11/16...Anyone going?

[NCLuver333]

Hey! I might be able to go to New York to see NC at the Bowery Ballroom! Is anyone else planning on going???:D

[marymandolin]

Yes, I'm so excited! I'm going with about 3-4 other people. When are they going to release the tickets?!!! I called both Bowery and TicketWeb and neither could give me any information about onsale dates or ticket prices.

[NCLuver333]

Yeah...I know...Before at nickelcreek.com, it said that the tickets would be on sale on 9/3, but then that was gone...and i wrote NC an email saying that i probably wouldn't be able to go...so maybe they got my email, and are now arguing with the venue to see if they can drop the age restriction...and maybe as an agreement, in order to drop the age thing, NC has to move the show to an earlier time in the day, which means that i can go! Let's hope that's why they changed the day that the tickets go on sale...But i swear, next to that date, it said that tickets go on sale 9/3...And then i went there the next day, and it was gone...:confused:

[NCLuver333]

If that made any sense at all...

[NCLuver333]

[sob] I can't go...

Sunday, November 16 9:00 PM (8:00 PM doors)
Nickel Creek

18 and over with government issued photo ID - openers subject to change
U.S.$20.00



18 and over...not fair...

The date isn't listed on the Bowery Ballroom calendar, but when you click on the buy tickets thingy, it says ^^^

All that I ask, is that if anyone is taping it, could I please please get a copy, and also, marymandolin, could you send me the pictures from the concert???

Nickel_Creek24@msn.com

Thanks

[marymandolin]

Sorry to hear you won't be able to come. I asked the woman at the box office when I got the tickets and she said that they're very strict about the age limit. Hopefully they'll add more dates in the area at other venues.

If anyone I'm with gets pictures (my camera doesn't have a flash!) I'll forward to you.

[NCLuver333]

Originally posted by marymandolin

If anyone I'm with gets pictures (my camera doesn't have a flash!) I'll forward to you.

Thanks! I really appreciate it!:D

[gutherie]

NC back in the Big Apple :p Sweeeet.

If I recall correctly, the last time they were here they ended up playing on the street with GP. Hope this show matches that one (which I was stupid enough not to go to b/c of some silly job interview the next day).[bang]

I won't be missing this one....

[tullula]

Ok...i really want to go to this concert. I live like 4-5 hours away way up north in NY (way up north like 30 miles from canada...lol) But i know nothing about NYC and I'm very itimidated about going there it would probably be just me and a friend. I was almost gonna go because i have a friend that lives in brooklyn so we could have stayed with her, but now she cant go home that weekend:(
If you could give me any info about the area gutherie like where to stay, that kinda thing i would really appreciate it. I'm nervous about driving in the city and getting lost, that type of thing. I've driven to Massachusetts, Michigan, NJ, but driving in NYC just plain scares me...lol I really dont want to miss this concert, but its not looking good since i have no clue about where to go when im there. Any info would be great.
Thanks,

[marymandolin]

I don't drive but I believe that the weekends are the least busiest days, traffic-wise, in NYC. Don't get me wrong, there'll still be a lot of vehicles on the roads, but less so than during the week. However, Sunday afternoon driving into the city you will have to deal with the NYers who are coming back home after a weekend getaway so you'll encounter a lot of traffic on bridges/tunnels/highways leading to NYC during that time.

Finding a parking space will probably be harder for you than the actual driving. The NYC signs stating parking restrictions on the streets are notoriously hard to understand. And spots are tight (NYers don't leave a lot of space between parked vehicles) so you have to be very comfortable with parallel parking if you want a free spot. Parking lots charge outrageous fees -- the signs you see will give you the basic parking fee but the taxes are very high which will make the final cost much higher than what is posted on the sign. Your hotel may have a parking lot available which might be a better option for you. Then you can just take a cab or the subway (www.mta.info) to the show.

If you don't want to drive into the city, you might want to drive to a MetroNorth train station which has a parking lot and take the train into the city (same website as the subway - www.mta.info). If I remember correctly, the White Plains station has a parking lot (not sure about overnight parking) and White Plains is a ritzy area so it's probably about as safe as you can hope for.

I can't give you much advice on hotels. Expect to pay at least $100/night. I think there's a Holiday Inn somewhere in Soho/Chinatown area which would put you somewhat close to the Bowery Ballroom. But basically any hotel in the city will be close to a subway.

There's tons of good restaurants in the area near the Bowery. Katz's Deli is nearby (where the famous Meg Ryan/Billy Crystal orgasm scene from When Harry Met Sally was filmed). And Congee Village (Chinese restaurant) is also nearby.

If you're in the city and you are unsure about directions or which subway to take, just ask someone. New Yorkers are really not as scary as the rest of the world makes us out to be!

[tullula]

Thanks marymandolin!! That helps a lot...gives me some options to look into now....time to do some more research about it and convince my friend that all the trouble will be worth the concert:)

thanks again,

[SeanWfan33]

heehee im gonna make my mom bring meeeee! 6 hours away isnt that bad :)

[SeanWfan33]

nevermind... im underage as well... DAMN!!! my mom was gonna bring me to :(

[Srol]

GRRR! This gets me so annoyed. Over the summer I went so far as Lebanon, New Hampshire to see Nickel Creek, and now they pop up right in my own backyard and I'm away at college in Philadelphia.

Well I'm not going to let that stop me! I'm going to this thing, even if I do have to pay the $80 roundtrip amtrak ticket fare to do so!

....or maybe Greyhound instead.....*goes to do research*

[marymandolin]

Another transportation option is the Chinatown Bus. I've never taken it to/from Philadelphia, but have taken it to Boston and back with no problem. It's much cheaper than Greyhound. A lot of students use these buses so I feel that it's just as safe as the Greyhound buses. Most of the buses I've taken through them are the big coach buses like Greyhound uses. (Although it will probably have Chinese writing on the outside and the driver will probably speak Chinese into his/her radio!) Once when I took it, it was a small airport shuttle-type bus. In NYC it drops you off in Chinatown, which is actually closer to than Bowery Ballroom than Port Authority.

Their website, if you're interested, is www.ivymedia.com.

[Srol]

MaryMandolin, I could kiss you! Thank you so much!

Woohoo! Looks like I'ma goin! I'll probably be wearing my brown Nickel Creek T-shirt(the one with the three head shots of them on the front) so if any of you see me, give a holller. My RL name is Patrick.

[marymandolin]

You're welcome!

[gutherie]

If you're coming from Philly, you can also take Septa to Trenton and then NJTransit. This is slightly more expensive than the Chinatown bus, but has the benefits of being a lot less crowded and more reliable (no traffic). That said, you don't get the adventure factor that you get with the Chinatown bus...

Coming from upstate, I recommend the metro-north option, particularly if you're not accustomed to city driving. It will be a lot more pleasant experience if you're not worrying about what to do with your car the whole time! NYC driving = stress.

There's a Howard Johnson's on Houston Street that goes for about $100/night. That's your best bet. Check discount hotel web-sites for more options. If you really get in a bind, let me know and I could possible help.

[Srol]

Nah, I'm actually going to try and head back as soon as the show is over. I've saved enough money that I'll be able to afford a late-night Acela trip if neccessary. I have class the next day, so unfortunately staying overnight isn't an option.

If it was an option, I'd be paying a visit to my friend who goes to Fordham :p

[speaksoftly]

I know that many of you are traveling miles for the Bowery Ballroom show this Sunday, but I just paid an expensive fare to go to NY from Washington, DC this weekend just to find out that the Nickel Creek show tickets are completely sold out. I'm in complete chaos and my trip will not be right if I can't attend the show! Will someone PLEASE help me out or throw a suggestion my way so I can get two tickets for the show???

[gutherie]

I might (emphasis on might) have two extra tickets. I think two of my friends are kinda waffling and frankly I would rather see the tickets go to people who are interested in seeing NC. I'll post back on the board tonight when I find out for sure...

[speaksoftly]

wow! that sounds great...(even if it's a might) just let me know!

[NCLuver333]

So...how was it?:D

[Alto_girl]

Did everyone have fun in NYC?!!!!! :D

[BeatlesFan]

The show was terrific. It was a small place, holding, I think around 500 people. It was general admission with standing room only. Tried to take pictures, but it looked like security was stopping people from using flash, so I shut mine off and none of the pictures came out (they were all blurry). It was so crowded that it was awkward to take pictures anyway. The crowd was great. There were a few obnoxious shout-outs, but mostly people were really paying attention, as Chris said. Most of the time, the crowd was cheering so loudly in between songs that I couldn’t really make out much of what the band was saying. Chris did play drums on one song, the bouzouki on another, and guitar on Sean’s song about a coffee shop in Colorado (Sean played an electric on this one, as well). About half an hour after the show ended, the band did come out onto the floor to greet fans. I don’t have a copy of the setlist, but here’s what I remember them playing (in no particular order):

A new instrumental
Should’ve Known Better
This Side
The Fox
Honest Men Make the Best Liars (Chris said that this is a song about the advice he’d give to his sister if he had one)
Peaberry (song about the coffee house)
Lighthouse, Part II
Sabra Girl
Reasons Why
She Can’t Complain
Ferdinand the Bull
Smoothie Song
Jacksmith
Tom Bombadil
Taxman (yay!)

Unplugged encore:
Poor Places
Sweethearts on Parade
Big Sam Thompson
Sunny Tennessee
Be Thou My Vision

[NCLuver333]

Did you see anyone who looked like they were under 18 there, or did it seem like the venue was pretty strict about that?

[BeatlesFan]

No, I didn't. Everyone had to show a picture ID to get in the door and they gave you a wristband if you were over 21 to order drinks at the bar.

[Alto_girl]

Thats how the venue was in Tallahassee, everyone had to show their ID before we could get in the door! Everybody recieved wrist bands; one color was for 18-20, and the other was for 21+:D

[Srol]

I'm cross-posting my concert experience from my LJ.

For those of you who didn't know, this weekend was a Nickel Creek concert. They were playing in New York City, something that does NOT happen every day. I can only remember one other occasion in which they did, which was while they were on tour with Glen Phillips....and unfortunately, before I was a fan.

So it's obvious to say that there's no doubt I had to go to this concert, without a doubt. The plan originally was for me to go with some friends of mine, but one of them absolutely positively refuses to see Nickel Creek because he is a moron. The other wouldn't go without the other. ALl my other friends were either here at LaSalle and couldn't afford to come to the city, or were away at other schools. I then tried to have my parents come, but by the time we came to that, the show was sold out!

That's right! Nickel Creek in New York City, sold out!

So anyway, I decided to go by myself. Why should I let my friend's closed mind and the fact that I only had one ticket keep me from wasting this chance!?!?

So I decided to go by myself. This was not going to be easy, especially since the concert was on a Sunday night, with class the next morning.

So anyway, I get on the Long Island Rail Road around 6:30 PM. The LIRR takes me into the city, no problems whatsoever, right? I hop on down to Penn Station and use my dad's metrocard to swipe in to a downtown A. I take the A to Fulton Street where the maps say there's a changeover to the J train. The J will supposedly take me directly to the front of this place.

Easy as pie, right? WRONG!

The J doesn't run to Fulton Street on weekends. Nice of them to put that on the map, eh? It wasn't THAT big a deal, as I realied all I had to do was take the 4 up one stop and switch to the J there. So everything worked out alright, at least on the trip there.

When I get off the J at the Bowery stop(the name of the place is the Bowery Ballroom, and the website says that the subway stop was right in front of them), I look around. Everything is run down old buildings with homeless people slumped up against them. Most asleep, some looking over at me. I'm immiedietly wondering, Am I in the right place? Then my eye catches accross the street, and I see the place. It looked really nice, but completely stood out. The neighborhood had obviously gone to the dogs long ago, leaving this place behind. I felt sorry for all the homeless guys who probbaly had to always sit there and watch nice dressed kids like me get off the subway to enjoy an evening of entertainment, while they're just trying to stay warm.

Well, anyway, I duck under the underpass and come out on the right side and get online. The guy checks my ticket and asks if I'm drinking. I say I'm not, and he waves me right in. I see all the ones who answer in the affirmative being ussured over to the right to get bracelett'ed.

I immiedietly began to get a feeling of dread in my stomach. I've heard plenty of horror stories of Nickel Creek shows ruined by drunk morons. I did not want tonight to be one of those nights.

The bouncer ushured me down the steps into a little bar/lounge type room. Very low lighting and very high temperature: both classic bar ploys to get people drunk. Again, not a good sign. They had a coat check though, so I dropped my coat off there with a tip, and began looking for where the music was going to be happening.

It was 8:30 by the way, the concert itself did not happen until 9:00, and the doors opene at 8:00.

I began seeing lots of people going a different set of stairs then the ones I came in on. There was no exit sign, so I followed them in hopes of reaching where the concert was going to be performed. I passed by a display of people from the tour on my way, selling their usual hats and CD's. I noticed frisbees were on display now. I hadn't seen them there before. I would've bought one, but I would've had to hold it the whole way back, so decided not to.

The stairs finally emptied out into the actual concert room. I don't really know what else to call it, even that defination doesn't fit. The place had no seating whatsoever. It was one giant dance floor/mosh pit. Everyone was standing.

So I stood around for abou 30 minutes, waiting for the show to start. I kinda bounced from group to group as sort of a Nickel Creek answer man. Whenever anyone had some sort of un-answered question about them, I would butt in, say my piece, then ride off into the sunset.
When did the last album come out?
How old are they again?
Are they single?

I feel like such a groupie :p

When it did start...oh boy did it start! Chris and Sean came out in usual attire, but Chris was addorned with a ski hat. I guess the cold Manhatten night was a bit much of a change from his usual California climate. Mark Schatz followed. I've seen him perform with nickel Creek 3 times, and every time he has a different hat. Tonight it was an Oxford Bowler. Very classy Mark =P

They seemed really pumped up. Chris said they were excited because it was their first ever New York City sell-out! Way to go Nickel Creek! Sara mentioned what we've all heard already, that they're going into the studio this winter to cut a new album. Excellent, excellent.

Then the music started

Man, I had no regrets from then on.

I had forgotten what an expereince it is to see them live. Probably because I've got all these live shows now. I think I know what the live experience is like, but I've actually no clue. I'm just deluded into thinking I do by some poor quality recordings.

Well thanks to the Creek, I'll never do that again

They wowed the Metropolitan audience with a mixture of mostly old tunes with some older ones mixed in I haven't the foggiest right now what their set list was, but it was most satisfying indeed :). Because of the venue, there was a lot of dancing and stuff, but I mostly stood around and watched the show. I'm not much of a dancer.

The one low point for me was when they did Lighthouse's Tale part 2. For those of you who haven't heard of this yet, it's a continuation on to the Lighthouse's Tale. It uses the same general melody, but it sounds like it's in a much more minor key.

The problem for me was(and this is a problem I frequently have with new songs) because this songs value for me was mostly lyrical, I had to strain to hear the words, and I still missed most of them. The song was obviously telling a story, so hearing the lyrics is pretty crucial. At the same time, I'm dissappointed they didn't play the original, just because one of my favorite parts of any concert is when they play lighthouse and then go into either Yellow or I am Trying to Break Your Heart. I think the audience would've really loved that since it was most people's first time seeing Nickel Creek.

Oh well, I can't complain.

Oh yeah, and they did She Can't Complain

The much vaunted switcheroo did take place. For one song(which Chris said was based off some Biblical parables), Chris took Sean's guitar, and Sean broke out an electric. Then Chris dumped the guitar completely and went to a drum kit.

I'm not certain whether those two songs worked for me or not. They were very slow psychadelic'ish. Almost sounded like REM at parts. I'm not condemning it at all! I'm just saying, I don't think it's my cup of tea.

Either way, the rest of the concert was amazing, so I can't complain.

Oh yeah, and they did She Can't Complain (that joke never gets old :) ).

That's the second time I did that, I might as well mention that when they actually DID do She Can't Complain, I had such a fun time watching people's reactions at the monster crescendo. There was one couple next to me who were hugging tight and sort of swaying very slowly to the music. Then when the crescendo came, the guy squeezed her like a chew toy, and she screamed at the top of her lungs. Not the WOOOO, THIS IS AWESOME kind of scream, more like an AGGGGGGGGGGGGGH! WTF IS THAT! People really liked it afterwards, which is cool.

They can't complain.....I won't do it again :p

Well, anyway they closed up with Jacksmith(WOOHOO) and then left. I felt it my duty as a concert veteran to start the encore stomp. We had them back out on stage in less then a minute. THey really seemed genuinely surprised that we stuck around. I guess they didn't think they'd go over that well in New York City.

The encore was the best part, as I was close enough to the stage that I didn't have to strain myself. They started out with a Wilco cover called Poor Places, which is pretty good. Normally this is when I say I should check it out, but I've been burned by the original versions of NC Wilco covers before. I am Trying to Break Your Heart is horrible IMO in the original version.

They then did a really cute fiddle tune called Sweethearts on Parade. Sara sang it first, and then Chris and Sean joined in, singing at the same octave as her. They sounded like mice. It was so funny! They also did Big Sam Thompson(YOSH), some random yodelling song(the crowd LOVED this one), and then closed out with Be Thou My Vision.

In between Big Sam Thompson and the yodelling one, Chris said we were free to go if we wanted. I looked around and noticed that NO ONE AT ALL had left. Very cool! They also mentioned that this was the last date on the tour. The crowd Awww'ed on cue, but Sara said that first of all this was a really awesome concert to close out with, and that now they could finally get to work on a new album. That got a lot of Woooo's. Someone shouted out, COME BACK TO NEW YORK MORE OFTEN, to which Sara answered that they definately would. Then someone shouted out, DON'T GO TO NORTH CAROLINA AS MUCH, which made them laugh. Don't think Jenn would laugh much at that :o

Anyway, the concert finally had to end. I wanted to stick around and find the stage door....but I really did not feel safe hanging out on the sidewalk there. That neighborhood was the PITS! Also, it was about 11:30 by then and I really had to start heading home.

So anyway, I swiped into the J line and headed downtown to the Brooklyn Bridge where I could transfer to the 4. Same way I came, right?

WRONG! THe 4 closes on weekend nights! I had to hopscotch back uptown on the J, and then take the Q uptown to Herald Square. From there I walked two blocks to Penn Station and took a 12:30 LIRR train back to Massapequa. I got in at 2:00.

3 hours later, I was back on the train to Philadelphia.

But it was worth it!

[marymandolin]

The NYC show was great! The audience had a lot of energy and the band seemed to be really enjoying themselves.

Does anyone have the set-list for the NYC show? BeatlesFan and I couldn't remember the order of the songs.

NCLuver333 - I went to the show with BeatlesFan and unfortunately our photos didn't come out. They were pretty strict about the no-flash rule - we saw them tell several people they couldn't use a flash. Sorry about that. I know you had wanted to see some pics. Did anyone out there get any good photos?

[marymandolin]

Sorry about your subway experience Srol! I always avoid the JMZ lines - they are never a good bet, weekend or weekday. I don't know who really uses them. I think they're placed there primarily to confuse out-of-towners. ;) On the subway maps, they should put an asterisk next to those lines with some kind of disclaimer - *Please note, traveling on the JMZ subway lines is not recommended.

[NCLuver333]

Aww...That's okay about the pictures. That's the same thing that happened at the Richmond show for me. But did you see anyone recording it, or did it seem too crazy for that? Cuz I'd REALLY REALLY like to get a copy. And it sounds like such an awesome time!!!!! I just wish I were old enough!! Jeez...they better come to NYC (or better yet, Connecticut:D ) over the summer! That would be awesome! Glad it was awesome!:D

[SmileyJo]

Originally posted by Srol
The encore was the best part, as I was close enough to the stage that I didn't have to strain myself. They started out with a Wilco cover called Poor Places, which is pretty good. Normally this is when I say I should check it out, but I've been burned by the original versions of NC Wilco covers before. I am Trying to Break Your Heart is horrible IMO in the original version.


Thanks for the awesome review. The show was on my 22nd bday and I really wanted to go, but I was in DC and had to go to class the next day in New Orleans, and NYC was a bit out of the way.

Anyway, what do you mean by horrible IMO in the original version. What does IMO mean?

[Srol]

MaryMandolin: Yeah, I know that now. I've worked in NYC in the past, but that was always in midtown, and required minimal subway riding, mostly on the ACE.

And Smiley, IMO is internet shorthand for In my opinion. The entire review is extremely opinionated, as I originally meant it for my livejournal, so I'm sorry if it upsets anyone.