The Angels of Light
Thursday 12/14/01, Double Dragon K.C., MOI couldn't resist seeing them one more time. I feigned illness at work, which is the only way out this time of year, and drove 3 hours to KC. I arrived at 5102 Main (which is not where the Double Dragon, a chinese restaurant, is located as indicated on the Young God site) at about 11 pm. As soon as I opened the car door, I could hear the Angels emanating from the sky a few blocks away. Damn. I knew they'd start early on the one night I needed them to start late. Murphy's Law. I walked in, no one bothering to stop me for $, and scurried up the stairs to catch the very end of "Nations". The one song I really wanted to hear again and it was just ending. Damn. Pretty small room and pretty packed. Quick chat with Karin at the merchandise stand. The shirts and panties were sold out. Damn. And I missed Virgil Shaw, who I really wanted to see again. In fact, he'd already packed up and split by that time. Damn!
Gira was a little more casual this night in flannel shirt, suspenders, jeans and cowboy boots. Next, he informed us it was Larry Mullins' b-day and he led us in happy b-day song, replacing Larry's name with 'redneck cracker'. It's really fucking surreal to hear/see Michael Gira sing happy birthday. He was mighty jovial all night. He seems to really feed off these small buy very attentive crowds that are 100% there to see the show. I know I appreciate it. He jokingly said that Larry was "22 and would come to your house late at night to do evil things to you". Later, at the end of the show, he dipped further into black humor by stating that it was amazing that Larry had lived this long since he was a heroin addict. That one was really out of the blue and seemed to bother Dana a bit. He introduced the title of "New York Girls", several people clapped, and he said "oh, that must mean some of you have the album. The lucky dozen or so that bought it". Some friends of a guy named Brice announced that it was also his b-day between songs. Gira said "I want to marry you". And he had a chat with a kid, named Creed, up front who lit one of his cigs. It took awhile for Gira (and the rest of us, I think) to figure out the name he was saying. Gira reached out his hand and said "hi, I'm Michael. Nice to meet you", Creed shook his hand and said "I feel like I know you". Gira said with a smile "well, you don't. And you don't want to". Oh that silly Gira. Such a self deprecating bastard. But the manner in which he says these negative things is strangely positive at the same time ...
The rest of the set was the same, from good to really amazing. The room wasn't the greatest for live sound and I was having problems gaining a good vantage point 'til several songs in (damn Amazon girl right up front!). Gira told us that "The Rose of Los Angeles" and "What You Were" were about his mother, "as most of the songs I write these days are". I especially enjoyed "New York Girls", which was several bars longer in the middle with a lot of improvised vocalizations, and the finale of "What You Were" when the band kicks in. And "Failure". That song has so many amazing lines, especially the ones when Gira cuts the guitar out completely, opens his eyes into the crowd and deadpans the final parts of "when I get my hands on some money / I'll kiss its green skin / and I'll ask its dirty face / "where the hell have you been?" and "but I / I've learned nothing / I can't even elegantly bleed". His gravely low voice uttering those lines into the completely reverent silence ... just intense. I was pretty amazed when he messed up the beginning of Failure. He flubbed the first chord change, sarcastically said "Jesus" into the mic, stopped, quickly collected himself, then started again from where he erred. I think that's the first time I've ever seen that happen, 'caused solely by Gira's own mistake rather than a technical problem ...
At this point I'd just like to note once again that Dana is gorgeous. The way her eyes glaze over and she sexually thrusts her body back and forth as she play bass ... <drool>. I praise her name ...
The show ended at 12:30 and a friend and I had a short but pleasant conversation with Gira and Karin. We explained how we were also at the Austin and OKC shows and the mishaps that occurred at those shows. Karin tried to talk us into going up to Chicago but Gira recommended against it when my friend mentioned the things he needed to do the next day. At one point, Gira explained how the sets were getting longer as the tour went on, from about 1 and 1/2 hours to 2 hours. He's right. We all shook hands and parted ways. See you next time ...
Two odd post show happenings: watching the impressive drag queens leave the gay bar across the street from The Double Dragon and, later, seeing Gira at a Quick Trip presumably asking for directions. Definitely not the sort of things you see everyday ...