San Francisco

Last weekend was the big trip to San Fran. I'm really glad I decided I was still obsessed to go, and that Steph was willing to come along.

Friday morning bright and early my friend Kath drove us to the airport, as usual when flying any more. (Thanks!) Even before boarding the plane I was amazed by the insane numbers of Harry Potter books wandering around the airport. It had been out a week and it looked like anyone who wasn't finished already was sprinting to the end before somebody spoiled it for them. But I digress...

We hit the ground in San Francisco early enough to go explore before the show Friday evening. After trekking across town on the BART and the MUNI systems, we found our B&B and checked in. We were at the Red Vic, right in the middle of Haight St., just a couple blocks from Golden Gate park. There had been some reservations about this place, but we were quite happy with the whole experience. Aside from sharing a bathroom it was more like staying at a hotel w/ a cafe downstairs than staying at your grandma's house. We only ran into other people staying there maybe 3 times the whole weekend. After dropping our bags we headed off for Chinatown for browsing and shopping and general exploration of the whole San Francisco thing. We hung out there until it was time to head back and get ready for the show (stopping for dinner at the Squat & Gobble on Haight St. on the way back).We got to the Fillmore at 7:30ish for the 8:00 opening of the doors, which is awfully late for me to get to an SP show really. It turned out just fine though...We ended up being maybe 2-3 people back from the stage, right between Billy & Jeff. The show started absolutely perfectly. We had been talking over dinner about the symbolic significance of going to this show w/ Stephanie, and how I'd been thinking about it in relation to the whole Sarah thing (we met the night of my last SP show, 11/29/00, for those new to my life). So the show starts with Billy solo, acoustic, singing a new song (post-Zeitgeist-new). The lyrics were about a lost love "I used to know you/I used to care" and I was thinking huh, that's interesting. Then the rest of the band came out and they launched into That's the Way (My Love Is), their next single and the love song off Zeitgeist, all about love being a beautiful thing and being there for each other. It was a fairly perfect summation of the change between 2000-2006 and 2007. Then Billy threw his pick, it bounced off my face, and I got my 1st SP pick ever. Just perfect. I couldn't have asked for much more from the rest of the show. Several brand-spanking new songs, lots of old favorites, some stuff off the new CD...28 songs in all, 3 hours straight and Billy never left the stage for a second. They closed out with a 15-ish min version of Gossamer and we headed out, getting to bed at 2ish.

Saturday we slept in a bit getting up at 9 I think, which is very late for Steph, but obviously is was much needed rest after the 23-hour day we had Friday. We ate breakfast at the B&B (duh) then headed up to the wharf area. Right before we got off the bus we saw the Ghirardelli factory and had to go look. Ended up chasing breakfast with a tasty tasty Hot Fudge Sundae, then went down to the pier. Wandered there for awhile and then stumbled on a bike rental place. We had discussed renting bikes to explore, but after walking a bit on the ridiculous hills we had nixed that idea. This was on the water though, and pretty flat, so we went in to check it out. Ended up renting a tandem bike (because it was cheaper...not because it's cheesier that way :-P ) and biked along the beach and over the Golden Gate Bridge and back. Got a couple hours exercise and mastered the skill that has been the bane of many an Amazing Race team.
Saturday evening was show #2. It was quite a bit like #1 as far as the song blend was concerned. They did 3 hours, 28 songs again, 10 of which they hadn't done Friday. The best moment of that one was right at the end. One of the songs I had been really really wanting to hear was Muzzle, and they didn't play it the 1st night. Being close to the stage, I shouted MUZZLE!!! really loud a couple times, like obnoxious people do when they think the band will change the setlist taped to the floor by their feet. They left the stage after the encore with no Muzzle being played. Ah well. The house lights came on and we went back to buy our shirts and everybody else kind of hung out, cheering and gnashing their teeth and stuff like you do for an encore. Except that the house lights were on...so give it up and go home people! But they didn't, and 10 min later the house lights went off, Billy and Jimmy came out with acoustic guitars, and they played Zeitgeist. Kick ass. Then everybody else wandered back onto the stage and they launched into Muzzle. Full-out electric version, which I hadn't heard live in years (Billy did it acoustic and solo for a long time.) Perfect ending to the night, and I'm still telling myself that they picked that for the unplanned encore because of me. (I doubt it, but it's still a nice thought, eh?)

Sunday we checked out of the Red Vic at 11 and spent a couple hours wandering Haight St. and dipping into Golden Gate Park briefly. Haight failed to yield both a flask (which I've been looking for) and a Grateful Dead Dancing Bear (for Steph). We were offered drugs many times in the 15 min. we were down by the park though. Then it was time to come home, all too soon.

Fun non-concert moments from the trip not mentioned above:
Jogging a mile or so down Geary St. to the Fillmore because it was too chilly to hold still and wait for the bus. Learning that Steph's sense of direction is better than mine when exiting a subway stop. Pomegranate martinis at the Squat & Gobble. Wandering into some random awesome little bar to use the bathroom when the bus failed to catch up to us on Haight. The little click that happened on the bus back to the airport. Overheard on busses: "They spelled it different, but it's still a HATE street!" "I only drink all-organic rum." "So do you identify WITH hippies, or AS a hippie?"

And pics of The Pumpkins from Friday night: