Calexico and Iron & Wine...or would I be lying?

Calexico and Iron & Wine
October 29, 2005
The Ridglea, Fort Worth

Can I really mention the Iron & Wine part because (hiding my face in my sweater) ... well, okay ...

We didn't actually stay around for Sam Beam and friends.

Does that make me a horrible person?

In one way, I'm sorry we didn't and maybe it does make me a bit of a weenie-brain, because having never heard of Iron & Wine or Sam Beam before, I'd done a bit of research and was eager to see the man who's been hailed as the best thing to come out of Florida since freshly-squeezed. And from what I was told later, the joint performance was positively magical. Judging from the size of the expectant crowd and the number of young men working the Sam Beam look, I don't doubt that it was.

But as an old timer and even as a smoker, that smoke in there was killin' me, man.

I mean, really, I hate to come off all fogey-esque, but can people really still smoke in performance venues these days? I don't know the ins and outs of Fort Worth's various ordinances, and maybe I'm getting old and creaky, but trying to breathe in there took some effort, dude. Plus, ever since that club in Rhode Island went up in flames and all those people were trapped and killed, I've been a mite gig shy, to be honest.

Brushing aside the choking smoke and the mayhem at the merchandise booth, and the girl in line behind me at Will Call crowing "I'm the number one Sam Beam fan in the country! He'd better sign these CD's!" - I was tickled pink to see how Wesley and Richard and their crew have breathed new life into the Ridglea as a performance venue to be reckoned with. Being a Fort Worth gal and all, it's heartwarming to watch this evolution. Wow. God bless Wesley and Richard and their rock and roll hearts. The last time I was at the Ridglea was back in '88 or '89, I believe, when Danny and I saw the re-release of "Fantasia," high as hippies and full of the joys of youth. Don't know exactly when it happened, but the place closed for business not long after that and sat empty for almost ten years, maybe longer, and then it was transformed into the little musical bijou of Camp Bowie Boulevard. Just the fact that some money-wielding, marauding developer asshole hasn't tried to have it torn down so they can vomit up a bunch of ugly condos gives me hope for this world.

Then again, Fort Worth has a lot more respect for her landmarks than Dallas does.

Anyway, back to the gig at hand:

First of all, can I start out by saying that Martin Wenk and Jacob Valenzuela rule the brass, among the other zillion instruments they play? Can I have an amen?

Secondly, I don't know if it's up to the band or their booking agent who determines the venue - maybe a bit of work on both ends - but whoever came up with the idea to play in my hometown deserves a great big kiss. Thank you for bringing Calexico to Fort Worth, kind sir/madam. If you bring them back for a full-on show, you'll have earned your spot in heaven.

Also, I've only been in the Calexico loop for a little over a year now, so aside from "Not Even Stevie Nicks," "Across the Wire," "Alone Again, Or" and a rousing "Crystal Frontier" at the end of their 45 minutes or so on stage, I couldn't tell you each and every song on the setlist, but I can tell you that the sheer musicality of this particular outfit just blows my little mind, gives me chill bumps and makes me want to star in a sex-drenched, modern-day spaghetti western. Or better yet, write one instead.