As I stated yesterday, the next six days will see the continued celebration of my life as a concertgoer. This is “Seven Days In Evan…’s Live Music Archive.” Enjoy.
My first Godspeed show, which I attended with Lindsey and Sam (of Lindsey and Sam fame) and Vince (formerly of The Complex). I don’t know if they’ve changed the layout of the venue at all since then, but at the time the stage was not far off the ground. There was a long line to get one, but once we were safely (and warmly — it was freezing that night!) inside, the venue didn’t feel all that crowded. Nobody seemed interested in openers Black Dice, which was a shame because they put on a pretty good show. Two dudes, baseball caps pulled low over their eyes, alternating between chugging their beers and coaxing some gnarly sounds out of their instruments.
The crowd filed in, and in between sets something amazing happened. People who were sitting on the floor in anticipation of Godspeed somehow convinced the entire crowd to remain seated for the full set. Everyone had a great view of the band and the projections, everyone was quiet and respectful, and Godspeed put on a great show. I wanted more than anything to hear Moya, but I would have to wait a month for the show at Warsaw in Brooklyn to hear it. Still, from the opening strains of “Gathering Storm” to the final notes of “Motherfucker=Redeemer” I was blown away. Sam, if you’re reading this and you remember anything I’m forgetting, let us know.
I didn’t take any photos that night. Actually I might have, but if memory serves I was trying to do so inconspicuously and I wound up only getting pictures of people’s backs, and the flash from my camera ruined the integrity of the projections. Oh well.
The MP3 I’m sharing is the old-school version of Albanian. If you’ve seen Godspeed on this 2011 tour, let me know what you think. How does it compare? I like the ’03 version more.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
March 3rd, 2003
Starlight Ballroom; Philadelphia, PA
MegaUpload DL Link
01. Gathering Storm
02. World Police And Friendly Fire
03. Monheim
04. Albanian
05. Motherfucker=Redeemer
