Actually, I Didn't

There's just one problem I see with the 2007-07-21 live recording for sale over at They Might Be Downloads.

It's missing the entire power outage.

Now, I understand totally that when you're promoting your new all-digital live concert download service on the Internet, you really don't have much that you can prepare to do in the event of a power outage live onstage.

Still, it's the principle of the thing. I was in that crowd, smushed against the stage in the front row. Close enough to touch the legs of the stand that held up John Linell's keyboard. Close enough to be weirded out by the girl behind me who did, in fact, touch the leg of the stand that held up John Linell's keyboard. The man himself wouldn't be anywhere near the thing for another hour at least, but she still started sobbing and convulsing at her dizzying proximity to a musical instrument played by someone she admires. We were, in our own way, compatriots of the night.

We stood there in the dark for who knows how long, and in order to quell the masses, the Johns came out and performed a sotto voce acoustic set with an accordian and a drum of some sort. I seem to recall my friend Joe was in a red shirt that night, but I don't think he had a goatee. I'd have to check my old Flickr archives to be sure.

Anyway, they played two songs for us that night, lit only by a flashlight. Without the inclusion of that bit of flavor, that little unforgettable piece of nostalgia, I'm not inclined to buy this pack of songs. Even though the show was great and there's nothing they could do about not being able to record during a total outage of power, it just won't be the same.

I make a point of remembering that acoustic set because it was the first time — and assuredly not the last — that I ever heard them sing Maybe I Know.