neko case and the pantheon of heavy metal gods

I think for every stretch of life, there's a defining set of music. For me, adolescence was REM, sparked by my father's love of college radio. my early 20s... the indie rock bliss of Belle and Sebastian. circa-25 was the Replacements, rowdy and unapologetic. and now, as I wrap up my 3rd decade, no one speaks to me more than one Ms. Neko Case.

I would trade you my empire for ashes.

Neko has played StL twice in the last 2 years. I have been lucky enough to take in both shows from the balcony of the Pageant (alternating stage left and right) with women I am proud to call some of my closest friends here. And while many of the songs were the same, these were unique experiences in many respects.

Contrasting the two, I'd say that the first show took on a much more melancholy vibe... likely because of our emotional states at the time... but that's another story. And Neko was chill, almost somber compared to the more recent show, playing a mix of old stuff and really highlighting the new songs from the upcoming record that was to be released in spring of 2009. Not sure what substances, illegal or otherwise, were consumed before they took the stage the other week, but Neko et al were downright punchy this time. The running joke of the evening was "metal" and where each song fell amongst the pantheon of metal gods. There was also a brief interlude regarding Cannibal Corpse, complete with random voiceover in British accent by Ms. Case.

Other highlights included the running tally of Neko's hair tucks (gotta love a nervous habit... HOT) and the tornado playing phone-a-friend to share the last song of the set. Of course we all sang along to our favorites, the checklist of what we wanted to hear. For her cover of Harry Nielsen's "Don't forget me" there was swaying... arms around each other... taking in the moment. I'm putting that song on my "Goodbye StL" mix. And there will probably be some tears.

The Neko shows v.1 and v.2 will go down as some of my fonder recent memories... Good friends. Beautiful songs. An amazing voice.

That's SO metal.