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Robyn Hitchcock and the Café Largo Bunch
Concert appearance: Thu., 26 Aug. 1999
Largo
West Hollywood, California US
Set list:
Mexican God
Arms of Love
Chimes of Freedom (Bob Dylan)
1974
My Favourite Buildings
The Green Boy
I Feel Beautiful
Candyman (Grateful Dead)
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (Bob Dylan)
All Tomorrow's Parties (Velvet Underground)
Queen Elvis
Sounds Great When You're Dead
Ye Sleeping Knights of Jesus
Trams of Old London
Desolation Row (Bob Dylan)
More Than This (Roxy Music)
Antwoman
Heliotrope
The Speed of Things
Cynthia Mask
Just a few late notes on the Largo goings-on from a week ago. I didn't
write down setlists, and don't have tapes yet, so I'll just give
fragmentary details from my shaky memory.
Thursday - After some comedian whose performance I missed, Robyn
appeared, looking energetic, playing a fun set. Jon and Grant joined
him partway through. The line of the night: "I have a new album out,
called Jewels For Sophia, so to celebrate we're going to play a bunch of
songs from an album I made twenty years ago called I Often Dream Of
Trains." And that he did. Most of us have come to the conclusion that
Grant is a big IODOT fan, and Robyn always pulls out several from that
album at Largo. This time: "Ye Sleeping Knights of Jesus," "Trams of
Old London," "My Favorite Buildings," and "It Sounds Great When You're
Dead."
Only a couple of times did they descend into the outright silliness
that's endemic to Largo. After ToOL, Grant blissed out on the little
"ahhhhhh" during the bridge of the song, talking about how much he
savored that bit. Then he and Robyn went back and forth "ahhhhh"ing
solemnly in tune, stopping only when Robyn broke into the chorus again.
No late-night improv extravaganza this time, just a brief encore
(Heliotrope, The Speed of Things, and something else I forget).
Heliotrope was dedicated to Jim Neill, whose birthday it was. Which led
them into some hype about Grant's Saturday show, which fall on Grant's
birthday. A Virgo Celebration, they declared it.
A play-by-play of the Largo shenaigans, August 26, 1999. -Marc Holden
(starts with Robyn solo)
Story (Head of the Family)
1. Mexican God
(harmonica rant)
2. Arms of Love
(...which verse should I play?...)
3. Chimes of Freedom (Bob Dylan)
(...sound is important...go away and listen to
GWAR...decapitated vs. decafinated...)
4. 1974
(Nutra-sweet--->parasite (especially weird))
5. My Favorite Buildings
(...fingers through the hair...heads falling off...green &
white stripes...)
6. The Green Boy (Robyn says this is the first time he's played it)
( enter Grant Lee Phillips and Jon Brion )
(...showbiz, zodiac, tune-up, free show ("the Alley Cat"
excerpt...)
7. I Feel Beautiful
(...sleeping with guitar...what does "stoned"
mean?..."Trucking" excerpt
..."Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" excerpt)
"Largo Summer Reprise..."
8. All Tomorrow's Parties (Velvet Underground)
9. Queen Elvis
(Man Who Invented Himself/It Sounds Great When You're Dead
"tests")
10. It Sounds Great When You're Dead
(...how/why does Robyn write songs...accronym bug...this
song is from August 1981...)
11. Sleeping Knights of Jesus
( ..album plugs...)
12. Trams of Old London
13. Desolation Row (Bob Dylan)
(...actually the gig is over...what is "Inna Gadda Da
Vida"?
14. More Than This (Roxy music)
15. Ant Woman
encore
16. Heliotrope ("...for Julie's birthday")
17. Speed of Things
18. Cynthia Mask
If you have an addition or correction, please send an e-mail message about it to Bayard Catron.
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