Dallas Green has a staunch sense of humour. He stood alone on stage in the middle of a packed-to-the-gills room of all-agers, who had been squeezing forth and chattering about how Green had looked in their direction a couple times. He's been though this before - an audience too excitable for its own good, millions of flashbulbs going off as though we were standing in a thunderstorm. He knows what will happen. He knows that the crowd won't just shut up and listen. He knows they will sing along loudly (and badly) and try to talk over the music. And so, he discusses it. Frequently. On stage. He asks the audience to cool the screaming, just for a bit, that he's only one guy and he's pretty quiet. While certainly a light-hearted take, he nonetheless makes the point known, elaborating on fan oddness shortly by declaring that the audience members should shell out the five dollars for the opening band's CD (Machete Avenue). "I know you wave around those $5 bills like it ain't no thang," he drawls. "Well, I have nothing else to sign, can you sign this five dollar bill?" he pantomimes. He warmly thanks Machete Avenue for being on tour with him for three weeks, ignores a few scathing cries form the crowd to play certain songs, and then chimes up, while tuning guitar and in response to someone's insistent yells about "Save Your Scissors," "Did you just say something about Hitler?" Laughter form the crowd. A small smile from Green. "Shave your sister?" he continues. More laughter from the crowd.

He stands quite still - there's not much to be done. He's alone, his voice and music are at once soft and gentle and sweeping. The crowd is a combination of enraptured and jumpy. Hey, people are fans, they get thrilled by things, there's no issue there per se, only when the audience largely drowns out the musician, it's a bit much. I kind of wish everyone would shut up, particularly the collection of burly gents and one amazonian woman to my right who appear to be hellbent on purse-jabbing, standing on my feet, and bumping clear into me while they babble loudly and spill beer all over the place. Anyhow, songs mostly from his album Sometimes, and a few others from his collection of music, came out to play tonight. "Hello I'm In Delaware" and "Comin' Home" among them, mostly intersperesed with yet more bouts of tuning. There was a lot of tuning. On the moments when Green let the audience take over, such as the outro lines to "...Delaware," a delightful harmony rung out. Green was all but silent and the crowd finally decided to unite and sing harmoniously through the room. Quite stunning. And still, the flashbulbs. *shing shing*.

In a slightly cutting move, very "I'm the boss," he noted that he was only going to play two more songs and that he doesn't really believe in encores. Implorations by the crowd drew him up sharply to reiterate that fact. Slightly cutting indeed! He said he saved his favourites for last. Those last two songs were "Day Old Hate" and "Sometimes (I Wish)" - nice choices. Not like we have any say in the matter! With that, he thanks the audience and calmly left the stage much as he had unassumingly taken it an hour earlier. The crowd leapt for the doors. Posters were handed out, and another night has ended...

Elsewhere

By Andy Scheffler
Photos : Andy Scheffler
Published : January, 2006.