gig @ joe’s pub

As I mentioned previously, Vienna Teng was in town this evening for a show at Joe’s Pub, a fantastic venue on Lafayette, near Astor Place. The show started at 7pm even though it was listed at 7:30pm on her website; Stephen Clair opened for half an hour before Vienna’s set. I heard a venue employee say that all of the tickets had sold out long before the doors opened, and by 6:20pm, it was virtually impossible to find a place to sit down. A good-sized group of people I knew showed up to listen: Tony Lu, Pat Suh, Bobby, Peter and Karine Kim, David Katz, and Judy Fong.

Strangely, the venue didn’t feed the artists (who had just sold out every seat in the house), and after the show, they kept ushering the Alan-Lin-manned merch stand around the lobby and various other areas (complete with attached autographing fiend, Vienna Teng). Apparently, too many fans are a bad thing, and when you are done playing, everyone should just get out. But… yeah. It was a very nice venue despite that. I felt silly going up on stage for only two songs, but like last time, I had a lot of fun and was happy to be a part of it all. Marika and Alan are kicking ass these days! They sound great, and have really settled into their parts. Vienna seems to be recovering slowly from her laryngitis; she warmed up after playing My Media, and was able to continue with the rest of the songs — albeit without some of the nuance and tonal purity she normally attains during performance. I hope she manages to find some time to rest and heal. I still really enjoyed it, though. Full-band Vienna is a always a treat.

Post concert: wine at Von with Pat, Tony, Peter, and Karine, followed by a trek through the snow, and a late-night meal with Vienna and Alan. I completely submerged my shoes in a deceptively-deep street-corner puddle, and when they emerged from the nearly-frozen liquid, they still looked dry. Gortex is amazing.

OK. I’m tired, but I have no right to complain because I’m not headed to the airport in an hour, like Vienna is. Crazy musicians and their insane schedules. Good night! [see some photos]

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