Live in Poughkeepsie, New York (Part I)
© Wendy Starr
At 9:30 p.m., the chords of SLEEPWALKER began sweeping through The Chance. SOME FLOWERS BLOOM DEAD followed. Lead singer, Jakob Dylan, then addressed the audience: "Thank you. We've played in Poughkeepsie before. Was anyone here last time? I think that was in 1992." After a smattering of applause, he pointed to someone in the crowd and said, "You were about 13." The audience member yelled back: "You were probably 14!" Jakob replied amusedly, "I must have been about 17. Last time, I don't think that we played this next song. It was already written but nobody wanted to hear it back then." The band then played SIXTH AVENUE HEARTACHE.
Jakob introduced the fourth song by saying, "Here's one off our new record." The band then played LETTERS FROM THE WASTELAND, followed by LAUGHING OUT LOUD. Noticing that a person in the front row had a camera, Jakob remarked, "No pictures . . . No, I'm only kidding." He then made a few funny faces, as his photo was snapped. Jakob continued speaking: "We're going to try something from the new record. Everyone has the new record, right?" (Most people in the audience responded by clapping.) "Okay, this is called `Hand Me Down,'" he said. After HAND ME DOWN, the band played I'VE BEEN DELIVERED.
Jakob peered towards the balcony: "How's everyone on top doing?" he asked. "I can't see you so well from here." The balcony crowd clapped and Jakob responded with "Okay!" After an audience member loudly shouted "We love you!" Jakob turned towards bassist Greg Richling and they both laughed.
The next song on the setlist was THREE MARLENAS. In the middle of that song, Jakob stopped singing and told the audience that singing the song was "a lot of hard work." Noticing that one of the girls near the front of the stage put her pocketbook on the stage, Jakob picked it up, said "I'll hang onto that for you so that the security guards don't take it away," and placed it by the drum kit. Then Jakob looked back at the girl--her name was Sandy--and asked her if she knew the lyrics to THREE MARLENAS. Sandy made a motion with her hand, as if to gesture "so-so," and then said, "A little bit." Jakob repeated her response and jokingly asked if she'd ever heard of the Wallflowers before. He then teased her by saying, "A little bit?" and then asked her, "Can you sing? Can you sing this song with me?" The guy standing next to Sandy volunteered to sing, but Jakob replied, "It's ladies night only. Maybe we'll shoot some pool after the show, or get a beer together." Jakob returned his focus on Sandy. "Can you sing?" he asked again. She replied that she couldn't really sing. Jakob responded, "I can't really sing either, and see how far I got!" Again, he asked Sandy if she knew the lyrics to THREE MARLENAS, and finally she gave in. At that point, Jakob reached out for her and brought her up to the stage. Sandy whispered something in Jakob's ear--Jakob reported that she reminded him that they had once gambled together. Jakob started singing the next verse of THREE MARLENAS: "Well, I think I'm gonna buy myself a Rolls . . ." and then stopped to wait for Sandy to finish the line. Unfortunately, Sandy was so scared, she couldn't sing. The audience tried helping her out with the lyrics. Eventually, Sandy relaxed a bit and started singing with Jakob on the song's chorus, at which point he said to her, "That sounds good." But he noticed that, although they shared the same microphone, she wouldn't make eye contact with him. So, he motioned at her (his two fingers pointing to his eyes), but she wouldn't look at him. He teased her by saying, "You've never heard this song before, have you?" and then he finished the song. At the end of THREE MARLENAS, he held up one of Sandy's hands in triumph. He teased her some more by saying, "I thought you said you knew the song. I'm not Stephan Jenkins." Jakob announced to the audience: "Ladies and Gentlemen . . . making her stage debut--thank you, Sandy," but, in mock disbelief, added: "She said she knew the song!" [TO BE CONTINUED]
Go To Page: 1 2
