On Thursday night, we saw Andrew Bird at the Miramar Theatre on the East Side. Dave is a huge fan and when he heard that Mr. Bird would be coming to Milwaukee, he snapped up four tickets to the soon-to-be sold-out show.
I'd been sick with a cold all week and wasn't really feeling up to going, but I went anyway because I was curious about the theater and the show.
Dave's friends Mike and Mike came over around 7:00, just in time to interrupt my viewing of Dancing with the Stars - a show I've gotten to be a bit attached to over the past few weeks. They were quick to make fun of the show, but oddly enough, they sat and watched the entire 90-minute episode with me. I think that deep down they enjoyed it and are secretly jealous of Dave that he gets to start dance lessons with me tomorrow.
But I digress. We left around 8:45 and drove the five minutes down to the theater. We had to park pretty far away, and when we reached the Miramar, a dozen or so people were standing outside trying to get tickets from someone. We went inside and found four seats together in the very back row. The place was small and dark and quite intimate with its approximately 300 seats. (I can't find that info. on the website, it's just our estimate.)
The boys got some beers and even though I didn't really feel like drinking, I got up to get a mixed drink, mainly for research purposes. It was four bucks, just like the beers - I was impressed. When we saw a show at the Rave last year, mixed drinks were $8 and weak as hell, which I found just outrageous. Not so at Miramar!
The opening act was Haley Bonar. She played probably eight songs and had a pretty voice, but I didn't think she was anything spectacular. I was mostly just annoyed that Andrew Bird wasn't out yet, which is usually the case with opening acts. It was 10:30 by the time he came on. I'd only ever heard him so I didn't know what to expect when he came out. He was young and attractive, and the way he whistled and played his violin was amazing.
I looked over at Dave a few times and he was completely spellbound - it was cute. I, on the other hand, could barely keep my eyes open and my throat was really bothering me, so - having taken my own car in anticipation of not feeling well - I ended up leaving after just three songs. I would have liked to have seen more but what can you do?
Dave was home by about 12:15 and he said the rest of the show was outstanding.
Music not being one of my huge passions as it is one of Dave's, I don't have too much else to say about the theater or the show. If you'd like to hear more, perhaps Dave can post in the comments section and elaborate...
Mike and I are secretly jealous about your dance lessons with Dave.
Posted by: Mike O. | February 06, 2006 at 05:20 PM
This was my second Andrew Bird concert and again he put on a great show. This one was a bit more exciting though as Bird was accompanied by his percussionist. Its pretty hard to describe what he does onstage so here's a link to his live performance from KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic.
http://kcrw.com/smil/mb050406Andrew_Bird.ram
Posted by: Dave | February 06, 2006 at 09:23 PM
Hey Erin-
I wish I would have known about this concert. I am kicking myself for missing it! Sounds like it was a great show.
FYI The Miramar Theatre has a capacity of 400 people:)
Posted by: Tara | February 08, 2006 at 12:26 PM
"...just in time to interrupt my viewing of Dancing with the Stars - a show I've gotten to be a bit attached to over the past few weeks."
"Music not being one of my huge passions as it is one of Dave's, I don't have too much else to say about the theater or the show."
Well, thanks for posting the event then. :-P Drivel drivel drivel
Posted by: Gaper | March 15, 2006 at 08:04 PM
No problem, Gaper!
Hey, we're all entitled to posting a little drivel now and then.
And rereading this post, I still think that you got some information that you may not have known before. So there!
:-P
Posted by: Erin | March 15, 2006 at 09:31 PM