9/14/02

Dear Diary,

After a six week hiatus that found the band taking music lessons, seducing girlfriends, and traveling around America in search of answers and porcupines, The Diggs marked their triumphant return to the L.A. music scene last night with a sold out show at The Mint.

Okay, I’m not exactly sure if it was sold out, but shit, there were a lot of people there!

The show began promptly at 9 p.m. with frontman Kyle Ellefson and his four bandmates jumping right into their opening standard “Yield Sign.” This number was highlighted by Jason Sheppard’s slick lead guitar licks and also by my ability to find a great seat at one of the front row tables. I’ve always felt that “Yield Sign” is a track that’s a bit busier than it should be. It’s a great song, but it would probably be an even better tune if they stripped it down a bit and simplified it. That said, it is a great song and a powerful way to start the show.

The band followed “Yield” with “For the Holidays”, which was highlighted by the bands ability to play the entire song without any pseudo-joke or witty reference to Paul Holliday. This song, more than any of the band’s other songs seems to get stuck in my head they day after a Diggs concert. I’ve yet to decide if this is a good thing. I didn’t get to enjoy more than a minute of this David Scales penned tune before The Mint’s bouncer informed me and my tablemates that we were sitting in the “reserved section” and that we had to go to the back of the bar with the rest of our ruffian friends. I was about to whine about this injustice, but then I observed Buddy Holly-lookin’ fan doing enough whining for the both of us.[ed. Ouch!]

The band went right into “About Time” which continues to stand out as the band’s strongest song. I decided to celebrate the tune with a Heineken. Apparently I’m not the only Diggs fan who enjoys a Heineken while listening to “About Time” because there were about two million people trying to get a drink at the bar. By the time I did get my beer, the band was in the middle of their cover of “Just What I Needed.” Now, I guess their cover of The Cars tune was pretty catchy, but in all honesty, if the band is going to do a cover, I’d much rather hear them play their version of “Walk of Life” or even their old underground favorite, “Hero.”

At this point in the show The Diggs started to hit their stride playing “Waiting for Mary”, “All That Much” and “October”. It was also at this point in the show that I noticed that the Diggs had a lot of ex-girlfriends in the crowd. At one point I was tempted to whisper in the ear of one particularly foxy ex-girlfriend “I think this song is about you”, but then good judgment got the better of me and I went back to the bar for another round.

Sometime in between “Long, Careless Night” and my sixth beer, I realized that I hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast. I also noticed that when I talked to people, I wasn’t so much “talking” as I was “yelling”, and I wasn’t so much yelling “to” people as I was yelling “at” people—including those on stage. I decided it was in everyone’s best interest that I tab out at the bar and focus all my attentions on the band I was sent to review.

The penultimate song, “Down This Road” seems to be a work in progress—it’s been a little different at each of the last three shows—and each time the band works on it, it gets better. This song isn’t their best song, but it, above all of the other tracks, has the potential to be great—especially live. It changes tempo so gradually and smoothly that by the time the band is jamming through the climax of the song, you can’t help but be sucked in and jamming right along with them.

By the time the band closes with “Nothing I Can Do” it became two things became clear; the band is sounding better than ever, and God, did I have to pee. I spent most of this song in the bathroom, but I returned in time to see Joey Aucoin kick his stool at Sheppard’s shin and then genuflect before the God that is his keyboard. The song closed with strong solos from Aucoin, Sheppard and drummer, Eric Wensman. When the song was overthe audience was nearing a riot mentality, yelling for an encore. The commotion from the crowd quickly died down when it became obvious that the band was more than willing to play another tune. I guess the band can’t tell when people are just being polite.

Other highlights include an appearance from Father James Keane, the return of Pip, and the attendance of numerous biscuits from CPK and Loyola.

There was also a party at Wensman’s later that night.

JN