We went to see Jeff Mangum perform on Saturday night. This video is from 1998, but is a demonstration of one of my all-time favorite songs of all-time EVER EVER EVER. And forever.
I’m not one to make proclamations like this about shows, but it was magical. Spiritual, even. I am more prone to saying, “wow, that was the best show ever!” (see, Rolling Stone issue from 2004 with Usher on the cover where my mug is a face in the crowd from the Pixies reunion show saying, “That was the best show ever!”). Now, well, this probably was actually the best show ever, yes, but it was also something more. I have loved Neutral Milk Hotel since, oh, 2000? or so? I was a little behind the times, as In The Aeroplane Over the Sea came out in 1998, but not terribly so. Enough so, though, that I missed being able to see NMH or Jeff Mangum play live before he went all reclusive on us. He has been on my musical bucket list (thanks, Melinda, for the phrase) for some time. I never thought that I’d get to see him.
On Saturday, I felt like crap still (see, previous post about dying), and was so afraid that I was not going to be able to see this show that I had been looking forward to for, well, ever. Or so it seemed. I managed to pull it together enough to make it out for the dinner and show date that was also to be my early birthday celebration with Steve. I am so glad that I didn’t wallow in my own misery and miss out on this.
The openers were Andrew, Laura, and Scott – members of the bands Elf Power and the Gerbils — neither of which I had ever really listened to before. Steve and I were both pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed their set. It was just GOOD. Good, solid music played by people who you could just tell loved playing.
When Jeff stepped out, with his hair in his face, I was like, “Oh, wow, he’s like Elliott Smith!” (in my head), yet he didn’t play timidly at all. He commanded the stage and all eyes were on him. I don’t think that I have ever witnessed a more rapt audience. He opened with “Two Headed Boy, part 2″ and had us from there. He asked us to sing along, and normally that sort of thing annoys me, but it was just beautiful to hear to rise and fall of the voices in the audience. I sang. How could I not? I’ve been playing NMH karaoke in my car on and off for the better part of the last decade.
There was just something about being in this room, listening to the man behind these songs that I have cherished for so long, and singing along with a whole lot of people. It made me remember how wonderful and beautiful and, yes, strange it is, to be anything at all.
