I will say it. I may hate the Philadelphia Phillies, but, the city of brotherly love is quite nice. Yes, it may be a pain to drive through. Conflicting one-ways and odd voluminous circles do not assist drivers by any means. But, Philly has a quaint charm even when you are surrounded by large colleges and skyscrapers. So, yes, I like the city’s aesthetics. But, in my two visits to Philly, I have experienced both a snowstorm and, just last Friday, a true adventure after seeing The Weepies in concert.
Let me explain.
Those people above were great. The Weepies performed Friday night at World Cafe Live, a small venue by UPenn’s athletic facilities. How do I know? Well, I parked in a UPenn owned lot when my friend Anthony and I arrived at the venue after our quick drive from Binghamton. Seriously, we hit one spot of traffic entering Philadelphia, and, I only made one wrong turn.
The concert started an hour after we first stepped into the venue. Credit brick breaker for helping that hour go by.
Now, when I say this venue was intimate, I don’t only mean it was small. The Weepies like to set the mood before their shows. The lights were dimmed after the opening act (which was Weepies’ lead man Steve Tannen’s brother Greg…very talented by the way) Electric candlelight (I feel like I am setting up the scene of “Lola”) was provided by several fake candles. The setting was delightful. It was also exactly what one would expect from a pop band like the Weepies. Their music is infectious and innocuous and therefore, the concert set-up should imitate that description.
Steve and Deb are excellent together. They opened the concert with “Please Speak Well of Me,” one of my favorites off of their new album. Take a listen
Listen to the background of the track. Hear the rhythm. That was executed by the band’s lead guitarist and drummer who imitated the sounds through natural sounds (banging their legs with open hands and snapping). Who else opens I show like that?
The night continued with a good mixture of old and new songs that were all sung by the relaxed audience. Seriously, the band reflects the audience and this crowd was just lulled into a good Weepies’ trance.
Steve and Deb obviously have awesome chemistry, heck, they are husband and wife. They were laughing on stage as both told stories on how songs were created. One involved pornography, and yes, I am not kidding. I love hearing how lyrics are written, so, this was welcomed.
By the end of the night, The Weepies swept through all of their known material. They ended the night with a kiss and left the stage. It was a great show. The post-game party was not at all what Anthony and I expected.
I disagree Philadelphia. It was most certainly dark out. Here was the plan. Anthony has a friend who goes to Villanova. We would stay with him and then leave the next morning. No need to make the long drive back up to Binghamton after the concert, right? Well, in short, wrong. In the opening act, Greg Tannen premised a song by saying it had a long story that went with it, but, not wanting to expatiate, he just told us that he was with a girl and now he is not. I could do the same and leave my story at what I told you all above, but, I am going to explain.
Anthony’s friend didn’t answer our first phone call. His phone was not even on, and, according to an automated female voice, his voice message box with full. Okay, not what we wanted to hear, but, Anthony and I had plans to eat dinner after the concert anyway. The dinner plans were abandoned after we could not find parking. This also came after phone call #4 to said friend. Every phone call produced the same voice. The prognosis was bleak.
I decided that we might as well drive to Villanova and eat something there while we waited for his friend to call. Yeah, we did not take down his address. Yes, captain hindsight, it was a bad idea. On our way to Villanova, we did pass the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, AKA Rocky Steps, and like the dimwitted tourists we are, Anthony and I ran up them. It was awesome.
We arrived in Villanova and still did not receive any word from the friend. I took off my coat and got comfortable. After a stop at a Wawa (best place to get gas and eat after 12 a.m.), I started the drive home. In the span of 12 hours, I drove for half of that time. But, we did get to see the Weepies, so, when all was said and done it was definitely worth it.
The Music Court 
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