Since a review was written of the previous night’s show, I won’t bore anyone with more raves of The Delta 72 and Cash Money. Let it just be said that if given the chance to see these bands, go!
After driving 3 1/2 hours from Bowling Green, OH (we beat the 2 1/2 hour trip) we were anxious to see a show that would make the trip worth it. As usual, Timmy, Tyler and John were working the crowd before their set. I don’t know where Juan was, but when he finally did come out for the show, he looked like John felt the night before.
Before the set began, someone in the crowd gave Juan a little wind up frog. It was really funny because he was holding onto it like it was the most precious gift he had ever received. He wound it up and watched as it hopped around for a minute or so before the set began. They opened the show with “Hot Metal Doberman’s” and didn’t pause before going right into “To the Baby-Counter.” The most amazing part of the show came when they played “Fresh New Eyes.” This song is not my personal favorite on the CD, but it absolutely kicks ass live. I heard it for the first time at a show in Dayton around Christmas, and couldn’t wait for the new CD to come out so I could hear it again.
The rest of the actual show was pretty typical for Brainiac. They played “Vincent Come on Down,” “Mr. Fingers” and “Sexual Frustration” to name a few songs. They ended with “Cracked Machine,” but after Juan and Timmy left the stage, Tyler kept drumming for about a minute while John started rapping. It was very odd, yet highly interesting. When John was done rapping, he left the stage, and Tyler followed with cymbol in hand. It was a classic moment that made up for the shortness of their show.
The best part of the trip, however, came after the show ended. My friends and I were in the parking lot trying to decide if we wanted to drive the 3 1/2 hours back or just get a room in Grand Rapids for the night. When we finally decided to drive back, we saw Brainiac pulling out of the parking lot with a shirt hanging off of the side of their van. My friend Jill chased the van down just in time to warn them of the situation. They laughed at her, but thanked her for letting them know.
We thought that was going to be the end of our association with Brainiac, but it was not to be. About 30 minutes into our drive back, we pulled off of the highway for a bathroom break. You can imagine our surprise to see Brainiac at the very gas station to which we were headed. We were sure that the band probably thought we were stalkers after the shirt incident, but we are actually just college kids who need to go to the bathroom, and are concerned about the wardrobe of our favorite band.