Oi. Finally back at home and settled after a crazy weekend. I got about 10 hours sleep last night and I still feel like I'm behind. But enough of my bitching.

The Chapel Hill show was the best show I saw during my trek, with Norfolk a close second and DC a distant third. The band switched things up by putting "Something 4 The Weekend" after Golden Retriever and added "Frequency!" and "Hello Sunshine" back in. This really fixed any problems there were with the pacing of the set. It all flows really well and keeps everyone entertained. The sound at the venue was really boom-y on the low end and this lent all the songs a more rockin' feel. Best of all, since I didn't have to drive anywhere after the gig, I actually had the chance to get drunk, and boy did I ever. L Boogie was all like "Wow, now I've seen drunk leafblower!" By the time the bus left at 2:30, I was wayhasted. Hanging with Miss Boogie, Johnny English and Mike Grass definitely added to the vibe as well. A fun time was had by all I think. I also got to stay at the new casa de English/Boogie, which was approximately 437 times bigger than their former DC townhouse. And their old townhouse in DC wasn't exactly tiny. It looks like life down south is agreeing with them both, which is great to see, even if I still miss hanging with them here in DC.

Best bit of the night:
Me: (Drunkenly) Dammit Bunf! You didn't even sing the backing vocals on "Ohio Heat" tonight!
Bunf: Oh for fuck's sake. I knew you were going to say that.

I've been bugging him since DC that he wasn't singing backing vocals loud enough for my tastes. He said he had a chest cold so he can't sing as loud as he usually does. The whole bit had become something of a running joke. Just playing my part.

Another treat in Chapel Hill was an extended version of "Calimero" that had a breakdown in the middle before ramping up again at the end. It was sweet. "Laser Beam" was really working for me live too. More fun was had backstage after the gig. The band took turns DJing and I took turns drinking all of their beer. The "backstage" area at the Cat's Cradle is pretty small, the complete opposite of the opulence the band enjoyed in Norfolk.

Here are my pictures from the Super Furry Animals show in Chapel Hill on Flickr. Here is the setlist from Chapel Hill and the setlist from Norva.

Onward to Chicago next Sunday!

Only 105 people at the Norva last night. While that's a bad thing for the band's checkbook, it's a good thing for L Boogie and myself. I got right up front and took 158 photos. The band changed the set up a bit, dropping "Hello Sunshine", "Frequency" and "Something 4 the Weekend" but added "Golden Retriever" and played it early, which worked much better. The small crowd last night was actually much more into it than the DC crowd was on Tuesday, so the place didn't feel as empty as it actually was. The Norva was probably the nicest midsize venue I've ever been to. Think the Bowery Ballroom is it was a tad bigger and had three levels. The backstage area was twice the size of my apartment. It had five huge rooms and included a hot tub and sauna. It was easily the nicest accommodations I've ever seen at a venue.
I got some amazing pictures last night. Take a look at my pictures of the Super Furry Animals at Norva in Flickr.

Chapel Hill tonight. We'll be rolling deep with Mike Grass and Johnny English in tow. Full report (and hopefully the much talked about interview) to come.