Well, I JUST got home from the first show of Tom Waits’ new tour, his first in a few years and his first trip to the South in more like 30 years. I drove eight hours from Orlando FL to Atlanta GA, parked right next door to the Tabernacle in downtown Atlanta and got in just as they started opening the doors (it’s an amazing venue, by the way). After that, I stood in place for three hours to hold my spot, enjoyed the hell out of the show once it finally started, and drove straight back home afterwards. That’s how pumped I was after the show, to be able to go all the way home without getting a motel room or crashing anywhere… but large quantities of Mountain Dew helped keep me awake and alert.
Anyway, we were all in the presence of greatness last night. Tom Waits is a consummate performer and a charming, charismatic guy, just as you could tell if you’ve ever listened to Nighthawks At the Diner or Big Time, or seen his classic *Austin City Limits * performance. It was general admission, so I was about five people back from the front center of the stage, with a clear view of him the entire time. Literally stood in the shadow of a giant. He had a four-piece band, including Duke Robillard (sp?) on guitar, an upright bassist, and his son Casey Waits on drums. The keyboardist/percussionist (perhaps the guy who played on Real Gone?) was outstanding, and Tom occasionally picked up a guitar himself or sat at a grand piano to slow things down.
Here is the setlist, although I didn’t know the names of a few songs and guessed on a couple of them:
Make It Rain
Hoist That Rag
Shore Leave
God’s Away On Business
November
Cause of It All (Howlin’ Wolf cover)
Bye Bye Baby
Blue Valentine
Some Lucky Day
Send Me Off To Bed Forevermore
House Where Nobody Lives
Don’t Go Into the Barn
You Got To Lie To Me, Baby (another cover, perhaps of a ‘60s girl group song)
Whistlin’ Past the Graveyard
9th and Hennepin
Trampled Rose
??? (I had no idea what the next song was.)
Murder In the Red Barn
Shake It
Encore 1:
Singapore
Goin’ Out West (these two pretty much brought the house down!)
Encore 2:
Day After Tomorrow
Heartattack and Vine
Okay, now I’m tired, after being awake for 24 hours and driving for 16 of them. But it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to, and I feel like a hardcore champion for my handling of the logistics. Tom Waits is my favorite musician of all time, and considering he’s reclusive and isn’t getting any younger, nothing would have kept me away now that he’s on tour again. I never thought I’d get to see him perform live, so last night was a truly life-changing musical experience for me.
