October 16, 2013 – DCU Center, Worcester, MA, USA

Show Notes:

Ed makes mention early on that his voice is still recovering from the raucous show the night before, they ease into the evening with a couple of slower-paced songs. Mike channels Jimmy Page, using a bow on his guitar for…

Show Notes: 

Ed makes mention early on that his voice is still recovering from the raucous show the night before, they ease into the evening with a couple of slower-paced songs. Mike channels Jimmy Page, using a bow on his guitar for Pendulum. The aforementioned vocal strain makes an appearance during Given to Fly and Mind Your Manners, Ed adding “we went pretty hard last night..” and asking for help from the crowd. My Father’s Son is introduced as

“…a thank you letter from a son to his father, thanking him for all his…mutant genes.”

Cropduster is busted out next and they start to hit their stride during the more anthemic songs that follow, Wishlist, Sirens, and I Am Mine. Mike and Ed face off during State of Love and Trust and Ed has some fun with the people up front. Ed lets the Lightning Bolt intro go for a little longer before starting to sing. He picks up the mirrored guitar during the Porch jam and reflects the spotlight into the crowd. They come out seated for the encore and Ed talks about how the Red Sox game is going (not well) and talks about their first visit to Boston:

“The first time we were ever here, first time, we played a little club called the Axis, we stayed at this Holiday Inn, it was right across the street, or right next door to Fenway Park…me and Jeff were [jokingly makes quotation marks with his hands] roommates, gettin’ weird looks from the maids all the time…and it was the All-Star Break, so there was no game in town, and there was no chance of getting in there, but I did, however, right before we left town I climbed this fence that had a barbed wire barricade on top, flipped over the fence, and this guard-type guy, or guy in a suit kinda called after me and then I started running, and he ran after me and then there were two guys in suits running after me, and I went down this hallway and then I turned down another, and I went up this thing, and I was right behind fuckin’ home plate. It was fucking beautiful, it was like seeing your friend’s sister naked when you were twelve or something…so I took three Polaroids, ran back out, jumped in the van, and we moved off to Hartford or wherever the fuck we went…and now cut to twenty years later, we’re sitting front row watching David Ortiz do a fucking baseball miracle like I’ve never witnessed before…”

Other Side makes only its second appearance, by request, with Ed reading the lyrics from a sheet of paper. Gone returns for the first time since 2009, a strong version. The chairs go away for Jeremy. There’s some confusion on stage between Ed and Stone, and Mike takes the opportunity to play a tease of Little Wing, causing Ed to look over and exclaim “you’re fuckin’ with me, fuck you,” to which Mike throws his hands up innocently. As Daughter begins, Ed says “…we got it now, Robbie,” and does some vocal runs and breathing instead of a tag. Dick from the local event staff is brought out on stage and has a nice moment with Ed during the second break. Everything off of Lightning Bolt besides Getaway and Sleeping By Myself was played between the two nights.


October 15, 2013 – DCU Center, Worcester, MA, USA

Show Covered by Podcast

Show Notes:

Subbing in for Boston, scrappy Worcester becomes the two-night home for the band. The historic and underutilized venue and timeliness of the shows (with the Red Sox currently in the midst of a playoff run down the street in Boston)…

Show Notes: 

Subbing in for Boston, scrappy Worcester becomes the two-night home for the band. The historic and underutilized venue and timeliness of the shows (with the Red Sox currently in the midst of a playoff run down the street in Boston) underscored the lively setlist, which kicked off with an emotional 1-2 punch of an opener–a powerful Release followed by Long Road, the first time these two classic opening songs have opened a show consecutively! An anthemic Small Town serves as the logical follow-up, before a segue into a rotation of Lightning Bolt-era tracks that sustains the energy of the night. Hail, Hail and Whipping rip with furor, and Nothing As It Seems is atmospheric and moody. Ed frequently chats about the Red Sox and the band’s friendship with former GM Theo Epstein, who is referenced on Better Man. Corduroy anchors the back part of the set, a surprise at that part of the night. However, the biggest setlist highlight is, not surprisingly, Leash, played in response to Ed’s recognition of a sign-waving fan that had been following the band around for several shows. The encore features a poignant Man of the Hour opener and another fan request, the first Fatal since 2010! A blistering Porch closes out encore one before a unique second encore blends solo-driven stalwarts like Crazy Mary and Alive with an atypical closing pairing of Sonic Reducer and a big singalong on Indifference. Ed leaves the crowd with “it makes a difference, no matter what they say…thank you very much.”