[silverbullet]

K, just got back from the Dada gig at The Norva. It's just after 2am so I'll keep this short.

Great show. The band commented it has got to be their longest show ever to date! Dada played for 2.5 hrs. It was like seeing two shows for just the price of one ticket. Michael thought the bands cover version of California Dreamin' may have been the best they ever played. Phil did an awesome job on a drum solo bit and Joie had a Las Vegas lucky night. The band took a couple of requests mid-time through the gig and then more request near the end of the night.

The Set List was written down as (but played more) ...

Dim, Play, Sur, Trip, Feet, Here, Sick, Heaven, Ask, Request Section ????, Feel, Info, Moon, Post, Diz, Bob, Baby, Cali, Disco, Do

Gig wrapped up around 1:15 am.

I'm hoping some people will post photos from this show. I know tapers were in the crowd.

[M,bob the lazygenius]

tHAT WAS THE MOST FEREAKIN AWESOME SHOW I HAVE EVER SEEN!!i MET EVERYBODY gATORMIKE /KIKKI/PERK
AND MORE THAN I CAN REMEMBER . i KNOW I'M A GEEK BUT THIS WAS THE GREATEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE. i CAN'T REMEMBER WHEN I'VE HAD MORE FUN. MORE HAPPY. I JUST CAN'T DESCRIBE IT.i'LL POST MORE WHEN I'M SOBER AND RECOVERED

[JC]

OK, here we go. One last 3 am post (actually 3:30 or so). Just figured we’d give our impressions of the VA show before we make another 12 hour drive and completely forget everything that happened tonight. Our thoughts will probably be some of the first, but certainly not the last. This was a show to remember!

We got to the backstage around 6:30, briefly met our fellow VIP’ers and then headed up to the 3rd floor of the norva for some food and drinks. Once there, we met all the members of the band and they were extremely courteous and insightful regarding all of our trivial and obscure questions with regards to lyrics, tunings, future plans, etc. oh and did I mention that they brought a cd and let us listen to two of their new tunes? It was great stuff.

Some odd sense hit the stage at 9:15 or so. They played for about an hour, running through a set of solid rockin’ tunes. BobthedrummerVA rocked.

Dada took the stage at 10:55. They started with “dim” and played an unprecedented 2 hours and 15 minutes worth of amazing tunes. They mentioned that this is probably the longest show they ever played and I’m inclined to agree. I’m sure we didn’t help matters any when at the first request break we attempted to get them to play “free bird” (did not work, though phil seemed down with it). However, in the second request break, our incessant chanting for “who you are” finally got to them. For me, it was the high point of the show. I’ve been waiting to hear that song live for a long, long time. I should also mention that they did play a couple of other unrehearsed tunes, “2009” (carried by phil), “gogo” and “mary sunshine rain”. The rest of the tunes they played were all pretty much from the standard setlist on this tour. I’m sure someone else will post the exact order and such.

Here’s my quick summary of the show… it was freakin’ amazing. I have seen them many times, but the energy and duration of that performance is unmatched with any previous show I can recall. If there was a dada concert to see on this tour, this was definitely the one, folks. It was a really amazing experience. No, really. Gurley was totally on fire, Calio was rockin’ out like a maniac, and Phil seemed even more impressive than usual. His “posters” intro was out of this world.

After the show, we reconvened with our fellow VIP dada fans and headed up to a room on the 2nd floor for more meet and greets and signings. There were a lot of people there and the guys did their best to accommodate everyone (not an easy task). They are some seriously down-to-earth guys and could not have possibly been any nicer.

Well, as I’m falling asleep now at the keyboard I’ll send this, but I’ll summarize and say that this was a really great experience and totally worth the trip down here. It was really great to meet some of the fellow board members, including: unvle irving, perk, nancy from va, gator mike, eric arena, matt from philadelphia.. and I am so sure I am forgetting some other people but I am falling asleep and it is becoming harder to think as each minute passes. Sorry to whomever I forgot to mention!

Well, that’s all for now, time to hit the sack for 3 hours sleep before heading back home.

-Jeff

[M,bob the lazygenius]

OVER THE TOP

[nancy in va beach]

omg omg omg
i totally had an MO (the first word in that is music, figure out the second).
okay, multiple MOs.
i have never in my life experienced such an event.
hi-lites for me:
the energy of the fans and the band.
seeing my cyber friends, jeff & neal, eric a, m'bob (love ya!), unc (you rule), bobthedrummerva (outstanding performance), perk, kiki, tidythraed (aka dawn)......
the love on stage during the show felt by all.
joie, mike, phil all giving each other props and so much love thru out the night.
and what really kicked ass was how blown away the new fans (who only knew dizzkneeland and dim) must have been!
and speaking of new fans, there was this one young skinny dude on his cell outside before the show telling someone that sonia dada was playing after some odd sense. clueless at that time, but i'm sure totally enlightened now!
i can't say enuf about how superbly the guys all performed. i'm still reeling.
nancy

[uncle irving]

Hey all,

I probably should just say AMEN to Jeff, Nancy, etc.... but dang..... What can I add.

Longest dada show ever by at least a half hour... 2 hrs 37 minutes..... 23 songs, 7 songs never played in Norfolk before, 1 never played electric before... whew.... don't think the Norva sold out but I'm guessing somewhere between 800 - 1000, kind of hard to estimate from my vantage point in the crowd.

Crowd was like a family reunion, I saw so many local and cyber folks there.... too numerous to mention without missing someone so I won't even try. Minn, R.I. FL, Penn, Mass, NC, Ohio... tons of local folks...... hope I got to say hi to everyone there...

Setlist as I have it.

Dim
Playboy In Outer Space
Surround
Trip With My Dad
Feet To The Sun
Here Today Gone Tomorrow
Sick In Santorini
Heaven*
Ask The Dust
Go Go - First Time Since 94*
Spirit Of 2009 - First Time Since 96 - First Time Electric EVER *
Feel Me Don't You
Information Undertow (many lighters) Moon *
Posters
DizzKneeLand

- Encore -
Bob The Drummer
Baby Really Loves Me
California Dreaming
Who You Are - First Time Since 93*
Mary Sunshine Rain - First Time Since 97*
Boogie Fever*
Dorina

*= First Time In Norfolk

Ummmmm what else, guys were charming and gracious as always... they had a buffet for the charity thing before hand, guys were supposed to just kind of breeze through say hi, but they wound up talking to everyone for like a half hour - hour.

We talk about Joie and Mike's interaction, VERY evident on the unrehearsed stuff, just how tight Joie and Phil are in their playing together..... damn even unrehearsed they sound as good as most bands at their best.... the rehearsed stuff was a whole nuther level, Moon, electric, California Dreaming.... best version. Ack..... very loose instrumentally with plenty of room for improvisation......

Oh, oh, the charity thing afterward....

Two dada related items were up for bid a pair of autographed dada drums sticks went for $100, and a painting contributed by Joie Calio, went for over $400... Guys signed everything in sight.

Oh yeah, one other thing, Phil has his new drum with him on this tour, and it makes a difference..... he was unbelievably on and just seemed to having a great time.

One last thing...... Joie assured me at the very end of the evening.... that, his words, "there's still gas in the tank"

D-33 to the Richmond show.

[Lance]

Sounds like the show of the century... and now I'm kicking myself for not stealing a car or truck and making it down there. Bah.... well still, I'm gonna hit 3 shows in 3 different states this next week so that's still pretty good.

See you folks in New Hope, NYC & Princeton!

[xavier]

The NorVA show was incredible. This was my first dada show after being a fan for 11+ years. I drove 4 hours from Richmond through terrible storms and traffic to get there, but it was totally worth it.

I was going to post a set list but others got it right already...they also broke into a Kinks song at one point, think it was "so tired of waiting...".

Funny moment after Heaven and Nowhere, Joie says to Mike, "Gurley...that guitar thing...I think it's working out for you...". Joie was clowning around all night...his hair was a-flyin'. The guys all sounded great.

[Perk]

I would also have to agree that this is the best show I have seen from the guys. I was jumping around like a nut. The energy in the room was incredible. Highlights for me - To hear 'Baby...' , 'Who you are', 'Mary...' in the encore was the icing on the cake for me. Cali Dreamin was also incredible. Phil's intro into posters was awesome. Mike and Joie just got out of the way and let Phil go off for a few minutes. It was also a lot of fun to meet all of you from the web board. M'Bob, I too had the time of my life!!! I have plenty of pictures to post and if any one wants them through e-mail, let me know!!!

[silverbullet]

Quote

Originally posted by xavier


Funny moment after Heaven and Nowhere, Joie says to Mike, "Gurley...that guitar thing...I think it's working out for you...".  Joie was clowning around all night...his hair was a-flyin'.  The guys all sounded great.

I think Mike had a crack after that also. Something about being a gym teacher.

[pyrodoctor]

Drove to Norfolk from Raleigh (last time was the pilgrimage to the harborfest which was worth it too.

All I can say is that I agree with everyone thus far about the awesomeness of the show.

We didn't get home until 7 AM. What a time!

[Gator Mike]

Well, I'm back at my desk, so I must've made it home. Miraculous...
Astonishing show! I'll probably be back with details of my adventure later, but just wanted to check in...
A virgin no more!!!

[xavier]

Quote

Originally posted by Perk
I was jumping around like a nut.  The energy in the room was incredible.

Were you the guy on the 2nd floor balcony, stage left, near the front? That guy was definitely wigging.

I wonder who the lucky people were who got served mixed drinks by Joie near the end of the encore set during one of Mike's solos.

[silverbullet]

If you had to pick just one song that you enjoyed the most from this night then which would it be?

Although California dreaming was "The Best Ever", I find myself drawn to 'Heaven & Nowhere'. Just a beautiful song the first time I heard it.

[Perk]

Heaven & Nowhere was definitely awesome. For me, hearing Who You Are was definitely a highlight. I have loved that song forever!!!

[JC]

As I said before, "who you are" was my highlight. They hadn't played it live since '92 and they damn near did it perfectly, only a couple of minor "missed beats". Amazing.

As for that guy wiggin' out on the balcony, I swear to god I thought he was gonna end up over the railing and die splattered all over the first floor. Either that or he'd have lived but killed whoever he fell on.

-Jeff

[btetzl50]

WOW
I just got back (last night) from VA!!! What a show! I've seen the boys 3 times now and they get better each time! I concur, longest show i've seen, and even better than their First Ave show earlier this summer. Unfortunately I didn't get to hang out and meet anyone, I had my girlfriend along and we ended up going out beforehand. I gotta give props to the NorVa, nice venue. Almost too nice. (no smoking, in a bar!??!!?)

My fav song might have been Moon (i LOVE that song, but I was pumped to hear Feel Me Don't You, and 2009. I changed things up this time and stood in front of the guitarist and got to watch Mr. Gurley ply his trade. I could go on and on about the show, but I think everyone already knows the NorVa show was tops so far...

-brad

[btetzl50]

Silly me, how can i forget to thank everyone who helped me with suggestions etc. for my stay in lovely VA. THANK YOU! If anyone needs info about Minneapolis, when the boys are back, I'll be more than happy to help!!
-Brad
I enjoyed my stay so much I got engaged this weekend!!!

[silverbullet]

Boogie Fever is also a cover from Sylers 1976, right?

Did anyone catch that Phil forgot to sing the first verse? He skipped over
"I took my baby to the drive-in show
She turned the speaker down
and then she turned on the radio
I watched a silent movie, diggin funky sound"

and went right into "I took my baby too the pizza parlor to get a bite to eat ..."

or is this how dada always performs this song?

[JC]

"Sylvers", yes.

And I don't think they ever do this song in a full-out version. I'm surprised they do as much as they do.

And while we're on this topic, whatever happened to "Disco Girl"? That is one of the coolest disco songs ever, and it was written by THEM. So why don't they do that instead? It used to be an encore staple. I know it's a long shot, but is there any chance a studio recording of DG could show up on the next or future disc? It rocks!

-Jeff

[samiam]

You guys are killing me....I've thought every dada show I've seen has been amazing, but with seasoned pros like uncle irving over the edge.. fortunately the Mercury Lounge is only two days away....

[silverbullet]

In case you missed this in another post...

http://conformco.com...ead.php?tid=414

[Kiki]

It started two weeks ago, but fast forward to one week ago.

My birthday in Virginia Beach began with breakfast in bed and the local paper. I read the entertainment section practically word for word looking for any mention of The Big Show and then finally it jumped off the page. Huge photo, nice write up, and I knew immediately that this was the hand of Uncle Irving. Naturally I kept it. I always bring home a souvenir or two. The day was fantastic, but FF to last Saturday night.

My main man, Matt, and I arrived at The NorVa slightly late for our Backstage Café reservation. The ticket office wasn’t open yet, but we note immediately that there is live music inside and yes, it’s dada. I put my ear to the door to hear more clearly. Matt pulls on the other door and it opens and we’re at sound check. I’m in a room with dada and my love. Not even in my wildest dreams could I have seen myself in this situation. We hung there in the shadows trying to be unobtrusive. No one asked us to leave, but my heart was pounding {yep, LK:), star struck again}. We listened as they started “Trip” and we made our way to the café. After dinner and a few drinks at the bar just to watch the crowd, we made our way back to our hotel room a few blocks away and watch Pro Bull Riding for about an hour.

We returned to The NorVa in time to catch Some Odd Sense’s last few songs. I liked what I heard, and the crowd seemed to be appreciative. Nice gig … I trust they had some fun. Outside to the smoking lounge (tsk, tsk NorVa, and BTW, what’s up with the $5 beers … tsk, tsk indeed). There we met M’Bob and chatted about many things dada including our mutual friend, LK:) -- M’Bob, you’re nuts, but we enjoyed you and your enthusiasm immensely … thanks again for the stickers and the sugar. Somewhere during that engagement we met Nancy. You all know Nancy from her many fun posts, but what most of you don’t know is that her photo (while Phil is quite fetching) does not do her justice. Simply striking. She, too, was having trouble keeping her feet on the ground. Then through the door is The Man. He’s got almost as many aliases as I do, but most of you know him as Uncle Irving. He may temporarily have been at a loss for words.

Showtime approached and I made a spot in the second row stage right of Joie’s mike stand and just behind Eric Arena and his entourage. They were all very kind especially when I’d lean in for closer photos.

The show itself was everything I could have wished for. Compared to Columbus in April, well, the show was about twice as long. I wrote back then that dada played better than I’d ever heard before, and that was true again in Norfolk. Baby Really Loves Me was my own personal highlight, because dada: you know I do.
The post show scene at the Backstage Café was chaotic with those of us wanting to hang around and hopefully catch the band before they went back to the charity thing, and the Café staffers who were trying to bully us out the door. We found some sympathetic staffers at the side where the hallways lead back and up to the room where we wanted to go. After a bit of careful cajoling, a lot of patience, and by just being an all around nice couple, we finally walked on by and upstairs and into the party. It was like entering the Promised Land. I got a new complete set of autographs and kisses and memories to last my lifetime.

To all those we met in Norfolk, thanks for being so gracious. We’ll remember a most awesome time with dada with all fondness.

[M,bob the lazygenius]

Matt was a wild man. I was explaining tonught to my wife what a great time we had.I was showing her the pics and crappy video explaining about the guy with the happy face from Ohio jumpin up and down in front of me> I'm so glad you guys got to the after party. and wish I'd taking the time to memorize everybody's name. I have pics in any body wants them . I'm looking forward to tomorrow, it's jam night and I'm sure my jam buddys ( the guys with me) will want to play dada. I guess theres no chance dada will play ECSC.

[Gator Mike]

"I enjoyed my stay so much I got engaged this weekend!!" <--------- Congratulations! That is so cool.

[nancy in va beach]

did the show or any particular song inspire the engagement? or is it just that "virginia is for lovers"?
and speaking of lovers, kiki, thanks for the compliment. you and your man, whom you so coyly introduced as your "lover" are absolutely adorable!
rock on!
nancy

[Kiki]

And thanks to you, too, Nancy! Matt and I do tend to enjoy each other rather passionately … how superb that we share a passion for dada, too!

[silverbullet]

Here's some of my dada Norfolk, VA memorbilia (besides the recording) ... two set lists and an ALL ACCESS PASS. The setlist with the scribbled notes was for the soundman and the other one was for the light man.





08-02-03 Norfolk, VA @ The Norva