Squeezed!!

Last night, I went to a sweat lodge and I'm not even trying to quit smoking. This particular sweat lodge is commonly known as The Starland Ballroom, a little venue in Sayreville, NJ on Jon Bon Jovi Boulevard. (That wasn't really the street name, but I predict that it will be eventually.) It was hotter inside than it was outside, which would normally have been intolerable, but most of the heat was coming from the stage where Squeeze was playing! That's the kind of heat I could bask in all year round.

I have loved Squeeze for years and years, but never had the chance to see them live in any of their various lineups. For this reunion, which was most likely the last, the key songwriting duo of Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford joined forces with John Bentley, the band's bassist from 1980 - 1982. Completing the band were keyboardist Stephen Large and drummer Simon Hanson, two members of Tilbrook's band, The Fluffers, who capably filled in for original members Jools Holland and Gilson Lavis. Glenn mentioned during the show that he thought this was the best lineup ever and, since I'd never seen them in concert before, I guess I'll have to go along with that assessment!

I can't find the full set list online, and I certainly wasn't writing down the order, but the show was jam-packed with all of the hits that I expected. The band kicked things off with "Take Me I'm Yours," and eventually got around to playing all the songs from Singles - 45s and Under, including my favorite, "Another Nail For My Heart." They pulled out a lot of other minor hits and fan favorites like "Some Fantastic Place," "Footprints," "Piccadilly" and "Electric Trains." All the guys were in top form, and my fears that I would miss Jools were soon quieted by the wonderful Stephen Large. It was great to hear that Difford/Tilbrook harmony, and it probably goes without saying that Glenn's voice was sheer perfection. I have no complaints about the evening, except to say that I kind of wish that Squeeze would've put on a show of Springsteenian proportions, playing into the wee hours of the morning!

I should mention that I played the Lone Wolf once again last night, because my brother and his girlfriend couldn't go at the last minute and I couldn't get any of my friends to go with me on such short notice. I ended up selling the other two tickets to a couple of guys at the door and found someone to chat with before and during the show. (Not too much during...I was transfixed!) After the show, I headed toward the front of the venue to cash in on my meet 'n' greet privileges and ran into Doris, another Glenn fan I met through MySpace and Glenn's Yahoo! group. She didn't have a V.I.P. ticket, so I just took her up to the meet 'n' greet as my guest. Since she had already met Glenn before, I figured that she wouldn't let me chicken out again when it came time to meet the lovely and talented Mr. Tilbrook!

I was kind of disappointed with the whole meet 'n' greet thing. I was certainly glad to meet everyone (especially Glenn, obviously) but it was too much of an assembly line. The guys in the band basically sat at a long table, like at a press conference, and everyone walked by, passing their various items down the line so each guy could sign them. Everyone had a limited amount of time to talk to each member, supervised by an impatient, jerky security staff who were only missing cattle prods. Not being much of an autograph hound, I was ill-prepared for this whole scene anyway and wondered if I should be a true groupie and just have Glenn sign my chest. However, since I am a fan of daily showers, I decided that would be pointless and opted to have everyone sign my concert ticket. Luckily, they were also giving out and autographing limited-edition concert posters.

First up was Chris Difford, who seemed a bit shy and stand-offish, but pleasant enough. For some unknown reason, he wrote "blind melon" above his signature on my poster. I think he personalized Doris's with "yours is no disgrace." I guess he's kind of a weird guy. Since he was on one end of the table, I got my picture with him. He didn't get up but managed to mug a bit for the camera.

Next was John Bentley, who seemed like a pretty regular Joe. Well, a regular John. (But not that kind of John.) Then it was Simon and Stephen, who were both very cute and funny. All three guys in the middle seemed happy to be there and appreciative of their fans. I told Stephen that he was "awesome" and that I really want to get his CD. That wasn't bullshit - you should all check out the MySpace page for his band, Lord Large.

Finally, it was time to meet Glenn and I immediately started jibber-jabbering about who knows what while he was signing my poster...then he looked up and realized I was talking and was like, "What?" Good question. I don't know what I was talking about. Something about how I've wanted to meet him since I was x years old, but I stopped short because I thought if I gave an age it would make him feel old. Then I didn't know what to say. I was totally flustered by how charming and handsome he was in person! My brain managed to function well enough for me to ask if he would mind getting a picture with me, and he immediately came over and threw his arms around me. Security kind of had access to him blocked off with the table so he had to lean over and reach across to get to me. (Like the jerks couldn't move the table a smidge?) Doris nicely snapped a pic, and then he asked her to take another one and sort of leaned all the way forward so his head was kind of cradled in my arms. (I should have just grabbed him then and ran.) Somehow he changed position before the picture was taken and when he saw the still, he wailed, "nooooo, I'm frowning!" I just told him it didn't matter. We were chatting a bit and so I got to tell him how this show was exactly what I needed now.

You see, my father just had open heart surgery last week, so the week had been pretty frightening and stressful for my family and I. I never mentioned it in my blog because A) it was personal and B) I needed my silly little blog as a diversion from all the heaviness going on. For a while there, I assumed I wouldn't be going to the concert and I really didn't care at that point because all I was worried about was my dad's health. As it turned out, the surgery went extremely well and Daddy-o is already being cantankerous and talking about getting back on the golf course! Once I was comfortable that he was okay, I had to return to New York to get back to work. It hit me then that I would be able to make the concert after all and I really started looking forward to it again. I don't know why I felt compelled to tell Glenn about this, but I guess I just wanted to let him know that his music is very important, to me and millions of others, and that even something as simple as a concert can really make a difference in someone's life. He seemed genuinely concerned about my situation and appreciative of the sentiment. Of course, as I'm having my "Glenn moment," the security guy "Ma'amed" me and told me to move along. Glenn gave me a big squeeze and put his cheek right up against mine and said, "I wish you didn't have to go." That's no bullshit. Well, at least I don't think it's bullshit. But even with my ears ringing and his accent, I'm 99% certain that is what he said, which was very sweet. (The subsequent marriage proposal, on the other hand, was all in my mind.) What I've heard from people who have met him at solo gigs is that he is extremely gracious and often spends a lot of time with the fans, even hanging out at the bar and throwing back a few pints with them. He's probably not used to the cattle drive meet 'n greet! So, now that I've gotten over the first meeting, I promise to become a groupie stalker on his next solo tour!


Technorati tags: Squeeze, Glenn Tilbrook, Since when don't meet 'n' greets allow dry humping?, My arms look like giant hams!