It ("it" being my reaction to the show itself) doesn't feel like something vibrant and in its prime anymore. It feels mellowed out. I can't quite connect into it they way I used to. I felt like I was trying to relive what's happened before instead of being swept away naturally by the present moment. And that was kind of sad, but at least I wasn't burned out. I was pretty sure there was no way it could have outdone the last Athens show, which was in September and was my sixth Theatre show, and it didn't. But still, pre-show, show, and post-show were all a lot of fun.

Pip and Vida's arrival was much delayed by horrendous Atlanta traffic, but it worked out fine. We saw a rainbow on 316. "Yeah, I have to eat Jell-O every time I listen to '15 Stories.' I have a big cooler full of it that I take everywhere just in case." -Vida, making fun of me. Ha ha. Pip has a funny way of saying "Oh my gosh, you suck." This was often directed at Vida, but not at me, of course. ;) We went to Nicole's first and she and Tina and we (?) went downtown. I found Julie in front of the Theatre and we went ahead to Great Wraps, and then she moved her car to the Theatre parking lot, and then we stood around with Erin and Melissa and Shannon. When I got my envelope at will-call, Julie found that it contained only a "declined" receipt, so I ran back and got two tickets with cash. Phew. Damn Wachovia. Anyway. The guys all walked out of the Theatre after soundcheck (at one point Shannon had been talking to me during soundcheck, out on the sidewalk, and "Mother's Eyes" started up, and I zoned out) and like roaches people suddenly appeared to bother them, but they were nice. Jonny had brought his puppy, but we would later see a much cuter puppy; sorry, Simone. We made labels for ourselves -- by the end of the night Julie's said "Queen Rules" and mine said "dumbass!"

Matt came over to me and after he poked me in the stomach and called me a stud, we had a mock confrontation about the similarity of our clothes (black tanktops and jeans, and boy were we ever hot!) and I ordered him to change, and he ran away, cowed. Aw! I only order people around and call them names if I like them. Hahaha. Even then I don't exactly expect them to listen.

Julie and I got places on the right side (people like Ryan and Brooke Pennell and Megan kept finding me over there, and saying "Oh, I knew you'd be over here," and I'd pretend to get mad; but hey, Manashi wasn't too far back straight behind me!) and we talked to the man behind us and his friend; he was very funny. After Will Hoge an excited girl near us went on a water run and that was nice. Then the show began.

"Mother's Eyes" was transcendent simply because of Jay's voice. That beautiful song Jay sang about "Tonight, tonight, Evan wants to get fucked" -- do I want to know? I bet I can think of at least one person who does.

Megan gave us industrial-strength glowsticks in green and white, and many times that night Julie and I played with them like lightsabers. "You're not my father!" When "Pink Lemonade" started (the song that made me fall for them, and the one it took quite a while for me to really "get" [I know, I know]) I whispered to Julie, "This song is about having sex on a rocking chair!"

Matt went all "The Who" on his melodica, smashing it to bits, and passed out the broken pieces. After a lovely acoustic "Where She Lies," Ward forgot to plug his cello back in. Erin has more show details, setlist-wise. But here is a setlist posted to Opium, so the spelling isn't mine:

vertigo
ATDAG
u can look
2 high
evans song :)
just a second
dark and lonely man
the singer
violent dreams
made it fine
easter parade
cathedrals
mothers eyes
pink lemonade
because of you
come out clean
afterlife
habit
my guitar
not today

encore:
where she lies [acoustic]
quiet
lannigans ball

encore 2:
ordinary girl

It was so nice to see so many people that I love. It is truly remarkable, the people I've come across, just because of this band. I can't quite get over the fact that there are, like at this show, people who don't know me in person but go out of their way to meet me. I really like positive attention, despite being a shy person. I don't really get any outside of this arena.

The only problems were that there was no sign of Olivia, and Julie was so tired she was beginning to hiccup and blink funny and sniffle, and I felt bad that she was so exhausted. Brooks had already moved! Oh! and also, Ward was clean-shaven. Hahaha. Oh, the tragedy!

We saw Brooke and Loni and Amber and Sara and Anna and Jasmine, yay! and I got Cha to do her Ward impression (no one seems to find it quite as funny as Cha and I do, for some reason). At the traditional Hot Dog Stand that's there outside after every Theatre show, there was a man with what Julie said was a Shih-Tzu puppy on a leash. Oh my god, it was SO tiny and soft. I kept squealing at it. In retrospect I think maybe we pissed that man off, not asking him if we could pet it (at least I don't recall anyone asking), but at the time -- I mean -- It was just so cute! After that we sat on the steps for a while, Erin and Melissa and Julie and I, and later we moved down closer to the backstage door.

In a way it's silly, but afterwards, I feel a little better about a show if the guys in the band I talked to (usually Ward and Matt) were especially nice at that show. It's kind of pathetic, but it's really true. It's even better when they come over to you and you don't have to wait "in line" like a dufus.

Matt came over to Erin and I while Julie told Goldschlager stories to Cha and Melissa, and amid the hugging (Matt hugs rule) Erin jokingly called him a tool, and I started laughing. "She called you a tool!" I said when Matt asked why I was laughing. He seemed hurt so I hugged him again. He grasped my hand in both of his and explained that his way of dealing with insults is running away. We told him that if we really thought he was a tool, we wouldn't talk to him at all. He seemed placated. Then Erin left for Jayland. I talked with Cha and Julie some more and after a while felt compelled to wander over to Jayland (Jay had a bag of oranges tied to his belt, that was funny). Then Ward appeared from the backstage door, and pretended to kick me in the ass. "I'm all gross," he laughed as I hugged him, as if I care (and he wasn't gross, even though he was sweaty). I told him to come over and talk to Julie because she likes Queen and Goldschlager and "Star Wars." But Rachel hopped up to give him a birthday card and ask him for advice about cello instructors. While he had a nice discussion with her about that, Julie and I were dorks and quoted "MST3K" and "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" to each other. Then Julie and Ward talked briefly about Queen, but I was being a tool. Hahahaha.

Manashi -- I totally wussed out on the Princess Leia Pez thing. Collapsed like a house of cards. And he took the last Pez, too! Took it out with his teeth, no less. "Merci," he said.

After he left to go start up the Park N Fly, I just sort of leaned on Rachel and did an exaggerated sigh, and then we hugged. We had another Moment, but this one was more touching than most. Awwww. Bonding!

I know Erin thinks that Ward is faking being nice, and sometimes he is, but that's pretty rare. But then, Erin and I have our biases on this: I just am not interested in whatever further depth Jay may have beyond the blank stare and pretty voice, and she thinks Ward is fake so she never talks to him. It takes all kinds.

We were driving back to Julie's after the show, and "Shook Me All Night Long' was on the radio (Julie knew the words!) and I was like, Jesus on skiis, tell me I am not being made HAB by this song by the trolls known as AC/DC! I MUST be being controlled by The Brain! You don't know how painful it is to admit that to you people! AC/DC!!

At Julie's, she has digital cable, which means she gets M2 and Noggin, the channel that shows vintage "Sesame Street" early in the morning, from back when it was GOOD. So. A Jump show, and MY era of Tha Street. Man, I was happy as a clam. There was a Bert and Ernie segment. A Grover segment. A Kermit the Frog Fairytale Reporter segment. My mother used to say that she knew when it was 10:00 because I'd start crying when the "Sesame Street" end theme began (with the harmonica). And that was last year! No, for real, I did tear up a bit when the music came on. Then I turned it off and went to sleep as best as I could. We ate lunch at the Grill and Emily was cute trying to eat pickles. Once Emily was down for a nap at home the clock was ticking before she'd wake up and freak out over Mommy's absence (she's been having seperation anxiety) so we left. On the way, we saw a doe running across Highway 78. We made pretty good time.

I think that's about it. :)