An Incomplete List of the Best Covers I've Seen in Concert: 2000-2004

Artist: Pearl Jam
Venue: Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH
Date: August 20, 2000
Song: The Kids Are Alright
Original Artist: The Who
Comments: Eddie Vedder muffed the first couple lines, but he managed to get back on track and provide one of the highlights to what was a surprisingly fantastic show at one of the area's worst music venues.  "The Kids Are Alright" was one of my first favorite Who songs.  It always reminds me of the 14-year old me who used to sit in his basement after school listening to a cheap tape of Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy.

Artist: Neko Case & Her Boyfriends
Venue: Woody's Place, Columbus, OH
Date: October 19, 2000
Song: Bowling Green
Original Artist: Everly Brothers
Comments: I saw a picture of Neko Case in an issue of a British music magazine (the now shitty Uncut) and thought she was so tired-eyed and gorgeous that I just had to ditch work and drive all the way up to the OSU student union to check her out for myself.  I forgot all about her looks when I heard her sing live for the first time.  She had me and a couple dozen drunk college kids hootin' and hollerin'.  I swear I'm not kidding...I actually hooted.

Artist: Elliott Smith
Venue: Southgate House, Newport, KY
Date: November 2, 2000
Song: (Don't Fear) The Reaper
Original Artist: Blue Öyster Cult
Comments: I don't want to write about this one.  It's kind of depressing if you think about it.

Artist: Built to Spill
Venue: Bogart's, Cincinnati, OH
Date: September 8, 2001
Song: Free Bird
Original Artist: Lynyrd Skynrd
Comments: Some hole in the audience shouted out for "Free Bird" and Built to Spill then proceeded to play it.  Not only did they play it, they ripped the hell out of the song.  This wasn't some comical two minute version, either...they played the whole damn thing.

Artist: Joe Pernice
Venue: Southgate House, Newport, KY
Date: May 7, 2002
Song: Please Mr. Please
Original Artist: Olivia Newton-John
Comments: This show was Joe Pernice on acoustic guitar and Peyton Pinkerton on electric.  Peyton's volume was turned up way too loud and he just about ruined the entire night.  The only part that sounded good was the three song solo set Joe did towards the end.  Fortunately, he saved "Please Mr. Please" for that mini-set.  Joe originally recorded it with the Scud Mountain Boys, and it remains one of my personal favorites.  I consider myself lucky to have heard it live.

Artist: Richard Buckner
Venue: Southgate House, Newport, KY
Date: May 26, 2002 and January 22, 2003
Song: Breaking Us in Two
Original Artist: Joe Jackson
Comments: When given the right song, Richard Buckner can flat-out break my heart.  "Breaking Us in Two" is one of those songs.  So is "Reuben Pantier", but that's another story entirely.

Artist: Alejandro Escovedo
Venue: Southgate House, Newport, KY
Date: February 28, 2003, October 19, 2006, March 10, 2007, etc.
Song: I Wish I Was Your Mother
Original Artist: Mott the Hoople
Comments: I have seen Alejandro Escovedo at the Southgate House so many times that I honestly can't differentiate between any of the shows.  He seems to play "I Wish I Was Your Mother" at every one of them.  It's always the highlight of the night.

Artist: Calexico
Venue: Southgate House, Newport, KY
Date: March 17, 2003
Song: Alone Again Or
Original Artist: Love
Comments: My favorite song from the 60s (non-Kinks/Left Banke division) lends itself incredibly well to Calexico's whole mariachi, desert rock w/horns-thing.

Artist: Cat Power
Venue: Southgate House, Newport, KY
Date: April 16, 2003
Song: Sad Sad Song/Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
Original Artist: M. Ward/White Stripes
Comments: My journal from that night says that these were the two highlights of my first Cat Power show.  I was especially excited about the M. Ward song as I'd just discovered him about a week earlier.