Kysia
Singer
Posts: 6
(2/3/03 12:13 am)
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Shows 1/15 & 1/16 w/ Ari Hest
I have been quite lazy with my computer usage, which may be apparent by this review being posted over 2 weeks after the shows. Instead of dabbling on the computer, my time has been spent writing new music and working to pay off bills that have been set aside for months, which are two imperative practices that I should have concentrated on months ago. With the band taking a little time off to focus on finishing up their academics and not have the burden of touring, we have picked up a few acoustic shows here or there to keep us warm and allow us to not mold over from not performing. You may even find me sitting in at an open mic practicing some material and keeping myself active. For these two particular shows, audiences experienced the rawest form of Greenstreet ever presented on stage with two unique performances by the collaboration of Scott and myself. Each night with a different flavor.
1/15/03 - Small's (Hamtramck, MI) w/ Ari Hest -
I can say, in all honesty, that I very rarely get nervous before shows. This night was a little different, however, being that Scott was holding the rhythm of the set and I was pretty much in charge of everything else. I'm always comforted that I have a couple very solid musicians to play along with and with them gone, that comfort isn't necessarily there. Despite being a tad bit nervous, I was still confident in pulling off a good set, and had been practicing performing songs on my own at a few open mics the previous couple weeks. Knowing that we were dealing with what was going to be a lighter audience for the night, Scott and myself set up the set to also be a little lighter and slower compared to our normal goal of intense and high energy shows. Taking the stage for the night, we were greeted by a little over 50 of the most sober and quiet collective group of people we had ever performed in front of. No one spoke a word. This was a room full of people that came to hear music and nothing else, the kind of people that watch your every move and log any false move into their permanent memory bank. After a little stage banter to introduce ourselves and the night, we went right into the first song, and throughout the set, bypassed most of any further "in-between song" banter that would keep the audience waiting for the next song. They weren't there to hear me tell a story or make a joke, they were there to get a taste of our music and move on to the next course of Ari Hest. So that's what we gave them, song after song. We kept it slow picking the pace up once in the beginning and another time to close the set. For the first time in about a year, since Rudy left the band, I ended Remembered by singing the Man in the Mirror (Michael Jackson) outro, which got the only true "whooping" response of the night from the stone-faced, strictly clapping audience. Scotty and I were definitely pleased with the resurrection. We ended our slower set on a heavier note playing Sanity and Save the Worms, and that was the night. Some songs felt a little empty still, but overall, we definitely think the night went well. It wasn't flawless by any means, but we were definitely happy that everyone enjoyed us and made sure to come early and check out the rare, two person set.
Set List -
Never Say Goodbye
Again
Matt's Song
Remembered -> Man In the Mirror#
On the Weekend
Sanity
Save the Worms
# - Michael Jackson
1/16/03 - Stadium (Oxford, OH) w/Ari Hest -
The attitude going into tonight was a lot different. We definitely knew that our surroundings were going to be a lot less intimidating, but we had to play a faster paced set that would keep a restless audience captivated. Fortunately, we definitely pulled it off. There was still some confusion between Scott and myself after the show whether we actually sounded good or not, which we'll find out when we hear the recording, but judging by the audience reaction, the set was solid and we couldn't be any more happy. Oh, and another thing, for some reason, we noticed that both nights I introduced Scott as "Scotty P" and referred to him by that name throughout both nights. What's the significance you ask? I have no idea. Back to the show. Luckily for us, there was a surge of people coming in once we took the stage and by the time we started playing the Stadium was completely full. The bar claimed it was their largest pre-Midnight capacity on a Thursday night ever. With a little added confidence, Scotty P and I took a chance with a few daring and unrehearsed newer songs like Always On the Move, which had only been performed by the band once in December and never performed acoustic, and All for You which has been stripped from recent set lists due to some much needed reformation. The set stayed pretty uptempo and kept a drunk and loud audience pretty well captivated. A last minute decision to strike Never Say Goodbye from the end of the set in order to keep it up caused us to repeat the two closing songs from the previous night. But it all worked out and we had a little fun on stage talking with the audience and moving from song to song. We finished up the set and celebrated the finale of our two show stint while enjoying Ari Hest's set.
Set List -
Kick
Always Been On the Move
Again
Matt's Song
All for You -> With or Without You*
On the Weekend
Sanity
Save the Worms
* - U2
We really want to thank Ari Hest for having us play these special couple of acoustic shows with him. We had an amazing time with him and his brother, Danny (manager), and can't wait to hook up again. They are a couple of great guys and Ari is just an amazing performer. If you aren't familiar with his work then please be sure to check out his website by clicking the link on his name. I'd also like to thank a couple of Ari's travel companions, Candi and Eric, for sharing such a good time with us and also helping out with getting people signed up on our e-mail list. Justin Steel and the staff of the Stadium also get a huge Thank You from us for absolutely amazing hospitality (and drinks). We really appreciated how accomodating there were to us and were very happy to see us again. A big thanks goes to my cousin David who allowed me to take his Taylor to play for ths shows. Lastly, it was great to see Attila from Dreams Awake Music out at the show snapping pictures in Detroit. We'll be sure to get you a link to his pictures when they are posted. But for now, see you next time around 
-= Kysia
Edited by: Kysia at: 3/18/03 1:45:58 pm
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