A review/recap of Anna Nalick's headlining concert at Tractor Tavern
April 6, 2006
Special late show with Eliot Morris, 10:30 p.m.
Performing "Wreck of the Day"
A little background
I’d heard “Breathe (2 AM)” on the radio a lot, but you know how DJs are. They never tell you who’s singing the song! Or they say it so fast when you’re concentrating on driving. Or you’re listening to your iPod with iTrip, so you don’t listen to the radio at all. So for a long time, I didn’t know the singer of “Breathe.” (Sidenote: I found it funny that people compared Anna Nalick to Michelle Branch, who also has a song called “Breathe.” Two very different but equally great songs.) I loved hearing it on the radio, especially the lines “But, my God, it’s so beautiful when the boy smiles / Wanna hold him. Maybe I’ll just sing about it.” Then I started to hear “In the Rough” on the radio, and the DJs were kind enough to mention Anna’s name. I was hooked. I had to listen to the entire album, so I placed it on hold at the library. Finally, I got impatient, so I bought the CD online in January. (Don’t hate me for being late to the party!)
As I’ve mentioned before, I found out from annanalick.com that she’d be in Ballard on April 6. Hmmm… I’ve only been to Ballard twice in my life (for the salmon locks and bowling with the cousins), and I had never driven there myself. I was so worried, for some reason, that I wouldn’t know where to go and that I’d get lost. I missed out on buying tickets to the 8 p.m. show, and thank heavens that they added a second show. I bought a ticket immediately.
I’ve listened to Wreck of the Day constantly and voraciously ever since it arrived in the mail. When I was in the Philippines for two and a half weeks without my iPod, I brought along my trusty CD player and listened to Wreck of the Day on repeat. While in Vinzons, I sang along one afternoon when my allergies finally subsided. My brother Jason said his friend saw Anna perform in Austin the day he (Jason) drove to Texas to move there. He would have gone had he not been driving. Too bad for the missed opportunity, Bro. We can go next time. :)
Before the show
Thank you to MapQuest for getting me to Ballard in a straightforward manner. Actually, I chose to drive to the U-District, drove west on 45th and followed the directions to Ballard. Piece o’ cake. Tractor Tavern doesn’t have a parking lot, but the Web site said that there was plenty of street parking. Yes! That was another concern of mine. And get this: I successfully parallel parked! Booyah! But then, get THIS: I got lost on foot! I walked around Ballard Ave., but I walked around the wrong part! It was already 10:05, and I said to myself, “Oh, great. I’m so close, but this one last leg is going to make me late!” I returned to the car to consult the map, and then I walked south. Still unsure of myself, I asked a woman walking her dog about the location of Tractor Tavern. Thank you, ma’am! You were in the right place at the right time, and you have a cute dog.
I stood in line behind a nice couple who asked a woman in front of them what the previous show was like (she said it was great and that it ended with “Breathe”). As the line inched forward, I grew antsy. Finally, I made it inside and got my left wrist stamped with “Ballard!” and immediately staked out a spot about five rows back from the stage. Well, there were no chairs, so we all stood. It was a sold-out show, after all. Of all the places I chose to stand, I picked a spot with a tall man in front of me. But it worked out. I had fairly good sightlines for the opening act.
Opening Act
Ooh, Eliot Morris. He’s married but definitely easy on the eyes. Plus, he has a great voice and played an amplified acoustic guitar. Lovely. I enjoyed his set. I didn’t buy his CD, but I think I should have. As we waited for Anna, people shifted where they were standing, so I had a harder time seeing the stage, but I made do.
Anna!!!
Tim the bass player announced to us that Anna was in the bathroom. Shortly thereafter, she made her way onstage and started singing “Citadel” right away. Normally, when I write concert reviews, I go all out with details. This is different, and I’ll tell you what. It’s kind of a blur. I mean, I remember some details, but I couldn’t tell you the exact set list from memory. Let me just say that the concert ROCKED. I loved every moment. Every song, every story, everything about it. Even having to stand. It felt intimate and overwhelming (in a good way) all at once.
"Citadel"
Here are the details I remember:
After a song or two, Anna called out Tim for making the bathroom announcement. Then she said something along the lines of, “Do you want to know how big of a bad-ass I am? I went to the bathroom ... and I didn’t wash my hands! That’s rock star for ya.” LOL!
Forever Love (Digame): Right before they started the song, Anna said she had the giggles. When the chorus came around, she started to laugh instead of sing and said, “Luis f***ed up!” Then they started the chorus over again, and everything was peachy keen after that. (Hmmm… I didn’t think I ever used the words “peachy keen,” but I’ll keep that there.)
In My Head: She introduced this song as the one she wrote about falling in love with someone onstage. (Note: I hope remembered this right. And knowing the lyrics, it makes sense. Wow.)
In the Rough: She wrote this song about an ex, and she was able to pick out a guy who looked just like him for the music video. Ha!
I can’t remember when this came up, but she brought up the fact that she learned saying two things to an audience will get them to cheer wildly. One being the F-word and the other being “Smoking weed!” So she asked us why can’t other phrases make an audience go wild. She tried a few on us: “Peanut butter on toast!” “Slippers after a long day!” “Cute shoes!” (For the last one, I’m not sure if she said cute shoes. Or good shoes. Well, it was something about shoes, and she held one up for us to see. It was cute.) Later in the show she tried “Someone giving you breakfast in bed!” WOO! That was my response to all those new cheer-inducing phrases.
At one point, she said she revealed a secret to the 8 o’clock crowd, so she decided to let us in on the secret too: Prior to our show, they did some shows in Canada, which has no Starbucks apparently. And the first place they came to upon returning to the U.S.? Seattle, baby! She said she went to all the Starbuckses here. (And I thought to myself, “You’re going to need a lot more time to visit them all!”) "Green tea Frappuccinos," she said. I’ve never tried them. Anyway, I digress.
Throughout the show, I got to stand next to people who knew the words to her songs. We all were either singing along or mouthing the words. And also moving to the music. We could all be her back-up singers. Although Luis already does a great job. He really rocks at playing the guitar, too. I loved the over-the-shoulder move I read about on the message board.
Breathe: She invited us to sing, so we did. Afterward, she said that she was thrilled to hear us singing her song. It was pretty cool getting to sing with everyone in the crowd.
After “Breathe,” she sang “Bleed.” She introduced Tim, Ronny (on drums, I couldn’t see him play) and Luis. Each took a solo run. After Luis’ amazing solo, Anna said, “Well I f***in’ quit!” LOL! And then she and Luis did an incredible vocal vs. guitar duel. Oh man, I got chills. That’s when Luis did his over-the-shoulder move. Woohoo!
Encore
Some people started to leave, so I moved up and kept cheering for the encore. We were loud and fantastic. Anna returned to the stage. I realized I hadn’t taken pictures of Tim and Ronny, so I started to do that, and then a girl in the front row, noticed me with my camera and moved aside to let me take a picture of the band. (I tried my best to get everybody, but then I was too close to pan out!)
Then, the same girl moved to the right and let me stand in the front row! THANK YOU! That was such a nice gesture, and I won’t forget her kindness. I was able to get some close-ups. Really close. I mean, Anna was. Right. There.
I was able to take a picture of the set list, so that's why I don't have to remember the order. Here it is, flipped for easy viewing! The last song is "Bleed" -- not "Bleep"! The sixth song, "Dreams," was a cover of Fleetwood Mac. A lot of people sang along.
A guy in the audience kept shouting for Anna to sing “Catalyst.” She said she’d think about it. Someone else shouted, "Make one up!" Anna then sang a song I didn't recognize. Well the guy in the audience got his wish. She sang “Catalyst.” Yay! At the end, instead of singing “They don’t shine quite as bright as back in Frisco,” she sang “They don’t shine quite as bright as back in Seattle.” Yay! I have a picture of her singing the last syllable of “Seattle.” (See picture below.)
After the show
After “Catalyst,” she left the stage, and I stood there to soak it all in. The concert ended around 12:15. I took a picture of the drum set, which I didn’t get to see until I moved to the very front. I thanked the girl to my right for making room for me again. Turns out I was standing next to burnedchevrolets (to my left) from the message board. Then I asked if he thought Anna would come out again. I had hoped so. Some girls waiting by the roped-off area screamed, and she came out! I stood off to the side, still by the stage though, and waited. And waited. And waited. Then, finally she moved over a little bit to clear the stairs and said she’d better hurry because they were closing. So I thanked her and wished her happy birthday, and I gave her a present: a CD and a card. Yes, I prepared a note for the gift, so that in case I got tongue-tied, she could read the note. I told her – both in the note and aloud – that I wanted to give her something that she couldn’t buy in a store. I gave her a copy of my song “Will I Ever?”. (I actually had just recorded it the night before. I had envisioned giving the CD to her, and well, dreams do come true sometimes! This is proof! This is where all the luck went!) She smiled and gave me a hug! Yup! She extended her arm out and leaned in, so I hugged her back! I hugged one of my musical inspirations! How COOL is that? Then I asked her to sign my copy of Wreck of the Day and handed it over along with my silver permanent marker. She confirmed that my name was Allison. Then I realized she was personalizing my CD cover. That’s so cool she took the time to look at my present, which did have my name on it. Then she handed Wreck back to me, and I thanked her again. Throughout the experience, I got to see firsthand just how gracious and thoughtful she is. She held onto my pen, and I didn’t have the guts to ask for it back. :)
I walked away, so she could spend time with other fans waiting for her, and I bought a T-shirt at the souvenir stand. The drive home was a breeze. I found myself driving 75 when I reached downtown Seattle, where you’re supposed to slow down to 55 or so. Oops. Ballard is awesome!
From the dog-walking lady to the girl who made room for me to Anna herself, thank you all!!!
We took a few digi's of photographs in albums. My two favorites are one of Janice and me and one of Janice socializing when she was a toddler! :)
Mom's high school in Naga
It was the pinning ceremony for Maya and Macel. Congratulations!
Another view of Our Lady of the Gate (I hope I remembered the name correctly!)
At the Albay Wildlife Park. Albay is the name of the province. Vinzons is in Camarines Norte, Naga in Camarines Sur and Legaspi/Legazpi in Albay.
Napping on a sunny Saturday afternoon: The two cats are the cat's pajamas!
Dad wrote in the sand "We are Magjjc." I also wrote with my right foot (does that make me right-footed?) the titles of my most recently written songs in the sand and watched the water wash them away. It was very cool.
