All that jazz

We’ve printed a lot of your memories over the last six months, and have yet to include any correspondent’s full name.  But then we heard from Luscious and Stotto Cretin and to quote their email: well, you know.  11 July 2003 is the date we most remember in our YLT history.  We have seen you play since then (Chicago, Des Moines, Iowa City, Los Angeles, Omaha) and have enjoyed each and every second of every song played ever . . . and we fucking mean it.  Anyway, in 2003, we had recently moved to Basel, Switzerland and, as avid bicyclists, when we found out that YLT would be playing Montreux on 11 July and the Tour de France would be having Stage 7 finish in Morzine on 12 July, we thought . . . THIS is harmonic convergence . . . we can see both!  It just could NOT get any fucking better than this!  We really mean it.  WE REALLY FUCKING REALLY MEAN IT!

This was to be our first YLT show . . . we were “YLT virgins” . . . hoping that Summer Sun would be played from start to finish . . . or, at a minimum, “Tiny Birds” would be played, which every time we hear it feels like you nice people are reaching into our chests and gently holding our hearts.

So . . . we work out our schedules and make all the arrangements . . .and when the day comes to board the train in Basel to head for Montreux we feel we are the most fortunate people that have felt the earth’s dirt between our toes.  We reckon that we should over-party this because, well, you know.  We buy food and beers at Basel SBB and party the hell out of the train ride . . . when we arrive in Bern we get a bit disoriented (party induced) and miss the fucking train to Montreux . . . which we reckoned would not be a problem as, well, YLT would clearly close the show in the Miles Davis venue so we had plenty of time!  Anyway . . . we do get on the next train and upon arrival in Montreux take a taxi to our B&B . . . throw our bits out of the taxi and head to the festival!

When we arrive at the festival, we set our priorities . . . 1) we need cash to buy alcohol and 2) we need to see YLT rip apart the universe.  As we stroll around the venue looking for a cash machine we hear in the distance a few riffs that suddenly have us a bit worried. . . .

Stotto remembers it as: “Double Dare”
Luscious remembers it as: ‘I Heard You Looking’

. . . but it does not really fucking matter as we have absolutely no idea now what the set list was (we are in our 50’s . . . and the shit we don’t remember!), but to the best of our recollection this is the conversation that then occurred:

Luscious: They are playing now!
Stotto: No fucking way, they would not be on stage now, it is too early!
Luscious: Can’t you fucking hear that!
Stotto: It is an advertisement for later!
Luscious: Let’s get the fucking beer and go in now!

We get the beer and by the time we get in the venue we see you wonderful and most excellent people play “Nuclear War” in its entirety . . . and then walk off the stage finishing your set.  Please do not misunderstand us . . . please do not get us wrong. . . it was great!  But if we could pick one song we would hear you play . . . Luscious would pick “By the Time It Gets Dark” and Stotto would pick “From Black to Blue” . . . such magic.  BUT if we could only hear you play one song . . . anything you played would be, in the words of Phil Lesh, “just exactly perfect.”

I hope you each remember the lovely moonset on Lake Geneva that night.  It was spectacular.

With absolute love and adoration from your Cretin Family . . .

Luscious and Stotto Cretin

We were the first of three that night at the Montreux Jazz Festival, opening for Mogwai and Tricky.  “Tiny Birds” was in the set, but we played neither “Double Dare” nor “I Heard You Looking.”  I must admit I remember the Fredde Mercury statue a lot better than the moonset.

 

1263612347490