We got to Red Square very early (7pm) and were the first ones there. So we stayed and had a few drinks. A little later Jason wandered in and I offered to buy him a drink (he declined since he only drinks after his shows). But he chatted with us for a little while and Jenn was loving it since he is totally infatuated with him :-). He's such a cool guy though.
We had both seen Jason Webley before about 6 months prior in Maine, when he played with Amanda Palmer, of Dresden Dolls fame. Jenn had turned me onto Jason a while back and that show blew me away; I was hooked. I would describe him as a sort of cross between early Tom Waits and Belle and Sebastian. He is just such an innovative, experimental, interactive, fun performer. He creates a real sense of community in the crowd during his shows, really getting everyone involved and laughing and dancing and singing together.
And this show was no exception. There were only about 20 people in attendance (most of whom were there to see Rev Peyton and had not yet witnessed the brilliance of Mr. Webley!), which sucks because he deserves much bigger crowds, but was cool for us select wise people there because he decided to ditch the stage and come out into the crowd and play amongst us; no mics, no lights!
His brief set started around 9:30 and was, of course, awesome. He played my fave song, "There's Not A Step We Can Take That Does Not Bring Us Closer" and he ended the set by bringing everyone in closer and playing an improv version of Mayday while we all (including him) danced the "Gnomie Dance" with our shirts pulled over our heads.
Next came Rev Peyton. Jenn and I had gone to their MySpace page and listened to their music and I knew on the spot I'd like them. They play balls out Delta Blues, ala John Lee Hooker, RL Burnside, Muddy Waters, with a smattering of Cajun music (Rev's wife plays the washboard) and Psychobilly thrown in for good measure.
They ripped into a lightspeed version of Aberdeen and really never let up. Everyone there was up front and dancing furiously throughout. The show ended with Jason joining them onstage. They had written some songs together a while back and played a few. The closed the set with the amazing "Two Bottles of Wine," which they played twice - the 2nd time at a blistering pace so fast Jenn and I almost collapsed from exhaustion trying to keep up with the dancing and yelling of "Two Bottles of Wine" at the top of our lungs as the required crowd chorus.
Finally, some pics from the show:
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