09.21.10: culture blotter {pavement @ williamsburg waterfront}

malkmus & co at williamsburg waterfront (4/5)

joe chose excellence and joined me for the pavement show! a solid choice it was, i think; unlike the superfans who snagged and lost their tickets to the summerstage shows last year, he had to wait but a day to walk across the williamsburg bridge for malkmus & co's first new york show since 1999. it must be said that the venue is kind of awful; i was expecting something like the prospect park bandshell with a hot view of the east river and manhattan, but the stage faced away from the shore and backed against the mccondos that have mushroomed up there in the last few years...so the whole thing felt a bit like a secret rave thrown by realtors. also, no lawn! but pavement were in fine form; i enjoyed the show (and the pre-show burgers and beer and backgammon) so much that i actually traveled the hipster superhighway to get up to the stage and take pictures. well done, steve and the gang.

guy: YOU. what’s your go-to song tonight.
LMO: elevate me later.
guy: ooooh, off the beaten path. i’ll pump my fist in the air for you if i hear it. i bet they’ll play it, i’ve been checking the setlists.
LMO: ...though I’d give my right eye to hear jo jo's jacket.
guy: if you wanted to hear solo stuff, you should have gone to see him in march! i did.
LMO: well, then you win.
guy: no, it’s not a contest!
LMO: oh yes it is.
guy: okay, it is.


6 comments:

LPC said...

That is one of the most lustworthy photos of a rocker I have ever seen.

jamie said...

that guy is alright.



i have resolved next calexico to be first row.

Amanda said...

I am fond of this particular exchange.

Also, you are an amazing blogging goddess. 
That is all.

rachel (heart of light) said...

That photo ....

Also, I would totally go to a secret rave thrown by realtors. Would make house hunting so much more appealing.

jacob said...

your venue still beats the roy wilkins auditorium in st. paul, where we caught pavement last week. it's a large windowless room deep in the heart of a sports/convention center complex. it's where the realtors hold their conventions.

ah, i see they opened with 'cut your hair' as well. weirdly, they closed our show (the encore) with 'here,' an...odd choice. 'range life' would have been a much better high note to end on.

kidchamp said...

thanks, folks! i sure do like photographing the rock, though the camera grumbles about it (the leica, he does not zoom).

rachel, i think house-hunting is a pain in the ass no matter what. big payoffs, for sure, but one spends most of one's time feeling like puking. oh my god, we'll never find anything! oh my god, someone else is going to get the thing we found! oh my god, the new next-door neighbor plays techno all the time! who plays techno all the time?!

"range life" was indeed a good closer, jacob. i wish they'd held out a bit longer with "cut your hair," but then again i was feisty when we showed up, so perhaps it's best that "no BIG HAIR!" happened early?