We also got to have an early dinner before the show at Le Cochon Noir in West Philly (right by the Mann Music Center). Special thanks to Jamal for his hospitality. We HIGHLY recommend this place and can’t wait to go back.
Mama: We got to the venue and found out the show was downstairs in the church basement (the upstairs sanctuary is also used for concerts). The basement looks like…well, a basement. It’s got wood paneling and a very small stage. It was a warm evening, and the temperature went up considerably as we took the stairs down into the venue.
We got a spot right up front and settled in for the opening acts. We enjoyed The Romany Rye, and were very impressed with Ezra Furman & The Harpoons (Ezra Furman is kinda like Gordon Gano + Conner Oberst, with a tiny pinch of Joey Ramone).
Carter: Mama met people standing near us. One of them looked exactly like our friend from home.
Mama: We were comparing notes about other Delta Spirit concerts we’d been to.
Carter: I got so hot.
Mama: We were all really sweating by this point. Delta Spirit started and after a few songs, Carter asked me if he could sit down, but we were all the way at the front, and the place was packed.
Carter: And YOU were being the meanest person on Earth at that second. You wouldn’t let me sit down.
Mama: I was afraid you’d get stepped on!
Carter: Our friend took me outside because I was hot and couldn’t stand it anymore.
Mama: I thought they were going out for some fresh air and would be right back. But I didn’t see them again until the show was over.
Carter: I was hanging out outside. We met and talked to people. I met one of the guys from the Harpoons.
Mama: I thought you guys came back and stood in the back of the room. I didn’t know until later that you never came back in.
Carter: We also went to a restaurant down the street for a little bit. I hardly saw Delta Spirit at all.
Mama: Then I guess it’s up to me to deliver the recap. I’m sad you missed it because I think it was my favorite Delta Spirit show I’ve seen so far.
They played a fantastic show, with a great mix of old and new songs. The temperature really was an issue – I don’t think I’ve ever been that sweaty in my life. The fact that I stayed put for the whole show in that sweltering heat is a testament to how much I love this band, because I can’t stand to be hot.
Highlights for me were two songs off the new album: “Bushwick Blues” and “White Table.” The last time I saw them performed was the first time I’d ever heard them, before the new album was released. Loved them then, loved them even more now that they’ve become familiar favorites.
When they played “Motivation,” Matt Vasquez came out into the middle of the room and made everyone crouch down (“a little bit softer now…”). The place was so jam-packed with people, that in order to squat, you had to hang onto the people around you. We all started to rise as Matt sang, “a little bit louder now…” until he hit the crescendo and the entire room began to pogo in unison (“heeeey-ey-ey-ey!...”). Vasquez shot up out of the center of the room and crowd surfed back to the stage.
Even if this show hadn’t been in a church basement, it still would have been a religious experience.
When the show was over, I was surprised to find that Carter had missed almost the whole thing. The good news was that we had tickets to see them the next night in Washington, DC, at the 9:30 Club. But we were worried that after two nights in a row of concerts (we saw Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears the night before back home) and staying up late, that he wasn’t going to have a good time at the show in DC.
Carter: So I decided not to go, and I was glad because I was really tired and didn’t want to feel like I was going to pass out during the concert. I’ve been wanting to go to that venue, but if I go, no other concerts for a few days before.
Mama: Yeah, three nights in a row would have been too much for you. I was sad you didn’t go along the next night, but I want you to be able to enjoy it. So we still have to get you to your first show at the 9:30 Club, and I don’t think that the First Unitarian show should count as your first Delta Spirit show, since you didn’t really see any of it.
Carter: I love shows with seats and air conditioning. I’ll go see Delta Spirit when they play a show where there are seats and air conditioning.
Mama: Sounds like Delta Spirit needs to play a CapLive show!!
Check back soon for our reviews of these live shows: Kate Miller-Heidke, The Felice Brothers, and the XPoNential Music Festival!
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