Friday, July 15, 2005
You Make Loving Fun
Mac Attack/Athens '83 DC9 7/14/05
I almost bailed on this show at the last minute. I hurt my back earlier this week and going out to see a couple of tribute bands probably wasn't the greatest idea. Then the mailman came. It looks like I got a record in the mail. Cool. I turn on my XM radio while I open the package. They're playing Fleetwood Mac. Coincidence? hmmm... "What record did you get?" you ask? R.E.M.'s Around The Sun on vinyl. Well that's just way too weird. There was no way I was gonna miss this show now. Too many signs telling me to go.
I fully admit I wasn't expecting much. I figured the R.E.M. tribute band would either be horrible or just way too serious. I figured the Fleetwood Mac tribute band, with their wigs and costumes, would become tiresome after about a half-hour.
Athens '83 (the R.E.M. tribute band) wasn't exactly impressive. They were sloppy as all hell. But they looked like they were having a blast and were giving it their all. So the music wasn't the best. Big deal. They were still fun to watch. They get a 6 for performance, but a 9 for the fun-factor. Bonus points for "Peter Holsapple" showing up in an elephant suit.
At first Mac Attack was just silly. It was just way too easy to laugh at that afro-like wig and Stevie's tambourine playing. But after a few songs we started to realize that they were actually pretty damn good. They kept things silly with their on-stage breakups (did I see Lindsay cry?), Christine storming off stage and Mick falling over behind the drums. I learned that "Silver Springs" was inspired by driving around the beltway. But through it all - they never stopped rockin'. It was hard not to get caught-up in it. They were just damn good.
They had the whole crowd dancing around by the end of the night. People were totally digging it. The bobbing floor caused a few concerned glances between my friends and I, but it held up. "The Chain" devolved into a spaz-fest, with lots of noise, mayhem and the guys from "R.E.M." on stage screaming into the microphone. After about 10 minutes into that, we decided it was time to head home.
Much more fun than I expected. They drew quite a crowd. I wish I had a better pic of that afro.
Can't wait for next time.
I almost bailed on this show at the last minute. I hurt my back earlier this week and going out to see a couple of tribute bands probably wasn't the greatest idea. Then the mailman came. It looks like I got a record in the mail. Cool. I turn on my XM radio while I open the package. They're playing Fleetwood Mac. Coincidence? hmmm... "What record did you get?" you ask? R.E.M.'s Around The Sun on vinyl. Well that's just way too weird. There was no way I was gonna miss this show now. Too many signs telling me to go.
I fully admit I wasn't expecting much. I figured the R.E.M. tribute band would either be horrible or just way too serious. I figured the Fleetwood Mac tribute band, with their wigs and costumes, would become tiresome after about a half-hour.
Athens '83 (the R.E.M. tribute band) wasn't exactly impressive. They were sloppy as all hell. But they looked like they were having a blast and were giving it their all. So the music wasn't the best. Big deal. They were still fun to watch. They get a 6 for performance, but a 9 for the fun-factor. Bonus points for "Peter Holsapple" showing up in an elephant suit.
At first Mac Attack was just silly. It was just way too easy to laugh at that afro-like wig and Stevie's tambourine playing. But after a few songs we started to realize that they were actually pretty damn good. They kept things silly with their on-stage breakups (did I see Lindsay cry?), Christine storming off stage and Mick falling over behind the drums. I learned that "Silver Springs" was inspired by driving around the beltway. But through it all - they never stopped rockin'. It was hard not to get caught-up in it. They were just damn good.
They had the whole crowd dancing around by the end of the night. People were totally digging it. The bobbing floor caused a few concerned glances between my friends and I, but it held up. "The Chain" devolved into a spaz-fest, with lots of noise, mayhem and the guys from "R.E.M." on stage screaming into the microphone. After about 10 minutes into that, we decided it was time to head home.
Much more fun than I expected. They drew quite a crowd. I wish I had a better pic of that afro.
Can't wait for next time.
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Strangely, it wasn't until I saw Mac Attack that I realized all good Fleetwood Mac songs can basically be summarized thusly "You broke my heart. You will pay." Or, "I'm high."
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