Bleeding Fiction

I drove out to the Crocodile Cafe in downtown Seattle tonight to see the wonderful Erin McKeown play a show. I went alone, which should demonstrate how much I love to see Erin play, because I absolutely hate to go to places like that alone. It's part of that whole thing where I don't so much always like talking to people I don't know.

I got a little lost on my way to the show. The Crocodile Cafe's website is entirely to blame. Usually, when directions read "From I-5 South" they mean "if you are driving South on I-5." In this case, that's not so much the truth. What they really meant was "if you are driving on I-5 and are South of the city" as in "if you are driving on I-5 North." This strikes me as remarkably stupid. I drove out of the city of Seattle altogether. Not far, mind, but far enough. I turned around and came back.

Seattle drivers, by the way, are pretty rotten. They're not like Connecticut drivers, who are lethal. Technically, these folks drive fine. It's just that they drive slow. And I'm not speaking as a typically speedy New Jersey driver when I say this. I mean that the speed limit is 60 and all of the people aroung me were driving 55. But I digress.

Due to the getting lost I arrived to the show about fifteen minutes late. No big deal, I thought. I've just missed a little bit of the opening act. I can handle that. The thing is, the posters and signs all tell me that Erin is the opening act. Hhm. That doesn't seem right. That means that I've been misinformed. Also that I missed the first third of Erin's act. I've never seen the main band, The Waifs, and the tickets are $23. I barely hesitated.

I watched Erin play. The crowd was into the music, but it was apparent that most them them weren't there to see her. She played a ton of new songs, stuff I hadn't heard before, and it was good. Seven or eight months until her new album, Erin said. Can't wait.

After she played she came out and signed. Took me a bit by surprise with that; I'd seen Erin play five times before tonight and I hadn't seen her sign yet, so I didn't bring one of her albums with me. Naturally, I had to buy another copy of Grand to get her to sign. And a T-shirt. I bought a drink for $7, which was a total rip off.

After a bit, the Waifs came on. How to explain to you what this band was like... You can infer what I thought about them when I say that I left before they'd finished their fourth song, but that wouldn't really capture what they are. They are... well, they are an Australian country-western band.

Yeah, that was pretty much my response.

So, in the final assessment: I spent $30 just to be at the show, I saw the girl I'd gone to see play for a total of about 30 minutes and I didn't enjoy the music of the other folks playing. That means that I spent a dollar a minute on tonight's entertainment.

But you know what? I consider every dollar well-spent. Erin is that fuckin' cool.

But now I have an extra copy of Grand. Anybody want it?