Highline Ballroom, New York, NY

To any reasonable person, that crinkled printer paper with all the scribbled abbreviation, folded in thirds and then half over again is easily trashed, a shopping list at best, the first to go in a thorough reclamation of my slowly narrowing living space. To the scribbler himself, that list is panned gold, naturally saved, never more meaningful. Since I took to noting the setlists of the shows I attend, documenting the very memories already weakened by my slight remove, I’ve found a couple of these sheets of cryptic nuggets. GGG, Hu- Aloy, *DLam, TTTW, +vpcke and all the others burst back into form at the slightest thought, and I thank my former self for the transcription.

This was my third time seeing Ludo, my favorite approachable live band, and it was the show at which I was the least uncomfortable. All three have been at the Highline Ballroom, for the space itself maybe my favorite little venue in New York, because of the bars on each side, the easy exits, and the centered stage. The merch stand which was out the back by the stairs nearly got a security guard’s ass kicked last time, by me, because of the slimness of the hallway. This time, the table was moved inside. It was ideal. Plus, I was a scruple away from saying hello to the lead guitarist as he walked in with a box of CDs. (Didn’t want to hurt his needed hand with my powerful, thankful shake.) Also ideal was the fact that I felt almost nothing like a pedophile at this show, nor a loserish guy in his late twenties, still younger I must say than most of the band. In the 18 months since my first show of theirs, the median age of their audience has steadily risen from mostly high schoolers to mostly mid-20sers. The twerp who faked his way through saying I looked 24 (when half-jokingly asked) was long gone, as were the obvious parents of obvious teenagers. Feeling comfortably within the modified age range set the stage beautifully for the music itself.

Ludo has put out three albums and an EP now, a good point at which to look back. There was representation from each release, all adding up to a diverse live show full of favorites. The asterisked songs on my list were “Drunken Lament,” “Lake Ponchartrain” and “Rotten Town.” The first two are from 2008′s You’re Awful, I Love You, and have nicely matured from new singles to the kind of close friends you’re excited to see. “Rotten Town” is from their newest, Prepare the Preparations. I was less familiar with it than with any of the songs on the first half of the album, but certainly earmarked it as a top song, audience approved. In the months since, I’ve grown to appreciate it even more and look forward to seeing it live again. Oddly, though, it was played back-to-back with “Lake Ponchartrain,” odd only because they are in the same key with many of the same chords, a similar tempo and a similar vibe despite differences in tone. For a setlist as shuffled as I’ve seen of theirs, their proximity was the slightest bit jarring.

The offense was soon forgiven when the band played two songs from their Broken Bride EP, one of my very favorite recordings. I was not expecting to hear either, the band having toured last fall playing the thing straight through (loved it). After the second, the band played two more songs and was done without an encore, an unusual and refreshing sight.

The concert might not have had the emotional weight or Artistic significance of my previous show on the Broken Bride tour, but it was a solid, highly enjoyable, professional rundown of their top songs (minus “Girls on Trampolines,” generally their “Long Tall Sally”). Looking forward to next time.

SETLIST

Go-Getter Greg
Hum Along
Drunken Lament
Too Tired to Wink
Topeka
Lake Pontchartrain
Rotten Town
Part I: Broken Bride
Whipped Cream
Horror of Our Love
Anything for You
Save Our City
Good Will Hunting By Myself
Love Me Dead