the Mountain Goats @ Neumo's in Seattle 2/23/2008

HOLY CRAP! I think I had trouble typing this because I could't see well or think too straight. You see, John Darnielle blew my mind while Peter Hughes totally melted my face. It's bound to happen when you're so close to the stage (you can see me in the yellow dress up front). I don't have a complete set list because I am terrible at them, but here are most of the songs, not in their correct order:

• Autoclave
  
• Sax Rohmer #1 (JD had to bring out lyrics)
  
• Love Love Love
  
• Lovecraft in Brooklyn
  
• Pigs That Ran Straightaway Into The Water, Triumph Of
  
• San Bernadino
  
• You or Your Memory
  
• New Zion
  
• Michael Myers Resplendent
  
• Heretic Pride
  
• In the Craters of the Moon
  
• Sept 15, 1985
  
• You or Your Memory
  
• Hast thou Considered the Tetrapod
  
• Going to Georgia
  
• Houseguest (Nothing Painted Blue cover)
  
• Palmcorder Yajna (with Ben Gibbard!)
  
• This Year
  

I didn't even get a single picture because I was way too busy rocking. Thankfully, many fantastic photo-bloggers were present and got some great shots. Click on the pics to go to their Flickr accounts and see more!

I danced. Feverishly. I don't think I've gotten my heart rate pumping that hard since I used to run cross-country. And that wasn't even during the show, that was when I ran into Peter before the show. My husband and I were keeping warm at a coffee shop 'round the corner waiting for the doors to open. I was outside when Peter came out. I got a chance to talk with him a bit, which was fantastic. After a while, Jon Wurster came out and I got to meet him as well. Fabulous. (I did not meet John. I am too shy.)

There were so many nice and awesome people there, like always. The best opening act tMG has is just listening to the conversations happening all around.



The show itself: while it seemed they were plagued with technical problems (same with Jeffrey Lewis & the Jitters, who opened) but honestly? It's not as noticible as it probably seems from stage. I had a feeling that Peter, John and Jon actually had the three best seats in the house. What's mind-blowing is that even if the music were only so-so, it'd still be a great show because they have such stage presence, such love for the audience give and take. But music is phenomenal! They love to give, and they rock so hard giving it!

This is what made me dance so weird and sweat so hard doing it. Stupid yellow rayon dress. My oversight is that it's so fitted that I could not raise my hands up and wave them as much as I wanted to. Probably a good thing--after John's extollation that "I don't know who sent out the memo, but you can dance to indie music! It's OK!" I sadly let loose and began to do "the hustle" to "Love Love Love." not my highest moment, for sure.



Thank god for encores. If the set had just ended when I first thought it would, I might have cried. But not one, but two encores later, I was both enthralled and exhausted. Having Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard join for Palmcorder Yajna just about made most of us lose our minds. (Seattle loves local people.) I was probably not the only one screaming like our mothers probably did for Elvis. Which makes total sense, because let's face it: John Darnielle is Elvis Prestley and he fucking knows it.

tMG - In the Craters on the Moon (live).mp3 (a much more subdued version, IMHO)
tMG - Houseguest (live).mp3
Ben Gibbard - Palmcorder Yajna.mp3