This was a really wierd night. Tracers, Brillo, and I had nothing to do, and we heard that Myssouri were playing an early evening set at Jocks And Jills, which is a Sports Bar. Yes, a Sports Bar. Even though our membership in The Indie Rock Mafia could be revoked if we were caught (dead) there, we decided to go anyway. What the heck, they serve beer, Brillo can watch her Braves game, and Myssouri will play.

So we three indie rock geekoids trekked to a sports bar in midtown. That's when it got wierd.

First off -- we were the first people who were not relatvies of the band and who did not work at Jocks and Jills to show up. We got there at about 9 PM, and Myssouri were running through a soundcheck.

And they sounded pretty good: the drumming was good if a little overpowering, the bass was clean and (eventually) mixed so as to not drown out the two acoustic guitars. Oh -- did i mention that this was an acoustic show?

So after the soundcheck the band wandered off. Eventually Michael Bradley (who really is the heart of Myssouri after all) took the stage with just his guitar. He played two fine numbers of dark acoustic pop. His voice and the guitar were a perfect accompaniment to each other.

Then the rest of the band showed up, and Satan's Honky-tonk ensued.

Well, not really. As an acoustic show, this was a little lighter and less guitar heavy than the last few Myssouri shows that i have seen. In fact, Myssouri's new guitarist proved to be quite talented when challenged with an acoustic setting.

It was a wonderful set -- Myssouri played songs from all throughout their career, with special emphasis on slower numbers that would translate better into an acoustic setting. The song selection for this show really worked for me.

But it was wierd, sitting in a sports bar, drinking cheap beer, watching baseball, and listening to acoustic goth rock. It all just seemed surreal to me. I mean, the Braves won their game during Hey John, and when there was extraordinary applause as people stared at the TV, Michael Bradley said, "Did something happen or did you really like the song?"

Myssouri also played several covers, ranging from Johnny Cash to Leonard Cohen to Neil Diamond(!).

Eventually the show degenerated into the new guitarist and Michael Bradley on stage trying to figure out older songs. They were the only act that night, so there was no impetus for them to get off the stage.

It was a really intimate show, and a lot of fun. Despite his surly/mopey persona Michael Bradley does have a sense of humour. After the last Myssouri show and the terrible sound there, i needed a good show like tonght to reaffirm my enjoyment of this band.