We all piled in to Otmar's Stretch for the Davis
show. At the last minute, I packed some chicken stew we'd made the night
before, and we cooked it in the Stretch, driving down the highway! Before
we left, David called me asking if we'd like to join them for dinner, but
we were still in Richmond! Ak! Garg! Bleh! We suck!
We arrived about 10 before 8. I got a call from Chicken John, with
a bullshit question to basically get around to asking for a friend's phone
number. I think he likes her. :) It was unusual to get a call
from Chicken, so I wanted to talk with him. But I felt bad being on
the phone [even though outside], though a call from Chicken John is an Event
in and of itself.
Then, after that call, I get *another* call! Ak! I felt more
embarrassed! But this time it's David making sure we're there so he
wouldn't go on without us! Wow! How wonderfully sweet! I
promptly turn off my phone. :)
So we are on the guest list and get in for free. Again, a very generous
thing. Tom says to the owner, "this is 'Kiki +3' -- how does seating
look?" He says fine, but we take seats in the back anyway, not to oust
paying customers! I laugh about "Kiki +3". :)
I can't help myself and walk around some outside. The Palms itself
is an old barn in the middle of a plowed field. It was simply *lovely*!
The *smell* esp.! There was an old shed out back and I love poking around
in old sheds. Nothing of note, but an interesting painting of a woman
[man?] falling off a rearing horse. Or at least I think that was what
was happening. It was very stylized. It was sad seeing such a
wonderful music house, since it will soon be demolished to make way for development
of some sort... Very sad...
Again, I won't go into the concert itself, since you just have to see him
live to feel what it's like. His concerts are just as good as they always
are!
Of note, however, was the request of "Top of the Roller Coaster" which I'd
also wanted to request, since a friend of ours at the concert [Steve] had
just turned 30! But even a second request couldn't get it out of David...
He apologized, saying he didn't think he could remember how to play it...
[Otmar later joked that he wanted to poke fun at David, asking if he didn't
have any more 30-year-old friends anymore. :) He forgot to though...]
Also of note was two new songs. The first one was 4 days old, about
a woman who'd died, and her parents had given her car to her boyfriend...
Very sad song. The second song, written that day, was a lovely, simple
song about how all the old places remind him of his old love. The poetry
was a bunch of short, well-rhymed lines. I can't remember it well, but
I did like it a lot. [I may have which song was which mixed up...]
After the concert, we piled into the Stretch again. No other fans
followed us, which made me sad...
We chatted some more about Burning Man and general stuff. David and
Tom wanted food, so we went in search for crepes, but they were closed, so
we ended up at Lyon's -- not unlike the Waffle House :0 [which was an encore
song. :) ]
Otmar talked about racing electric vehicles. I folded some dollar
origami, which David ended up taking for himself. :) David and Tom,
again, looked very tired...
At one point, a gruff-looking man came up to the table and said, "what are
all you hippies doing here?!?!" We all looked a bit shocked and worried
about how to deal with this Situation, when the guy started laughing and said,
"you're David Wilcox, right?? I'm a *big* fan of yours!" I tried
to get him to sit with us, but he wouldn't. [Why is that??] He
wanted to buy him dessert or something, but it'd all be taken care of already.
He sincerely shook David's hand, but didn't join us.
I was *quite* sad about this. I really wanted to hear his Story.
He seemed quite interesting...
David started humming the soft rock song that was drifting in from the overhead
speakers as a slightly bolder version of muzak... "I should have written
a song like this," he said between bars. It reminded me of the "I Ain't
Missing You" cover he did on Big Horizon. I hadn't noticed that song
before his cover, but it's an *amazing* song, once he covered it! I
wish I could've remembered what the song that was playing was in Lyon's too.
I'm sure it is better than the atmosphere allowed it to be...
It reminded me of hanging out with Pixar people, where *everything* is about
Story, and movies, and their job. They are completely focused on what
they do and love, every minute of the day, wherever they are. David,
too, is *wholly* a songwriter in the same way. Professional, paying
attention, taking notes all the time. That kind of focus is what makes
them do well.
So we parted ways and promised to see them again the next night in Santa
Cruz, with pyro art and a home cooked meal in the Stretch.