Sunday night I ended up going with a friend I'd been trying to get to listen to Gomez for years. I still don't know why he never gave them a chance, but on this night he was only coming as a favor to me because the person I had originally bought the tickets with couldn't make it.
I get nervous when I take a non-fan to any kind of show. Only because I worry they'll be bored and then I end up not having as good a time as I would have liked. As it happened, I need not have worried, and really, I should not have doubted Gomez's ability to win over a non-fan.
We watched Family of the Year, who I'd never heard of but really enjoyed, open for them. We then edged our way to the front of the stage, about 3 people back from the stage which is the closest I've ever watched a Gomez show from- by choice. I get really uncomfortable sometimes being that close because I can't help but think: they can see you! Makes me nervous. I can't help it. As is quickly becoming evident in this post: I'm a nervous worry wart. But I knew that. It also didn't help my nerves that by 10:15 they still hadn't taken the stage and my friend was getting antsy. Especially since he had to be at work especially early the next day.
I have a horrible memory for setlists, but I can say they opened up with Revolutionary Kind which was a mellower choice, but as soon as that was over, a guy behind me shouted "Ok now, here we go!" which was exactly how I felt. They delved into Shot Shot and all of a sudden we were all dancing and I forgot all about my friend not being a fan or having to work early in the morning. As he was dancing too, I figured it was a good sign.
It was the last night of their tour and the entire band was in good spirits. There was a lot of onstage banter between all of them. Tom was charming the crowd and getting us to clap along, as usual, sometimes coordinating a goofy dance with Paul while they jammed. They called out a friend who was having a birthday and handed her a tambourine to play during a song (again, horrible with setlists, so I don't remember what song it was!), letting her also sing a little backup, and just before a song towards the end of the show when everyone was staring at Ian waiting for him to start he turned to the crowd and said something to the effect of "I don't know what to do, this thing is fucked" looking a bit frustrated by his laptop then turning to the crowd again and asking if anyone knew about computers or worked for Apple specifically, then asking us "What should I do? Just reboot?". After a minute of awkwardness as they tried to figure it out, Ben just delved into Black Dog until the problem was fixed.
I was disappointed they didn't jam to How We Operate as they had when I saw them last or in the DVD I have, but I'm guessing that was due to time more than anything else. Despite the fact that they only played one of my top five Gomez songs, I really enjoyed the show. And obviously watching them from that close helps a lot since you tune out everyone else (except on occasion the incredibly annoying over-dressed, under 21 goofy girls that wouldn't stop giggling and being goofy) and just focus on them and what they're doing. It was awesome!
Needless to say, my friend is now a full-fledged fan. Since that night he keeps texting me with how great certain songs are that he's just now listening to. To this friend I say: You're welcome!
Here are some pics taken with my camera phone (so not so great):
Ben Ottewell
Tom Gray
Ian Ball, Paul Blackburn and Ben
Ben, Paul and Olly Peackock on drums
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