Here we go again, for some reason I feel compelled to write these
things. Dear diary...
DIDO @ THE QUEST, MINNEAPOLIS, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2000
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Dido was lured back to Minneapolis this time by 104.1 The Point, a local
radio station who hosted their fifth 'Point Private Performance Party'.
Because of this, the only way to get in was to win tickets, or know
somebody at the station (which is how I gained entrance - thanks, T).
Also performing were the bands This Way and Vertical Horizon. I was
somewhat surprised to find out that Dido wasn't headlining, but
apparently these Vertical Horizon kids are fairly popular here in the
states. I don't get MTV, so it was news to me. Anyway.
I've been working on the East Coast, but I managed to swing it to be
back. I flew in from Philly around 3pm, turned on The Point, and found
out that Dido was doing an in-store about 5p at a record shop called
Down In The Valley. Having nothing better to do, I went to the
in-store.
I got to Down In The Valley just about the time she was supposed to
start. There was a huge line stretching halfway down the block (I found
out some people had arrived two hours earlier!), and it turned out that
Dido was running late (rockstars). They finally let the 100 or so of us
in. I'd never been to an in-store before, and I found it, rather,
well...odd. There were a couple of stools set up in the back of the
store with a small PA and a couple of cabs on stands. I ended up
leaning on the cassette rack (I think Thriller kept poking me in the
leg).
However, once Dido and Vinnie started, all doubts as to the viability of
the venue were swept away. With only a little bit of chorus to hide
behind, she sounded PHENOMENAL. Very intimate. She played four songs
('Here With Me', 'Don't Think Of Me', 'All You Want' and 'Thank You' - i
think, although i forget the exact order). It was great that she did
the free in-store - the show at The Quest was 21+, so this was an
opportunity to see her for people who didn't win tix or were underage.
(Not to be stereotypical, but the majority of the crowd were teen girls
- at least we know our target audience. :) Dido stuck around for quite
a while (I assume - I left) signing autographs and being generally
charming, as usual. Once again, she won over a great many attendees.
Damn, she's good at that.
After that I headed over to The Quest. (A trivia factoid for you Prince
fans, The Quest was once his club, known then as Glam Slam.) I've heard
it's gone downhill, but it's still pretty cool. There's a large,
2-story mainroom with a good-sized stage and bars on either side.
Upstairs, the balcony runs around the entire room, so it's possible to
get all kinds of views of the stage. A couple of additional niceties:
well-placed speakers help eliminate any dead sound spots, and multiple
monitors run continuous, multiple-camera footage of what's happening on
stage. (Occasionally this can be distracting, but I still enjoy the
novelty. It's very professional - anyone want to help me break in and
steal the tapes?)
The first band, This Way, was inconsequential.
Then it was time, at long last, for Dido. She had the full crew back,
although Chris (the dj) has joined Moby's touring ensemble and was thus
replaced by a new dj. Everything sounded very familiar, she did play
the 2 new(er) songs, 'Don't Leave Home' and 'Afraid To Sleep'. I think
that the band has gelled more, maybe it's my imagination, but they
definitely seem tighter. The biggest problem is that (again) they're
doing a pseudo-acoustic set, with everybody plugged in (there's a dj for
chrissake), but Alex is relegated to his bongo. Don't get me wrong,
he's a madman with that thing, but it still can't replace a drum kit.
Capacity at The Quest is around 2500-3000, and I'm sure attendance was
near that. I felt the crowd was very interested, but it wasn't quite
the same as some of her earlier shows, when EVERYBODY knows all the
words. I ended up near the back, and the distance felt enormous. I had
a moment of panic as I could feel Dido slipping away from us, the early
adopters, towards the arena rock of mainstream top 40. While Dido may
never reach arena rock status (which would be a good thing, unless they
give Alex a kit), her popularity seems to have grown exponentially every
time she I see her.
I shouldn't have been surprised by the announcement that, once again,
Dido would take the time to do a meet & greet after her set. I wonder
at what point, if ever, that will end. I have visions of Dido being
tirelessly enchanting, sitting before an arena-sized line stretching
back for miles...
(shaking it off)
The headliner, Vertical Horizon, put on quite a good show. (Granted,
they had cymbals.) Again I was surprised by their popularity, as for
the most part the crowd went cRaZy. (Gotta spell it like you say it -
cRaZy. Sidebar. Sorry.) They were definitely entertaining, and at
least I knew one song. :)
Got a chance to see Alex and Keith again, which was fun (next time I buy
the shots). As instructed, said hello from Texans and gave grief about
B'more water, respectively.
Sounds like Dido will be back on tour in the States this summer, this
time with...you guessed it...wait for it...A FULL DRUM KIT! Nice. All
we need now is Faithless...
dave
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