Or am I just a cranky old bitch?
Firstly, for those of you who might remember/care, I ranked Archer Prewitt's "Wilderness" as my number 1 in the 2005 shmoo poll. Needless to say, the guy's music has meant a lot to me over the past year, so when I saw he was going to play Portland last night, I had to go. Plus it was a measly $8.
He played at a club called the Doug Fir, which is relatively new by Portland standards (opened around 2-3 years ago). It's a great club, and they tend to get some of the better acts coming into Portland. The club is also non-smoking which is a plus. The live music area is laid out weirdly though, and you have to find a specific place to sit/stand if you're remotely interested in watching the bands play. Along the north and south walls is an extended seating area, with tables and chairs. So at times, it's more of a "lounge" feel than a music venue, meant to encourage conversation. I mention this because it bears signifcance later...
So my husband and I found a great place to sit early on. As is typical at the Doug Fir, an amalgam of characters came to the show-- it's almost strange to see the demographics at a Doug Fir show because often it just doesn't make sense. A single woman sat next to me, and was worried she'd been ditched by her date because she showed up late (she also told me that she'd just moved back from California after taking care of her ill mother, who had recently passed away). I'm happy to report that her date did show up, so that made me feel a lot better for her. So I have her on one side of me. Next to my husband, seated in an area below us, was a group of pre-school/elementary school teachers. One can only presume that they had the day off today, so it was girls night out. And boy was it, as those girls were pounding the drinks! Then seated across from us were two couples, who seemed disinterested in the music from the get-go. We both remarked that the men in said couples were dating "out of their league," as the women they were with seemed much younger and way more attractive than them. In fact, one of the guys kept pawing his girlfriend and "marking his territory" as it were, to make sure everyone knew this was HIS girl.
So anyhow, the music. The M's opened the show (any of you Chicago folks like 'em?). I thought they were great, and they got an uncharacteristic (of Portland) enthusiastic response from the crowd. Thought about picking up their cd, but never made it over to the merch table. Next up was a local band called Heroes and Villians. I had never heard them before, but they were quite quirky and enjoyable. The two women in the band had amazing voices. Then of course came the piece de resistance-- Mr. Prewitt.
At this point, the teachers' union below us had been pounding the drinks pretty hard, and one girl in the group (I nicknamed her "Miss Future Tracheotomy" as she looked about 20 but had the raspy voice of a 70 year old smoker) was wired. As those of you who know Archer's music, it's quiet, contemplative and, in my opinion, deserves respect. So Miss T was yammering ON and ON to her gal pals about whatever, at a volume that drowned out Mr. Prewitt himself. Everyone was staring at her, and several people shushed her to no avail. My husband finally leaned over and kindly told her to shut the fuck up when she started telling her friends about "this one time, at senior prom." She apologized and relented, and thankfully left for a half hour smoke break. Meanwhile, the two women in the couples across from us did tequila shots and were quite animated. The one couple (where the guy was pawing earlier) engaged in a full makeout session, reminiscent of 15 year olds in a basement. Now I don't give a shit about public displays of affection, but when you're seated on a couch next to me, cramping me in my space while you mount your partner, it gets a little irritating. Plus they managed to kick a table and dump a drink on the foot of a guy sitting next to me.
Despite all of this around me, I tried very hard to focus my attention on Archer, who put on a phenomenal show-- he totally lived up to and surpassed my expectations. I highly recommend you see him! But the experience just left me wanting, and I'm starting to wonder if this sort of behavior that I experienced this evening is de riguer at shows nowadays, or, as I asked earlier, am I just a cranky old bitch?
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