UFO set list: Doctor Doctor, Lights Out, Too Hot To Handle, Shoot Shoot, Loser, Rock Bottom, Sick As A Dog by Aerosmith, Nobody's Fault by Aerosmith

Brad's set list: Bless Me Father, Buttercup, Brothers & Sisters, Low (Stone on bass), The Day Brings (Shawn solo)

Ed's set list: Parting Ways, Man of the Hour, The Seeker by the Who, Porch, Yellow Ledbetter [Ed (on drums), Mike and Stone]

Photo credit: LeAnn Mercer

It started off as a CCFA (Crohn's/Colitis Foundation) Benefit, with Left Hand Smoke headlining and 'Mike McCready & Friends' as the opening act. Word was that Mike had assembled a Scorpions tribute band; that info was revised or corrected to be a UFO tribute band. At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy a ticket...I mean, I realize it's Mike...MIKE...and that must sound horribly blasé but Mike is also in the Rockfords and sometimes those shows are fun and sometimes they are just tedious, so I had to think about the tribute band idea. I was more interested when it was supposedly the Scorpions -- they have radio hits -- but UFO? I don't know any UFO songs, do I? Do I really want to go? Oh, all right. FAMOUS LAST WORDS. : )

I eventually bought a ticket, and yes, I feel all of you who don't live in Seattle collectively kicking me for even thinking twice. Coincidentally a few days after I decided to go, we found out that Brad was adding their name to the bill to play a short set (4-5 songs) as well. Wow, for $21.50 ($15 plus fees...always the fees, even through Fastixx) I get Mike and Stone side projects? Cool.

This past week, we noticed yet another band (Vast Capital) had been added as an opener. Then, the rumor of a "surprise" guest or event whispered through my email inbox. In the last 48 hours before the show, the rumor revealed itself to be an acoustic set that would feature Ed, with Stone and Mike thrown in for free. Thank Cready I had a ticket. (Yet another opportunity to sing Willy Wonka..."I've got a golden ticket...")

Photo credit: LeAnn Mercer

Three friends from Northern California whom I shall call The Brad Girls T, flew in for the event, as no Brad show is an official Brad show unless they are in attendance -- it would be like holding a meeting and no one taking down the minutes. I picked them up at the airport and we scooted downtown to their hotel for some wardrobe revisions and then we went to the club. As we exited my vehicle in the parking lot next to the club, who should come out of the club but Mike Berg and Regan Hagar. Hugs all around for The Brad Girls (ok, from now on, they're TBG.) After hugging everyone else Regan grinned at me like "and who might you be?" so I said, "Hi Regan, I'm LeAnn" and stuck out my hand for a very warm handshake. He remarked that that was also his wife's name, which I had forgotten but indeed it is. I've met Regan a time or two before over the years and he is always so gracious and chatty with fans -- he is as "regular guy" as they come. TBG chatted with Mike and Regan and then we made our way inside the Green Room (restaurant/bar attached to the Showbox). One more friend, a transplanted Pennsylvanian who is now a local and formerly the world's biggest UFO groupie --er, Bandaid -- ever, was to meet up with us at the club to complete our group. (We had hoped a couple other friends would find extra tix outside but alas, it didn't happen for them.) An hour or so later, we were in the venue camped out in our favorite spots (TBG up front, hugging the stage; me to the left of the stage camped out at a barstool with the UFO Bandaid, who was waiting for their performance to make her way to the main floor to bang her head with the best of them.)

Vast Capital opened -- and were actually very good. Like, I'd see them again, sans any PJ involvement on the bill. They've been around for a while and apparently used to frequent the OK Hotel, so maybe I've seen them before and just don't remember. (God, I miss the OK Hotel!) They played a great set -- high energy, cool harmonies on vocals, really tight group, with what seemed like a lot of guitars and then a violin and cello and at the end they threw in a trumpet. (Their website says they also have a flute player, but alas, no flutes tonight.) Then after an excruciating 30+ minute set change, a single folding chair and mic were brought out to just right of center stage. The chair was placed in just the right spot -- right in front of TBG, of course.

While waiting in the lounge, through the crowd noise and overhead restaurant music, I'd heard Ed soundcheck Parting Ways and Man of the Hour. (And after the soundcheck, watched as Mike, and then later Ed [escorted by Smitty] walked through the lobby and outside of the club. Ed, in his aviator shades and collar-length blondish-brown hair and denim jacket, looked yummy.) Even after knowing in advance he'd be there, and hearing him warm up, and seeing him in the lobby...it was still electrifying to see him actually walk out on stage. He seated himself on his little folding chair, in a black short sleeved shirt (I believe), and opened his set with Parting Ways - just Ed and an acoustic guitar and it was so, so powerful and amazing...the audience was singing along so loud at the end (the "drifting away" part) that he repeated the refrain and said, "Hey, that sounded good, you sing it" and we raised the rafters with it. FYI, Ed's guitar skills are improving by the minute. I think I've complained about that subject before -- if not in a review, certainly in the AOL or AMPJ forums, so I want to give him credit for becoming more accomplished at guitar. It was all the accompaniment he needed, and for that particular song, I would have guessed it wouldn't be enough, and would have left me wanting more. I would have guessed WRONG. It proves my general theory that if a song is a good song, even if the studio version is lush and layered and complex, you can strip it down to just a voice and acoustic accompaniment and it will still hold its own. Next on the setlist was Man of the Hour -- which of course was built to be sung solo with just guitar behind it. It was beautiful and melodic and brought back incredibly fond memories of Benaroya and Bridge performances, particularly Benaroya. For as simple as that song is, I don't think I'll ever tire of it. I'm sure part of the attachment is the way I heard it first -- performed live in an acoustically perfect orchestra hall when the song was 2 days old. I recall someone saying they hoped it wouldn't morph into a Wishlist sort of thing...where if you attend a lot of live shows, you grow tired of hearing it. For me, it won't. It's safe. And touchingly beautiful.

Next, he did a cover that my friends and I are thinking he'd never done before: The Seeker. As a limited but appreciative Who fan, it was awesome. Just knowing Ed's love of The Who made it special -- he could have done some totally obscure song of theirs I'd never heard before and it would have been cool. I'm already jonesing for some audio of this show. ; )

The next song nearly blew me off my coveted barstool. (The club capacity is 1100 -- which includes about 10 tables in the bar, which is elevated from the main floor but further back from the stage than I wanted to be, and no more than 14 random barstools near the stage, LOL.) He did PORCH. Yes, Ed, solo, with an acoustic guitar...PORCH. I was a stunned monkey. A slobberingly slap-happy stunned monkey. Ed sang it with passion, singing clearly with force but not anger, and just ripping on acoustic guitar. I thought (ok, I feared) he might stop at the point where it goes into the endless jam, but he worked through it as a brief instrumental and then finished the song as usual, his voice soaring above the crowd who was trying their hardest to outsing him on those last few lines. I don't recall hearing that song live, in person, in ages...could it really have been since the 2000 tour for me? It doesn't matter now...the one I heard last night is etched in my memory and will last another 4 years if that's what it takes. ; )

Photo credit: LeAnn Mercer

Mike and Stone had wandered out on stage in the darkness between songs at one point (I think it was after The Seeker) but had disappeared, as Ed seemed to want to continue solo, and I was wondering if Ed was going to share the stage with them or not. ; ) He did, but not until he moved behind the drum kit. Ed on drums, Mike and Stone joining him on guitar (Stone, acoustic, Mike, electric) -- what else could it be to close their set but LEDBETTER. I screamed so loud I nearly blew my friend off the seat next to me, hahaha. It was a funky version of Ledbetter, more rhythmic with a harder beat than the way it usually just lilts along. Ed did an admirable job on the kit -- I don't think it's any small feat to sing and play drums at the same time; IMO, much harder than playing guitar and singing. As the song closed to Mike's familiar guitar refrain, the crowd roared and sounded like 11,000 rather than the room capacity of 1,100 (and I have never SEEN that club so packed. Not even the PJ shows last December looked as packed as the room did tonight. My UFO friend dubbed The Showbox "The Sweatbox" long ago and sadly, it's true every time. HEY! PEOPLE WHO OWN THE SHOWBOX! IT'S SEATTLE AND COOL OUTSIDE -- EVER THOUGHT OF PIPING IN SOME OF THAT REFRESHING MARINE AIR?) After the near 30-minute set, I was wrapped in the 'gauze of love' for Ed, of Stone and of Mike as always. The crowd was buzzing afterwards and even the presence of 3/5ths of pearl jam didn't upstage the other bands (well, except for maybe Left Hand Smoke, heh...who were left with the unfortunate spot of 'headliner'). In the moment, it just made the entire evening better -- what better band to 'warm up' a crowd than the guys from Pearl Jam?

How they looked: everybody looked good, especially Ed. Mike's hair is short (dark, not platinum), and he had on a sleeveless jersey with a "24" on the front. He looked really happy and healthy but I think a lot of it was his exuberance about this show. Stone's hair is short -- not super short but not grown out to any extent, and he had on a grey T-shirt, I think, and a visor. Ed had on a black short sleeved shirt (not a T-shirt, a shirt shirt, ha) and I assume they were all wearing pants and probably shoes but don't remember who had on what, LOL. I hear from those who were only inches away during the performance (coughTheBradGirlscough) that Ed's hair is in need of a hot oil treatment from the bleaching and has a bit of a wacky flip to it in some places. Maybe his hair was like that quote from Clueless...He looked F.I.N.E. from far away, but up close it was a big ol' mess. I had to admit when he breezed through the lobby before the show, even those I was only a few feet away, I was basking in his Edness and not critiquing the condition of his flowing locks. : D

When Mike and Stone came out on stage the place just erupted -- it was yet another in a string of incredible club moments I've been fortunate enough to have with this band and this city and overall, the energy and electricity in this performance was second to none in my experience of club shows, 'secret' shows, or special shows, with the exception of Benaroya. (That one just ranks up there with untouchable.) Ed's only political comment summed up the feelings of most PJ fans: "John Kerry could be the 2nd worst president we've ever had and he's still be better than what we've got now." After the last notes of Ledbetter were gone, the crowd was buzzing during the set change...it didn't matter if you were expecting it or had heard rumors of it or if the performance came as a complete surprise -- it was incredible.

Somewhere during the evening between bands, Mike and the CCFA MC (Chris Adams) came out to show off a beautiful acoustic guitar and snare drum that had been signed by all the evenings' performers to be auctioned through the various bands' websites to raise funds for CCFA. Chris said something like, "Everyone who played tonight signed them...yes, even Eddie Vedder," and Mike joked, "That Ed Vedder, he's an up and coming young man." If you're interested, check out the auction. (The guitar was BEAUTIFUL. Or maybe it just looked that way with Mike displaying it like a game show model. Unfortunately, I don't think he comes with it, in case you plan on bidding.) Mike also informed us he'd be back later with some "fucking hard rock" to tease us with what was to come from his UFO tribute band.

There were lots of people there to see Brad, and I'm sure I was in the minority of those who were not completed 'wowed' by their performance. (And I love Brad.) The band came out on stage first (without Shawn) which gave Stone the opportunity to thank people for supporting CCFA and coming to the show, and then said something like "Shawn will be out in a minute," almost like they got tired of waiting for him and forced his hand, ha. After a few minutes, Shawn came running out and got their set started. Admittedly I'm not a huge fan of the Discovery Park album -- I loved Interiors and Shame -- but the second song they performed was Buttercup so that was all I needed to qualify this as a good Brad gig. Their set was intentionally short -- and after 4 or 5 songs (which consisted of some new stuff, I believe, and possibly one song from the WTDP album), the band left the stage and Shawn closed the set with a solo version of The Day Brings. It seemed like they were messing with the setlist as they went -- Stone seemed befuddled the whole time, not sure which songs they were doing or which instrument he needed. By the time the band (Mike, Regan and Stone) finished their part of the show I felt like they left the stage with some frustration but maybe that's just me.

Finally, Mike McCready and Friends are ready to take the stage. My UFO-fan-atic friend goes down to join TBG near the stage so she can rock out up front. The band comes out and immediately rips into their first number. The lead singer appears onstage with this flying leap from the side of the stage wearing a black silky shirt with blinding white fringe along the sleeves that has to be at least 8-10 inches in length. I nearly pee my pants, it is so outrageously over the top. They thrash through their UFO set, which consists of Doctor, Doctor; Lights Out; Too Hot To Handle; Shoot Shoot; I'm a Loser, and Rock Bottom. I am admittedly not schooled in UFO's music (although I figured out all the titles except one) and would have sworn before the show I'd never heard any of their songs, but it turns out I knew Lights Out and I think a couple others were at least familiar. True to Mike's promise, they fucking ROCKED THE HOUSE. Unlike the Rockfords, Mike doesn't have to hang back in this band to keep from overshadowing the other guys. They were all metal gods, preening for the audience and slamming through each song with hard rock energy that was in a word, delightful. ; ) Mike was having the time of his life, playing his Flying V throughout the set. I looked over to where I knew my friends were staked out and could see their little fists in the air, goat horns bobbing to the music relentlessly. Their appreciation and my friend's obvious love and knowledge of every UFO song (and every UFO lyric) was not lost on the band -- Mike noticed her singing along and loved it, and the lead singer remarked between songs, "These are my favorites over HERE," and gestured to where they were standing. At the end of the UFO set the singer came over to glad-hand the crowd and in addition to slapping high fives with several members of the audience, he leaned over and kissed the top of my friend's head. I saw him do it -- I thought he was hugging someone in the crowd, but didn't realize until after it was HER. Poke me with a fork, I'm done. This evening cannot get any better, any funner, any more gleeful. ; )

Mike & friends closed out their set with 2 old Aerosmith songs-- Sick as a Dog and Nobody's Fault. They were dead-on cover versions and I'm completely serious when I say these guys should increase and diversify their catalog to include more of Mike's Favorite Metal Bands and book some more gigs. Bring on the Scorpions, tunes, Mike! They could headline. They were awesome.

Memorable moments during Mike's set: Mike playing a SCORCHING solo during Rock Bottom, and the singer coming over and toweling off Mike's face when he was done, much to Mike's delight. The singer (sorry, I have no idea what his name is) also came over and covered Mike's eyes with his hand during another solo and of course, Mike didn't miss a beat. (This is a man who can play with the guitar behind his head, you think covering his eyes is going to matter?!)

After all of this glorious, spectacularly hard rocking music, poor Left Hand Smoke came out and 'headlined.' It must feel strange to get blown offstage not by an Eddie Vedder solo set, or 3/5ths of Pearl Jam, or even local favorites Brad, but by a UFO cover band. Is this 2004, or 1975? Thank god, not everyone had left -- they still had a crowd of about 600+ to play to. I stayed for the first few songs but it wasn't really my style of music -- the first couple of songs sounded vaguely like southern rock on crack -- like, The Black Crowes, or the Allman Brothers, only too damn chipper. It just made me want to hear the real thing. Besides, I'm pretty sure "southern rock" was NOT the genre Left Hand Smoke was aiming for. But bless them for being good sports about letting all that talent go on ahead of them and putting on their own show - it takes a lot to let the 'warm up' bands step all over you like that. : ) All for a good cause, of course -- CCFA.

On a personal note, I used to be known in the online circles as mslily911@aol.com. I've since given up my AOL dependency and can be reached at lifewithriley AT msn.com if anyone is looking for me. NO SPAM PLEASE. ; )

LeAnn Mercer
Seattle, Washington
5-14-04