“Thank you for listening to the muzak Big D & the Kids Table.”
-Dave McWane
So, here’s a bit of advice for show promoters: do not book shows outdoors, near a river, in Kansas, in November. Also, please have the common decency to not charge eight fucking dollars for a one-band show under the aforementioned circumstances. That being said, seeing Big D & the Kids Table at the Gaslight Tavern here in Lawrence last night was a really nice start-of-the-week treat. There’s something about being at a show where’s there’s less than 20 people to make it feel really special. The fact that the heaters didn’t work and that the Free State Brewing Co. Ad Astra Ale is plenty strong also led to me feeling “special.”
Anyhow, Big D made the best of the night and played a shortened set with plenty of energy and… well… beer. Still, the band managed to put on an energetic show, although they didn’t move much due to the Gaslight’s tiny stage, as well as the more-than-usual amaount of clothing everyone was wearing. The waiting for the show to start was almost as much fun as the set itself. I hung around the merch table, talking with merchman extraodinaire, Michael J. If you get the chance to see Big D, seek the man out and chat him up, as he’s really easy to talk to, and has hella good stories to tell. He’ll also sell ya Big D’s merch (I got myself a swank new beanie for ten bucks).
Like I said, it was nice to get to see these guys live, especially since they’ve put out an EP and a full-length in the four years since I’ve seen them. The old songs sound better, and the new stuff is amazing live. The set was about half audience-requested tunes, too. I’m none too fond of their newly released How It Goes, but live, the tracks sound fucking amazing. “We All Have to Burn Something” is a fantastic spoken word rant that was probably the highlight of the set for me, mainly because my call for “51 Gardner” was shouted down nearly unanimously by the band. Dammit.
the setlist:
Little Bitch
Evil Girl Angry Girl
You Lost, You’re Crazy
Are You Just Scared?
Cuteshow
We All Have To Burn Something
Find Out
Chicago
New England
She Won’t Ever Figure It Out
Bender