Okay, Folks…
As a lover of live music, and after attending the Grace Potter & The Nocturnals concert in Milwaukee last night, opened by Langhorne Slim, I have to give a review and a warning to concert goers to not be “that person“.
Firstly… the review. AWESOME!
Langhorne Slim was… okay, I’ll be fair… I listened to their entire album they have available online for listening purposes. I wasn’t sure that I’d really enjoy them live, but most songs take a while “grow” on me and develop a deep-seated appreciation for them. I have a short phrase for you all to remember for Langhorne Slim that Mr. Muse and I repeated during their set: “Rock ‘n Roll Banjo”. DUDE! The pianist (who plays a mean piano), David Moore, also plays banjo… and seeing him shred one banjo (literally broke strings) and then pick up the steel banjo for another song and…. Yeah. It was great. Rock ‘N Roll Banjo, FOREVER! \M/
Langhorne Slim is like…. Appalachia-meets-“Urban Hipster”. The lead, Langhorne Slim, himself, can be described as “bouncy”. He bounced across the stage and half the time looked like he had to pee really badly. BUT! The music was great live. And that’s what matters.
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals can only be described in one word: phenomenal. I will describe her as some wonderful elixir combining Tina Turner, Grace Slick, Janis Joplin and Stevie Nicks. Between her and her band taking the stage and the final song of Medicine Woman…. I was enthralled. Even Mr. Muse had a great time* and we left the venue of the historic Pabst Theatre with smiles on our faces. We got back home about 2:30 this morning, finally hitting the hay about 3. I’m exhausted. Still.
If you do ever get the chance of seeing Ms. Potter and her Nocturnals… DO IT! No Auto-Tune need apply as she and her group were pitch-perfect and they put on one HELL of a show. I even commented to Mr. Muse that I’ve never seen a romper and chiffon poncho look so damn sexy on anyone before.
Ms. Eight Beers (on Right) and friend… thanks for blocking the view ladies.
*Now, a note on the “great time”. Murphy and his damn laws inevitably come courting and at concerts it seems that if Mr. Muse and I can’t get into the first row of the balcony, we end up sitting behind the ONE person or couple that insists on getting up and “shaking their thang” for what is nearly the entire concert. Last night’s concert was no exception and as I was considering leaning forward to ask Ms.-8-beers-and-counting to please take a seat or move to the stairway to “wiggle her ass”, Mr. Muse leaned forward, tapped her shoulder and asked her first.
Incredulous that she’d been asked to “stand down”, she told Mr. Muse, “You just need to stand up and dance, too.” Oh dear. Of course, Mr. Muse does not “stand up and dance” just anywhere (only in a kitchen), and he doesn’t deal well with large crowds or obnoxious drunkards. He informed Ms. Eight Beers that he, in fact, did not have to “stand up and dance, too”, and that if she didn’t remove herself to the stairway (2 seats over) or down to the main floor where everyone was on their feet and dancing, he’d call the usher.
Ms. Eight Beers, nonplussed, demanded her friend in matchy-matchy outfit, get up and join her on the main floor of the venue to dance the night away. Mr. Muse (and everyone behind him and I), were much relieved that Ms. Eight Beers was gone and “shaking her thang” down on the main floor.
I did steal a glimpse down to the main floor to see Ms. Eight Beers pointing up toward our direction, to some sympathetic soul, surely pointing out that the second tier seating contained “squares” who just wanted to sit and enjoy the show of all things. I refrained from waving.
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
So… Here’s the deal. I paid $75 for two tickets (you know… with all the fees, etc) for Mr. Muse and I to enjoy the live music of my girl crush that is Grace Potter. Ms. Eight Beers and her friend paid the same amount. Ms. Eight Beers was the only person standing up and “shaking her thang” in the ENTIRE second tier of seats, excepting one woman on the opposite side who was dancing on the stairway (and missing her stripper pole… it was pretty damned amusing). I say this as a Community Service Announcement… don’t be “that person”.
Don’t be the person who is drinking two beers for every one your companion is having. Don’t be the person who is the only person getting up and dancing, and therefore blocking the view of everyone else behind you. Don’t be the person who gets argumentative when it’s pointed out that you’re being a douche-bag Don’t be the person who thinks that because the only way you will enjoy the concert is to get up and “shake your thang”, that every other person around you has the same idea. When you’re pushing 60, and acting 16 (anywhere over the actual age of 16 applies here), it’s not “cute”… it’s just sad.
Folks, please don’t mistake all this for me being a stick in the mud. I actually really enjoy dancing – in the appropriate location. Which doesn’t happen to be standing up in front of two dozen people who paid just as much as I did to enjoy a show but want to SIT and enjoy the show. I’m the person who will move to the stairwell and risk tripping and falling rather than piss off a bunch of other people. Because I’m awesome. Okay, really it’s because I’m considerate of others.
On that note – please, for the love of all that is holy… GO SEE GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS live!!!!
Musings of the Amusing Muse 
I usually “shake it” in the aisle and get asked to sit down by security. So I ask, “why?” And the response is “fire safety” Really? Dude! I am on my feet and will be the first MoFo headed toward the exit. That logic never fails to confuse rent a heavy and they leave me to shake it happily out of the way and on my way should an emergency ensue. Luckily I have never had to haul said shaker out the door.
Yeah, that whole “Fire Safety” issue will get you most times. They weren’t making people get out of the aisle at Pabst, and honestly the seats that Mr. Muse picked were on far stage right and if there’d be a fire we’d have had to gone down a flight anyway to get out. Security there was pretty mellow but yeah… one or two people who insist on standing up in front of everyone to get their groove on gets to be a bit much. 😉 I will gladly go shake my thang in the aisles or at the back of the venue or on designated dance areas – but I refuse to stand up in front of everyone else, blocking their view, just because I want to.
Can I assume your dislike of “that person” originated from the annoying woman who was shaking, scraming and ultimately spilled her beer over your relatively new leather jacket at a particular concert about 20 years ago? We were SO thankful when her embarrassed companion led her away – so sad when it becomes necessary to point out the error of their ways. Sometimes you consider a shoe to the side of the head may work better to enlighten “that person”. Glad you enjoyed the show.
HA! I was thinking about that event when I was considering asking Ms. Eight Beers to step to the side. I also considered how at least this time I had the higher ground and the advantage of not having 128 oz of beer pushing on my bladder was in my favor.