I saw Tom Waits at the Fox theater last night- I didn’t really want to go, it was one of those things that my husband really wanted to do and I just went along to be a good sport. The first thing I thought when he told me that Tom Waits was going to be playing the Fox and he wanted to go was"Jeez, three hours of Tom Waits. I’ll have to be drunk off my butt".
Much to my surprise, I really enjoyed the show. He was very funny and entertaining. I couldn’t tell you the name of one song that he did, because I’m not that familiar with his work, but he has a new fan.
I’ve never had the pleasure of attending one of his shows but I’ve heard several bootlegs. He’s very engaging with the audience, very comfortable. In the last few years I had similar experiences as yours with Pearl Jam and The White Stripes, went in with others who were fans and wound up being very impressed with their showmanship.