Sunday, June 08, 2003

I Just Need A Little Diet Cola …

I walked out of the Triple Rock last night with a grin a mile wide. This is what happens when your mind gets blown by Lifter Puller. Oh. My. God. I think the guy standing next to me at the show was literally getting his mind blown – he kept putting his face into his hands like he couldn’t deal with the awesomeness. The rest of the time, of course, he and his buds (and me, and lots of others) were mouthing along with Craig Finn’s killer words.

I started the evening feeling guilty – see, I had gone to the Friday show also, but was so nervous that I drank too much, too fast and memories of the show are spotty. By Saturday night I started to feel a little better – I rationalized that I had spent Friday night / Saturday afternoon being a character in a Lifter Puller song. Yeah, I can almost hear the knockdown lyrics about the aging goofball who gets lit on Old Style, gets courage to talk to girls (but forgets the conversations), gets a ride home from his buds, then takes the bus all over Minneapolis the next day in order to get his car back … and the bus drops the dude off in front of a bar called the Sunrise Inn!

But last night after I walked through the bar’s door some speed freak – impossibly skinny, short, and with eyes like glowing saucers – proceeded to tell me some fast story about a girl who took his drink. He made sure to put his face mere inches from mine. Ugh. But I’m guessing that Saturday he got to be a Lifter Puller character, leaving me to enjoy the show. Thanks my dear methhead - just stay away from the Eyepatch Guy!

Yes, the Triple Rock’s new addition is outstanding. Great sight lines and fast bartenders and two-dollar Old Styles. The weird thing is that the place is so new, it’s clean and doesn’t quite feel rock-ready. But at the pace that smokes were being inhaled and bottles were being dropped on the floor over the weekend, I have a feeling that the joint will get that decadent feel real soon. I can’t wait to get back there.

And the show was fantastic. When the DJ played Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back in Town” before their set, everyone knew the band was going to be starting. They came out and kicked off with “Plymouth Rock” and tore the house down. The rest of the show continued on the wave of the band’s energy and the crowd’s enthusiasm. Highlights? The show was one long highlight! Guitars and keyboards and bass and drums played like the world is ending, over the top all those words about the thrills, chills, and spills of the night life. My smirk turned to a smile turned to that grin as the set went on. One cool moment of note – Craig mentioned all of the places that had reps in the crowd (South Dakota, East Coast, Iowa, etc.) and he followed it up with: “A question a lot of the out-of-towners ask is: ‘What is 3.2?’” Us locals cheered and the band went into “Lifter Puller vs. The End Of The Evening.” Sweet.

So let us now go ahead and say it: One of the very best live bands these twin towns has produced. If you’ve seen Lifter Puller before, you know what I mean – as a friend once said: “they give a shit every single second.” If you haven’t seen them, doors for the third show open soon. I’ll be at home with my coffee and my grin, so my place in the crowd will be open.