Glenn Tilbrook at the Cactus Cafe, Austin, Texas August 15, 2003

Glenn Tilbrook (formerly of Squeeze) at the Cactus Cafe, Austin, Texas August 15, 2003

Anticipation

For years I had said the best show I ever saw was Elvis Costello on the Punch the Clock tour. I'd been able to see a lot of bands during the 80s and had a good set of people to compare: U2, Springsteen, Violent Femmes, True Believers (Alejandro Escovedo's band). Elvis sang with passion, intensity, and a commitment that literally took my breath away.

But I never got to see the band I truly loved, Squeeze. Their schedule always seemed to bring them to the US in the summer when I was away on vacation. It's been a point of regret for me in my life that through a series of comical miscalculations and circumstances I never got to see them perform the song that I maintain is the best song in the history of mankind, Up the Junction.

So, when the stars finally aligned to let me get the chance to see Glenn Tilbrook perform solo in Austin, Texas, I was brimming with anticipation. That old Christmas Eve feeling was in my gut for weeks.

I'm happy to report that I can now say that the best live musical performance I have ever seen was Glenn Tilbrook at the Cactus Cafe in Austin, Texas on August 15, 2003.

Opening Act

Nobody told me about an opening act! I had been mentally counting down to 9:00 PM for weeks and then these kids, who were not Glenn Tilbrook, got on stage. A bass player, a bongo player, and a guitarist/singer. The fellow introduced himself as Michael Cellibone (sp ?).

I girded myself to be polite. I told myself I was going to listen, applaud, not talk during his set, and be supportive. It wasn't fair to this guy, but I mentally willed time to move faster, for him to get done, and for Glenn to start playing.

Then I listened. This guy was great. His bandmates stepped down after two songs and he continued solo for another 5 or 6 songs. He had a wonderful voice, and his songs kind of reminded me of Dave Matthews. He joked around with the audience about our age difference, there were a few bald heads in the crowd. He looked to be too young to drink. But I'm old and now a bad judge of these things.

The last song he played was fantastic, he managed to acoustically "sample" J Lo's "Jenny from the Block," Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's "Ain't Nothing but a G Thang," and a few others. The crowd loved him and he got a great response.

Goosebump City

We waited a few minutes and then the door next to the stage opened up to reveal the Glenn Tilbrook. The crowd went nuts and cheered for so long that Glenn decided to step out and come back in. He got this big smile on his face, the place was packed (about 150+ people) and we were all focused on him.

I got goosebumps all over my body. Hair on the back of my neck standing up. Here he was, standing not 20 feet in front of me.

I'm a recent addition to the Glenn Tilbrook fan e-mail group, Glenn_List. Someone on the list noted about one of his previous shows that he is underappreciated as a musician. He's a much better guitar player than people think. After a couple of minutes I realized that I was guilty of the same underappreciation. I always thought of Squeeze's musicianship as workmanlike, craftsmanlike. Solid, dependable, and comfortable, but the highlight was always how Glenn turned the twists in Chris Difford's lyrics. Now, watching him play guitar, I realized that I was thinking of him as a "Norman Rockwell" guitarist, when he's really a "Picasso."

That was really evident on his cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile." He made the acoustic guitar come alive. He also told us of the story of how Jimi used to come over to his house when he was 12 and play guitar with him in Glenn's bedroom. Jimi did most of the playing, but he was kind enough to let Glenn take a solo every once in a while. Glenn's mother would really embarrass him when she would knock on the door and tell him to turn the music down.

Glenn's amusing banter continued through the show. He let us know that he wasn't the real Glenn Tilbrook. He was a genetically modified Glenn Tilbrook impersonator. The real Glenn Tilbrook sat back in London and raked in the royalties from the 6 Glenn Tilbrooks touring around the world. We were fortunate enough to see the 1985, long-haired version of Glenn Tilbrook.

The best thing about Glenn's show is that he brings the audience into it. Guys who have paid their musical dues, like him, could just come out, play a few of the old songs, a few of the new songs, and say good night. He doesn't. He solicits requests, asks the audience to help in parts of songs, and there is no distinction between the "rock star on the stage" and the fans in the seats. We're all a part of the show.

That started in small ways, for example people were singing along to the old Squeeze songs that we knew by heart. Then on "Hourglass," he asked us to do 32 hand claps in a row to serve as the percussion during a saxophone solo. He played the saxophone part on the guitar. So we even practiced the hand claps before the song.

During "Goodbye Girl" he asked us to help him with the stage. Because the stage was our chairs. We moved the chairs around to make a path that he could walk on and be visible to everyone at the same time. He walked around the whole place, including finishing the song right in front of me. I mean right in front of me. I had to lean back to stay out of his way.

The last two songs of the regular set were "Some Fantastic Place" and the fabulous "Up the Junction." He introduced "Some Fantastic Place" as being what he thought was the best writing he and Chris Difford ever did. Then my breath was taken away by his rendition of "Up the Junction." I was worried that the acoustic version couldn't possibly be as good as the versions I had heard with a full band. The song is a sad song, but it ends with this incredibly inspiring musical conclusion, all coming to a crescendo that makes me think that the poor guy in the song is going to be ok. I figured without drums, keyboards, etc. there would seem to be something missing.

I am happy to report that I was wrong.

Glenn waved good-bye and disappeared out the door. We clapped, whistled, whooped it up and he came back in.

Encore Andrew

He strapped the guitar back on and told us about the song coming up. It was the first duet Elvis Costello ever did with anyone, "From a Whisper to a Scream." He said that it was weird for him to sing Elvis' parts and he always felt strange doing it.

So a guy to his right shouted out, "Well, I'll sing it." So Glenn invited him to come up on stage and share the microphone. Glenn introduced him as Andrew and we all clapped. They sang the song.

Now, I'm an Elvis Costello fan. Elvis has one of my favorite voices in rock history. Andrew does not have a voice that's in the same category as Elvis'.

BUT! He sang with as much passion, intensity, and commitment as Elvis did when I saw him. With no fear, and a command of the song, he attacked it with vigor and made the song his. It was incredible to watch and everyone in the audience must have been green with envy to see someone pull off our Walter Mitty fantasy so well. After the song, they hugged and we gave them a standing ovation.

Next up was a big Squeeze hit, "Tempted." Emboldened by Andrew's performance, we in the audience took it upon ourselves to be the backup singers. We sang all the doo-doo-ditti-doos and wooh, ooh-ooh-oohs. We all must have had big old smiles on our faces and then we sang along with the last number, "Annie Get Your Gun."

We whooped it up and hollered for more, but the lights came up and the show was over. I rubbed my arm. I don't know if it's possible for the hair on your arm to stand straight up for a couple of hours, but I think mine did.

Interviewing Glenn Tilbrook

I had heard that Glenn comes back to the venue after the show is over to sign autographs and chat with fans. After what seemed like hours, he did. I took my place in line and waited for my chance to tell him everything that I had been bottling up for years. Then I realized he probably didn't want to stay up all night talking with me so I practiced my little speech that would sum up everything nicely.

Note: Here follows the dialogue between us, more or less, with my thoughts in brackets.

RB: Hi, I'm Rob. I've been waiting 23 years to see you. That was the most incredible thing I've ever seen. That was fantastic and it makes up for never having seen Squeeze live. You guys always came on tour during the summer and I was always away on vacation and then there were all these things that got in the way...

[Shut up! You want to talk with him, not at him! Shut up!]

GT: Thanks. That's very kind to say.

RB: Somebody on Glenn_List posted an e-mail where he mentioned that in an interview in Colorado you said that you were disappointed that you and Squeeze were not more popular...

GT: I don't think I would say "disappointed," well, I may have said those words but that wasn't what I was trying to say. I'm very happy with things.

[Did that guy write "disappointed"? Jeez, don't get hung up on one word! That wasn't my main point, get to the point!]

RB: Well, all I wanted to say was that your music is very important to me. I went through a divorce and for the longest time I just listened to East Side Story and Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti and the others over and over and they really helped me get through that time in my life. Your music touched me, and I can't help you get more popular, but I just wanted you to know how much your music helped one person.

GT: Thank you, that's very special to hear.

[He gets it! I looked him in the eye and let him know what I wanted. Now don't cry, no tears, this is a dream come true. What's this thing in my hand? Oh yeah, it's his solo CD that you want him to sign. Tell him how much you like the new CD!]

RB: Oh, and could you sign this for me? I really like your solo stuff. It's better than I thought it would be.

[Wait a minute. What the hell did that sound like? He's looking at me with a quizzical expression. That sounded like I thought his solo album would suck and it didn't. Clear that up!]

RB: Not that I thought your album would suck or anything...

[Moron! What are you saying? Don't use the words "suck" and "your album" in the same sentence! Now clear up both point 1 and point 2!]

RB: I'm just trying to say that your album is good.

[You idiot! He thinks I've told him that I thought his album would suck but it ended up being "good." That's not what every musician wants to hear. Change the topic! You can't talk about this any more without screwing things up.]

GT: I know what you're saying, you were pleasantly surprised.

[I'm pleasantly surprised when I find a dollar in my pocket. This is bigger than that. But don't screw things up any worse by disagreeing with him. Change the dang topic! Ask him about his socks.]

GT: So what was your name again? I'm sorry, I'm just terrible remembering names.

RB: Rob. You must meet a lot of people, it's hard to remember that many names.

GT: It's that way even with a few people. I don't know...

[Socks!]

RB: Say, there was thing on the Glenn Tilbrook fan e-mail list. People were posting reviews of your shows. A couple of people made note of what you were wearing and then this one guy didn't. So people requested a fashion report.

[He's smiling. You're getting this conversation back. Now don't screw it up.]

So the guy responded you were wearing a t-shirt and jeans or something and somebody asked, "Well what kind of socks?" It's kind of a running joke now, so what color socks are you wearing? And may we take a picture of them?

Note: End dialogue.

So, Glenn laughed and pulled up his pants legs to reveal black socks. My friend Jimmy snapped a picture, I instructed that he should be sure to get both Glenn's face and socks in the frame. For chain of evidence purposes.

We talked a little bit more, about him going to Tennessee next, etc. So we took a photo with our arms around each other, I don't think I screwed up too bad Glenn's impression of me. But I still feel terrible about not saying what I wanted to say about his solo album. So Glenn, if you're reading this, this is what I wanted to say:

Squeeze's music to me was always more than the sum of the parts. Something magic happened when you put the music and the voice to Chris Difford's words. By tearing those two things apart, I didn't think that one of the parts could come up with something that was just as magic. But thank goodness I was wrong. Your solo album is just as good as the best Squeeze album and it's sometimes even better.

After the photo and saying good-bye some supernatural force carried me out the door three feet off the ground. My friends and I went to Jimmy's house to unwind, look at the photos, and catch up.

We got to the socks photo. Now, Jimmy has given me permission to call him a dumbass for this, but Jimmy was the best man at my wedding, a close dear friend. I wouldn't call him a dumbass, especially in public.

The picture he took has Glenn, bent over pulling up his pants legs, big smile on his face, and the picture cuts him off at the knees. No socks visible.

So, that pretty much works into the theme of my Squeeze experiences. A series of comic miscalculations. But this time, I got to see one of them perform the best song in the history of man. I can die a happy man. Even if I'm still remembering how I sounded when I told Glenn Tilbrook that his album didn't suck like I thought it would.

Post-Publication Info

I was mistaken about the word "disappointed." He said something like that, but not the word "disappointed."

Jimmy sent out the following message, indicating his scheming against me. (:->)

Rob,

Here is my short take:

Rob handed me his digital camera and asked me to take a photo of him with Glenn Tilbrook. He showed me the power button, the shutter release (or whatever it's called on a digital camera), and the flash button. "This is important," said Rob, "when you first turn on the camera, you have to press this button three times to have the camera flash. It defaults to no-flash." Uh-oh, I thought. My camera defaults to flash. I began to think that my lack of familiarity with the camera could become a problem. Actually, I began to think that the nine pints of Shiner Bock that I had consumed might be the problem. I could have just had Rob setup the camera and leave it on, but there were still several people in line to meet Glenn before Rob and there was no way I could keep the camera from automatically powering off before his turn. I could have kept it on by snapping photos, but I didn't want to do that because I didn't know how to check the battery level or the memory. This event was too important to run out of either one of those things, so I thought I had better play it safe. Rob looked a little nervous, so I didn't want to bother him. Perhaps, I thought, I'll just practice turning it on and activating the flash. Well, I couldn't quite tell the difference between the flash icon and the no-flash icon, but I thought I had it right.

Finally, it was Rob's turn with Glenn. I attempted a candid shot and it worked! The flash went! Yes, it was going quite well. Rob was talking to Glenn and I walked around them and snapped more photos. Hmmm, Rob seems to be saying quite a lot. I couldn't hear him, because I was concentrating on the task at hand. What's that? There they were asking me take a photo of Glenn's socks! WTF? "Sure," I heard myself saying. I brought the camera up and tried to focus on the tiny LCD screen. There was Glenn, leaning over and pulling his pant legs up. Was he smiling or grimacing? Oh my God, I can't fit his face and his socks in the same frame! Where is the zoom on this bloody camera? I start to back up, but I run out of room. I still can't fit both in the frame! How long has he been leaned over like that? I heard the rush of my pulse in my ears, but I could still hear Rob's faint voice prattling on about "chain of evidence" and how his face must be in the photo. Socks! They wanted the socks, so give them the socks! But they are just black socks! Ordinary black socks! About that time, a secondary higher brain process, which I guess had been running soberly in the background, reported that if we wanted to fake the photo, it would be much easier to Photoshop socks, so get his face! I brought the camera back up, it auto-focused (yes, it's was a grimace of humiliation for sure), and I snapped the photo. That's right...I knew. I knew the photo was flawed.

Like the evidentiary photo of the geek and the prom queen in "Sixteen Candles," the photo proves nothing. I'm sorry. I panicked. To Rob, to Glenn, to the fans...I'm sorry.

Excellent review, Rob. It was indeed a fantastic show. Mr. Tilbrook was so warm and personable, such a character, that I could have done with a 20 song set if only he would have spent more time chatting with the audience. He had me in stitches. It was good to get to know him just a little bit, especially at the elbow of such a fan. I won't ever forget that show.

	RobBooth.net
Menu Home Blog Work Politics Computers News Non-Guilty Pleasures Draft Ron Paul	Glenn Tilbrook (formerly of Squeeze) at the Cactus Cafe, Austin, Texas August 15, 2003 Anticipation For years I had said the best show I ever saw was Elvis Costello on the Punch the Clock tour. I'd been able to see a lot of bands during the 80s and had a good set of people to compare: U2, Springsteen, Violent Femmes, True Believers (Alejandro Escovedo's band). Elvis sang with passion, intensity, and a commitment that literally took my breath away. But I never got to see the band I truly loved, Squeeze. Their schedule always seemed to bring them to the US in the summer when I was away on vacation. It's been a point of regret for me in my life that through a series of comical miscalculations and circumstances I never got to see them perform the song that I maintain is the best song in the history of mankind, Up the Junction. So, when the stars finally aligned to let me get the chance to see Glenn Tilbrook perform solo in Austin, Texas, I was brimming with anticipation. That old Christmas Eve feeling was in my gut for weeks. I'm happy to report that I can now say that the best live musical performance I have ever seen was Glenn Tilbrook at the Cactus Cafe in Austin, Texas on August 15, 2003. Opening Act Nobody told me about an opening act! I had been mentally counting down to 9:00 PM for weeks and then these kids, who were not Glenn Tilbrook, got on stage. A bass player, a bongo player, and a guitarist/singer. The fellow introduced himself as Michael Cellibone (sp ?). I girded myself to be polite. I told myself I was going to listen, applaud, not talk during his set, and be supportive. It wasn't fair to this guy, but I mentally willed time to move faster, for him to get done, and for Glenn to start playing. Then I listened. This guy was great. His bandmates stepped down after two songs and he continued solo for another 5 or 6 songs. He had a wonderful voice, and his songs kind of reminded me of Dave Matthews. He joked around with the audience about our age difference, there were a few bald heads in the crowd. He looked to be too young to drink. But I'm old and now a bad judge of these things. The last song he played was fantastic, he managed to acoustically "sample" J Lo's "Jenny from the Block," Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's "Ain't Nothing but a G Thang," and a few others. The crowd loved him and he got a great response. Goosebump City We waited a few minutes and then the door next to the stage opened up to reveal the Glenn Tilbrook. The crowd went nuts and cheered for so long that Glenn decided to step out and come back in. He got this big smile on his face, the place was packed (about 150+ people) and we were all focused on him. I got goosebumps all over my body. Hair on the back of my neck standing up. Here he was, standing not 20 feet in front of me. I'm a recent addition to the Glenn Tilbrook fan e-mail group, Glenn_List. Someone on the list noted about one of his previous shows that he is underappreciated as a musician. He's a much better guitar player than people think. After a couple of minutes I realized that I was guilty of the same underappreciation. I always thought of Squeeze's musicianship as workmanlike, craftsmanlike. Solid, dependable, and comfortable, but the highlight was always how Glenn turned the twists in Chris Difford's lyrics. Now, watching him play guitar, I realized that I was thinking of him as a "Norman Rockwell" guitarist, when he's really a "Picasso." That was really evident on his cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile." He made the acoustic guitar come alive. He also told us of the story of how Jimi used to come over to his house when he was 12 and play guitar with him in Glenn's bedroom. Jimi did most of the playing, but he was kind enough to let Glenn take a solo every once in a while. Glenn's mother would really embarrass him when she would knock on the door and tell him to turn the music down. Glenn's amusing banter continued through the show. He let us know that he wasn't the real Glenn Tilbrook. He was a genetically modified Glenn Tilbrook impersonator. The real Glenn Tilbrook sat back in London and raked in the royalties from the 6 Glenn Tilbrooks touring around the world. We were fortunate enough to see the 1985, long-haired version of Glenn Tilbrook. The best thing about Glenn's show is that he brings the audience into it. Guys who have paid their musical dues, like him, could just come out, play a few of the old songs, a few of the new songs, and say good night. He doesn't. He solicits requests, asks the audience to help in parts of songs, and there is no distinction between the "rock star on the stage" and the fans in the seats. We're all a part of the show. That started in small ways, for example people were singing along to the old Squeeze songs that we knew by heart. Then on "Hourglass," he asked us to do 32 hand claps in a row to serve as the percussion during a saxophone solo. He played the saxophone part on the guitar. So we even practiced the hand claps before the song. During "Goodbye Girl" he asked us to help him with the stage. Because the stage was our chairs. We moved the chairs around to make a path that he could walk on and be visible to everyone at the same time. He walked around the whole place, including finishing the song right in front of me. I mean right in front of me. I had to lean back to stay out of his way. The last two songs of the regular set were "Some Fantastic Place" and the fabulous "Up the Junction." He introduced "Some Fantastic Place" as being what he thought was the best writing he and Chris Difford ever did. Then my breath was taken away by his rendition of "Up the Junction." I was worried that the acoustic version couldn't possibly be as good as the versions I had heard with a full band. The song is a sad song, but it ends with this incredibly inspiring musical conclusion, all coming to a crescendo that makes me think that the poor guy in the song is going to be ok. I figured without drums, keyboards, etc. there would seem to be something missing. I am happy to report that I was wrong. Glenn waved good-bye and disappeared out the door. We clapped, whistled, whooped it up and he came back in. Encore Andrew He strapped the guitar back on and told us about the song coming up. It was the first duet Elvis Costello ever did with anyone, "From a Whisper to a Scream." He said that it was weird for him to sing Elvis' parts and he always felt strange doing it. So a guy to his right shouted out, "Well, I'll sing it." So Glenn invited him to come up on stage and share the microphone. Glenn introduced him as Andrew and we all clapped. They sang the song. Now, I'm an Elvis Costello fan. Elvis has one of my favorite voices in rock history. Andrew does not have a voice that's in the same category as Elvis'. BUT! He sang with as much passion, intensity, and commitment as Elvis did when I saw him. With no fear, and a command of the song, he attacked it with vigor and made the song his. It was incredible to watch and everyone in the audience must have been green with envy to see someone pull off our Walter Mitty fantasy so well. After the song, they hugged and we gave them a standing ovation. Next up was a big Squeeze hit, "Tempted." Emboldened by Andrew's performance, we in the audience took it upon ourselves to be the backup singers. We sang all the doo-doo-ditti-doos and wooh, ooh-ooh-oohs. We all must have had big old smiles on our faces and then we sang along with the last number, "Annie Get Your Gun." We whooped it up and hollered for more, but the lights came up and the show was over. I rubbed my arm. I don't know if it's possible for the hair on your arm to stand straight up for a couple of hours, but I think mine did. Interviewing Glenn Tilbrook I had heard that Glenn comes back to the venue after the show is over to sign autographs and chat with fans. After what seemed like hours, he did. I took my place in line and waited for my chance to tell him everything that I had been bottling up for years. Then I realized he probably didn't want to stay up all night talking with me so I practiced my little speech that would sum up everything nicely. Note: Here follows the dialogue between us, more or less, with my thoughts in brackets. RB: Hi, I'm Rob. I've been waiting 23 years to see you. That was the most incredible thing I've ever seen. That was fantastic and it makes up for never having seen Squeeze live. You guys always came on tour during the summer and I was always away on vacation and then there were all these things that got in the way... [Shut up! You want to talk with him, not at him! Shut up!] GT: Thanks. That's very kind to say. RB: Somebody on Glenn_List posted an e-mail where he mentioned that in an interview in Colorado you said that you were disappointed that you and Squeeze were not more popular... GT: I don't think I would say "disappointed," well, I may have said those words but that wasn't what I was trying to say. I'm very happy with things. [Did that guy write "disappointed"? Jeez, don't get hung up on one word! That wasn't my main point, get to the point!] RB: Well, all I wanted to say was that your music is very important to me. I went through a divorce and for the longest time I just listened to East Side Story and Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti and the others over and over and they really helped me get through that time in my life. Your music touched me, and I can't help you get more popular, but I just wanted you to know how much your music helped one person. GT: Thank you, that's very special to hear. [He gets it! I looked him in the eye and let him know what I wanted. Now don't cry, no tears, this is a dream come true. What's this thing in my hand? Oh yeah, it's his solo CD that you want him to sign. Tell him how much you like the new CD!] RB: Oh, and could you sign this for me? I really like your solo stuff. It's better than I thought it would be. [Wait a minute. What the hell did that sound like? He's looking at me with a quizzical expression. That sounded like I thought his solo album would suck and it didn't. Clear that up!] RB: Not that I thought your album would suck or anything... [Moron! What are you saying? Don't use the words "suck" and "your album" in the same sentence! Now clear up both point 1 and point 2!] RB: I'm just trying to say that your album is good. [You idiot! He thinks I've told him that I thought his album would suck but it ended up being "good." That's not what every musician wants to hear. Change the topic! You can't talk about this any more without screwing things up.] GT: I know what you're saying, you were pleasantly surprised. [I'm pleasantly surprised when I find a dollar in my pocket. This is bigger than that. But don't screw things up any worse by disagreeing with him. Change the dang topic! Ask him about his socks.] GT: So what was your name again? I'm sorry, I'm just terrible remembering names. RB: Rob. You must meet a lot of people, it's hard to remember that many names. GT: It's that way even with a few people. I don't know... [Socks!] RB: Say, there was thing on the Glenn Tilbrook fan e-mail list. People were posting reviews of your shows. A couple of people made note of what you were wearing and then this one guy didn't. So people requested a fashion report. [He's smiling. You're getting this conversation back. Now don't screw it up.] So the guy responded you were wearing a t-shirt and jeans or something and somebody asked, "Well what kind of socks?" It's kind of a running joke now, so what color socks are you wearing? And may we take a picture of them? Note: End dialogue. So, Glenn laughed and pulled up his pants legs to reveal black socks. My friend Jimmy snapped a picture, I instructed that he should be sure to get both Glenn's face and socks in the frame. For chain of evidence purposes. We talked a little bit more, about him going to Tennessee next, etc. So we took a photo with our arms around each other, I don't think I screwed up too bad Glenn's impression of me. But I still feel terrible about not saying what I wanted to say about his solo album. So Glenn, if you're reading this, this is what I wanted to say: Squeeze's music to me was always more than the sum of the parts. Something magic happened when you put the music and the voice to Chris Difford's words. By tearing those two things apart, I didn't think that one of the parts could come up with something that was just as magic. But thank goodness I was wrong. Your solo album is just as good as the best Squeeze album and it's sometimes even better. After the photo and saying good-bye some supernatural force carried me out the door three feet off the ground. My friends and I went to Jimmy's house to unwind, look at the photos, and catch up. We got to the socks photo. Now, Jimmy has given me permission to call him a dumbass for this, but Jimmy was the best man at my wedding, a close dear friend. I wouldn't call him a dumbass, especially in public. The picture he took has Glenn, bent over pulling up his pants legs, big smile on his face, and the picture cuts him off at the knees. No socks visible. So, that pretty much works into the theme of my Squeeze experiences. A series of comic miscalculations. But this time, I got to see one of them perform the best song in the history of man. I can die a happy man. Even if I'm still remembering how I sounded when I told Glenn Tilbrook that his album didn't suck like I thought it would. Post-Publication Info I was mistaken about the word "disappointed." He said something like that, but not the word "disappointed." Jimmy sent out the following message, indicating his scheming against me. (:->) Rob, Here is my short take: Rob handed me his digital camera and asked me to take a photo of him with Glenn Tilbrook. He showed me the power button, the shutter release (or whatever it's called on a digital camera), and the flash button. "This is important," said Rob, "when you first turn on the camera, you have to press this button three times to have the camera flash. It defaults to no-flash." Uh-oh, I thought. My camera defaults to flash. I began to think that my lack of familiarity with the camera could become a problem. Actually, I began to think that the nine pints of Shiner Bock that I had consumed might be the problem. I could have just had Rob setup the camera and leave it on, but there were still several people in line to meet Glenn before Rob and there was no way I could keep the camera from automatically powering off before his turn. I could have kept it on by snapping photos, but I didn't want to do that because I didn't know how to check the battery level or the memory. This event was too important to run out of either one of those things, so I thought I had better play it safe. Rob looked a little nervous, so I didn't want to bother him. Perhaps, I thought, I'll just practice turning it on and activating the flash. Well, I couldn't quite tell the difference between the flash icon and the no-flash icon, but I thought I had it right. Finally, it was Rob's turn with Glenn. I attempted a candid shot and it worked! The flash went! Yes, it was going quite well. Rob was talking to Glenn and I walked around them and snapped more photos. Hmmm, Rob seems to be saying quite a lot. I couldn't hear him, because I was concentrating on the task at hand. What's that? There they were asking me take a photo of Glenn's socks! WTF? "Sure," I heard myself saying. I brought the camera up and tried to focus on the tiny LCD screen. There was Glenn, leaning over and pulling his pant legs up. Was he smiling or grimacing? Oh my God, I can't fit his face and his socks in the same frame! Where is the zoom on this bloody camera? I start to back up, but I run out of room. I still can't fit both in the frame! How long has he been leaned over like that? I heard the rush of my pulse in my ears, but I could still hear Rob's faint voice prattling on about "chain of evidence" and how his face must be in the photo. Socks! They wanted the socks, so give them the socks! But they are just black socks! Ordinary black socks! About that time, a secondary higher brain process, which I guess had been running soberly in the background, reported that if we wanted to fake the photo, it would be much easier to Photoshop socks, so get his face! I brought the camera back up, it auto-focused (yes, it's was a grimace of humiliation for sure), and I snapped the photo. That's right...I knew. I knew the photo was flawed. Like the evidentiary photo of the geek and the prom queen in "Sixteen Candles," the photo proves nothing. I'm sorry. I panicked. To Rob, to Glenn, to the fans...I'm sorry. Excellent review, Rob. It was indeed a fantastic show. Mr. Tilbrook was so warm and personable, such a character, that I could have done with a 20 song set if only he would have spent more time chatting with the audience. He had me in stitches. It was good to get to know him just a little bit, especially at the elbow of such a fan. I won't ever forget that show.