HUM review/personal experience retold by:
dweazle@email.msn.com (Michael Riskin)
I had planned on being there at about 5pm, about four hours early.
Unfortunately it didn’t work out that way and I ended up arriving in San
Francisco at 7pm. However, I was still early enough to qualify for a free
HUM T-shirt from the local radio stations. While waiting in line for the
doors to open, the radio station van parked out in front played DiH. It set
the tone and heightened my anticipation.
My friend Garret and I were
chatting when he suggested I look for the band. I decided to walk around to
the alley and take a look. Although nobody from HUM was there, I did find a
few people with their heads under the hood of one of the vans. I thought it
was funny because, when asked about being signed to a major label, Matt
responded that he missed the van blowing up. It looked as though they might
not have to wait long for that to happen. So I walked back to the front door
and resumed my waiting.
The doors opened at about 8pm and I made my way inside. Once there I quickly
swiped two HUM posters. I started to take the first one down and I looked at
a bartender and said, "Is this OK?" He just turned his head and said, "I
didn’t see anything. Go ahead." So I efficiently ripped it down off the pole
and hustled over to the soundboard where the next poster was, which I
promptly grabbed.
Then Jackie (from the HML) and I chatted for a bit as we
carefully removed the tape from our respective HUM contraband. Garret and I
ran upstairs to the balcony to eat our dinner and get out on the floor.
While we were sitting Tim walked up the stairs and stood right next to me. I
looked up from the table at him, not realizing who he was initially, and
then my eyes widened and we stared at each other for a few seconds once I
realized who he was. He looked around for a second and went downstairs
again. We finished in about 10 minutes and ran downstairs. I checked my coat
which was filled with my liner notes from E2K, YPAA, and DiH, my DiH Vinyl
liner notes, my YPAA poster, a HUM shirt, and my two new HUM posters
courtesy of Slim’s.
Unencumbered, I walked to the front and leaned on the stage and waited
anxiously. After all, I had been waiting for three years to see HUM. Not a
week when by during those years that I did not think about going to a HUM
show, or wondering when they would finally come back out and play in support
of a new album.
After a bit of last minute preparation, Shiner came out and
rocked the house to the floor. Merrye had been telling me how much she
wanted to see Shiner play along with HUM. Now I know why. They had a style
that would appeal to any HUM fan with beautiful guitar sounds accompanied in
harmony by a perfectly melded, dynamic bass
The three-piece of Shiner was
definitely a band to open for HUM and I suggest checking out their latest
album. Next up was Creeper Lagoon, a local band from SF who were very good,
but not for the average HUM fan. Their music was more straightforward. After
they played there was a delay, and the setup for HUM took about half an
hour.
Then the curtain opened. Matt stood at the microphone within my arms’ reach.
I was just below the neck of his guitar. Tim was to my right and straight
ahead was Bryan. Way off to my left stood Jeff. The lights were a deep blue
and cast a late sunset light across the stage.
They started to play an
intro, but I couldn’t recognize it. They played for about a minute and then
it started: the noise died down and the soft guitar of "Afternoon With the
Axolotls" began to play and the music filled me. The guitars opened up and
the loudness and the beauty of it made my eyes tear. Matt stepped forward
and closed his eyes and softly and perfectly began. "She hits the plate with
both hands high, downward is heavenward and we are not alone."
Looking
straight up at him, I sang along with him. He peeked his left eye open to
look at his hand on the frets and saw me singing. He fought back a smile and
closed his eyes again. The song became soft again once Matt finished the
verse, and he stepped back from the microphone.
The band carefully recreated
the song exactly as it had been recorded. He stepped back up again and
continued to sing. I sang along again, of course, soaking up every instant
of the song. It was incredible. I was completely immersed in an ocean of the
sound of HUM.
They moved right into The Pod which, needless to say, tore the roof off
every building in the city. And yes, Matt did "The Scream". After The Pod,
they played Ms. Lazarus. I don’t remember the exact order of the songs (some
girl ruthlessly grabbed the setlist that I was going for, tearing it and
leaving me with the top left corner). Here are the rest of the songs in
close-to-accurate order. Winder, Comin’ Home, If You Are to Bloom,
Dreamboat, Apollo, Why I Like the Robins (my personal favorite which caused
me to break down crying, what can I say I love HUM), Suicide Machine, Stars,
I Hate it Too, and for the encore, Iron Clad Lou.
I sang every song almost
word for word, and Matt saw me singing a few more times, but he didn’t
bother to hide his smiling and blatantly acknowledged me. Bryan saw me
singing beating my hands on the stage along with his drumming and gave me a
"hey, that’s cool" look and smiled. Tim saw me and nodded once but he was
fairly unemotional and very focused on his playing.
Once the show was over I hung around and waited to see if I could finally
meet the band. I waited by the stage with Garret, Saltgurl and her friend
Trisha. The crew was taking down the set and packing up. They gave me a
piece of one of Bryan’s broken sticks. Garret was able to grab a whole stick
that was cracked and splintered. Then Bryan came out to handle his drums. I
said, "Hey Bryan, Jennii says ‘hi’" and he turned around and his eyes
brightened and he said, "REALLY? How is she?" He came over, I shook his
hand, and we started talking. We talked a little about the list and Gordon.
I told him how much I enjoyed the show and all that stuff. He signed my YPAA
poster which I had been dreaming of bringing to HUM show to be signed ever
since I found it over two years ago. We talked for a little while longer and
then he had to leave. He said he was leaving right away for the Portland
show. So I said goodbye and went to buy some HUM merchandise.
I walked over
to the table where they were selling, and Jeff was standing there. I talked
to him for a few minutes, and he signed my poster too. Then while I was
deciding which stuff I was going to buy, I turned around and saw Tim, Matt,
and Sue (his girlfriend pictured on the liner notes for YPAA). I walked over
to Tim and we spoke for a few minutes.
I explained to him that I flew to
Chicago, of all places, when they came out to San Francisco three years ago
and that I had been waiting ever since to see them. He then signed my poster
"Move to the ocean. Tim". Then I spoke with Matt and Sue for a few minutes.
She jokingly offered to sign my YPAA liner notes. Looking back, I think it
would have been cool. I would have looked like a moron but it would have
been cool. I introduced myself to Matt and told him I was on the list. He
recognized my name, either from the list or from the letter I sent HUM
through Gordon over two years ago. Either way it was cool.
He told me that
he liked seeing me front and center the whole time and that it was cool.
WOW! Obviously I thanked him. He and Saltgurl talked while I continued my
purchasing. Then we all (me, Salt, Trisha, Garret, and HUM) made our way to
the back door where we hung out for a little while longer. Matt and Sue went
backstage and Tim and Jeff continued to talk with us. Tim began to load the
van and we walked into the alley where the van was. After another few
minutes of talking, we said goodbye to HUM and walked off to our cars. It
was almost 2am.
All of the guys in HUM were very nice and very genuine (jennuine?). They
were more than happy to talk to us and were appreciative of our enthusiasm
and dedication. I hope everyone gets a chance to talk with them. I can’t
wait to see them again, and I vow never to miss any of their shows ever
again. It was single-handedly the best musical experience and night of my
life. And when I got home, Garret gave me the drumstick that he had the band
sign! I was in shock. I fell asleep and dreamt of HUM that night and a few
more nights thereafter.
Email Michael Riskin: dweazle@email.msn.com
HUM Deciple
2/15/98
San Fran review by Jackie!Sunday 2/15 VANCOUVER, BC The Gate
