Nov. 12
3:40 PM
San Francisco, Tiger Lillies, and Home
So after a crazy three+ days at World Fantasy we, Molly and I, rented a car and spent a few days in San Francisco. Day One, Sunday, involved a farewell lunch with Josh and Selena in San Jose and then a very low key evening at our wonderful Tenderloin hostel. Really! usahostels rule the school; this one has a movie theatre and pool table in the basement!
Say Two was madness, running around to meet Molly's friends Leslie and Allen for coffee and then trying, and failing, to make the Borderlands signing before dinner and the concert. Dinner was super-nom Japanese at Cha-Ya, and one cab ride later we made the Tiger Lillies show where Tess joined us. More on that in a minute.
Day Three was Escape from SF, and we drove up 1 to the little town of Gualala to picnic and hike before cruising back into the city in time for a gourmet dinner at Millenium. A fabulous meal, and a fabulous day.
Day Four was our last, and predictably hectic. Borderlands shopping in the morning, late lunch, then tea and (dirty) pool with Tess, a quick pop-in with my old friends Becky and Richard and their six week old son Max, another dash across town to meet some of Molly's friends from the Post Punk Kitchen for dinner, and after desert gelato another sprint to see my brother Aaron who had that very night gotten into SF after driving all day from Portland. A too-brief drink with Brosef then back to the hostel, late night packing, and a return on the morrow.
But back to the Tiger Lillies--best concert I've ever attended. Tom Waits, the couple of times I've seen the Pogues, Cradle of Filth, and recently a Hawk and a Hacksaw all put on great shows, but this eclipsed them all. Two long sets with a brief intermission, plus several encores and even some requests ("Maria" and "Terrible"). Considering the size of their catalog hearing all of my favorites was an impossibility; considering their manifest quality hearing a lot of my favorites was a foregone conclusion. From slower, melancholy tracks like "Alone with the Moon" and "Autumn Leaves" to quick, fun stuff like "Start a Fire" and "Kick a Baby" they owned the Great American Music Hall, and between the numerous tracks from their newest album Freakshow and classic stuff from Shockheaded Peter they were in a higher form than should be humanly possible--further evidence of some diabolical pact.
And this is hardly addressing their phenomenal stage presence--on numbers like "Banging in the Nails" and "QRV" they exude such an infectious glee that one wonders if Martyn and the Adrians don't emit some some pheromone. Molly, who has only dug a few of their songs in the past, loved the show, and Tess, poor wretch, had only heard one or two of their songs before and so had her first real sampling be the peerless glory of a live show. Pity her not, for few who walk this dusty realm are granted the pure bliss a live Tiger Lillies affords.
I ambushed Martyn and Adrian Huge before the show and Adrian Stout and Monsieur Huge again afterward, babbling inanities and basically making a fool of myself. I also forced copies of the Brothers Grossbart, which may have never made it out of the venue but I was acting under strange compulsions. Afterward Molly and I grabbed a nightcap with Tess where I continued to blather, the experience as close as we can get to flying. One of the most memorable nights of my life, and all my thanks to the Tiger Lillies and my fabulous fellow attendees.
[Cross-posted to my website]