Irish goodbye: leaving quietly out the side door of a party or bar without saying goodbye to anyone
by Autumn en Austin
On a balmy November 3rd evening, you could find me once again at the famous Stubb’s BBQ in Austin, TX, for the Meg Meyers and AWOLNation 101X (local radio 20th anniversary) show. There was an opening band, but I didn’t get there in time to see them and I can’t remember their name. Sorry, not sorry!
Meg Myers: The tiny Tennessee girl with a big voice, reminded me of a lot of the Thieves’ lead singer Free Dominguez mixed with a little of Poe. Both ladies were amazing lead singers of semi-popular alternative bands in the mid-90s to the early 2000s. As Meg drove on with her fierce, yet small stage presence, my friend decided to profess her love and admiration for the singer. That’s when Meg picked up her guitar and really wailed. I was completely blown away with the talent of her guitarist/bassist. He was incredible! As Meg played through her most popular songs Sorry, Desire and Lemon Eyes, the crowd went wild. And, then she was gone. Apparently, she follows AWOLNation’s lead and has mastered the art of the Irish Goodbye! And then came the set change… Among a sea of what appeared to be 20 somethings, my friend and I, who have reached 30 something, were dancing and singing to the interlude music. White Wedding and Electric Avenue! Yeah, we were ‘those’ girls.
AWOLNation: As AWOLNation graced the stage, some big-headed jerk-off stood right in front of me. I even posted a picture to Twitter, stating that he reminded me of the kid from the movie Angus. Alas, the band started to play and the fists of the youthful crowd filled the air. They all looked like they were headed down the first massive hill of a roller coaster. And, while the crowd was very enthusiastic, my fucking ears hurt. I felt at one point like my ear drums were about to burst.
The lead singer had a tiny, effeminate frame and his voice at times reminded me of Coheed and Cambria’s lead singer, Claudio Sanchez. And, don’t get me fucking started on the total ignorant look of the lead guitarist. With his 80’s puffy jacket and no shirt on, he looked like a young Jerry Seinfeld. I couldn’t stop laughing. The guitarist did have some serious string action though.
As AWOLNation rang through their song list including Sail, I’m on Fire, Not Your Fault, Burn it Down and Guilty Filthy Soul, Aaron Bruno asked the crowd to crouch down and in that brief, glorious moment, I could see the stage, because I wasn’t about to participate in the pure ignorance of crouching just because a lead singer tells me to. It’s not fucking Simon Says! The band disappeared, the crowd screamed their name a bunch and then they reappeared, played a couple more songs, finishing with another Irish goodbye.
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