Low at the Miramar Theatre
Milwaukee, January 26, 2006
You wouldn’t think that Low would attract the type of showgoer who still thinks it’s hilarious to scream “FREEBIRD” during a quiet moment. Yet that’s exactly what happened two-thirds of the way through their set in Milwaukee at the kickoff of their winter tour. Singer Alan Sparhawk took it in stride; he blinked, leaned in close to the microphone and said dryly but firmly, “No.” This provoked a wave of appreciative laughter from a crowd that had clearly been through this one too many times. Seriously, guys, we’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: That joke is not funny anymore. With the exception of Freebird Guy and another guy behind us who felt it necessary to whistle tunelessly along with every song, occasionally mutter some lyrics that had no audible connection with the song that was being played, and at one point jump up to do a strange, disjointed dance while drumming the top of the bar that was set up in the back of the room, the audience was a model of quiet, awed respect. The first several rows even sat cross-legged on the floor to better appreciate their heroes.
