You'll Never Guess What Happened Next

It has been so long since I did an Audience Participation post. Do you guys even remember how these work?

My dear friend, frequent travel companion and occasional blog contributor, Megan, has requested a post on Most Surprising Moments At Shows and I am happy to oblige her. Especially as I have had several of these myself recently.

The idea here is to identify those moments at shows that truly caught you off guard. The ones that left you standing in the audience with your jaw hanging open. The ones you still look back at and think "I can't believe that happened."

I can think of a few right off the bat that SHOULD have been surprising moments for me but, for one reason or another weren't. Like the Factory Showroom show where the band opened with Token Back To Brooklyn and NO ONE was expecting them to open with the bonus track that has never been played live before or since. Except at the time, I was such a new fan that I didn't know the song and didn't know that I should be surprised. Whoops. Or the Every Album show, where they played Unsupervised and West Virginia for the first time with TMBG, and no one had even considered that "every album" also included solo projects. But again, uneducated me was barely familiar with either song (it's possible I hadn't even heard at least one of them before) and so missed the boat on that one. There were also several songs played at an LPR show that I should have been stunned to hear (Puppet Head, Museum of Idiots, End of the Tour) but I could see Dan's setlist the whole time and knew they were coming and thus spoiled the surprise.

But here are a few show moments that I most certainly was NOT expecting.


The Mesopotamians Premiere
I was there the first time they played The Mesopotamians, but that wasn't the thing that surprised me. I had barely heard any of their music at the time and couldn't recognize new material from old. All I knew was that this band my boyfriend liked had all of a sudden started singing a song that mentioned an ancient Mesopotamians king (Sargon) who was the subject of a long standing joke among my friends in college (who were mostly all archaeology majors). It was so obscure and out of nowhere and I was completely floored. I didn't know anyone outside of my uber-geeky circle even knew who Sargon was, much less cared enough to write a song mentioning him. And it was a really good song too. I don't remember much else about that show, but I sure do remember that.

Danny Defies Gravity
I've seen Danny execute that leap in Doctor Worm every which way, but never did it take me so by surprise as in Richmond, where he had come out to the edge of the stage and was towering over me and Megan's heads while he played. And then out of nowhere and RIGHT in our faces he shot into the air with a rock start split designed to make even the most stalwart fangirl (which I am not) swoon. Pretty sure Meg will back me up that we just gaped at each other foolishly afterward as if trying to confirm with each other that yes, in fact, that really had just happened.

Spy
For the longest time, Spy was the song Gary had seen the most number of times, that I had yet to see at all. But that all changed at one of the spring LPR shows, when Stan stepped out and started playing the beginning of the song. And I didn't react. Gary hit me and I was like, "What?" "Spy!" he says. Holy shit, says my brain! Spy! I was so not expecting it, I didn't even recognize it.

Linnell's Katharine Hepburn Impression
This was one of those things that even as it was happening it was hard to believe it was happening. When Linnell announced he was going to perform Why Does The Sun Shine? as Katharine Hepburn, we did not take him seriously. Obviously, this was a mistake as he actually did perform the entire song in a spot on perfect Hepburn impression that had me laughing so hard it hurt. Note to self: when Linnell says he is going to do something silly, BELIEVE HIM.

Posed Photography
Remember that time I was taking a picture of Linnell playing the accordion and he looked down and realized I was having trouble getting him in frame because I was too close to the stage, so he bent down and held the pose until I got my picture? Remember that?! Because I remember that and it totally blew my mind.

Chinese Food Anyone?
Not actually during a show, but between two. Gary and I were enjoying a nice Chinese meal between a family show and a rock show at the restaurant next to the theater. I had my back to the door. I am mid-meal when all of a sudden I hear Flansburgh's voice behind me. Turned out Flans, Danny, Marty and his wife and kids had come in for dinner and sat at the table immediately behind us. This quickly became the  most awkward meal I have even eaten as I was terrified to say anything lest they realize we were fans and regret the decision to sit next to us. Can't remember when I have ever been so alarmed to have someone eating Chinese food with tofu a foot behind me.

Paleontologist Premiere
This wasn't quite as surprising as it might have been since Flans took a moment to introduce the new song before Danny started singing, but the fact that they played a new song at all and that is was a new Danny song at that was absolutely mind boggling. And even more so when it turned out to be such an exceptionally amazing song. Linnell doing the dinosaur names. Flans singing the "digging" backing vocal. And Danny completely rocking out on vocals. I was awed.

Marty's Drum Sticks
Marty has a unique knack for sneaking up on me when I'm not looking up, a skill never better executed than when he came out to present his sticks to me in Boston in July. I didn't see him coming and had no time to prepare myself so I was left staring stupidly at the sticks in my hand, trying to wrap my mind around where they had come from. I've now had informal encounters with all of the band members but Linnell, and I don't think any of them compare with this one on the surprise factor.

Hi Dan!
This is still just a few days old, but I am still completely stunned that Dan waved at me on stage. And so casually, as if he was just waving to a friend in the crowd, and not as if this was the first time in four years and 80 shows that he showed any inkling of recognizing me. It's a damn good thing this was captured on video because I would probably convince myself it hadn't happened other wise.

Purple Toupee
Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel.The Johns were announcing that they were playing something from Lincoln and we all assumed it was Ana Ng. And then they started playing and my jaw hit the floor. I hit Megan and was like "Purple Toupee!" And then every single person on our side of the stage stared at the band in abject horror as we tried to come to terms with the fact that they were playing Purple Toupee, and Stacy, who had been waiting YEARS to hear the song, wasn't there. I think there were audible gasps. They probably thought we were upset that they were playing it. I have never been so thrilled and horrified to hear a song before or since.

Famous Polka Lyrics
The American Museum of Natural History. The band is performing under a giant whale. It's the second show, same set. The band is ripping through The Famous Polka for the second time that day, when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Flans starts singing the words to the song. The words they haven't performed in years. And he just randomly busts them out at a kids' show under a whale.



That's everything I can think of at the moment. I'll invariably think of other things later. But I really look forward to hearing about your most surprising show moments and hopefully this post lives up to Megan's expectations :-)