So yeah.
Liza Forever Minelli
Southwood Plantation Road
Jeff Davis County Blues
California Song
Birth of Serpents
Family Happiness
Cotton
Tyler Lambert's Grave
You Were Cool
Jenny
The Day The Aliens Came
It Froze Me
Damn These Vampires
Estate Sale Sign
Minnesota
Broom People
Prowl Great Cain
Never Quite Free
This Year
No Children
Palmcorder Yajna
The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton
San Bernadino
The order might be a bit off.
The energy level was a touch lower than when I saw them in New York, in March. Hard to match the electricity of the day before an album's release. And, in general, the Mountain Goats seem a little more alive when the material is really fresh and they're working to figure it out, as it was then. Perhaps I'm a better listener under those circumstances, too.
That said, the band put out tonight. It was kind of one of those nights -- two broken strings -- but they covered it nicely with a spur-of-the-moment California Song and a lovely electric Never Quite Free. The highlight for me was The Day The Aliens Came, and Family Happiness hit pretty hard too. Three audience members in a row requested it; John was on the fence after the first two, but when the third doubted that John remembered how to play it, John took it as a challenge, and off we all went.
Thanks to the owner of Eugene Sue for letting me listen to it up front. Thanks for the woman with the San Bernadino sign for bringing us a one-of-a-kind encore. Thanks to John for coming over and singing the last line of Estate Sale Sign with me.
Good show.