The Pabst welcomes Aqualung
They knew we were coming; they baked us a cake
Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee
Ah, The Pabst. It's our third visit here. In fact, now I think about it, this is the only place we've ever played our own gig in Milwaukee. And it's not surprising, for it is a very wonderful place to play, not least for the delectable array of sweetmeats they offer downstairs.
It's interesting how the framing of the gig changes how it feels. The Pabst has a high stage and quite a distance to the first row of seats. It feels very different to a smelly rock club like Exit/In where everyone is pressed up in front of the stage, close enough to read what they're texting. On this occasion we left the front apron free for people to stand. (They gave us the option of putting seats out, but we explained that we'd got louder and faster since we last played here. They raised their eyebrows).
After the second song Matt pointed out this enticing standing-up area, and in a moment of uncharacteristic verve for Aquafans, they actually got up and stood there. As a social movement, it was probably not on the same level as, say, the Algerian Uprising, but it seemed significant to us. From then on the gig combined the sweaty immediacy of the rock club with the hushed reverence of the theatre show. With that and the cake, it was pretty much perfect.
Special mention goes to Annette, who made us comfortable backstage to the extent of doing our laundry for us; it was like living at home in the glorious years before Mum realised we weren't incapable of looking after ourselves. And now my bedsheets are Milwaukee fresh!
Jim: "Hoppy; yeasty; fruit-rich, showing the vigour of youth."
