OK, that was intended to be suspenseful, but rather than employ the usual #1HS Method of listing all the Things That Suck so as to build up to the Thing That Is Awesome (because, y'know, I hate being typecast), I'm going to stop pretending to be a rock critic and just be a fanboy and say y'know what?

It was pretty awesome.

N and I tried not to get to Webster Hall-- home of the Amateur-Burlesque-Ladies-Drink-Free-Thursdays --too early, even though the tickets said DOORS: 6 PM. (That's absurdly early, but I suppose they needed enough time to sweep out the hipsters so that they could fill the room with soap bubbles for Ibiza Night or something.) We arrived just before the second opening act, Tammy Faye Starlite. The crowd was not particularly receptive where I was standing. In fact, I heard booing. I can't remember the last time I heard booing at a show. (No, wait, it was when I saw VHS or Beta open for Cinerama.) Anyhow, as someone who possesses the annoyingly Manichean quality* of simultaneous irreverence/humorlessness on certain subjects, TFS pushed some of my buttons. (Though her jibes about folks who like "alt-country" were very funny.) Moving along.

It took an agonizing (for me, at least) half-hour for the Silver Jews to come onstage. Fortunately for us, N and I had already bumped into DM from Soi Disantra, so we had someone with whom to complain about TFS and, later, to discuss in acute detail the very best possible spot to be standing for the performance. (It turns out that DM chose wisely, whereas N and I ended up behind a tallish man who shifted from one foot to the other the entire performance. And also he kept backing up. I now remember why I used to wear steel-toed shoes.) "Where did all these tall people come from?" I heard the guy standing behind me say. An astute observation, too--when we'd arrived an hour earlier, it was like a meeting of the Lollipop League. All of a sudden it was March Madness.**

Just as I was fretting the DCB had lost his nerve to perform, Bob Nastanovich appeared on stage to announce the start of the show. And they came out, looking very much like actual musicians.

And it was good! From a technical angle, this is no surprise, as Peyton Pinkerton (of New Radiant Storm King, Pernice Brothers, etc.) is a superb guitarist, and Cassie did a nice job on bass. Because I have a mind like a sieve, I don't remember who the non-Nastanovich drummer is, and I still have no idea who the other guitarist was (yeah--there were three guitars onstage, if you include Berman's; it was very Live at Budokan) because of Hopalong Cassidy standing in front of me and obscuring my view of the left side of the stage the entire night. But everyone played really well.

DCB was the palpable concern. I don't think a performer could hope for a more receptive audience than Jews fans, though. While It felt a bit like we were in a giant support group, in a city where you're pretty much consigned to sneering at failed attempts at anything, I actually kinda enjoyed the sincerity and hopefulness. (Those of you who know me will find this a shocking admission.) And as soon as they launched into the songs, it was almost miraculous--it was a little rickety, but they were good. I was delighted.

I thought the songs were well chosen. Roughly half were off Tanglewood Numbers: "I'm Getting Back (to Getting Back Into You)," "Sometimes a Pony Gets Depressed," "How Can I Love You," "Animal Shapes," "Sleeping Is the Only Love." I was especially happy to hear one of my favorites off of Natural Bridge, "How to Rent a Room." (I had hoped to hear "Black and Brown Blues" though I wasn't particularly optimistic.) Cassie did an improbably good solo rendition of "The Poor, the Fair, and the Good." One thing that I haven't seen mention of at the other shows (I might be wrong): A "cover" of Whitman's "O Captain, My Captain," which DCB introduced by saying something like, "I know this is Webster Hall, but it might as well be Tammany Hall."

In between songs, you could hear the booming bass coming through the floor, which reminded you of the fact that you were, in fact, at Webster Hall. So bizarre.

As the show wore on, it actually hit me that I was seeing one of my favorite bands for the first time ever. When I heard the opening chords to "Trains Across the Sea," it occurred to me that it had been 11 years since the first time I'd heard it. In 27 years, I've drunk 50,000 beers/And they just wash against me like the sea into a pier... I actually felt a little choked up, don't ask me why. It must've been nostalgia, 'cos it sure wasn't the $6 beers.

Things didn't really start to unravel until he decided to do "Pretty Eyes," a beautiful tune off Natural Bridge, another one of my favorites. He began and stopped twice and although he made it through on the third try, his energy seemed a bit drained. Cassie and Peyton seemed uncertain that he'd even be able to finish the song (Peyton shaking his head, and smoking his 43rd cigarette of the evening), but by the end, the rest of the band managed to join in. They left the stage to thunderous applause and came back for the encore, "Pet Politics" and "Punks in Beerlight." DCB had a bit of difficulty with both of these, but the audience's unabated enthusiasm was obvious. We cheered; we shuffled almost enthusiastically. He told us he loved us, Peyton handed out the setlists to members of the audience, and they left. It was a nice night.

The show lasted a good hour and 15 minutes, which seems a good deal longer than any of the other performances. Can anyone confirm/deny?

As N and I left Webster Hall, down the scary, narrow, firetrap stairs (hello, Happyland anyone?), we were greeted by a gaggle of girls in a bachelorette party, complete with a bride-to-be wearing a makeshift veil, who were leaving the first floor of Webster Hall. Whoa.

We then headed over to Veselka (a suitably nostalgic choice for a nostalgic evening...."I remember when this was still a greasy spoon....") and ate stuffed cabbage and borscht, the night still young. But we were tired, not unlike DCB, I'm sure, so we headed home.

A few random notes: The Corduroy Suit is transitioning to wiki format and needs your help.

A nice flickr set from the Friday show.

*Another annoying quality: Using the word "Manichean."
**One of the first things DCB did when he got up on stage was congratulate Belmont.