From: "Anthony J. Rzepela" <rzepelaa@netaxs.com>
Subject: Walkin' Blind I (sights, sounds, Irving Plaza '96)
To: babel-list@postmodern.com (babel-list)
Date: Sun, 23 Jun 1996 18:44:16 -0400 (EDT)


(The subject line comes from the fact that I don't know how 
much of this is old news to people. I snagged digest 106
from the Website, then stuff crashed here. Apologies in 
advance.) 

Ticketing: I see that Al hoped to score tickets on the street for 
           show 2.  Someone I was speaking to in line got his for $45.00
           that day, which, when you consider TicketMaster charges, means only 
           a $15.00 markup.  I hope no one is so principled that they
           passed up either of these shows over $15.00. 

           Someone posted the capacity of the place as ~900? I noticed
           a sign behind the bar saying the legal capacity was under 500.
           maybe that refers to downstairs?

Family Affair: I always feel like some kind of voyeur when one or the
           other of Patti's children passes by at some appearance of hers.
           I was hanging around near the stage, post-show, in vain hopes 
           of snagging a set list, when Jackson came out to talk to people
           and I moved away. While I hoped/figured that the people
           he was talking to were familiar and/or friends, I couldn't 
           help thinking of the things people will do to "get access"
           to a star, nor of Courtney Love's rather wise decision to  
           keep Frances Bean under wraps, now that she's starting, as 
           CL put it, to look like an individual. 

           Outside the theater, PS' daughter walked by (with an adult 
           caretaker, of course), when I overheard someone else 
           mention the child's identity to an acquaintance. It just
           made me a teensy bit uncomfortable. 

Set lists: I did manage to get a peek at the set lists some people
           got their hands on post-show, and interestingly, Tom Verlaine's 
           was different from the one near Lenny.  I was particularly 
           curious to see the lists, since it seemed to me as a casual 
           observer that "Because the Night" and "Wings" were 
           last-minute decisions. 

           From the looks of the set list, "Wings" and "Wild Leaves" 
           are "switchup songs". The entry on the show 2 list 
           where "Wings" was played read "Wings/Wild Leaves"
           so I guess it IS a last-minute decision, of sorts.

           Verlaine came out for the first encore, and it took Patti to 
           scoot Tom offstage for the first song ("Because"), and I'm not
           surprised, now - HIS set list didn't include "BTN" (!) which 
           was a song using just Lenny, Tony, JD and Patti.

Fashion:   Jay Dee Daugherty got his hair cut between shows. (Yay!)
           No more silly pony tail, his new 'do suits him quite well.
           Of course, JD is eternally cool 'cause he can blow cigarette
           smoke out his nose, leaving both hands free to applaud Tim 
           Buckley.                                               ^
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                                                                  [sic]   

++Tony Rzepela