So I spent Friday night getting tacos and ice cream with CoolDaughter #2 as CoolMom took CoolDaughter #1 and her friends to see The Maze Runner. It's actually quite awesome hanging out with CD2 one on one. I don't know if it's a second child thing or what, but she loves having CoolMom and / or me all to herself. We came home and watched the Master Chef season finale on DVR. She laughed with mischievous glee at the thought of seeing the ending before her mother and sister.
It was a fun evening, and I honestly don't regret missing The Replacements and The Hold Steady out in Queens (or Stiff Little Fingers and The So So Glos at The Stone Pony) one, little bit.
And whaddya know? Corinna, Corrina's Deaglan Howlett went to the show; and I got him to give us a recap.
Some wise, old sage once described Corrina, Corrina's sound as "The Replacements via The Gaslight Anthem." The boys in the band thought that was apt, so I thought it would be interesting to get the take of someone whose own music has been so heavily influenced by the legendary Minnesota band.
Thanks, Deaglan. Any time you want to do another one of these, just let me know.
Intoxicated Lover Ending Our French Kiss…
by Deaglan Howlett
I left my house at 3:30 to catch the 4:00 train to Penn Station where I would then jump on the R subway to Forrest Hills Stadium to see my favorite band in the entire world, The Replacements. It wasn't too difficult to tell who exactly was on their way to see this show, although the 25/75 split between middle aged “hip” adults and drunk Yankees fans certainly helped. It was a special subway ride, with no words exchanged among the concertgoers, for we all understood the importance of the event that was taking place in just 2 hours.
As I got off the subway, I walked about two blocks before making a right, following the Heineken-sponsored “Forrest Hills Stadium this way!” signs. As I embarked on what seemed like a five mile walk toward the entrance gate, I got to skip the line for alcoholic beverage wristbands (I’m just a kid.). I walked right up to security where I would take out my ticket and hear that wonderful “Do-Doo!” sound you hear after your ticket is scanned that means you’re in.
As I approached my seat, constantly checking my ticket for where my section was and to make sure I wasn't dreaming, Deer Tick went into “The Rock” off their latest album. By the time I sat down, their set had ended. As a fan, it was somewhat disappointing; but at this moment, nothing could bring me down.
Roughly 26 minutes passed until The Hold Steady hit the stage, earlier than scheduled, and nearly tore the place down. “Alright New York, this is pretty cool,” shouted Craig Finn before going into hit after hit. He owned the stage, with his wild “preachy” hand movements; and the sound was huge. Being a long time Hold Steady fan, I could tell how psyched they were to be opening up for such an important band. Finn even noted how, “It’s beyond thrilling to be opening up for my favorite band.” After the last chord on “Stay Positive,” he got to yell, “The Replacements are up next,” something you could tell he never thought he’d ever say.
As the night grew darker and colder, (good thing I bought that $50 ‘Mats sweatshirt), the anticipation grew stronger and the bleachers filled up. The stage lights flashed, and the house lights went down as “Jet Song” came on from the beloved West Side Story. One minute into the song, Paul, Tommy, Josh, and David ran onto the stage, Paul with a cigarette in hand as he mumbled something right before they broke into “Favorite Thing.” Everyone immediately lost their minds.
The band played a 29 song career spanning set, playing everything everyone wanted to hear, including songs people didn't even know they wanted. Who would've thought, after hearing Paul say, “I learned this riff,” that they'd go into “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5? (which was amazing by the way) They even played “Nowhere Is My Home,” which was particularly sad given Paul’s current (or pre-reunion, anyway) circumstance. The mood was lightened when Westerberg hit a sour chord at the end of “Achin' to Be” and laughed it off with the band. He nailed all the words in “Androgynous,” but lost it again three songs later on a bombastic cover of Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene,” asking if drummer Josh Freese “had the beat” after he'd sung out of rhythm. Realizing it was his own fault, Westerberg dropped the charade mumbling, “Ah fuck it” as they went back into the chorus one last time. Tommy then asked, “Is there something off that one record?” before they went into “Merry Go Round” which had the whole stadium singing at the top of their lungs.
The last 6 songs couldn't have been more perfect: “Can’t Hardly Wait," “Bastards of Young,” “White and Lazy,” “Left of the Dial,” “Alex Chilton.” And then they walked off the stage for a minute before ending with “Unsatisfied.” Paul then kicked and threw a couple of tennis balls into the crowd and even threw out a shirt he was wearing. He immediately yelled into the mic, “If there’s any cigarettes in there, throw ‘em back.” Of course, people were throwing packs of cigarettes at the stage as Paul vanished into the dark walking off the stage.
The walk out of the stadium was filled with more cigarette smoke and drunk reunions as I walked past notable Rolling Stone writer/author Rob Sheffield and hometown hero Patrick Stickles of Titus Andronicus.
It was as tight as it was sloppy. It was as endearing as it was pitiful. It was the only band who could possibly pull it off. It was The Replacements.
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