Butch Walker Withdrawal and Renewal

Finally re-energized after the mercifully short period of lowdown blues that slammed into Bibi the week after seeing Butch perform three times in five days.

But, like the Rolling Stones say, that's all over now; the blues, that is.  Bibi keeps remembering:  man, what a roller coaster rush that week was!   Did spend a short time in the dumps thinking about not being able to speak when Butch signed the motorcycle magazine,

but finally told myself:  whatever!  You did speak when you (finally) met Angus and think about how great and memorable that was for both of you.  LOL

What does Bibi owe the renewed enrgy to?  She's gotten to do some things she loves to do.  Like, talk about: 

• Butch Walker,
• the wonderful "Week of 3 Shows (March 11-15)",
• Butch Walker's music, his voice, his rock star qualities,
• the set lists in Dallas and in Austin at SXSW,
• SXSW 2013 as one of the best Spring Breaks ever.  Right up there with the Spring Break in Paris with my favorite person on earth.
• the development, reveal, and gifting to a select few of the new and best ever, Butch Walker Mixtape IX*

One might ask:  did/does Bibi ever experience a sense of surfeit of Butch Walker?  What a question!  With only one response:  NO!  Really, how could that be possible?  It's not like Butch has shows every day, has frequent mentions on the web, tv or radio.  Even his tweets have become few and not so frequent.  (This is something Bibi actually thinks is good, or at least okay.  Could mean that Butch is too busy working on the upcoming album to be tweeting about the weather where he is, his latest stop at Starbucks, his current favorite cat video.)  A key element for the fan-star set up to exist successfully requires a scarcity on the part of the star. It's basic economics:  if the commodity is scarce, or rare, the consumer wants more of it, waits for it with great anticipation and is willing to pay when it becomes available.  Butch Walker fans are just lucky that he doesn't make us pay high prices to see him; just requires us to wait, wait, wait....  From a marketing standpoint, "[he knows] how hard it is to be the easiest thing to love" and that fans are willing to wait as well as willing to continue as fans.  Butch is definitely worth it!

Bibi doesn't understand how she could have thought that she might not follow the summer tour.  Cats!  Who can understand their labyrinthine thought processes?  (woohoo--check out the big brain on Bibi!)  Sure, she can't be stalker-like about it, make the entire tour, but hopefully some short stints on both coasts.  Bibi realizes there's no chance Butch will come back to Texas and that's fine.  Who wants to go to Amarillo or Corpus Christi during the summer?  Can't imagine that Butch's management team has stats that would back up a tour schedule so bizarre as that. 

Anyway, Bibi has a renewed sense of purpose:  let as many as possible know about Butch Walker, his music, his talents.  Have already given out three copies of BWM IX, made a new supply of the BW cards.  Going to a possibly cool party on Saturday; hoping to let new people know about the one, the only, the truly remarkable and talented, Butch Walker.  I know.  How could it be a cool party if Bibi's invited?  Ha, ha, ha.

Love you, Butch!

*She Likes Hair Bands Bodegas and Blood
Summer of '89
Sweethearts
Day Drunk
Synthesizers
The Closest Thing to You
Bullet Belt
Sucker Punched
Mixtape
Race Cars and Goth Rock
The Weight of Her
Here Comes the...
Ponce de Leon Ave.
Oooh...Aaah...
Hot Girls in Good Moods
Bethamphetamine (Pretty Pretty)
When Canyons Ruled the City
Maybe It's Just Me
Pretty Melody
The 3 Kids in Brooklyn

Butch Walker, SXSW update, the Fan's Lot

A fan's life is not easy or easily sustainable.  Although overall, this week has been a diehard fan's dream--seeing Butch Walker three times within five days--to actually accomplish it, well, at some points, Bibi thought:  really?  I have to endure this (traffic, getting lost due to seemingly willfully incomprehensible directions, some poor food choice decisions, not eating for long periods of time, w-a-i-t-i-n-g in lines, sunburned left arm, sitting next to flaky people) bullshit because I want to see Butch?  The two trips (Dallas and Austin) weren't that expensive, so positive in their favor, the two hotels were fine (the Dallas hotel had a Hotel California air to it, though, yes, I was allowed to check out without incident) and the SXSW hotel was in Round Rock, about 15 minutes (30 agonizing minutes in bad traffic conditions) from Austin, again, not such bad aspects of the trips. And who doesn't like to anticipate those little soaps? 

But sometimes, the waiting was not only the hardest part, it was the worst part of what Bibi had to do to see Butch.  Few of the gory details are needed since they are irrelvant now that Bibi did see Butch and did enjoy his kick ass shows tremendously.  And, of course, none of them were caused by Butch; only  by those incapable of understanding the importance of seeing Butch perform live, in person, up close.  At SXSW, if you don't buy the all-showcase access badge, around $800, and you don't live in the Austin area (you have a few chances to buy wristbands for less than $200), you have to hope that the shows you want to see will NOT be a major draw for the badges and wristbands--they get in first--since they could fill up the venue and make day-of tickets difficult to get.  For Bibi, this not knowing was just so stressful.

From Day 1, everybody kept consoling me:  even if you don't get in to see him, there are so many other acts to see!  They did not get it.  Why would I go through making travel arrangements, making sure I could be away from my national-importance level job for a week, aka, work for weeks before so that nothing was left undone for this week, decide the money spent was just money well-spent and damn it, worth it to spend, if just any act would be okay to attend?  Really, who goes to SXSW with that plan?

To quote C-3P-0, thank the Maker, Bibi got into both of Butch's showcases relatively easily and for a total of $10!  Didn't spend money on drinks since the first show was in a church and Bibi couldn't get through the crowd in Vice Bar to get a drink.

One of the beauties of this Texas mini-tour was the unexpected opportunities to be in such close proximity to Butch while he performed--Bibi would have never even dreamed it would be possible to be  three feet in front of him, much less have him pass right next to me on his way through the audience in Dallas.  On Friday  night at the Vice Bar, Bibi was on the front row!  I know the readers are going to roll their eyes when I reveal that at a certain point in Butch's set, Bibi could swear he noticed her being in the front AGAIN and he smiled right at her!!!! REALLY, REALLY!

It was deleriously FABULOUS and I deleriously clung to that feeling for the 6 1/2 hours that I stood there. (a sort of lol here)  My cowboy boots are really comfy, but, whoa, all that standing with no drink in hand was a Texas-sized challenge.  Fan note:  maybe laundry has to be done each night while Butch is on tour?  He wore the same ensemble on Friday that he wore on Thursday, at least the tee shirt and vest.  Butch is probably a way better traveler/packer than  Bibi; I took three pairs of boots,  a pair of sandals, and the Doc Martins for a two day trip, along with enough clothes for four changes.

Bibi digresses.  The first three acts were country singers, okay.  The first two were appealing and seemed viable, but kind of laid back, overall.  This made it easy for Butch to come on and ROCK THE JOINT DOWN!!  The crowd was more than ready to jump up and down, stomp their hearts out, join in with Butch's songs full out: complete Butch fan overload! The time frame was shorter than the night before, so the set list was, too.

Closer to the Truth and Further from the Sky
Pretty Melody
new song, Let it Go the Way It's Supposed To (maybe that's the title)
The Closest Thing to You
new song
Synthesizers
3 Kids in Brooklyn

Vice Bar Finale (sigh)  I'm in this video, stage left at the front!

Butch is a superbly talented musician and an experienced performer; regrettably, the stage was tiny,  allowing less expressive movement from Butch than usual, the mike in front of him flopped over three times (his tech finally had to tape it together while Butch sang), the strap on Butch's mandolin fell off, requiring Butch to sing, play and reattach the strap, and Bibi could swear she heard feedback at least once during one of the all too few songs.  That Butch kept it together and pulled off a hell of a rock star performance was incredible.  And at the same time, something Bibi knew Butch could and would do.  I did think that within his performer ethos, Butch was royally pissed off and he used that to give the show even more oomph.  But, Bibi did sense a pissed off-edness.  Maybe just besotted fan imagination.  Whatever, once again he rocked us black n blue, baby! 

Not that BW fans need a lot of encouragement, but he whipped us into a frenzy of singing along, jumping up and down, with rockets for fists, exquisite exhilaration! The set was way too short for us, but it was all there was. Here's Bibi's short clip of 3 Kids in Brooklyn, the last song--sorry about the audio quality and that it's so very short.  https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=521641531207377

By now, the crowd was sort of pressing on Bibi and the other front of the stage fans, both from excitement and the people coming in for Matt Nathanson (Bibi liked him, his sound, although she didn't know any of his songs.)  I knew he must be good:  Butch follows him on Twitter!  He especially endeared himself to Bibi when he did a shout out to his friend, Butch Walker. 

The next act was New Politics.  Not sure what to call their music, maybe rap or punk or hip hop, but it did generate a lot of energy from the crowd, especially when the lead singer would jump on the speakers and leap around wildly.  He got the crowd to open up a clear space and did a back flip from the stage to the floor and break danced for a bit.  There was music being played by the band the entire time and periodically, he or one of the others would sing/shout out words.  Guess that's music nowadays. (Bibi!  What a curmudgeon you sound like for such a young feline!)  Wonder if Butch is thinking of updating his act?  lol

The final act was Fall Out Boy.  I had seen them sing the song Butch wrote for them on Jimmy Kimmel, so I at least knew that one song and they did do it later in their set--with acknowledgement to Butch.  Their music was more melodic than the previous band and their infectious, effusive energy was echoed by the enthusiastic crowd. 

The crowd was major-ly pushing from behind, but luckily, the photographer who stood behind Bibi for the entire 6+ hours was a big guy and very kindly held off a lot of the shoving, plus, it was a short set and before complete body compression took place we were released into the teeming 6th Street action about 2 am.  Whew!   

Have to say, though, Butch set the feverish (in a really good way) tone for the show and he set the energy, rock action bar high.  Hope Butch, Matt Nathanson and Fall Out Boy all had a great meet up after the show.

Speaking of the fan life, just before the Thursday night performance, as we were settling in our seats/pews, an exotic-looking young woman sat down to Bibi's left.  She told all around her a vaguely interesting, possibly true story about how she got her wristband.  It caused Bibi to ponder on that dichotomy between a celebrity's stage persona and real person life, whether the story was true or not.  Fans and wannabes!

 SXSW was a cool life experience for Bibi--not only did she get to see Butch twice in two days, she experienced some great new music (new to Bibi) and had an excellent time meeting new fans.

Thanks, Butch, for coming to Texas, being part of SXSW, and especially for your kick-ass, leave 'em wanting more, more, more shows!  Eagerly awaiting the summer tour dates and locations.

Love ya, guy!

Butch Walker Rocked Us in Dallas AND in Church!

Bibi has been dragging her dainty little paws in letting y'all know about Butch's performance in Dallas on Monday--what can I say:  I come from race cars and Goth rock....  Yes, it's a wonder and a curse:  responding to almost any comment with lyrics from a BW song.  Really, though, it was SO INTENSE!  The venue, the Kessler was set up with very limited seating around the edge of the room and most of us standing. Believe it or not:  I was at the front of the stage, Butch was standing in front of me!!!  Possibly, some of his sweat fell on me during the show. lol Just let me say:  BUTCH KILLED IT!!!  It was Bibi's expectation and Butch satisfied.  On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, Butch scored at least 17!

He looked fabulous, of course, sleeveless vest over white undershirt, jeans, lace up boots.  Looks like he got a haircut that clipped the hair on the sides really close.  Said it before:  Butch has the best hair in rock!  And one of the great guitar acts!  Although, when he first came out, he sang Cigarette Lighter Love Song (!)  a capella.  
Beautiful voice, Butch Walker

Butch has such a fantastic voice, it was so beautiful!  Here's how close I was: I could see the set list taped to the floor in front of Butch! It wasn't much different from the December 30 show at the Double Door, except he started with Cigarette Lighter Love Song (Butch loves that song and I'm SO happy he included it.  It wasn't written on the set list--Joan was and didn't get sung.) 
Another difference from the Chicago show was the  duet from the new album with Nikki Lane (she was the opening act with Odessa didn't get her last name).

As usual, he was at the keyboard for ATL--I have really come to love that song--then he played guitar by himself for the next couple of songs.  The rest of the band joined him for the remainder of the show, starting with the middle of Closer to the Truth --excellent way to showcase his phenomenal talent:  voice, guitar, keyboard, AND his great rockin' band.

Getting confused, so here are the songs he sang:

Cigarette Lighter Love Song
ATL
Passed Your Place, Saw Your Car
Race Cars and Goth Rock
Battle/War (with Nikki Lane)
Going Back/Going Home
Closer to the Truth
Pretty Melody
Let It Go Where It's Supposed To
Dublin Crow
The Weight of Her
The Closest Thing to You
I've Been Waiting for This
Synthsizers
Hair Bands
Summer of '89
End of the World
The 3 Kids in Brooklyn
Sucker Punched

He was so personable, joking about forgetting lyrics, musing on his long absence from Dallas, and attuned to the really exuberant crowd.  WE LOVED HIM! 

Got to stand in a crowd in front of Butch after the show and have him autograph his motorcyle magazine cover!  (He was wearing a cowboy hat!)  He was so sweet to everyone who spoke to him or gave him something to sign. 

However, once again, in the presence of greatness, that happens to be combined with total hot-ness, Bibi could not formulate actual words to say to Butch.  Talk about a case of being Butch-struck!   

Then, Thursday night at SXSW in Austin---Butch totally brought the house, er, church, DOWN!!  Bibi was so happy to see a very Butch-friendly, slightly wild (for being in a church) crowd at the show, especially since it was 1 am.


I had been worried that I wouldn't be able to get a ticket for the show, but things worked out very well.  Met some people, including PinkSparkle from Twitter and her dad and a friend.  Very nice fans!  Since the venue was unusual, Bibi had some concerns, but once Butch got started and the fans warmed up--as you know they would with Butch singing and playing--the church was rocking! Not sure the church authorities wanted that, but Butch Walker fans are incorrigible and once you get the Butch spirit, well, it takes over.  If, for God, it's all about making a joyful noise, He certainly heard that on Thursday night, ahem, Friday morning.

Given the time constraints, it was a short set, but totally Butch, i.e., great:

ATL
Passed Your Place, Saw Your Car
Going Back, Going Home
Closer to the Truth and Further from the Sky
Pretty Melody
one of the new songs
The Closest Thing to You
new song
Synthesizers
3 Kids in Brooklyn--starting to really like this song

Bibi got back to Round Rock really late, about 4 am, so today has been laid back.  A really beautiful sunny day, so went to the famous Round Rock Donuts (pretty good stuff!) and to the Round Rock geologic formation--yes, there's a round rock in the stream/river that runs through Round Rock.

Thinking a power nap would really be a good idea before heading back into Austin.  I had heard there would be a lot of people, but it's monumental, really!  Reminded me of crowd scenes in The Ten Commandments or other bibilical proportion movies.  SXSW is a truly immense production.  Hope Bibi can get into the venue tonight (Vice Bar), but the line up is impressive:  along with Butch, the two acts following him are well-known, with the last act (added late?) being Fall Out Boy!  So, we will see.  Paws crossed!

Love you, Butch!  Fantastic couple of shows this week!

Countdown to Butch Walker in Texas

Bibi is trying to stay calm, trying to patiently wait for Monday and then Thursday and Friday, but it's becoming a losing set of attempts.  The video of Butch singing Patsy Cline with Martina McBride is and isn't helping--totally terrific:

She's Got You with Martina McBride

Fans know that Butch can sing with so much heart and soul--why don't more people get on board with the idea?

Butch looks and sounds great--wonder if there will be guests at the Dallas show?

Really looking forward to Monday!!

Love ya, Butch!

Butch Walker: Antici---Pation! Dallas! SXSW!

Bibi is such a fan!  It's daunting for a fan, thinking that one truly fine day, they would get to meet the star-object and ask all kinds of questions.  Of course, the chance doesn't offer itself frequently, and let's try to fondly remember the time Bibi did meet Angus.  Try to remember it fondly, although it was a complete disaster for Bibi.  She came away knowing that Angus saw her as a complete fan--weirdo variety.  He's probably met a lot of those.  BUT, Angus was ever so polite (throught the cloud of cigarette smoke) and that counts for something.  My friends never tire of asking for a re-telling of this ignominious episode of Bibi's life.

For the fan, lots of land mines in approaching their star.  The momentous moment (great syntax!) will be unexpected, actually being in their presence will be overwhelming and breath taking, rational thought evaporates, no matter how many times you've practiced.  You do know your precious seconds with the star are so very limited and you must ask/say something profound, witty, insightful, and memorable.  A lot to process for anyone, but particularly difficult for someone who finds themselves within the aura of greatness tht surrounds the star.  All this and total sensory overload was at play when Bibi met Angus and would be if she had the gob-smacking luck to run into Butch. 

• Does Butch own a polo-type shirt? 
• What hopeless and heart wrenching yearning he expresses in Race Cars and Goth Rock:  wake up and lose yourself in me....
• Is there a perfect sequence of songs for a Butch Walker Mixtape?  Bibi is up to version VI (or is it VII?) and it's not exactly right yet.
• Is that a Pure Prairie League reminiscence in RCAGR?
• Upon reflection, I may have heard My Way in the murky past.  Not sure I would have liked that era of Butch's music.
• What about Maybe It's Just Me and Brandy?  Just love that song,but who wouldn't?
• Who decided the set list on episode 54 of Live From Daryl's House, besides Why Was It So Easy?
• Petty Fest outings:  is the performer rush different from playing your own songs?  Satisfaction level?  Analogous to producing for others vs producing and performing your own songs?   
   Does Butch have favorite Butch Walker songs?  One from each album?

While fans have many questions on the important and the inane, the star has to deal with the fan situation in general.  How could one ever satisfy the fan hunger for information or access?  No way to do it.  So a precarious balance is set between the two, including boundaries.  Bibi has tickets to see Butch on Monday in Dallas and great hopes to see him in Austin on Thursday and Friday.  We will see how it goes.  Could impact the summer tour plans for Bibi significantly.  Or not.

Love ya, Butch!