I arrived at the show(my 8th s-k show) late, and missed the Gossip. It was an all-ages show, so i guess they had to start early. I walked in to the Butchies doing "Shooting Star". Two things I know now:Kaia Wilson is amazingly cute, and Melissa the drummer is very funny (she sounds like she's from Long Island).Melissa took the mic between songs and recited a heartfelt rendition of a "poem" which turned out to be "Faithfully" by Journey; it was too goddam funny. They were solid, too; Kaia and Alison sound really good together.
I was standing on the wrong side of the room (away from Carrie) when s-k came out. They are so solid know that even if you don't know the songs, they still rock like shit. That's how good Janet's drumming is. It was like watching the Who or the Stones; they dared you not to love them. Carrie was in full Pete Townsend/Keith Richards mode; at one point she ended up on her knees facing Corin- a classic rock moment. Corin's stage presence has really improved- she really got into the songs, and her facial expressions said as much as the lyrics. The crowd was really into it, unlike most DC crowds, and the band really fed off that energy. What else is there to say-GO SEE THIS BAND.
May 25, 2000 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 club
By: Chris *clcavett@bellatlantic.net*
My friend Dave and I arrived early, before the doors opened, but there was a line here in DC, too. It wasn't quite as long as in Philadelphia, but was long enough that we knew we wouldn't be getting right up front. I looked around for Mikey, as I was eager to meet him and apologize for Philly, but I didn't see him anywhere. I later found out he arrived late to this show. When the doors opened, Dave and I did the same thing Pat and I had done and staked out good spots in the balcony. On the way there, I removed a small promotional Sleater-Kinney poster from the wall, folded it carefully, and put it in my sock so I wouldn't have to hold it all night. Later, I would be really glad I had done this.
This time I really liked The Gossip. I guess it was because I knew what to expect. Carrie and Corin came out on the opposite balcony, directly across from me, for most of The Gossip's set and seemed to be enjoying it a lot. I thought the Butchies were better than in Philadelphia, too. Kaia played fewer 70's-ish guitar solos, which was what had turned me off before. The drummer's "poem" was amusing, but not as much as the one in Philadelphia. She was a lot of fun, though.
The Sleater-Kinney show was the best one I've ever seen. Corin was as animated as she was in Philadelphia. And I loved the song selections this time. Unlike Philadelphia, they played my favorite S-K song "The Drama You've Been Craving" and "Get Up" which I really like a lot, too. And best of all, they played soooooo many encores they practically played a second set, or so it seemed at the time. Coverwise, they played Fortunate Son during the first encore, with the standard invitation to the other bands to join them on stage. Later, after they'd come back for encores the second time, I shouted out "White Rabbit." I know Carrie heard it, because she instantly sported a real big grin. But they didn't play it.
After the show, while my friend Dave stood in a long, slow-moving line to buy AHOTBO, I moved over and was leaning against the bar. After a couple of minutes I looked over and saw Janet talking to a small group of people. She was being so friendly, I assumed it must be friends of hers. But then I noticed she started signing autographs for some of them. I'm not much of an autograph hound, but there was no crowd around Janet, the line my friend was in was hardly moving at all, and I had the poster I'd removed from the wall earlier. So I decided to go over and ask Janet to autograph it. She was really nice, just like everyone says.
After that I moved back over and resumed leaning against the bar. Then Corin came out and started talking to a small group of people. Again, at first I though it was friends of hers, because she was being so friendly. But then I figured out they, too, were fans when Corin started signing autographs for them. Dave was still in line, so I headed over to where Corin was. She was really friendly, too. There was this group of people who were all together talking to her, and they asked me to take a picture of them with Corin. I did, and then I accidentally dropped the camera. I think I was the only one who was worried about it, but I felt really bad, even though it was just a disposable camera. Owner of that camera, if you're reading this, I hope your pictures came out okay. Then I got Corin's autograph on the poster. While I was talking to her, someone asked if Carrie would be out, and Corin said she didn't think so, because Carrie was real tired. I told Corin I could see why, because they had played such a long set of encores. She agreed that it had been long. Then I thanked her and went back over to the merchandise area, where Dave had finally made it to the front of the line.
The autograph experience was bittersweet for me, as I think Corin and Janet are great, but Carrie Brownstein, guitar god, is my favorite. So while I was thrilled with having Corin's and Janet's autographs, it made me yearn for Carrie's more than I would have thought it would. I resolved to get hers the next evening in Chapel Hill, and to then have the poster framed.
