rebecca LANDO

sometimesagreatnotion:

Elliott Smith’s set at Lou Barlow’s going away party, 01.04.98.

• Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands - with almost totally different lyrics; aborted halfway through (“Supposed to finish [writing] that still.”)
• Division Day 
• Waltz #2 (XO)  - early lyrics
• Say Yes
• I Didn’t Understand
• Bled White - after telling a story about almost losing his foot on the subway
• Clementine - audience request, “But I might fuck it up…but I’m not gonna get get in a bad mood and storm off, I promise.” (He pauses once to retune but doesn’t fuck it up.)
• Waterloo Sunset - aborted, then restarted, after a faulty monitor is unplugged
• Rose Parade - aborted with a smile for a new song instead
• Shooting Star
• Angeles - aborted halfway through
• Miss Misery

A lot is said about Elliott’s messed-up shows, the ones where his voice was frail or he couldn’t finish the songs or whatever. The aborted songs in this show speak to Elliott’s perfectionism, not drug dependence; he aborts them because he’s unhappy with his voice or because of audio issues (the faulty monitor, a bulky Yamaha that won’t stay in tune). He’s in a good mood and in control of his show; he’s laughing, smiling, bantering with the audience, taking requests, making fun of himself. It’s not one of his best shows but it’s a great example of how great he could be.

(Source: youtube.com)