6/16/13 19:09 Home
On Friday night Amanda said the band
responded to her and she and one guest were on their guest list at Maxwells. I have to give her credit, she is persistent.
I am feeling the pain of a long night,
sitting in the room half awake and sore from playing three hours of basketball
with the guys from work yesterday morning. What time do
they go on? I asked. She checked – the
doors open at 10 PM. What? Yeah, there is another band playing there at
7 PM. We left the house at 6:45. I
figured we’d get to Hoboken, get something to eat and walk around the city before
we went inside. I don’t like tunnels, as
some may know, but the traffic was light as we drove under the East and Hudson
rivers. I am getting used tunnels and
don’t avoid them like I used to. In
Hoboken, I bought some cheap Jersey gas and parked the car and we walked to Maxwells. Hoboken has some beautiful brownstones, young
families walking with strollers and little kids who were cheerful on their
scooters ringing their bells. We both liked the quaint town
and found Maxwells. There they are,
Amanda said. Let’s go and thank
them. I don’t want to. We walked in behind them and said thank you
to Mike who was getting some cash at an ATM machine, he said something cheerful. We were seated next to a window. The
band ate in the center of the dining room.
Finally, I walked up to Sean who turned around and said, “Hey Mike, you’re
here.” I was surprised he remembered my
name and I asked if I can buy them a round.
He thanked me and said they were planning to go to another pub before
the sound check. “Amanda is on the other
side of the wall if you’d like to say hello.
Sure. He came over and asked
where we were from, Long Island. I
reminded him of speaking to Amanda on her birthday and he said he remembered as
well as meeting us in Philadelphia. I
didn’t know we were going on so late, he said sort of apologizing for a late
night. No worries. So, you’re leaving tomorrow? Yeah, after tonight we’re going to Brooklyn
and spending the night there and then flying out. Mo
Cheeks and I took a walk down to the river to see the city, it was a clear
night and I pointed out the marquee in Times Square. We walked on slabs for a sidewalk, a tree
laded street, a quiet neighborhood with gates and brown stones. The homes were pristine. This is why the market is so high within
Hoboken, it’s a beautiful city. We went
in and took our spots a few rows back.
At 11 PM, the lights flickered and the band strolled through the packed
crowd and walked onto the stage. Random
thoughts like this could be my last show at Maxwells since it's closing for good in weeks, who were the guests
who will play with them, is that pot I smell?
What? The scent of beer and a
brown haired girl with straight hair…they are on. The stage is smaller than Stony Pony, the
drum set is up against the back wall.
Sean still moved as best he could and had an intense glare at times,
Mike on lead strummed with closed eyes and leaned down a few times as he played. What a full sound emanated from his speakers,
I honed in on him. The sellout crowd was
at times boisterous, like the guy who double fisted his beers and told everyone
around he was buying them a drink. “What
are you drinking? He called out after
most songs. Scotland! And there were times when the crowd sounded
like a choir as we sang in broken beer drenched voices with Adam. Their first and last night playing at
Maxwell's, the last night in America on this short tour and this was a show they
wanted us to remember. After the first
couple of songs, Adam asked if the the stage light shining on his face from the
low ceiling could be turned off. Once it was darkened…night crept onto the
stage, their speakers and machines were dotted by tiny colored lights like
stars in a clear night. The band
appeared like dim shadows against the dark back drop. It became even more intimate in the room for
all of us. And like a snap of a finger
Adam thanked the audience for coming and the band went into It’s thunder and it’s
lightening…the show was over.
Amanda is now recognized; Adam saw her after the set and called out to
her. Darren, their drummer recognized her
as well and thanked her for coming. We
spoke to Mike for a couple of minutes since Amanda wanted to say thank you
again to Sean. I asked Mike when is
their next release? He said it’s a live
album which they working on…once that is released they’d be back in the states
for another tour. And we will be there
for at least two nights. This morning I
pulled the car into the driveway at 2:30, slowly with sore muscles I got out and looked up at the clear
sky; the stars were out and it was all worth it, Amanda was happy. I am one cool dad this Father's day morning.
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