Tennis Plays Final NYC Set

 

I had a realization as I stood enraptured in the sold-out crowd for the indie band Tennis's farewell concert in New York City -- with the Brooklyn and Verrazano bridges, Empire State and Chrysler buildings and World Trade Center, decked out for Pride, all within eyeshot: Music is my religion -- so if this is how others feel in their houses of worship, who is this anti-church agnostic to judge?* 

Although I still have my legacy acts -- albeit with members of them dropping like flies -- that Tennis is calling it a career after 15 years, the same year my other "current" band (Saint Etienne), couldn't be worse timing. For me to accept a group that formed in the 21st century was a huge leap(!) and their dissolution leaves a huge hole in my entertainment pipeline. 

Spoiler: The setlist felt perfect -- "I'll Haunt You," "Ladies Don't Play Guitar," "Always the Same," "Runner," "Matrimony," "One Night With the Valet," "My Emotions Are Blinding," "Weight of Desire," "Mean Streets," "Hotel Valet," "No Exit," "Glorietta/Pillow for a Cloud," "I Can Only Describe You," "In the Morning I'll Be Better," "Diamond Rings" (my personal favorite), "How to Forgive" and “Need Your Love” with "Pollen Song" and "12 Blown Tires" as the encore. Damian later mentioned "I Miss That Feeling" was his only quibble. (I was surprised that their current album, the sublime "Face Down in the Garden," got relatively short shrift; was really hoping to hear "At the Wedding.") But since the tour is doubling as a "new release" slash "farewell" event, I think they struck just the right balance. (They have seven studio albums, two extended plays and countless singles to their credit.) 

Where we -- and they -- go from here is anyone's guess. Damian is hoping their retirement will be akin to that of tennis player Danielle Collins. At the very least, I'm hoping Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley release more music in whatever shape suits them moving forward, because as Damian said to me during the show: "There will never be another band like this, will there?" And the answer seemed pretty clear to the thousands on hand, the biggest crowd of their careers: Definitely not.

*So long as what you worship doesn't interfere in other people's lives, liberties and pursuits of happiness.

P.S. Shoutout to Beauty Queen, aka Katie Iannitello, who sang a little backup. I'm discovering she has recorded a bunch of great music I'm digging into now!

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‘Pissed’ Neko Case Threatens to Bail on Sold-Out Crowd in Tarrytown, N.Y.

UPDATE: The man who was ejected from the show has posted a statement. See what he had to say about the incident at the bottom.

Editor's note: It kind of makes me queasy to even write this because Neko Case is such a wonderful and talented artist, whom I want to believe meant well. (She came into my life at a musically significant time as I was coming to terms with the tragic loss of Kirsty MacColl.) But just as she had a visceral reaction to events at last night's show in Tarrytown, so did I. And I too need to get it off my chest.

What started as a romantic trip out of the city for my husband's birthday -- a walk along the reservoir, dinner at a fancy restaurant, and a concert in quaint Tarrytown -- ended up being a needlessly melodramatic bummer.* 

While enjoying a wonderful meal at Tarry Tavern -- Damian had pumpkin soup and pan-roasted Rohan duck breast while I opted for the honeycrisp apple, endive and blue cheese salad followed by bucatini all' Amatriciana -- we double-checked to see if there was an opening act for Neko Case, whom neither of us had seen in concert before after two decades of fandom of her most famous side project, the New Pornographers. 

Once determining there was, we leisurely had dessert (white chocolate bread pudding) and coffee before heading a few doors down to the Tarrytown Music Hall, a charming venue built in the late 19th century where we had seen Graham Nash years ago, also for Damian's birthday. 

We were very excited!

When we arrived at about 7:20, the opener -- a singer/guitarist and songwriter named Imaad Wasif -- was finishing a cover of Bill Withers's "Ain't No Sunshine," at which point he announced that he was going to "break the fuckin' fourth wall" and jumped down into the audience as he began his next song. 

Damian and I immediately tensed up. Neither of us can even attend drag shows because that type of audience interaction makes us both incredibly uncomfortable, so it was unexpected -- and unnerving -- to have it happening in a seated theater filled with people who were largely over 50. (I've been very open about my battles with social anxiety, for which I take prescription drugs.)

After making his way through the crowd, Wasif eventually stopped for a second near a man and woman in the row directly in front of us, which caused us to further recoil. (At the exact same time a server happened to be bringing drinks to people near us -- which isn't even something typically done at this venue -- further complicating our ability to make sense of what happened next.) 

Wasif then casually walked back to the stage, at which point he blurted out something about just being a “messenger of God” -- and then he started berating “New York” for “doing this to him” as he stormed off, saying he could no longer perform after someone in the crowd was “taking swings” at him. (Others heard him say he'd been "punched" while another person told me Wasif told him after the show that he had been put in a "headlock.") 

Huh?

A few minutes later, the man in the row in front of us was removed -- apparently based on this. Curiously, the security guards hadn't come anywhere near him until after Wasif's meltdown. In fact, Damian recalls that they didn’t come until after Wasif had exited the stage completely, as if it took a while for even them to figure out who was being accused of something. 

Everyone started looking around, completely confused. I asked the people sitting directly next to "the bad guy" what had happened, and they too had no idea. 

Nearly two hours passed with no announcements and no explanation as to what was going on. Easily 90% of the crowd or more had not even a slight clue about the alleged “incident" -- many weren't even there when the opener was on -- as rumors began to swirl that Neko was canceling her performance. 

Groups of people began leaving.

Finally she came out at about 9:10, immediately snapping that she was “fuckin’ pissed” -- and then threatened the crowd that if we "said anything" she would “leave.” (Damian recalls her saying something to the effect of she'd leave "if we did anything shitty.")

Huh? 

Again, most people had little to no idea what was happening -- so another sizable group walked out, understandably offended by this hostile greeting after having waited hours. 

The mood was tense as the band began to play but after a few songs someone tried to lighten things up, by screaming: “We’re sorry about one asshole!” 

Rather than seize the opportunity to make it clear that we were all on the same "side," she seemed even more disgruntled -- reprimanding him, saying that she had asked that no one say anything. (I had been looking forward to this event for months and now felt like I had done something wrong.) 

From there, she finally tried to offer some sort of conciliatory words, explaining that she wasn’t “pissed” at us, she was pissed about being asked to “mask being pissed.” 

I don't think anyone quite understood what that meant. (To me it sounded uncomfortably similar to when Joan Crawford maniacally told daughter Tina in "Mommie Dearest" that she wasn't mad at her, she was "mad at the dirt," as they scrubbed the bathroom tile, Comet flying through the air.) But then Neko added: "That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy this fucked-up evening.” 

Before long, it became apparent that her decision to not start at the typical time was going to cause the show to be cut short. She then, at last, relayed her first hint of gratitude to a formerly packed house that had been made to feel guilty for giving her money, saying she appreciated that we had "stuck around" for this “fucked-up night” and then signed off, no time for the rest of the set much less an encore due to the curfew. (Grumpiness aside, she sounded great.) 

At this point I don't even think what actually transpired between the opener and the man who was ejected really matters. Eyewitness accounts are notoriously inconsistent. But suffice to say that everyone agrees that no one was "punched" -- which is how it was described on social media last night -- and no one was assaulted. (As I said, security had zero reaction until they were sicced on the guy, and neither we nor the people to the left noticed anything untoward.)

The version I think is most likely came from the two women sitting directly behind the man and the woman he was with who said this: The opener -- who was touching people as he made his way through the crowd and had actually sat on another audience member's lap as he came toward our section -- is said to have reached out to run his hand through the man's hair (or possibly tried to touch his companion) at which point the guy attempted to brush his hand away, with the force an 8-year-old might use on his annoying little brother who won't stop pestering him. 

While I think on paper it’s commendable that Neko stood behind Wasif -- and her being big-sister protective and empathetic (even to a fault) struck me as on brand from what little I know about her -- it seemed cruelly myopic to punish all of her fans present for the behavior of one person. What’s more, she chose to fully accept just one side of the story. (Clearly Wasif sold her a bill of victimhood goods because, frankly, I don't think the guy did anything worthy of ejection.) 

Someone close to the situation told me the band came very near not performing at all, which might have been for the better. I considered following others out but opted to stay -- it was a birthday celebration, after all -- and it ended up feeling like a rushed and joyless affair that only went on because she couldn't afford (monetarily) not to go through with it -- for reasons that still are not clear. (The guy had been evicted!) 

I was also told that it's "worth knowing" that "you don't always know what someone's going through and what it takes to go on. One thing can trigger another thing can trigger another thing."

I couldn't agree more, which is why I don’t fault the crowd -- not there to see Wasif -- that sat politely during his performance and clapped after each song. We lived up to our end of the bargain. (No one jumped on the stage and got in his face.) Plus it cuts both ways. Wasif had no idea what the audience members were going through or what it took for him and his companion to travel to the show, so trying to touch him (or them) without consent hardly seemed well-advised. One would think someone as seemingly sensitive as Neko Case would be appreciative of that fact -- surely she understands the importance of respecting people’s boundaries and the meaning of consent -- rather than taking it out on a crowd of people who adore her.

The onus isn’t on the audience to be an interactive part of a show. But if a performer chooses to go down that road, it's very easy to tell who is game. If someone isn’t -- even if they’re not “nice” about it -- a professional simply moves on. What a professional doesn't do is throw a tantrum on stage and poison the entire event for the person kind enough to ask them to provide support. 

Worth noting that we heard that the police were called but Wasif declined to speak with them. Make of that what you will.

*Free album title.

In happier times ...

UPDATE: Although it's helpful that the man at the center of the incident has spoken out, you really didn't even need the details for it to be abundantly clear that the situation was horrifically mishandled. 

Here's what he posted on Reddit: 

Hey, I’m the guy who got ejected last night and I just want to set the record straight about exactly what happened between me and Imaad. My wife has trauma related anxiety about being touched by strange men, she was sitting on the aisle next to me during Imaad’s performance. As he approached us I saw my wife getting uncomfortable because she didn’t want to be touched by him. I reached my arm across her and was trying to make a barrier between him and her while also shaking my head no and trying to convey that we didn’t want him to approach. He grabbed my arm and leaned across my wife to sing directly into my face, I extended my arm to create distance between us and told him to go away. He got visibly upset when I did this, got even closer to me and said “what the fuck bro I’m your friend”. At this point I extended my hand again to create space between us and raised my voice and told him to get the fuck away from us, which he did. After this was when he got back on stage, said I tried to punch him (I never did) and that he could no longer continue. Security ushered me out and police arrived immediately. I relayed my side of the story but nobody from Imaad’s side was willing to come out and speak to the cops and so I was just told to leave. I don’t hold anything against the venue or the police, they were just responding to what Imaad accused me of. I do think that he’s unfit to be on tour right now and to me it looks like he needs help which I hope he finds. 

To be my most charitable, I can understand Imaad's being momentarily taken aback, although I stand by the notion that the fourth wall should be kept intact. (You know how this could have been avoided? Stay on the stage.) But once someone signals they’re not wanting to play along, why are you forging ahead? Why are you trying to cajole him? Move on. (And why are you being so aggressive to begin with?) Then to paint yourself as the victim and storm off the stage? That's a bit much for even the most seasoned drama queen. As I wrote the other day, it was a needlessly melodramatic bummer. 

UPDATE 2: A reader just wrote to say:

In the same thread a bit later, he stated that he was in contact with the venue. They reviewed SECURITY CAMERA FOOTAGE, which corroborated his account of the incident. They refunded his and his wife’s tickets to the show AND offered him free tickets to any show of his choice in the future. He also said the venue apologized and told him that they were wrong for ejecting him. 

I haven't been able to independently verify that the posts were written by the guy, although I have no reason to think otherwise.

Out of curiosity, I wrote to Tarrytown Music Hall to see what they would say. They confirmed that no one was "assaulted" and said they would get in touch with me regarding other questions I have. Later I got a message that was as thoughtful as it was revealing. The gentleman offered to give us a refund, but pointed out it wouldn't come out of Neko's pocket, so of course I wasn't interested. He reiterated that the security footage backed up the guy's story, going so far as to say: "In my opinion, the only one close to assaulting anyone was Imaad himself." Suffice to say the venue handled the incident far better than any of the talent did. 

Interesting to see that Imaad Wasif isn't the opening act for the Neko Case show at Strathmore in North Bethesda, Md., as planned. He's been replaced by Lucy Wainwright Roche. 

UPDATE 3: And now it seems he's been removed from the rest of the tour. I would like to think Neko finally got the full story and made this decision, but I'm not sure we'll ever know for sure. (He posted this then removed it, which seems on brand.) My friend saw it and said: “Circumstances out of his control” = “I got fired”!

Love Plus One (Great Friend)

Death in the family aside, what a splendid time I had seeing Haircut 100 open for ABC and Howard Jones on Sunday in Kansas City, where my Arizona childhood best friend (Greg) came to meet me from Omaha. The show started at 7 o'clock sharp -- exactly as stated on the tickets -- and we were both dazzled by how youthful leadman Nick Heyward looked and sounded, as if a fraction of the 42 years since the band's seminal debut album had been released. 

Longtime fans will recall that the band imploded after "Pelican West" became a worldwide hit, spawning several hit singles and garnering rave reviews. By the time the band returned to to the studio for a follow-up, Heyward began suffering from psychological issues -- before it was trendy to admit it -- and ended up leaving the band. (After returning from a mental institution, he discovered the guys had been writing songs without him, and decided he was no longer welcome, never bothering to talk things over.) Although he went on to have a moderately successful solo career in his native Great Britain, he never returned to the U.S. Top 40 again, with just one of his albums hitting the Billboard Hot 200 at all ("North of a Miracle" peaked at No. 178 in 1983).

 

But this tour -- the band's first in the U.S. since 1982 -- was all about revisiting happy times, as was my reunion with my 1980s partner in crime, with whom I saw my first concerts (Go-Go's, Missing Persons, Pretenders, A Flock of Seagulls, Talking Heads, etc) . 

Although the set list has changed slightly from city to city, our show was six straight songs off their famed LP, which at point led to a fan standing up and screaming: "Do you have any idea how frickin' great this album is?" 

Obviously we were left dying for more. But having never thought this day would come -- it’s already been another 20 years since Haircut 100's "Bands Reunited" episode and none of the subsequent reunions have ever crossed the pond -- we were in no mood to be greedy. 

Bummed the ticket -- which I paid to have a hard copy of -- didn't even mention HC100.

"Love Plus One" live from Kansas City! 

Afterward, and before the main acts, Nick, bassist Les Nemes and guitarist Graham Jones signed memorabilia and posed for pictures with their adoring public. Here's me and Greg with the guys, who truly seemed to be basking in the adulation. 

Haircut 100 is about to release their first single with Nick since 1982's "Nobody's Fool" --- called the "The Unloving Plum" -- and Nick tells me a full album will follow soon. (Percussionist Marc Fox and saxophonist Phil Smith aren’t part of this reunion, but I’m not sure what drummer Blair Cunningham's status is. He was in the recent promo photos but I haven't seen him in any of the videos from this tour.) 

Confession: Don't tell Mr. Heyward, but Greg and I both loved the Nickless follow-up album, "Paint and Paint," with Fox on lead vocals and even produced a CD version in the 2000s long before it got a Super Deluxe reissue!

Next up was ABC, which for decades now really just consists of Martin Fry and his touring band. Damian and I had recently seen them in NYC, yet they were so "on" that it felt like a whole new sensation. 

The band also focused on its famed debut (also from 1982), "The Lexicon of Love," but quickly reminded the audience that they were far from one-hit wonders, having succeeded on the U.S. chart with numerous singles after "The Look of Love" including "Poison Arrow' (a favorite), "That Was Then but This Is Now," "How to Be a Millionaire," "Be Near Me" and "When Smokey Sings" as well as the U.K. hits "Tears Are Not Enough," "All of My Heart" and favorites like "Vanity Kills," "The Night You Murdered Love" and "King Without a Crown." 

Something that I didn't see the last time I saw ABC was their hunky keyboardist. 

And then last (but least), Howard Jones came out with his guitar-style synthesizer and crazy duds. He opened with "New Song," which happens to be the one single of his I bought at the time (the 12-inch, natch!), back when I was so in love with him, and doing everything in my power to look like him. (Who knew I was once a wannabe boyfriend twin?!) It's funny to think I have seen him at least three times before this, yet didn't purchase an album of his until "The Essentials" CD in the 2000s.

It didn't take long before Greg noticed that former Kaja(GooGoo) bassist (and onetime lead singer) Nick Beggs was there on (an annoying) bass. This led to a sweet (if a bit awkward) moment where Howard got the audience to participate in a singalong of "Too Shy," which apparently cannot be officially performed presumably because ex-bandmate Limahl won't allow for it. (I've read that the other guys pushed him out back in the day when they discovered he was gay, although I don't know this to be a fact.) 

Howard, of course, had his share of chart hits in the U.S., including "What Is Love?," "Like to Get to Know You Well," "Things Can Only Get Better," "Life in One Day," "No One Is to Blame" and "Everlasting Love." But as the headliner he did a longer set, including many the crowd wasn't familiar with, as well as adding sort of a "house"/"rave" beat and light show to the set that didn't really work coming from a 69-year-old white dude. Still, there was enough nostalgia to make for an enjoyable set, which of course was all the better by having my BFF by my side again. 

P.S. We weren't in Kansas City but 24 hours, but I can report that I liked what I saw. We stayed at the InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza and were dazzled by the stately homes along Ward Parkway, all the way to the Trader Joe's where we stopped by so Greg could do some reconnaissance. (He works at an Omaha location.) 

Midtown, where the concert was held at the fabulous Uptown Theatre, and the whole Westport area was charming and full of restaurants and shops. (I got Damian an anniversary present at The Bunker Inc., although we were bummed the city's Hamburger Mary's is closed on Monday.) Greg visited Lenexa (where my aunt lived) and thought it was very nice, too.) 

Here's hoping global warming doesn't make it uninhabitable -- it was over 100 on Monday -- because it seems like a lovely place to live. 

I'm told Midtown/Westport isn't officially a "gayborhood." But with numerous LGBT bars and gay-friendly shops and restaurants, it definitely reminded of my beloved Chelsea back in its heyday.

UPDATE: Greg pointed me to these photos from Haircut 100's previous U.S. tour -- back in 1982!

Doesn't get any more '82 than a Jane Fonda workout video! 

No Detroit or Phoenix dates, so I was doomed from the start! 

Total Fox: I can see why Nick felt "threatened" by this one!