Wrapping Up The Year

By Ryan "Shep" Shepard

I went through the fabled nancies.org archives recently, convinced I'd written a "buyers' guide" in one of these past few years we've been online. You know, the classic "here's what I'd suggest you buy people for the holidays" article that you see in some form or another each year. We're inundated with them. Admittedly, I was going to write one, and refer to the old one in contrast.

Then along came the Rochester show on December 16th, where the band came back to my hometown after years of teasing us with gigs at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center or Buffalo. A good show - not the best I've witnessed personally, but it was nice to have them here, and to have a commute home that didn't involve checking my baggage.

Having been at the show, I started to formulate the idea that if I was going to write a holiday-themed article, it ought to be my wishlist for 2003, or at least for the next 12 to 18 months. I've gotta be realistic - the stuff that I want is not going to magically appear overnight. Save that mindset for the more intense fans.

Anyway, here's my wishes, ranked from the faintest desire to the most burnin' of yearnings.

You'll Hear It, and You'll Like It

I love to read it on the boards, and I hear it on rare occasion out loud - those folks who go to shows and have such a problem with the setlists. "Man, I can't believe they didn't play (insert song here)!" What, are you kidding? Granted, I'm not big on Captain or Sleep To Dream Her, but when they're coming with WWYS, Watchtower and other songs that I do like, I'll get over it rather quick. I'm not going to lament about it for days on end. Be thankful for what you got, as the song goes.

They Call it "Research"

A review of the show here in Rochester talked about how One Sweet World was an instrumental (when in fact it was the separate intro). It also brought up Stefan's "noodling" before they played Watchtower, which had included the bass line from Halloween - however, the reviewer really didn't know this whatsoever, or I think he would have realized the importance of it even being teased. I'm in no way saying that every reviewer has to know the crucial intricacies of the band, but for the love of god, if you've been reviewing the band for a while, maybe it's time to dig a little deeper.

Exercising Restraint

Maybe this is me being older and more cantankerous, but if I was the gentlemen who did upgrades, and I had people hounding me all the time, I'd lose it. I'd go nuts. There's never anything wrong with loving a band, and trying to have some sort of rapport with them. But over the past year, there's been instances of folks just hounding the band and the crew. This is pretty much the same as every year, so hell, why not repeat myself again?

The Annual Trading Plea

Be a good trader. Don't rip folks off. Don't try to sell your live shows when you know the band asks that it's not done. Don't be a dick when people point out the fact you shouldn't be selling live shows. Don't sell the Lillywhites. My opinion in the past was that they shouldn't even be traded, but those tracks spread faster than syphilis anyways. At least now, if you're going to copy them/trade them, don't sell them - and furthermore, don't sell them on eBay. Nothing says "not only do I shirk the band's requests, I'm a complete idiot and want to get caught" like that.

The Annual Buying/Selling Tickets Plea

Too many times this year, folks sold their Warehouse tickets for well above face value. People complained that prices were too high, and some folks spent exorbitant sums on tickets that would have paid my rent for a month. The buyer controls the selling price. If people rejected the $90 selling price for a ticket, the jerk selling it would have to drop the price to something more affordable - but there's a sucker born every minute, as the saying goes.

I do understand the excitement that comes from sitting 2nd row. I'm not one who's hoping Dave'll blow me kisses, but to be that close to a band you like is exciting, sure. Then again, I've sat 11th row, and 20th, and those experiences have been just as great.

To put it plainly, 20th row is not going to run you the same as 2nd when you're dealing with a scalper. Use your heads in 2003, folks, and be more assertive in dealing with these types. It'll help everyone in the long run.

DMB uses more D 'n' B

All the band members are crucial, obviously, but I'd love to see some jams involving Carter and Stefan. A July 1998 Spin article mentions Stefan digging DJ Shadow and the Propellerheads, a statement that caught my eye since I'm a huge fan of both. Having witnessed the musical prowess of both band members, I can only have "audio daydreams" of Stefan laying down riff after riff of distorted bass while Carter messes with breakbeats. A great example of breakbeat drumming, for those who aren't certain, is ?uestlove of The Roots, exemplified on their album Things Fall Apart. Yes, it'd be a departure of sorts, but has any fan really had a problem with the band when they try new things?

Release the Gorge DVD as a 3-disc set

Waldo made a comment recently that, by looking at the video for "Grey Street," one would think that the DVD would also be edited as such. I'm praying - praying - that Red Light and the DMB would sink a great deal of time and effort into the Gorge DVD, which I'd rather pronounce "DVD's." I'm looking at it like "three nights of music equals three discs to watch" - nevermind the fact we'd see "Grey Street" twice and "Grace is Gone" three times (another video to look for, perhaps). Although I'm not aware of how much footage was sent in by the public, you'd think there'd be enough to fill in the extra space on those discs, along with personal footage of the band, multiple angles during concerts, and whatever other goodies they could think up. Hell, Red Light, if you're reading, give me a yell. I'd love to compile those, and I guarantee if you release it, you'd at least have one buyer - me.

So there's my wishes for the next year. No, I don't know if there's a shot of the Gorge DVD really being three. I'll answer that now. I certainly hope so, though.

To wrap it up, from all of us here at nancies.org, may you have a great holiday season, and may 2003 bring you more shows and more opportunities to enjoy the band. Thanks for your support over the past year - we've always appreciated it, and always will.