The Troubadour - 09-30-03

So we went out to the Troubadour to catch The Fire Theft a few nights ago. I’d been sick all week, all but broken my back, and not in great spirits. Our two $15 tickets cost us about $50 thanks to ticketmaster, and I was none too excited about the MP3’s of the opening band I’d downloaded… I had a “This better be worth it” attitude about the whole event from the beginning.
It turned out to be one of the better shows I’ve seen in recent memory.

We turned up at just the right time to scope out the club, grab a decent spot, and hang out for a few before The Fire Theft took the stage. We were both very grateful to have found a great parking spot, missed the opening band, and discovered that the loft floor of The Troubadour has four rows of stadium benches. I planted my tired, sore ass down on the hard wood and prepared myself for what could be a disappointing offering from 3/4 of my favorite all-time band.

Enigk took the stage with a friendly, confident, somewhat modest air, and was greated with thundering applause. “Nice to see you again,” he said. He appeared infinately more cheery and balanced than I had ever seen him. In Sunny Day he’d always has a rather tense, mopey air about him that was noticably absent from The Fire Theft’s performance.

I was pleasantly surprised to find myself really enjoying the addition of guitarist Bill Dolan (formerly of 5ive Style). He’s a great player and has an air about him that more comfotably fits The Fire Theft’s idiom than perhaps Dan Hoerner’s gangly melancholy.

Their performance was that of a seasoned group of professionals. The sound was near perfect. They played a Sunny Day Real Estate song in their encore. All this from the wreckage of a band who once refused to even play in the state of California. Go see The Fire Theft.