Andrew Bird with Nora O'Connor & Kevin O'Donnell 04-05-03 Old Town School, Chicago, IL SB: Sharp minidisc > Sound Studio > iTunes > CDR > EAC > flac recorded by Julia Chambers Disc 1 (53:34) 1. Bird introduction 2. Intro (track 5 on Weather Systems) > 3. Action/Adventure 4. Capital I (album version) 5. First Song* 6. Opposite Day** 7. Why?** 8. Lull** 9. Banking On A Myth** 10. Headsoak** 11. Capital I** (full version) 12. Don't Be Scared** Disc 2 (42:15) 1. Bird story 2. Happy Birthday** 3. MX Missiles* 4. Measuring Cups* 5. Skin 6. Weather Systems - Encore - 7. Trimmed + Burning 8. Tables and Chairs** * with Nora O'Connor ** with Nora O'Connor and Kevin O'Donnell Notes: CD-release party for Weather Systems some brief connection static during d2t05 * * * * * Review from Daniel Harrington (d-harrington@nwu.edu) as posted to: thecandyshop@yahoogroups.com Bird then came on after the break, and did a few intro songs alone, until Nora and then Kevin gradually came out. (Julia, do you have a set list?) For those of you who haven't been to a show in a while, or who haven't heard the new CD, it's a palpable difference from the BOF of a year ago to the Bird of today. I think the other reviews of previous shows describe this change pretty well. However, one thing I did notice about the show is how reminiscent it was of the Hideout shows of last April. Those shows started with Bird playing a few songs solo (I think they were all (or mostly) instrumental) and it was an astounding feel to have the crowd so silent as he introduced the prologue to the rest of the show. The songs on Saturday were different, of course, but the pattern was still generally the same -- which is a nice glimpse for us into how songs or even a show gets developed. It's funny to think that what we end up seeing may often be a year or two in the making. I also noticed how *clear* he sounded on Saturday night. Vocally, musically, whistling-ly: it was all very direct, dead-on, with very few noticeable mistakes. He was also really open with the crowd, admitting a few times that he was nervous about getting through the show, or about the CD being released, and some of his stories rambled off into nowhere -- a very honest, vulnerable performance. Kevin and Nora were also great, and both had a kind of supportive appearance to them -- Nora especially looked just as excited to be performing. I will say that I miss the adrenaline of the older BOF shows, and I was glad to see in the Reader article that he might be thinking of going back in that direction. But, this current CD and live shows are a nice experimental stretch. It continues to demonstrate how talented they all are. That's my two cents -- anyone else? --DAN. * * * * * Review from Julia Chambers (juliajay1970@yahoo.com) as posted to: thecandyshop@yahoogroups.com Hey, here's my two cents to add to Dan's notes: Being in the elegant and intimate, yet large (400+ capacity) Old Town School of Music's theatre,for Bird's cd-release show, and finding out that it was a sold-out show, brought a smile of joy to my and my friend's faces. There really *are* a lot of people out there who realize just how amazing this guy is. The room was inviting, and upholstered to within an inch of it's life. With a balcony, and tables and chairs down front on the main floor, there wasn't a bad seat in the house, and every seat was filled. The Chicago group Jellyeye, an astonishing collection of drummers/dancers led by the sublimely beautiful Shu Shubat, opened the evening. Their playful blend of drumming and well-choreographed movements (sort of dancing, while playing the drums) made it hard to sit still. Bird took the stage and did a few songs by himself, then Nora O'Connor joined him, then Kevin O'Donnell joined them. Then Kevin left, then Nora left, leaving Bird alone again to lull us out into the night. Well, then they all came on again at the end and played one final rockin' number. Speaking as one who has seen Bird perform way too many times, the level of concentration he showed Sat night was not to be believed. He was incredibly focused, as was the whole band, and he had complete control of the room. The best example of this came at the end of the song "Opposite Day", which, if you've never heard it, has a long pause and then a short coda. Usually during the pause, everyone starts applauding because it appears that the song is over, at which point Bird usually has a slightly pained expression on his face and seems distressed by the interruption. But this night, the pause arrived, everyone applauded, and he stood there, confidently surveying the room as if to say "that's right... but just you wait". The sly look on his face told us who was in charge. He also did a few songs that I had never heard before. I've got my fingers crossed that his expanded set list is the result of his recent work in the studio for his next album. Can't wait to hear more new tunes. He was very talkative this night, and even told us a story of when he used to work at a Renaissance fair (he said he was taking a lesson from Kevin, the master of the embarrassing story). It was an incredibly long set (1 hr 40 min), and he really gave his all at this show. The response from the audience was nothing short of ecstatic, in the theatre, and afterwards in the hall outside. People were thronging around him for autographs and for one more brief moment of contact with this mesmerizing artist. I hope that those of you who get to see him on his upcoming tours will report in with reviews and set lists, I'm curious to know which songs stay and which get dropped. - Julia flac fingerprint: abird2003-04-05d2t08.flac:f5989ce8076420f3edb0d8cbe29ed13b abird2003-04-05d1t01.flac:dc882e30ba42e6750d6aab8c03918b06 abird2003-04-05d1t02.flac:b0cb2223642a75f7bc59d2a637070345 abird2003-04-05d1t03.flac:93a88430f43228d43f6a30b98d789661 abird2003-04-05d1t04.flac:480e4a056142048a2560a98967db2978 abird2003-04-05d1t05.flac:a7e838ef2fa4bf85bfbf29db2516beeb abird2003-04-05d1t06.flac:8929a8ee422892304325e17ce8c56943 abird2003-04-05d1t07.flac:d0ff0ad383009e1b6a79ad38477e93eb abird2003-04-05d1t08.flac:668d741e511211957c17f0e32de77a21 abird2003-04-05d1t09.flac:45457d3c7f542d4669977cbd2f14d47e abird2003-04-05d1t10.flac:d674edb9605999a2074e1c81fec6df34 abird2003-04-05d1t11.flac:c9624d33c20e471a912280df0357ba93 abird2003-04-05d1t12.flac:47a4fc34a90012b1219daf9b87dd9714 abird2003-04-05d2t01.flac:1158a020807799a87d74a8b96ba630f2 abird2003-04-05d2t02.flac:30d04baa905b4e9ebf750cdb5423a093 abird2003-04-05d2t03.flac:63e4bcb995a456e10ae5e0ed72635b53 abird2003-04-05d2t04.flac:53a1ad1c637237591b1de9d757a3ebc2 abird2003-04-05d2t05.flac:d359e3923e84c11b6a67c0de10087f9f abird2003-04-05d2t06.flac:f3e50ecd3ba30c012524406394cfa9a6 abird2003-04-05d2t07.flac:b5a719815d687df3037689db9fa4cda3 App\Http\Controllers\Api\FileDownloadController::download(): Return value must be of type string, none returned