Thursday July 24, 2008
Tasty World (Upstairs)
Athens, GA
Review by Amanda McKay
This perfectly cromulent (Mary's Note: I LOVE
that word) show was truly a comedy of errors. For starters, upstairs
at Tasty World in July is very hot. It wasn't as bad as usual, but the bar was
getting tons of business from sweaty patrons.
Even I was a tad warm.
The band jumped right in to ROCK mode with the first song, but before long, I
couldn't hear Chris's vocals at all. I could just barely make out the melodies.
Chris did some funny banter between songs, but I couldn't make out half of what
he said even though I was in the front row. Then, Frank had an issue with a
cord. Believe it or not, the equipment problems degenerated even further when
Joe broke a string.
Unfazed, Joe picked up Chris's backup strat and continued but within five
minutes, he managed to break a string on the second guitar! Slightly and
understandably flustered, he gave up playing and stood instrumentless, singing
but not playing. The band ended the set just in the nick of time, it
seemed...they were running out of instruments!
In spite of all the setbacks, it was still an enjoyable show. The band played
well, and the songs are still top notch even when missing vital parts! Chris
laughed off the broken string issues and kept the audience's support.
But Murphy's Law hadn't run its course yet. The box of brand spankin' new
t-shirts somehow disappeared after the set and reappeared only after all the
fans had gone home! I think Tasty World has some kind of prankster poltergeist
that enjoys wreaking havoc on hapless bands.
So if you're a musician planning on playing Tasty World...be afraid...be very
afraid!
