And with Bethany, Greg T., Kevin and Kipper behind me, I made the sign of the cross as I waited to buy my ticket into the Garage – it was 10:30 p.m. and I prayed I hadn’t missed the Prankster.
Earlier that night I learned that my beloved MP would not be headlining the D.C. gig and I was aghast – what other band could possibly be so much more important that they got the headline slot?
“Lake Trout,” my eager country-singer friend Kevin answered. “And no, you won’t be disappointed.”
Yeah, but I sure had to bust my ass and get ready when I learned Mary Pranksterwould be on earlier than midnight!
So we got in, found all the other MP devotees I transformed with Marisa-made MP mix tapes – and I maneuver my way to the front as usual.
First drum noises, then the thick metal garage door rises, then STEAM! Rising to the tribal beat of “Brand New Baby.”
The shit was tight.
…and it was different! Mary, Jon and Phil decided to shuffle their usual order of doing things – I’ve never heard “Piss off” played without “Tits and Whisky” as a prelude! We heard “Sun,” “The Bottle’s Talking Now,” and a very husky “Roulette Girl.” Rock on!!
At some point during the show, GlitterBoy (a.k.a, this kid Corey who is on his way to earning groupie fame for his ‘I Love You Mary’ glitter signs) got his moment onstage.
Emily (another convert who brought two more newbies) got so excited to hear “Mata Hari,” she grabbed me to sing the “Cinderella Slut” verse with her – and of course, everyone was psyched about “Mercyfuck,” even Kevin, who is biased against saucy songs with the word “Fuck” in them (remind me never to buy him tickets to Liz Phair when she tours again).
And of course, dear “Valentine.”
The shit was too short
“This is our last song,” said Mary as she put her fingers in the “e minor position” – I knew it would be “Tits and Whisky,” but why was it ending so soon? Mary just arrived and I just warmed up! You mean to tell me I’m not gonna hear “The World is Full of Bastards,” “Breakfast,” or “Green Eggs and Hamlet?” What is the world coming to?
“They only gave us a half an hour,” Jon tells me after the show. But next time, he says, I’ll get the full Mary Prankster treatment. Okay, he didn’t actually say that, but I know this – I’ll be at Fletcher’s April 1 – MP has tons of cool fans and relatives at Fletcher’s shows – and there’s nothing but love in the air.