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New York, NY - B.B. King's Angie - 07.18.03 Ain't nobody does it better than J, baby. After last Friday's last ever 2 Skinnee J's concert, I am completely convinced of this fact. The J's delivered the most high-energy, intense show I've ever seen. They were bouncing off the walls with excitement, and they worked the crowd into such a frenzy that we were all able to endure the onslaught of a 3-hour set. Yep, 35 songs that lasted until 3am. It was absolute insanity. The setlist [click here for a photo]: FIRST SET:
SECOND SET:
ENCORE:
Emotions were running high all night, and even before the J's hit the stage much of the crowd was in tears, as they showcased a video montage that showed Stephen Hawking (the author of "A Brief History of Time") explaining that the end of the universe would inevitably coincide with the end of 2 Skinnee J's - giving us approximately three hours to rock out one last time. However, when the J's stepped onstage and launched into Riot Nrrrd shortly thereafter, we all quickly forgot that this was indeed the end of the Skinnee. After 13 shows, I am still amazed at the J's ability to move a crowd; every last body in that tiny club was bouncing up and down, following the direction of the boys onstage. It was like getting hit with a semi truck - one high energy song after the other. So high energy, in fact, that being able to concentrate on taking pictures throughout the show proved to be virtually impossible; you can take a look at the result of my efforts here, or check out photos from Nick, who fared far better than I in the picture-taking department. :) One of the many reasons why I adore the J's is that they are so obviously in love with what they do - and that was never more evident than at this show. There were so many times when I would look at the guys onstage and see huge smiles on their faces when they would look at us in the crowd. I can't imagine what it's like to see so many people who adore you so much showing their appreciation by singing along to every one of your songs and jumping around at your command. Seeing them so impressed by their own influence on us made me love them even more (if that's even possible). I have never been a fan of a band that appreciated their fanbase so much - and took every opportunity they had to show it. The show ended with a recording of "I've Had the Time of My Life" (you know - from Dirty Dancing), which the J's had planned to sing to us... only we ended up drowning them out with our own rendition. Hearing it being played over the sound system prompted tears of joy and sadness among everyone onstage and off; seeing the boys hug each other and cry openly made us all realize that this was as hard for them as it was for us. They spent a few minutes attempting to reach out and touch every fan in the first couple rows (all of whom, according to Eddie, were crying by that point); then they made their way offstage, and the shock set in... That was it. But what a way to go out. Thank you, boys. We'll miss you. |