Concert Review: Namelessnumberheadman & Mr. 1986 (March 5, 2004, Kansas City, MO)
On Friday, I drove down to Kansas City to check out Mr. 1986 and Namelessnumberheadman (whom I’ve been meaning to see for quite some time now, and whose CD is something you should all get ASAP).
Mr. 1986 were great as always. Part of the fun of seeing them is trying to discern just how much louder they’re going to get as their songs climax, to see just how much more steam they can gather before exploding at the seams. They finished their set with a new song, a real beast which has “prog” written all over it — and I love it. They’re opening for Ester Drang this Friday in Omaha (which will be a great show), and I can’t wait to see them again.
Namelessnumberheadman were, to put it simply, jaw-dropping. Just the fact that they could cram 3 guys, 6 synths, a mixing board, two guitars, drums, and a pedal steel onto that small of a stage was worthy of praise — thankfully, they know how to use all of that stuff. I videotaped the show, and part of it’ll hopefully make it onto Opus in the next few days so you can see how great they are for yourselves.
All in all, it was a great time. I love going on roadtrips, although I’m not sure if a 3-hour drive to K.C. counts as one. Either way, it was nice to get out of Lincoln for a little while, to hit the open road with some great CDs (thank you Sufjan Stevens and Halloween, Alaska), and spend some time seeing this great land. And of course, it gives me ample time to lose myself in my thoughts and mull certain things over — relationships, my life’s direction, and yeah, girls.
Special thanks to Andrew from Namelessnumberheadman for letting me crash on his couch (and the donuts), and to Team Majestic and the rest of Mr. 1986 for the late night banter. And of course, big love to Nathan, RyJo, and the rest of the K.C. crew (though I didn’t get to see as many of them as I would’ve liked). I love hanging out with those kids. There’s a sense of friendship and community amongst them, which they might not even recognize — must be something in that Missouri water. I hope you guys don’t ever take that for granted, whatever it is, because it’s a good thing.