt and cackle-laughed. she's a cat lady, and asked to take a photo of it. of course I let her. the first of many BFFs made that night. I showed her my BTE shirt, and thus commenced the chatting.
Once the pre-show warm-ups were done, they raised the shades that were blocking our view of the stage, and shortly John Harvie was out on stage. Young guy (22), as were his bandmates. If I couldn't tell by their faces, I could tell by the jumping around and acrobatics on stage. 50-something guys don't move like that. not for their full set. His voice reminded me a bit of the lead singer for Panic! At the Disco, and he had incredible range and emotion. He did a cover of Maroon 5's Harder to Breathe which was fantastic. He's based out of Nashville, but from Louisville. He worked with Kevin Griffin on one of his songs, so having that connection was cool. He played not quite an hour, and then it was a frantic tear-down to make way for BTE.
from various social media posts, I knew that Better Than Ezra would open with In The Blood. That's the song I wanted to be front & center for. Tom does this cool thing mid-song where he plays a couple notes, tosses his pick into the audience, grabs another, plays the next three notes, tosses that one out the other direction, grabs another pick, and continues with the song. I love that. So while I wasn't down there to catch one of the picks, I got it on video and got to see it live. Not every concert experience could be the artist giving me a hug and asking me to DM him that I made it home OK.
Remember that woman with her daughter I was chatting with out front? THEY were down front and center, and the girl had her sign so the band could see it. In the full video posted above, if you look carefully at the 2:56 mark, Kevin starts moving towards the center of the stage. There's a couple VERY short people down front, and you can just sort of see the white sign (not quite 18" square) the girl is holding. Kevin moves down towards the front of the stage, looks down and reads the sign, smiles, and mouths "yeah, ok!" and moves on. According to her mom, the girl LOST HER MIND over that. I would've too! I missed it at the time, but chatting with the mom post-show on fb, she told me about it so I saw that I DID catch it (and wasn't focused solely on Tom...), and shared the video with her. They did not get it on video, so she was happy to have it captured, even from the rafters.
The energy in the place was amazing. most of the crowd was my age, but there were kids and "kids" - 20-somethings probably discovering this band through their parents. overall a fantastic crowd. There was a good amount of stage banter, with stories of past shows in Cincy and band antics and all that. I wish I'd just filmed the whole damn thing - I missed catching the story of the Rosealia video wrap-party where Salma Hayak asked if anyone wanted to join her in salsa dancing in East LA, and Tom was the only one to do so. Kevin joked they didn't see him for three weeks. at one point I ended up recording like four songs in a row, partly to get the banter, and partly because I knew that one song led right into another one and the transition was cool (not yet posted to youtube). They played quite a few cover songs, but the INXS one was a teaser for their contribution to a still-covered-by-an-NDA project. At some point near the end of the show, Kevin announced they'd be in the back at the merch table after the show to sign stuff, and he offered to make paper airplanes or whatever out of his book just to get people to buy it. the wave of relief I felt was so wonderful - I'd get to see Tom up close!
The couple next to me ordered many rounds of drinks (at about $25 a round), so they were pretty drunk when the show ended. I had 3 Liquid Deaths, at $5 a pop. Once the show was over, we were getting up to leave, they would NOT move on until they were POSITIVE that I was standing up and walking with them. I don't know if it was the cane, or if they thought cane + whatever I was drinking made me a drunk as them, but it was kinda sweet. other people fussed over me, too, which helped remind me that not all people on earth are garbage humans. I hobbled down the stairs and found the end of the line for the merch table, while fighting people trying to leave heading the other direction. it was a bit tense - I was trying to NOT lose my tshirt - but eventually we got things sorted. a fairly drunk woman behind me decided I was her new BFF, then she saw my shirt and that cemented it. Several others had to see what the fuss was, and as the line inched up, about half a dozen people needed photos of my shirt. there was a lot of bonding going on in that line. Another lady had the set list, and let us all get photos of it. we shared our giddy happiness at the chance to talk to the band, and generally all fangirled-out together.
As I got closer, I saw the band signing tshirts, phone cases, you name it. I had Violet in my hand for the photo, along with my phone. my shirt was strung around my purse. Kevin was first in line, and he read my shirt and did that raise-one-eyebrow thing over those piercing blue eyes and I just sorta lost my mind. after responding to his reaction to my shirt with "well, it's the truth ..." I found myself shoving Violet at him and asking "will you sign my duck?!" "we've never had THAT request before!" he replied, and then either he or Tom asked if I wanted my shirt signed as well. Of course I did, so I laid it out, and the reactions to my tshirt continued. before I could even get to him, Tom stated with confidence "you're Cyd." "I am" was my reply. he knew me on sight. no hit of uncertainty. Dude did his homework, and I can only assume that having a couple selfies on instagram paid off. his next sentence was "your print has shipped already, and will be waiting for me when I get home." he expressed his surprise at the printer's quick work, and reiterated that I'd have it shortly after he got home to sign and number it. Commented to Michael Jerome that he reminded me of a young Darren Jessee, but he didn't now who he was. i quickly explained, and I think that he thought that I was calling HIM young. I mean, he looks young, but that wasn't what I meant. (Michael is mid-50s like the rest of the guys). What I meant was he was a beast on the drums like Darren was at the height of BFF. I was being moved along, so I got my photo with the band, and then floated my way out to the street.
outside was much cooler than inside, and the fresh air was a relief. I had a moment with another lady on the sidewalk where we both did the fangirl thing, and then I pulled up the Lyft app and summoned a ride. it was 11pm, roughly when I thought I'd be done. dude was there in less than 3 minutes. it was a quiet ride back to the hotel, but that was fine, i was still digesting things. Back in my room I was so gross and sweaty that I had to take a shower, even though I'd showered 12 hours earlier. i climbed into bed, and with the room's AC cranked, I was able to snuggle up in the covers, but struggled to sleep.
I busted ass after work that Tuesday to get to Cincy before rush hour traffic got bad, and to ensure I'd be at the venue well before 6pm, when doors opened for VIP pre-show. got to the hotel ok, and it was fine. not scary, but not overly-swanky. for the $80 I paid for the room, which included hot breakfast the next morning, I was happy with what I got.
I'd pre-booked my Lyft ride to the venue, and it was $15 or so (I actually watched the price increase while dithering on committing to it. gah! but it was still cheaper than Uber, so...). I had enough time to get to my room, get changed, stress out about how I looked, and then get downstairs to wait for my ride. for my outfit, I settled on jeans, my Dr Martens (aka Stompy Shoes), a smallish cross-body purse and this freaking awesome Tshirt from Grace. I knew that BTE were a black-tee sort of band, and I didn't want to look too out of place. I also guessed (correctly!) that it'd be a conversation-started.
Lyft driver to the venue was super friendly, and when he saw the cane nearly dove out of the car to help me get in. back seats of sedans are not my friend, because I just can't fold myself up like that, and Stompy Shoes on large feet don't fit through the openings very well. The drive was nice, and I got to see neighborhoods I've never seen before. It was also uphill (away from the river) so yeah, walking was NOT an option no matter how close!!
I get to the venue, and there's various clumps of people around, some that looked like they were in line and some very much not, plus a string of bars and stuff across the street. We're a block from University of Cincinnati, on Short Vine, so I think this is Party Central. (I likened Short Vine to Columbus's Short North or Dayton's Oregon District). I walked to where I saw people lined up behind ropes, and asked if they were in line. three more steps and I see the signs - one for Fast Lane and one for VIP. I was the first in the VIP line, and there were about 8 people in the Fast Lane line. the woman first in lane for Fast Lane explained what theirs meant, and I shared about the pre-show VIP package. She kindly let me know that unless I'd booked a seat in advance, it'd be standing only. I didn't stress it too much, but was starting to wonder if I'd be able to be on my feet for the next 5 hours.
As we were chatting, I realized that the woman's daughter was the girl mentioned in a post on BTE's facebook page a few days prior - she had a broken elbow with a full-arm cast, and had made a cool sign requesting the band sign her cast. she's 12 and came armed (ha!) with a purse-full of sharpies. one of the other ladies in line thought she recognized me from New Orleans -- a BTE show in New Orleans! -- so I had to confess that this was my first BTE show.
Eventually staff started filing out, all very young-looking and in all-black. Also all very friendly. First order of business was to check IDs and get the wristband needed to buy alcohol. I didn't plan on drinking, but it didn't cost anything to get the wristband. Besides, it was purple. and as Dougger told me in 2010 at the Avett Brothers Concert: "always get the wristband/stamp. If you see a hottie without one, then you'll know they're underage". Wise words, my friend. (he was also much closer to the "potentially hitting on too-young girls" age back then. I suspect his advice came from a lesson learned the hard way). A couple filed in behind me in the VIP line and we all started getting chatty and excited for the show to commence. A few minutes later, someone checked that I actually HAD the VIP ticket on my phone, and then it was time to enter.
I was hoping that I'd be on some ACTUAL VIP list, and get to meet Tom before the show. I mean, I had just dropped big bucks on one of his prints ... the least he could do was thank me in person, right? no dice.
instead, first order of business was to scan the VIP ticket and then the event ticket. then it was straight up a flight of stairs to the balcony. at the top of the stairs was an open area behind the seating, and I was immediately greeted by food. a catered spread of wraps, mac & cheese, and some other stuff was waiting for us, as was the guy from Cartridge Brewing with samples. I took the sample (just a tiny bit) before getting food, and the guy all but threw gift cards at me when I said I knew right where the place was, but had never been in there. "Have a beer on me!" he chimed and I think I made his night. the rest of the crowd began streaming in, or I would've chatted with him longer. I got food, sat to begin eating, realized everything was marked "reserved" so I waddled over to the desk where I could inquire about the reserved seating. John Harvie, the opening act, was warming up, so conversation was near impossible. I got the high-level overview, picked the table on the side where i'd be in line with Tom the Bassist, and paid the $35 for the pleasure.
I felt a little defeated by this. i WANTED to be down front to catch one of Tom's guitar picks, but I was also tired, in pain, and feeling crummy (scratchy throat started on the drive down. why?!?). Instead I decided I'd video what I could, and remind myself that I was in the same room as him, and that itself is pretty freaking cool. I hit the bathroom, bought a sparkling Liquid Death, and settled into my seat to wait for the show to begin. Other people began filling in the seats around me. the first row was just a row of seats with no tables. Behind them were normal-height tables that I was told are always fully-booked. Regulars, I guess? I was behind them at a bar-height table, sitting on the bench that ran the width of the seating area, and it had two tall stools facing me. the table to my left never got occupied, but the table on my right soon had a couple about my age seated there. The lady went down to the merch table, and came back up with tshirts. I asked about the shirts and the line, and we chatted a bit, so I went on down while there was no line. tshirts were $40 or I would have got two of them. I liked this navy one the best for the fleur-de-lis, but I really wanted the one with the cities/dates, too. It was becoming a VERY expensive night -- rapidly approaching the cost of my prior concert which was a four-day road trip! Got my photo taken by the indoor marquee, and hobbled back upstairs. As I approached my table, the lady asked how it went, and then she saw my t-shirt and cackle-laughed. she's a cat lady, and asked to take a photo of it. of course I let her. the first of many BFFs made that night. I showed her my BTE shirt, and thus commenced the chatting.
Once the pre-show warm-ups were done, they raised the shades that were blocking our view of the stage, and shortly John Harvie was out on stage. Young guy (22), as were his bandmates. If I couldn't tell by their faces, I could tell by the jumping around and acrobatics on stage. 50-something guys don't move like that. not for their full set. His voice reminded me a bit of the lead singer for Panic! At the Disco, and he had incredible range and emotion. He did a cover of Maroon 5's Harder to Breathe which was fantastic. He's based out of Nashville, but from Louisville. He worked with Kevin Griffin on one of his songs, so having that connection was cool. He played not quite an hour, and then it was a frantic tear-down to make way for BTE.
from various social media posts, I knew that Better Than Ezra would open with In The Blood. That's the song I wanted to be front & center for. Tom does this cool thing mid-song where he plays a couple notes, tosses his pick into the audience, grabs another, plays the next three notes, tosses that one out the other direction, grabs another pick, and continues with the song. I love that. So while I wasn't down there to catch one of the picks, I got it on video and got to see it live. Not every concert experience could be the artist giving me a hug and asking me to DM him that I made it home OK.
Remember that woman with her daughter I was chatting with out front? THEY were down front and center, and the girl had her sign so the band could see it. In the full video posted above, if you look carefully at the 2:56 mark, Kevin starts moving towards the center of the stage. There's a couple VERY short people down front, and you can just sort of see the white sign (not quite 18" square) the girl is holding. Kevin moves down towards the front of the stage, looks down and reads the sign, smiles, and mouths "yeah, ok!" and moves on. According to her mom, the girl LOST HER MIND over that. I would've too! I missed it at the time, but chatting with the mom post-show on fb, she told me about it so I saw that I DID catch it (and wasn't focused solely on Tom...), and shared the video with her. They did not get it on video, so she was happy to have it captured, even from the rafters.
The energy in the place was amazing. most of the crowd was my age, but there were kids and "kids" - 20-somethings probably discovering this band through their parents. overall a fantastic crowd. There was a good amount of stage banter, with stories of past shows in Cincy and band antics and all that. I wish I'd just filmed the whole damn thing - I missed catching the story of the Rosealia video wrap-party where Salma Hayak asked if anyone wanted to join her in salsa dancing in East LA, and Tom was the only one to do so. Kevin joked they didn't see him for three weeks. at one point I ended up recording like four songs in a row, partly to get the banter, and partly because I knew that one song led right into another one and the transition was cool (not yet posted to youtube). They played quite a few cover songs, but the INXS one was a teaser for their contribution to a still-covered-by-an-NDA project. At some point near the end of the show, Kevin announced they'd be in the back at the merch table after the show to sign stuff, and he offered to make paper airplanes or whatever out of his book just to get people to buy it. the wave of relief I felt was so wonderful - I'd get to see Tom up close!
The couple next to me ordered many rounds of drinks (at about $25 a round), so they were pretty drunk when the show ended. I had 3 Liquid Deaths, at $5 a pop. Once the show was over, we were getting up to leave, they would NOT move on until they were POSITIVE that I was standing up and walking with them. I don't know if it was the cane, or if they thought cane + whatever I was drinking made me a drunk as them, but it was kinda sweet. other people fussed over me, too, which helped remind me that not all people on earth are garbage humans. I hobbled down the stairs and found the end of the line for the merch table, while fighting people trying to leave heading the other direction. it was a bit tense - I was trying to NOT lose my tshirt - but eventually we got things sorted. a fairly drunk woman behind me decided I was her new BFF, then she saw my shirt and that cemented it. Several others had to see what the fuss was, and as the line inched up, about half a dozen people needed photos of my shirt. there was a lot of bonding going on in that line. Another lady had the set list, and let us all get photos of it. we shared our giddy happiness at the chance to talk to the band, and generally all fangirled-out together.
As I got closer, I saw the band signing tshirts, phone cases, you name it. I had Violet in my hand for the photo, along with my phone. my shirt was strung around my purse. Kevin was first in line, and he read my shirt and did that raise-one-eyebrow thing over those piercing blue eyes and I just sorta lost my mind. after responding to his reaction to my shirt with "well, it's the truth ..." I found myself shoving Violet at him and asking "will you sign my duck?!" "we've never had THAT request before!" he replied, and then either he or Tom asked if I wanted my shirt signed as well. Of course I did, so I laid it out, and the reactions to my tshirt continued. before I could even get to him, Tom stated with confidence "you're Cyd." "I am" was my reply. he knew me on sight. no hit of uncertainty. Dude did his homework, and I can only assume that having a couple selfies on instagram paid off. his next sentence was "your print has shipped already, and will be waiting for me when I get home." he expressed his surprise at the printer's quick work, and reiterated that I'd have it shortly after he got home to sign and number it. Commented to Michael Jerome that he reminded me of a young Darren Jessee, but he didn't now who he was. i quickly explained, and I think that he thought that I was calling HIM young. I mean, he looks young, but that wasn't what I meant. (Michael is mid-50s like the rest of the guys). What I meant was he was a beast on the drums like Darren was at the height of BFF. I was being moved along, so I got my photo with the band, and then floated my way out to the street.
outside was much cooler than inside, and the fresh air was a relief. I had a moment with another lady on the sidewalk where we both did the fangirl thing, and then I pulled up the Lyft app and summoned a ride. it was 11pm, roughly when I thought I'd be done. dude was there in less than 3 minutes. it was a quiet ride back to the hotel, but that was fine, i was still digesting things. Back in my room I was so gross and sweaty that I had to take a shower, even though I'd showered 12 hours earlier. i climbed into bed, and with the room's AC cranked, I was able to snuggle up in the covers, but struggled to sleep.
