Sloughing(?) toward Bethlehem
Carla’s anniversary present to me was a chance to see Glen Phillips (former lead singer of Toad the Wet Sprocket) in concert. The two of us, along with our friends John and Jennie, went to the Paradise Rock Club in Boston this past Monday for the concert. The ride was a little hairy, as Mapquest proved ineffective in getting us there, and we ended up stopping at three different gas stations to get directions.
The show was everything I hoped it would be. I’d already missed two other chances to see either Glen or Toad live, so this was a fitting way to make up for lost time. He played a few newer songs that aren’t on any of his albums, some of the better tracks from his solo disc Abulum, and a bunch of Toad songs. He even played “I Will Not Take These Things For Granted,” a song Carla and I danced to on our wedding night. I wasn’t expecting much from the opening act, Kyle Riabko, but he was a mean guitar player for such a pretty-boy. 
I got kind of a John Mayer/Jason Mraz vibe from him, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts taking off soon. The last time I had the chance to see Glen he was touring with John Mayer…hmmm…coincidence?
Glen’s between-song banter was funny, even when it had nothing to do with the song. At one point, he began quoting Yeats’s poem The Second Coming, but putting the word “slouging” into the last line. He asked the crowd, since Boston’s a college town, how that was pronounced. I volunteered that it was actually “slouching toward Bethlehem” and not “sloughing.”
“But it’s s-l-o-u-g-h, isn’t it? How is that possible?’ he asked. And then proceeded to liken the word “sloiughing” to “Snuffleupagus” and start talking about Sesame Street. I felt about two inches tall throughout the rest of the show and for a day or so afterward until I looked up the poem on Google to find I had been right. How ya like them apples, Phillips?
Anyway, minor unwarranted embarrassments aside, it was an incredible show. I can’t wait for a recording of it to show up on Archive.org…
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June 20th, 2006 at 2:29 pm
[...] On May 15th,I had a birthday. My 32nd. Celebrated it by going to see Glen Phillips play at the Asylum in Portland. The show was really good, but nowhere near as incredible as the first time I saw him. I did, however, get the pleasure of vindicating myself by giving him the correct next line when he forgot the words to “Darkest Hour.” Yup…that’s me saying “Just remind me!” on the live recording of the show. Take that, Yeats-misquoter! [...]