[Concert_Review: Des_Moines,_IA_2-16-06]

by dearly esteemed WTC reader Iris

Review of the Des Moines show:  FUCKING AWESOME! 

We had GA tickets, and I had shelled out the $60 bucks for the spiral membership, so we got in about an hour early (though we missed the sound check because of the fucking freezing rain made us drive slow).  Moving Units came on, and they were okay.  I liked them much better then Autolux.  No one here seemed to be real into them, so I think they got kind of smart assed about it and thanked the audience for our attention, and said they weren’t used to such “highfaluting accommodations,” or something to that effect.  The joke fell flat, so they announced they would do one more song and then leave so we could see who we really came to the show for.  Crowd goes nuts.

Then there were the roadies.  Normally not something to really talk about there but there was an old lady roadie!  And I mean old but not the type of old woman that you might expect.  She didn’t show the usual signs that she’d been doing this for years.  You know the look that tough old broad who has probably drank, smoked, and fucked it all.  No, this woman looked like my Grandmother (no lie).  She looked so innocent, like she should be baking cookies, trimming the roses, going to church every Sunday, or wiping some snotty kid’s nose, only she was dressed all in black and moving microphones.  I totally flipped-out laughing!  So, at least now I know what I want to do when I retire.  Move over granny, I’m going to be your replacement one day!

Then Trent and Co. came out.  First time in the pit, and I can’t wait to do it again.  The minute they came out, everyone surged forward and everything else that I saw kind of came in spurts.  I remember getting splashed with water a couple of times, although I couldn’t say who was doing the throwing.  We were pretty much between Trent and Aaron.  I think it was Aaron spitting water.  Ehh...whatever.  Trent looked and sounded amazing. Here's the set list.  There’s a song that when he sings his body is sideways to the audience and he bends to his knees and then bends back as far as he can a lot during it.  Well, that little t-shirt he wore crept up a bit and I caught a glimpse of that sweet spot of a man’s hip.  Don’t know exactly how to describe it, but check out the arrow. I think that might have been during “Terrible Lie”.  Anyhow, totally HOT!  Then, after the song was over, he was walking towards the backstage and I saw him hitch his britches up.  There was something so endearing about that.  So humanizing, you know?  Man’s gotta adjust his pants every now and then.  I get caught up in stupid shit like that.

Anyways, after “The Big Comedown” he was particularly chatty with the audience.  All this is from what I can remember, but he thanked us for coming out, even though there was some shitty weather happening.  He said that it was “great to back on tour, and great to be back here in Iowa… fuck… wait… I can’t remember if we’ve ever fucking been here.  (chuckles) Anyhow you’re a great audience… we feel it you know… the love. Yeah.”  That part I laughed to because of all our discussion on WTC about the different types of love there are.  It made me wonder if he really does read this stuff.  Hahaha.  Then he said “that band Slipknot is from here, right?  Yeah.  Cool band.  Great music.  We had the unfortunate experience of going on after them in Japan.  It sucked, 'cause the crowd was already wiped out by the time we went on.  (laughs)  This next song is one of my favorites.  It’s off the Natural Born Killers soundtrack.  It’s called Burn”.  I know you like that one D., and as you described during the KROQ show “that first restrained 'burn,' and the way you can totally feel the way it's all about to fucking bust wide open in just a fucking minute” And indeed, all hell did break loose after that.

The sheer curtain came down either during, or right after “Eraser”, and they played the videos on it.  Then, at the end of “Right Where It Belongs”, you could see him behind the curtain *throw* the mic stand at the curtain as the glass in the video breaks.  Of course he doesn’t really throw the mic stand, but it was still funny to see the guy in front of me duck.  “Beside You In Time” sounded great.  Just listening to that song at home with my headphones makes my heart have irregular rhythms because of the beat.  Hearing it and feeling it played live was unimaginable.  Cheesy as it might sound, I thought I was going to pass out.

I think he talked some more between “Wish” and “Only”.  I think it was only to say that it was off the new album.  I was dealing with other problems during that part, as my hubby was trying to keep me from getting in a fist fight with this dude that wouldn’t fucking back off.  I took my fair share of being groped and shoved from this guy (I wasn’t so naive to think that wouldn’t somewhat happen) but enough was enough.  I caught an ear full from my hubby, and from this dude, for taking a swing at him, but a girl’s gotta get her point across somehow.  And, he did back off a bit after that.  I’ve still got the bruises under my arm from where he kept trying to pull me all over the place.

I was surprised we got “Starfuckers”, and I was so fucking wiped out at the very end of it all.  The cool air conditioning felt great. Breathing in, and water never tasted so sweet.  I was on cloud 9 from an excellent show.  Reality set in real quick, though, after we went outside into the 0 degree weather, and I realized my clothes were soaked through with my, and whoever else’s, sweat.  I was going to go to the Kansas City show, too, but I couldn’t find anyone else to travel with.  Probably a good thing cause it feels like I’ve been on death’s door since Sunday from this sinus/sore-throat/flu thing.  Anyways…incredible show, good audience (no fuck heads throwing shit), and I can’t wait til the next time I can see them. 

Who’s with me?!?