after some nail-biting wondering if I was going to be granted leave time off (which eventually it was, only last week) it is now only 10 days to my and my friend Jenny's Big Apple adventure. and we are going specifically to see Friendly Fires twice, in two small venues: le poisson rouge (translation: "the red fish") in Greenwich Village on the 12th and Music City of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on the 13th.
as noted in the previous entry, the support for the LPR show is local NYC band the Phenomenal Handclap Band. I've just learned that the Music City of W'burg show will feature Londoners the XX, another XL band, as the opener, and the show is completely sold out. thankfully, we have our tickets in hand - I wasn't going to risk chancing getting there and not having a ticket or press pass.
"to be perfectly honest" (to borrow a oft-spoken phrase of someone I know :) I am really worried about getting close to the front for these shows. being 5'2", I don't have much choice when it comes to going to a gig. it's either 1) get there to queue up super early to get a spot in the front or 2) if there is a balcony, relegate oneself to the balcony. otherwise, forget about seeing a thing, you won't be able to. this is what happened when I went to see Lykke Li at the Black Cat last October on a Sunday night. I saw the flurry of her arms waving about when she was hitting the high hat with a borrowed drum stick, but not much else.
I remember now with fondness what Edd and Ed of the Fires said to me when I said I had to run like the wind to make sure I got a good spot to see Patrick Wolf at Nottingham's Rock City. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." they were probably amused hearing that this American girl was so stressed out about attending a gig. I didn't think they'd be right when I got into the venue, b/c it was packed. but with a bit of gentle pushing and a blanket of "pardon me"s and "excuse me"s, I was let up front.
somehow, I don't think this is going to be the case in New York. LPR sounds to be the more likeable of the two venues b/c it's MUCH smaller; however, there's a wrinkle that there is an early show starring a jam band called Rudder on the 12th and I have no idea how the queue situation is going to work. I am even toying with the idea of buying a ticket to the Rudder show just get IN the place early. now that I've learned the W'burg gig is sold out, this makes me even more nervous. I've heard it's like the 9:30 Club in set up. I really do not want to be up in the balcony for a show I've traveled hundreds of miles for. either way, we're going to be queueing up long and early.
crazy? I dunno. I've been to some gigs where the people were absolutely mental. FF is starting to get a healthy industry buzz and therefore this show is defo going to be different than the first time I saw them, on the stage I know and love at the Black Cat, where the number of actual people who know and love the music outnumber hipsters considerably. I like the idea of being up front and being able to say hello to the bands before and after they perform...which is what these intimate venues are supposed to provide. I just dunno if the number of annoying "entitled" people like at the Paolo Nutini gig 2 weeks ago are going to ruin my night. I don't ask for much - I just ask the people at both shows are respectful and courteous to the other club patrons like I am to everyone else. is that too much to ask?
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