i have A LOT of catching up to do. so i'm starting here. i saw these guys three times on this tour, but i think i can probably sum it all up in one post.
the first night was at asbury lanes in jersey. me and my friend ryan went (he went with me last year to the show at the brighton and we got wasted and hung out with sylvain at the bar after the show...remember?). well, this time he got a little out of control (ie, got kicked out of the bar) but that's a story for another time. or never. anyway i was pretty drunk too so i don't remember much but that's ok because i saw them two more times and also it was very much the same as the shows last year.
so - first - dez cadena and his band opened. that was pretty awesome. i remember that he covered mannequin by wire and i got really excited and i also vaguely recall him saying something about steve marriott and that i shouted "woo! i love that guy!" this is why i shouldn't drink heavily...
anyway, then sylvain went on and did the usual ("teenage news," "trash," "femme fatale," "leaving new york," "pills," etc...) and we got all the same stories as before. i mean, i love hearing the stories and the songs; i knew it was probably going to be the same and i still went because that's how much i love this shit.
then it was glen's turn and it was "god save the queen," "pretty vacant," "burning sounds," "ghosts of princes in towers," "montague terrace" (i WOOOO-ed so hard when he started introducing that one because i knew what was coming...such a dork), and several solo songs but i can't remember which ones anymore. probably "hard work" and "yeah right" among others.
then they performed together and probably did "bang a gong" but other than that i don't know.
after the show i got my picture taken with a slightly less than thrilled sylvain (i think he now associates me with wasted-ryan who can be pretty annoying but in a cute way, if you know him).
then i went over to talk to glen, explained that i still owe him $10 for the cd from last year, to which he replied "use it towards a hotel room." i had already told him about my friend getting kicked out and that he was my ride and i didn't want to drive him home tonight, etc., and so his suggestion was to get a hotel. responsible and helpful, that mr. matlock. anyway, i took a picture of the two of us together and it's pretty much the cutest.
then we took another one, after switching sides, but i couldn't tell you why.
then i saw them again at kung fu necktie later that month. i went with 2 different friends, both of them had never seen them before so that made it really fun for me because it reminded me of the first time i saw them. we were there and hanging out for a while when glen and sylvain walked in and when glen looked over i waved, a really small unsure wave because a) i didn't know if he would remember me and b) i wasn't sure if i wanted him to remember me. i was equal parts relieved and excited when he smiled and waved back. then he actually came over to ask me if i would be his merch girl for the night. i know that kind of stuff is like whatever for some people but i get ridiculously excited about shit like that. i said of course i would and he said he was sorry because he knew i was there to see the show, but it would be a big help for him. um, hi, i've seen this show several times already, it's fine, plus you were a sex pistol and how can i say no to you? impossible.
my friend made me go outside with her so she could bum a cigarette off him ("i don't even smoke! i just want to talk to him!") and he was super cool and friendly and my friend was impressed that he remembered me and everything. so during sylvain's set, i went up and watched part of it then went back to the merch table where glen was sitting with his stuff and tried to talk to him a little bit but that was difficult because of it being loud and all the other people who wanted to talk to him. when syl was finishing up, glen asked again if i minded watching his stuff and i once again assured him it was totally fine, and he went off to get ready, and there i sat, glen freaking matlock's merch girl. i'm the scared looking one, my friend is the hot blonde.
oh, and ryan showed up. hahahahaha. god i love that kid but he is a rowdy little shithead. so, it's impossible to see the stage from where the table was, but i would get up and walk over where i could see, but still be right next to the table. and that was what i did for all of his set, plus the double set, which was fucking great as always. then we got to hang out with him after the show and it was grand, and that was that.
then my friend (who was at the kfn show but not the one who bummed a cigarette off glen) and i decided to go see them again the next night in atlantic city. never mind if they think we're weirdos, let's fucking do it! so i drove to the boneyard, which is a kind of neat little bar, not as dive as i kind of hoped/expected, but it was cool. we hung out for little bit, had a drink or two, and then they showed up. when glen saw me he was like "why didn't you tell me you were coming tonight??! i would have put you on the list!" and i said we had only just decided a few hours ago that we were coming. he seemed bummed out that he didn't know, but still happy to see us. i told him it was fine, and then offered to be merch girl again, and he thanked me and said he had wanted to ask, but felt bad having me do it again. aww. so he gave me all his stuff and we set it up at the table and he sat with us for a while, and offered us some of his french fries. then he bought us a round of drinks and hung out and whatever. it was the same show, pretty much, but it doesn't get much better than sitting at a booth at a bar in atlantic city with a sex pistol. also: freaking hr from bad brains showed up. look.
i know it's not a great picture but that guy in the brown hat is hr, and that is photographic evidence of him watching glen and sylvain on stage. SO COOL.
after the show the two of them hung out for a little bit, and when they left i got a hug and a kiss on the cheek first from glen and then from sylvain (!!!) i guess he still loves me after all. awww. and glen also gave me a bunch of cds to sell in the record store and said not to worry about paying him; he just gave me his email address and said we could work something out. then they were gone and we were left to revel in all of our punk rock glory.
as an addendum, i did email him and he wrote back, and having an email from glen matlock in your inbox...well there's nothing quite like it.
