Not To Put Too Fine a Point On It....

Anthony Bourdain, celebrity chef and author, describes in his biography the life-changing raw oyster that made him realize that food would be a central part of his life.

My raw oyster was the video for "Birdhouse in Your Soul", by They Might Be Giants, which I saw at my grandparents' house on the MTV (we had no cable at our house, so MTV was a rare treat). I would have been 13 years old, and before that point, music was really not a part of my life. I rarely listened to the radio, and I'd never purchased or asked for music of any kind. This video caught my eye; the song caught my ear. As soon as I was able, I purchased Flood, my first album. It's the album that made me fall in love with music. It made me the music snob I am today, always wanting to be that guy who listens to the weird stuff. In my rural New Hampshire high school, I was the guy who listened to They Might Be Giants and The Pixies--really, the guy. I honestly have no idea what other people listened to, but it wasn't what I wanted to hear.

This is all a roundabout way of saying that I went to see a TMBG show tonight, and it was fantastic. My sister got the tickets and I saw them for the first time in about 8 years. Not only was it the best Giants show I'd ever seen, but it was one of the best shows I've ever seen, period. After over 25 years together (!), the two Johns still bring it. Sure, Flansburgh was drinking coffee during the set and had to tie his shoe at one point, and Linnell was recovering from a cold, but the energy they brought was still amazing. I could not wipe the grin off my face from the first song to the last song of the second encore. I was singing and dancing along with the hundreds of other fans, ranging in age from 14 to people in their 60s.

I don't think it was just the nostalgia--though that certainly played a role. They were genuinely good, and if they weren't having fun up there, they're damn good actors. I have to find the guitarist's name, because he was phenomenal. They cherry-picked the best songs from nearly all their albums, including at least 4 from Flood and "Fingertips" from Apollo 18. Even the songs they played from their last album, which was really not my favorite, sounded a lot better live. I guess I really hadn't appreciated it before, perhaps because the other venues I've seen them in were kind of on the crappy side, but they really are incredible live.

Hands down, the most fun I've had at a show in a long time. I felt 13 again. I was reminded why I love music as much as I do. The fans are my people, and if you're reading this blog, probably your people, too. If you've never seen TMBG live before, do yourself a favor and check them out. Verdict: like realizing that you can go back again.