March 02, 2005 News & Views » Scene & Herd

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An Open Soundcheck, A Closed Club 

And a package of ballet notes

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click to enlarge RADOK - Three members of NC Dance Theatre performing either a scheduled ballet or a dance satire of the mainstream American press
  • Radok
  • Three members of NC Dance Theatre performing either a scheduled ballet or a dance satire of the mainstream American press
Last week, I was offered the opportunity to go see the band Wilco soundcheck at Ovens Auditorium. As I had neglected to pay the $30+ for a ticket, I eagerly accepted. My thought process went as follows: great band - one of the best in the world, according to some critics - a chance to leave work early, and, as my editor remarked, "no crowd to screw everything up for you!" Talk about no crowd — by the time I arrived, there were two other people waiting in line out front. By the time the doors were opened, myself, my friend, and about eight other people made our way inside. "Grab a seat wherever," they told us. Figuring that a chance to see a band like Wilco in such an intimate setting doesn't happen just everyday, my friend and I settled on the second row, front and center. ("I wanna be close," my friend said, "but I don't need to know if Jeff Tweedy's got a bat in the cave.")

Tweedy soon affixed his disheveled gaze upon us, wondering if we — as in, we, personally — had any requests. "Box Full of Letters!" my friend shouted, requesting a tune off the band's first record, A.M., a tune that the band probably hadn't played in months, if not years. After a so-so rendition that saw the drummer attempt the ending at least three times, the band more or less gave up.

"There's half a box full of letters for you," Tweedy joked.

After another song or two, Tweedy once again addressed his 10 closest friends. "Did you guys like, win a contest or something? Well, lucky you," he said, as the band once again rattled through a few creaky off notes. "Some prize, eh?"

As people walked toward the exits afterwards, Tweedy once again took to the mic, this time with a rare smile. "If any of you guys are really hardcore, you can stay here and watch our drummer soundcheck. He'll be here at least another hour-and-a-half."

There's one thing about going to see a ballet that no one ever mentions but is entirely inescapable, no matter your age, race, sex, or sexual orientation. The Bulge. It's almost sacrilege to say it, but who's kidding who? There's more Mr. Dingdanglers on display at a ballet than anywhere outside of an old San Francisco bath house. Luckily, the North Carolina Dance Theatre performance of Comedy in Motion gives one a lot more to focus on than a range of packages. Comprised of three short vignettes — "There Again, Not Slowly," a modern ballet short set to music by Aphex Twin and the Chemical Brothers, "Yes Virginia, Another Piano Ballet," a send-up of the solo piano ballets so popular in years past, and "Menage a Quatre," a witty period piece penned by none other than our own Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux — gave yours truly, something of a ballet neophyte, a nice tapas menu of choices to savor.

Unit jokes aside, these guys and gals are some serious athletes, combining grace with power and restraint, a delicate combination that really grows on you if you give it time, even if you're a guy like me who can recount the lifetime statistics of every Atlanta Brave. After all, there's a reason they compare a Michael Jordan or a Lynn Swann to a ballet performer, and not the other way around.

The Plaza-Midwood haunt

The Steeple Lounge closed its doors last weekend with an all-night shindig that damn near stopped traffic on Central Avenue. A popular late-night destination since opening, the Little Church That Could hasn't really given any reason for the shut-down, although the rumor mill has been churning steadily for weeks now. Featuring a solid mix of DJs, rock bands, and theme parties, the club functioned as something of a nightclub alternative for people who were looking for something other than a meat market-esque experience. There was a basement level : just like Studio 54! : an upstairs, couches galore, somewhat overpriced drinks, and lots of drunken people flirting and spilling drinks and losing their jewelry while doing the old one-two. Who knows who'll step up to take the club's place : or, for that matter, if the place will open again in two weeks, rendering this little blurb meaningless : but raise a drink and yell "Wylin!" next time you pass by in tribute. They'll know what you mean. (* Not that I'm condoning drinking and driving : maybe a nice Jager-less Red Bull, perhaps, or a nice Peach Tea from Snapple. God, that shit's good.)

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