ida noyes hall. saturday. july 27, 2024. 9pm.

Well into the Lenten season, we took the stage to open the festivities at the U of C's Mardi Gras bash. Not to be outdone, Chris' parents could be seen at the last table in the 3rd floor theater in the Ida Noyes hall. The room was muddy to the point of quicksand, but Loren Jan Wilson of Starlister and Travis once again worked big miracles with little PA systems to save the day. We all wore green pants at the show. The set, our last for a month, was candy coated but bittersweet. Highlights included guest appearances from Nilay and Paul of the Sixty Eights (who had to cancel their set because Will was busy buffing his pants) for a rocking version of "smoke on the weekends" with Chris on the bass and All Hell on the breakinglooser. Our set was followed by the 2002 debut of the Planck Length, who just floored everybody. If you have a shred of coolness in you, you will go check them out at the Elbo Room on March 4th. Then stuff really got weird. Nilay used Chris' hardware bag to bring a case of Pabst into the show (excellent). Paul, John, Chris, and John from Better Boyfriends were all outside on the porch having a beer when John (our John) yells "LOOK A BEAR!" Sure enough, backstage there was a giant fuzzy brown beast being escorted to through the backstage area by a hulking eastern European. Moments later we rushed stage side to see the six foot, smiling beast mount the stage, grab the mic, and shout "I AM THE FOX!" At second glance it was clear. He was a fox all right. Show organizers pushed him off of the stage and we all rushed again on to the porch shouting "FOX" and "BEAR!" As we got there, Fox and Eastern European both shot by us on the porch, but as they passed the fox took a long lusty look at the pabst bulging out of the bag made to contain cymbal stands. His eyes bugged out and would have left his head completely had it not been for the veins which pulled them back in, his foxy-booze-houndy-tongue tied itself into a bow. Still reeling from that episode, we sought answers the way so many do, at the bottom of a can of Pabst. Minutes later, however, we were BUSTED and our Pabsts were taken by the courteous but unyielding events staff. Well, it doesn't take a genius or a fox expert to make the connection here - so watch out you NARCing fox-bear! The four of us are way too skinny to beat you and your eastern European boy, but sleep well knowing that we are currently pricing Cheshire Foxhound Costumes and those scary metal traps with the giant teeth. Woof! In spite of the NARCing fox, the night concluded with another great set from Starlister, some wicked "crowdsurfing", a lot of people lying about the whereabouts of the fried chicken, and Joe Alonso screeching and growling his way through Sweet Caroline. Chris leaves March 1st. Thanks for a great year so far! See everyone in April!

SETLIST:

smile like asterix we implored everyone to quickly get over their usual "warm up period" of dancing shyness and just go nuts. some people really did. those people are the best people.
firmament
milestone
the sun is falling chris and john mysteriously and sexily flashed the crowd to a hailstorm of beads, phone numbers, and whole telephones. ouch!
too close to you
smoke on the weekends with nilay and paul/chris on bass
keep your hands away
does it get you? the left pa speaker started working-->
don't drive away