Violent Femmes - Viva Wisconsin!

[kevins_concerts]

The Femmes did an acoustic mini tour of Wisconsin. It was five or six dates around the state. They ended it up in Milwaukee on Halloween at the Pabst Theater. I had heard it was going to be an acoustic tour, and wondered how that would be. Would it rock less? How different would it sound? Which songs wouldn't they be able to do? Well... no, not very and few.

I'm sure there were a few songs they decided that wouldn't work very well as acoustic, but they normally vary their set enough that you wouldn't notice an absences. And they played their songs with the same vigor as any other show. They did play one song that I would not have expected to hear - "Gimme the Car". That one has a very electric feel, on record.

I don't know the exact setlist, but the live album has the following songs:
1. "Prove My Love"
2. "I'm Nothing"
3. "Country Death Song"
4. "Blister in the Sun"
5. "Gimme the Car"
6. "Don't Talk About My Music"
7. "Confessions"
8. "Hallowed Ground"
9. "Life Is an Adventure"
10. "Old Mother Reagan"
11. "Ugly"
12. "Good Feeling"
13. "Dahmer Is Dead"
14. "American Music"
15. "Special"
16. "Sweet Worlds of Angels"
17. "Black Girls"
18. "Gone Daddy Gone"
19. "Add It Up"
20. "Kiss Off"

They didn't play all these songs at our show, and we (Phil and I, among a couple thousand others) heard a few others. They played Michael Hurley's song, "The Werewolf", and it was the first time I'd heard the Femmes do "Positively 4th Street". I was very happy to hear "Sweet Worlds of Angels". It may have been the only time I ever heard them do it. It's one of my favorites, and (along with "Dahmer is Dead") is from their relatively obscure Rock!!!!!.

Brian Ritchie opened the show under pseudonym and mask (basket), as shakuhachi player, Tairaku.


Around this time, I made up a list of all the songs that I'd ever heard the band play (as far as I could remember).

Violent Femmes:
Blister in the Sun #
Kiss Off #
Please do not Go
Add It Up #
Confessions
Prove My Love #
Promise
To the Kill
Gone Daddy Gone #
Good Feeling
Ugly
Gimme the Car #

Hallowed Ground:
Country Death Song #
I Hear the Rain
Never Tell
Jesus Walking on the Water
I Know It's True but I'm Sorry to Say
Hallowed Ground
Sweet Misery Blues
Black Girls #
It's Gonna Rain

The Blind Leading the Naked:
Old Mother Reagan #
No Killing
Faith
Special
I Held Her in My Arms
Children of the Revolution

3:
Nightmares
Dating Days
Fat
Telephone Book
Lies
See My Ships

Why Do Birds Sing?:
American Music #
Out the Window #
Look Like That
Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?
Hey Nonny Nonny
Girl Trouble
He Likes Me
Life is a Scream
Flamingo Baby
Lack of Knowledge
More Money Tonight
I'm Free

New Times:
I'm Nothing
Mirror Mirror (I See a Damsel)

Rock!!!!!
Tonight
Dahmer Is Dead #
I Wanna See You Again
Didgeriblues
Sweet Worlds of Angels

Freak Magnet:
Freak Magnet
Sleepwalker
New Generation
Rejoice and Be Happy

Other:
Waiting for the Bus
36-24-36
Dance MF Dance
Don't Talk About My Music
The Reggie White Song*
Happy New Year*
The Werewolf
Color Me Once
Positively 4th Street

* I made up these titles.
# These are the songs that they played in pretty much every show (after the song had been released).
There were more songs that I've heard and either forgot, or didn't know the names.