Grinderman

Quite possibly two of the greatest shows I've ever attended, and thats saying ALOT. Before I write about how Grinderman completely blew me away, let me just say that I love going to a show and getting a good vibe from the crowd. Everyone I talked with, bumped into, and met both nights were super friendly, super cool, and super excited. No attitudes, no "cooler than thou" factor, no "I'm just here to be seen and drink my PBR" douches, just a bunch of music fans gathered together for the sole purpose of seeing Grinderman.
 Night 1:
7/26/2007 Great American Music Hall. I tried like hell to get a photo pass for this show, but with no luck. The vibe inside the place was amazing. It felt like I was on the floor of The Cow Palace, waiting for Iron Maiden to hit the stage. Yes, people were THAT excited. Henry Rollins was there, and I couldn't help but give him a nod, to which he replied with a nod of his own. From the opening notes of Griderman, I was completely mesmerized. Every song flat out rocked. Nick Cave had so much energy, and is such an amazing entertainer, and guitarist and fellow Bad Seed Warren Ellis was getting some incredible sounds out of his guitar. I think my favorite of the night had to be "I Don't Need you {To Set Me Free}". After ripping through the entire album, Nick and company returned to the stage for a few Bad Seed numbers, starting with one of my all time favorites, "Red Right Hand". As they were playing I was thinking to myself how cool it would be if Rollins got up there, and just as I finished that though none other than former Bad Seed and fellow San Francisco resident Blixa Bargeld joined them to do an incredible version of "The Weeping Song". Quite simply an amazing evening.
Night 2:
7/27/2007 Slims. Again, no luck with a photo pass. I even walked over to the box office on my lunch break to enquire about the photo policy for the evening, which was "Disposable Cameras Only". Oh well. I LOVE taking pictures at shows, and Griderman would have been a nice addition to my portfolio, but at least I now had a chance to completely enjoy the show. Same good vibe, and aside from a certain local/employee from a certain Lower Haight bar who was standing right next to us the entire evening and kinda shit-faced and annoying, everyone was very cool. Anyways, for the second night in a row, Grinderman kicked ass. There version of  "Get It On", blew me the fuck away! Another amazing set. Although I thought they sounded a little bit better the night before, they seemed a bit looser on stage, and were enjoying themselves even more. Another great set of Bad Seeds songs, which also included a pretty fuckin' awsesome version of "Tupelo". Another great night!
So there you go. Two amazing shows in two nights. If you missed out, I'd say to not miss them next time, but there may not be a next time!