Hell to the no! It was a freakin' blast!There was one bad part, and I'll get that out of the way right off the bat. I was all excited about the after-party, and got confirmation from Peter that we all were "on the list." But when the show was over, no one knew anything about any after-party. We went downstairs to Smartbar, but it was just boring dance music, and the DJ told Ken that it was last Wednesday. Pfft. He was just making crap up. How do you have an after-party 4 days before the show? Ken tried one more time with a security guy at the Metro, and they told him that several other people had mentioned that they were also invited to a party afterwards, so I don't know what happened. Maybe I'll hear something on the message board or at their Myspace page.
So I was disappointed. It seems that the only thing massacred at the St. Valentine's Day Massacre show was my poor little heart. *sniff*
Being the glass-half-full kinda gal that I am, though, I decided to focus instead on what an awesome show it was! But I'm getting ahead of myself.
We had an uneventful trip on the way up, listening to Godfathers the whole way. Ken asked a little about them, when they were formed, etc., and what type of music they're considered. I said pretty much straight-up rock, but they're sort of post-punk...for me, they always had the energy punk and a bit of that punk anger, but were much more polished, and great musicians. As we came into the city, it was great to see the Chicago skyline again--it's been a while since we've been up there!
We got to the hotel with no problems (although traffic was heavy downtown), and had a little time to relax before we got ready for the show. Ken kept teasing me about running off with the band. Things like "Guess I'll be going home alone tomorrow" and "You should probably take a clean pair of underwear for when you take off with the band." He was cracking me up! We cabbed it over to the Cubby Bear, a famous sports bar right across from Wrigley Field. There we met up with Ted, the guy from Canada who came down just for this show. He turned out to be a really nice guy, and he'd never seen the band live, either! He figured this might be his only chance, so he went for it. We also met Cousin Shane and his friend Sam, and we all had a nice dinner (their food is pretty good for a sports bar--I had some very yummy crab cakes, and Ken had some mighty tasty filet mignons fixed three different ways) and a cool beverage or two.
It was finally time to head over to the Metro, and it was just a couple of blocks, so we walked. We were first in line, but the place didn't fill up for a while, so we had no problems getting right by the stage! It was so cool! The first band was so-so, but the second band, the Javelinas, were so good that Shane bought their two CDs online today! By the time they were done, the place was starting to fill up, and we staked out our frontstage spots in earnest. I wish I could remember their entire setlist, but I can't! It was the usual suspects, and I don't think there were any surprises in there. It was so much fun! I was right in front of the lead singer, and my neck is so sore today from looking UP almost the entire time, but it was worth it. He was looking quite natty in a suit and tie...very Godfather-ish, ha ha!Only one incident, in which a guy got a little overly exuberant, fell into Shane, who fell into me...we both went down like a couple of bowling pins! No harm done, and we were back up and dancing right away. We were shouting along to "Birth School Work Death" and the very last song was the Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop," so we shouted "Hey! Ho! Let's Go!" When was the last time I pogoed before last night? I honestly can't remember. I'm finally starting to get my voice back.
Peter sounded great--I'm not sure how old he is, I'd guess about our age, but the guy has got some pipes on him, let me tell ya. Not a real big guy, but a very powerful voice. Peter's brother Chris plays bass for them, but apparently there was some problem with him getting into the country, so there was someone filling in for him. It was a shame that Chris wasn't there, but the fill-in did fine. George Mazur plays a mean set of drums, and they have two guitarists, Kris Dollimore and Mike Gibson. Kris was always the "flashy" one, and he's an amazing guitarist, but I was really impressed by Mike last night. I didn't realize he was that good! Oh, and I did get to meet him. He came up behind me while the second band was playing, so I said hi and that I was really excited to hear them and so happy they were here! He said thanks, asked my name, seemed like a really nice guy.
The Godfathers had a reputation as being one of THE best live bands during the late 80's and early 90's, and I think it was well-deserved. I've been to many, many concerts, and this was absolutely one of the best, sound-wise and energy-wise. I know I'm biased, because I love them, but they were just fantastic.After our fruitless attempts to find out what was going on with the after-party, we ended up next door at a bar called the Ginger Man and had a pint. We talked with a guy who lives on Route 66 and came up to see the show, and he invited us to come by and see him when we take our trip. Pretty cool! Shane drove us back to the hotel, and they headed home. We crashed, slept late, had breakfast at the Original Pancake House across the street, and hit the road. A quick trip, but a fun one. I told Shane last night, "Now if only the Clash would get back together." That's not going to happen, because Joe Strummer died in 2002, and you can't have the Clash without Joe Strummer. But I've gotten to see one of my all-time favorites, and I'm a happy (if exhausted) girl.
