Record Store Day

April 21, 2012 - Princeton Public Library - Princeton, NJ

A free outdoor show to promote Record Store Day, followed by a signing at the Princeton Record Exchange.

Being their super early, though not as early as many of my friends, we got to see pretty much the entire stage set-up assembled. We also got to watch soundcheck, which had to have been a little awkward for the band, since we were already all there as an audience. Linnell announced to the crowd before they started, "Hey, soundcheck. We're not going to be graded on this." They ran through Polk. With some additional riffing to get the sound right. Linnell joked afterward, "thanks for coming to our show. Hope you liked it."



I hope I can say this without anyone thinking I am too creepy. But one of the highlights of this show for me was that both Marty and Dan brought there families with them, so there was a lot of adorable children running around before the show. Marty had Violet and Noah on stage with him while he was getting set-up. One of the kids was sitting at the drum kit for a bit and Violet stood next to her dad with her hands covering her ears while he played. So cute. And Noah still has his duck that he has had with him every time I have seen that kid since he was a year old.

Before the sound check, Dan was chasing his little girl around the plaza as she toddled this way and that way. Giant Dan and tiny Piper make a sight too impossibly cute for words. When the show started the kids were all sitting up and the front. Piper did a lot of dancing while Dan made crazy adorable "daddy faces" at her from the stage. God, I am such a sucker for dads with their kids. And this show was like cute kid overload.

Once the real show started, TMBG played When Will You Die, We Live In A Dump, Alphabet Of Nations, Pencil Rain, Birdhouse, Damn Good Times, Fingertips, Cloisonné, The Mesopotamians, Can't Keep Johnny Down and New York City for an encore.

Flans declared that everything in Princeton was now free and that the Starbucks down the street had set the coffee beans free.

Flans recommended everyone check out the record store and especially recommended the $1 bin. He said he had once gotten 50 records for $50 including a Naz album that he was pretty sure was worth more than $1.

Before Pencil Rain, Flans said that the next song was actually recorded on vinyl in the '80s. Then both he and Linnell made some record scratching sounds.

Flans: "You know every time we're under a tent we start getting sentimental about all of our friends who are divorced. Brings a tear to me eye. Such beautiful kids. (some laughter from the audience) Come on, it's a rock show people. If I can't swear, can I at least not say inappropriate things in a public forum."

Personally, I thought Flans calling himself out for saying something potentially inappropriate was funnier than what he said in the first place.

Linnell introduced the guitar solo in Birdhouse by saying "John and Dan, I'm talking to you guys."

Flans counted that lines in Mysterious Whisper on his fingers while he wandered around the stage, which I thought was funny.

Flans attempted to engage Linnell in some dialogue about cable programming, asking him if he was watching Girls. Flans said he preferred Mad Men.

Flans went back his old joke about stealing bass clarinets from high schools and then donating them back to the schools. "We believe that music is the future. Just like Benjamin Button."

Flans encouraged everyone to come to the signing and said if anyone wanted to go eat and then come back an hour later to the signing, they would still be there. He said, in fact, that was what they were planning on doing. That he'd be there in about an hour. He was going to go watch an episode of Game of Thrones.

Flans thanked everyone for coming, including thanking a kid in a blue shirt individually. He said they's see him in 2030 when he would be running the club. He thanked the band and the library for hosting the show. "Originally this was supposed to be in-store performance. Then we realized that might be a little stuffy." Seeing the inside of the record store, I can safely say it would have been more than a little stuffy.

After the show, I had to sneak under a barrier to retrieve the setlist that was being held for me. Written on the back of a flier for an event at the library. Classy and very unique.



Then I headed over to the record store with Gabby to capture her moment with the Johns on film. They were set up at a table outside the store and the line stretched down the block, but moved remarkably quickly. Before I knew it, it was my turn to awkwardly present my items to be signed. I started with my Join Us liner notes which only needed to be signed by Linnell. He commented that they were a little worse for the wear, and I explained that they had gotten wet at the Brooklyn show last year. I said something about them being my memento from that show, then Flans started indicating I should hurry up. I had then sign my Factory Showroom and The Else vinyls as well (the later purchased at The Record Exchange), then posed for my own photo with the Johns. And unlike my last one, Linnell is smiling in this one and actually looks like he wants to be there. Hurray!!



Afterward, I hung out with a crowd of my friends, chatting with Victor and John Carter while we waited for all of our crew to make it through the line. And we ended the evening getting delicious ice cream at a place a few blocks down. Yum!

All in all, a very successful day :-)


Puppet guitar!!