Violent Femmes - Viva Wisconsin!

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.

( an aside )