I'm Happy That I Woke Up This Morning - Jeffrey Gaines at the Whitaker Center 2/3/06

I've seen Jeffrey Gaines a bunch of times since I started this whole myspace thing, but I've always been afraid to do a concert recap like I do for all the other shows I go to. I guess I feel like I can't do a show like that justice. Although his music is a little different from what I usually listen to, I've been a fan for a long long time. So, here goes my attempt...

The opening act was awful. They were called The Holiday. Let me see if I can describe them. You know that willowy girl from your high school English class that was just a little too into poetry? Take her and clone her twice and that, my friends, is the Holiday. Three girls - one that plays piano, one on bongo and one with an acoustic guitar. Singer/songwriter chicks with freaky looks on their faces that make them look like they're channeling their home planet of Morphectimous. Although they were pretty girls, they sat down to play and basically did nothing to boost the energy of the place. They started with a cover of Neil Young's "Helpless" and that's about how I felt. Then, the nerdy looking guitar chick said, "This is a song about rain. It's called 'Rain.'" I decided then and there that I had to take notes to write this whole thing up. It was too bad/good to forget. They whispered to each other on stage, but didn't realize that they were whispering into the mike. They sang another song called "Hungry for Love" that sounded very very similar to "Please Come Home for Christmas." But whatever. They call themselves the Holiday, which considering how depressing holidays can be, was very appropriate. The only name that would suit them better would be Mokie Fraggle and the Fragglettes. They finished with a horrific cover of "Get Together" that had them changing the words to "Come on people now, smile on your sister..." Buh? That doesn't even rhyme. It's completely possible that the opening act from the last time I saw Jeffrey had me spoiled. Her name was Lili Anel and she was freakin' awesome. Seriously, folks, check out her stuff.

There was a brief intermission and then Jeffrey came out. He started with "Happy That," which I really like. Then he said that he was going to play his songlist in chronological order. That lasted for about four songs before the audience started yelling out requests. He played them, too.

Jeffrey is from Harrisburg, so he made a lot of references to local places that he used to play. I love when he tells stories. He talked about when he used to lay carpet and how his brother would conveniently end up with extra carpet for his apartment from some of their jobs. Then he said that he quit because he was going to miss a Cheap Trick show. I gained a whole new respect for Jeff after that. He talked about his old vinyl records that belonged to him and his siblings. He said he could never understand why his sister wrote her name on her Rick James records since it's not like anyone would ever steal them. He told a story about his producer who put on the exterior of being dumb, but just so Jeffrey would find the answers. He also mentioned that people in the coal regions will feed you chicken and waffles. I always thought that was a PA Dutch thing, not a coal cracker thing.

He started to play .38 Special's "Hold On Loosely" and the audience started singing it. He played a couple more songs including "Always Be," which was my wedding song. At that point, the bitch next to me's cell phone started ringing and I wanted to choke her. He finished with "Come Out Tonight," my current favorite and his cover of Tom Petty's "The Waiting." I'd even venture to say that I like his version of that better than Tom Petty's.

So, after a weak first act, the show went really well and I liked it very much. I'm thinking about going to see him again next month when he plays close to my hometown. If you have a chance to see him, check it out.