Waiting for Tom Waits

I had a date that I had been anticipating for weeks this past Thursday night. Mister Tom Waits met me at the Fox Theater, even though he showed up almost an hour late. I knew he wouldn’t stand me up, so I wasn’t panicking; I was just mildly annoyed. But he more than made up for his tardiness by showing me the best time I’ve had in years. (Sorry, Barry. I only mean musically. Best time in years… musically.)

My courtship with Tom Waits has been somewhat of a whirlwind. I was introduced to him almost five years ago through a mutual friend, Todd. Once I heard Tom Waits sing, I was completely smitten.

I tend to get into music through other people and Tom Waits is, obviously, no exception. But he came along at a time in my life where there was a musical void. No one has been able to describe what genre Waits falls into without using a lot of adjectives, so I’ll spare you a description myself. But somewhere between true rock music and true folk music, I was missing the bridge between the two. Waits fit in nicely, although he would have fit in nicely between so many more genres, too.

Tom Waits is a brilliant songwriter and an impassioned singer, sort of along the lines of Bob Dylan. Although he has had much less commercial success despite being, I think, a bigger influence on other musicians than Dylan. But like Dylan, Waits doesn’t have the best voice, but no one sings Waits’ songs better than Waits himself. Springsteen has commandeered “Jersey Girl,” a song Waits wrote about his future wife, Kathleen. And the Eagles covered “Ol’ 55.” And while they might have better voices than Waits, there’s something to be said for the passion with which one sings. Plus, I happen to think that Tom Waits has a sound that in indefinable. His voice, low and gravelly, just slithers under your skin and tightens itself around you.

The stage looked like a cross between a carnival side-show act and somebody’s garage. Instruments were scattered haphazardly about and in the center was a raised round dais, covered in dust. Colored lightboxes acted as backdrop, as did the multitude of old-fashioned speakers that hung above the musicians like stars in the night sky. I could tell by the sparseness of the stage design, that I was in for a night of music rather than theatrics.

I’ll spare you a review of the concert. If you’re interested in a review, the Post-Dispatch actually did a great job of reviewing the concert. But I did copy the set list…

1. "Lucinda" ("Orphans")
2. "Way Down in the Hole" ("Frank’s Wild Years)
3. "Falling Down" ("Big Time")
4. "Black Market Baby" ("Mule Variations")
5. "All The World Is Green" ("Blood Money")
6. "Heigh-Ho" (Orphans")
7. "Get Behind The Mule" ("Mule Variations")
8. "Day After Tomorrow" ("Real Gone")
9. "Cemetery Polka" ("Rain Dogs")
10. "Hang Down Your Head" (Rain Dogs")
11. "Lucky Day" ("Black Rider")
12. "Johnsburg, Illinois" (Swordfishtrombones")
13. "Lost In The Harbour ("Alice" soundtrack)
14. "Make It Rain ("Real Gone")
15. "Lie To Me" (Orphans)
16. "The Other Side Of The World" (Night On Earth" soundtrack)
17. "Singapore ("Rain Dogs")
18. "Dirt In The Ground" (Bone Machine")
19. "What’s He Building In There?" ("Mule Variations")
20. "16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six ("Swordfishtrombones")
21. "Rain Dog" ("Rain Dogs")

ENCORE
22. "Goin’ Out West" ("Bone Machine")
23. "Anywhere I Lay My Head" ("Rain Dogs")
24. "Innocent When You Dream" ("Frank’s Wild Years")

I have to say that “Innocent When You Dream” is one of my favorite songs of his… if not my absolute favorite. There’s a nonsensicalness to the song that just enamors me. And I waited two hours to hear him sing it… and I was not disappointed. Most of his songs are filled with passion and heartache. And while “Innocent” is no exception, there’s a lightness to the lyrics that make my heart soar.

"It’s such a sad old feeling, the fields are soft and green / It’s memories that I’m stealing, but you’re innocent when you dream."

And yes, it was a dream come true.

I only wish my friend Todd, who introduced Tom Waits and I, could have made it. Alas, I suppose I will just have to suffer and go again when Tom Waits next tours. it was what, only 30 years since he last came to St. Louis.