You Ready Grandma

The Night Will Go As Follows…


So tonight Kevin had booked a show for Ivory’s lead singer Nathaniel, and for Number One Fan.

Number One Fan hasn’t played as the band “Number One Fan” in about two years or more. It was their farewell tour.

They played at Roast coffee shop, about 5 blocks from our apartment. I got to the show about 45min. before it was supposed to start and Kevin and the lead singer of Number One Fan, Nick, were nowhere to be found.

I learned that they had gone to a music shop in the area to get a sustain pedal for the keyboard. For whatever reason they had forgotten theirs, so they went to buy a new one.

Jon, the drummer for Number One Fan, and the coolest kid ever, saw me before I saw him, and he gave me a hug. Nice guy.

I ended up working the door and taking admissions... apparently nobody was there to do it… I also gave out free Sony stuff for Kevin in his absence, and all the little indie/emo kids thought I was a god. Pretty fun.

Once Kevin and Nick got back, Nathaniel (Ivory) started playing his set with Jon on the drums… and that sustain pedal. Nick, Hugh, Mike (Wildbirds/Number One Fan/Robins/Whatever they wanna be called now), Kevin and myself all went to the basement of the coffee shop and drank and smoked amongst the boxes of coffee supplies, upside-down chairs, old tables, dangerously low ceiling pipes, and random basement litter while we listened to the sounds of Ivory gracefully dripping through the floorboards above and into our ears. (sexy)

We talked about what everyone’s plans were for the future. However, I cannot disclose that information for the band; that’s their story to tell.

After a few drinks and a few too many cigarettes, we went upstairs so they could play as Number One Fan for their last time in Milwaukee.

Jay and Gary arrived. Verrrry niiice.

We made an announcement for all the little indie/emo kids to come pay up for the show if they hadn’t. I think it was something like “come pay the tall blonde kid at the door-if you haven’t already-and he’ll give you free stuff.”

Then Number One Fan played some amazing audio nonsense that I hadn’t heard live for over two years. It was…Amazing, nostalgic, breathtaking, and a reminder that I’m not really a kid anymore.

I miss them. I miss what everyone my age and older misses: The unattainable chance to do it all over again. Make everything right. Fix every problem. Correct every mistake. But we do not live on the big screen. *CLICK*

After 9 songs, culminating with the glorious sounds of Jon’s out-of-this-world voice in“I Just Wanna Know” that was it.

Baba da baba da ba da…

The kid’s bought merch and shuffled out the door.

Kevin, Jay, and I helped to pack the bands equipment up in the van.

We decided to go to a bar on Brady Street.

The only true bad part of the night: I broke off Kevin’s spoiler as my hand slipped while trying to push his car out of the ridiculous amount of snow that STILL wasn’t plowed from the Milwaukee streets from the 15 plus inches we got the day before. (yah, I’m jacked).

I used MGMT (they are a band, check them out) shoe lace strings to tie it on for now.

We got to the bar. Kevin’s car got stuck, again. Two older women and myself pushed it out of the snow, and Kevin found a parking spot.

We went in… hung out with Nathaniel (Ivory) and all the former Number One Fan guys, minus Matt, who was not there tonight … L… and the newer addition to The Wildbirds (Hugh).

After some drinks, some shots, and some Lord of the Rings pinball, Kevin, Jon and I went to Oakland Gyros… delicious.

We talked about life, music, the band, religion, you name it, we talked about it. We were there for well over an hour.

We got back and hung out with Nathaniel some more. I bought him a jack and coke, and we all stayed until bar close.

Summary of the night: I love Kevin, Jon, and Nathaniel even more. They are just plain flat out nice guys.

This, along with the night Kevin and I had at Metro Station/Cobra Starship, were easily the best nights of this winter in Wisconsin.

I thought I would write this all down before I forgot it.
It was a night to be remembered...

Goodnight Neverland


David Allen Acker