Travelin' Light, Tall Boy > Rock, Pleas,
Weight Of The World,
Walkin' > Aunt Avis, Papa Legba,
Low Rider, Driving Song > Diner >
Driving Song,
Papa's Home > Drums > Papa's Home
E: And It Stoned Me, Porch Song
I was able to convince 4 friends from work, Graham, Jodie, Sharon,
and Rosalie,
to gather enough courage to see a band they had never
heard of
play a type of music that they didn't really understand.
To make the evening more fun, we went to my apartment after work
where I had a nice spread of cheese and crackers, along with wine
and bourbon ready for them. Since we had had trouble the week
before getting a cab that would take 5 of us, I decided to
rent a limo for the ride into the city. They all had fun with
this, especially Rosalie and Jodie, who loved screaming the
little-girl-who's-excited-to-be-in-a-limo scream
at all the passing
guys.
With the limo ride over, we arrived at the Metro in Sydney, got our
hands stamped (no ticket stubs to save, sadly) then went out for a
quick bite, then retuned about 30 minutes before the band came on.
The room was great. It was so small, and I was only about 5 feet from
the stage. Plus, the majority of the people there were Americans
who came down to follow the band as they toured Australia. I was so
happy to finally be able to mention Phish to someone and not get a
strange look. I did a lot of socializing with many people there.
Jodie and Sharon commented that I was finally within my own element.
It was interesting to see how they reacted to a side of me they had
never seen, but for the most part, it was good.
The band came on! The energy in the room was remarkable!
Since
it was my first Panic show, I didn't know many of the songs,
but I
didn't care because they jammed so much and went segueing from one
song to the next without stopping. I danced my ass off.
My friends
were a little shocked, but whenever I turned around to check them out,
they were all really really getting into it. I was so happy.
They played one 2-hour long set with a 2 song encore that left me
exhausted, but left my friends dying for more. What better reaction
could I have asked for. After the show we did the usual post-show
socializing until security kicked us out. Jodie and Sharon commented
on how nice and friendly everyone was and how the crowd was a caring
and sharing type of crowd (not like many Aussie crowds I've seen).
They said that this contrasted the standard Aussie opinion that
Americans are generally rude and unfreiendly. I said most are, but
this was a different crowd. Just before we left we finally met a few
Aussies that were at the show. Jodie and Sharon were happy becuase
they thought that they were the only ones there (Rosalie is from
San Fran but has lived here for 5 years, and Graham is origionally
from South Africa, but lived in Toronto for most of his life). Then
I met this one Aussie who was wearing a Grateful Dead shirt. I
couldn't believe it. Many Aussies have heard of the Grateful Dead
but don't really know the Dead. Many think they were a heavy metal
band. This guy was a true head, and he had even heard of Phish and
likes them too. We talked the rest of the time I was there until we
eventually got kicked out.
After the show, all my friends raved that I picked a good band for
them to see and thankfully accepted offers from me to start sending
them tapes. I think I may have finally done some converting down
here. With the energy still soaring we all went out drinking and
dancing until 4am, a typical Sydney night for me lately.
-Dan
