It turned out to be a very, very odd gig. Most of the gigs we see in The Village tend to be a bit strange, not because of the bands they put on, but because of the clientele that place attracts. We've been regulars at Whelans for far, far, far, far too long now, but don't really feel out of place because we refuse to grow up and act respectable, and because Whelans still plays The Cure and The Smiths and Teenage Kicks every weekend, and who are we to argue with taste like that? However, those that feel they have outgrown the usual Whelans crowd seem to have decamped to The Village, where they buy pints and stand about quietly, staring in the direction of the stage, and occasionally swaying a bit if the music becomes particularly raucous.
What I'm saying is, the crowd at The Village can be described as "unenthused" at the best of times, and "frozen and corpse-like" at the worst.
This very much suited the sound and mood of the AMC last night. Mark Eitzel made vague attempts at communicating with the crowd at the beginning of the gig, but his vague communications were very much that - mutterings that weren't really audible, and so didn't garner any reaction or response. After a while, he spoke up just enough to tell us that he didn't like the sentiments of the next song they were going to sing, and then declared that he doesn't usually bother with all the audience bullshit, and so wasn't going to bother tonight. No one really knew how to take this, and so The Village audience wisely decided to keep with tradition, and all but ignore the band that was on stage. They don't chat among themselves though. Oh no. The Village audience are what myself and Edel sneeringly refer to as "musoes" - the kind of people that have more vinyl than friends. Or consider their vinyl their true friends.
(Me and Edel are better than them, you see. Our true friends are our dogs.)
It was heavenly hearing Eitzel's voice live and in person. He has this amazing quality that no other singer in the world, between now and ever again, would be able to replicate. I was sure it wouldn't sound as astonishing live, but even with the mawkish drivel they've released as their latest album, his voice is still breathtaking, and is able to give life even to the most clichéd sentiment. So when he was singing that only love would set him free, good lordy but I believed him.
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