Eric Bachmann @ Iota, Arlington, VA [11/11/07]

I spent most of the day yesterday trying to decide whether to use the ticket I had to see Bright Eyes at DAR Constitution Hall (3rd row center) or Eric Bachmann at Iota. I'm a huge fan of both artists, but at the end of the day it came down to timing. Bright Eyes had two openers I wasn't familiar with, wasn't scheduled to go on stage until 10pm, and I wasn't in the mood to sit in Constitution Hall for 4 hours, especially after Ryan Adams' lackluster show there a couple of weeks ago. Plus, Iota serves Shiner Bock on tap. So my decision was made.

I haven't read any reviews of the Bright Eyes show, but I'm pretty happy with my decision. The show was just Eric and one woman (whose name I don't know) singing backing vocals and playing various instruments (drum, strings, etc.). They played a 45-minute set including songs off last years fantastic To The Races album, several Crooked Fingers songs, and the classic Archers of Loaf song "White Trash Heroes". While not the longest show I've ever seen from Eric, it was pretty much a perfect set for a Sunday night. And definitely better than sitting in a seat at DAR all night.

I was glad to see that Eric pulled a pretty respectable crowd for a Sunday night, though I'm not sure how many people were specifically there to see him or Paul Sanchez, the lead singer of Cowboy Mouth, who was second on the bill. I've always heard that Cowboy Mouth has a pretty big following in DC, so who knows.

Eric's got a few more dates on this tour as he heads home to Denver after spending the last month or so touring with Josh Ritter. Be sure to catch him if you can.

BTW, no pics because the lighting was too low and I didn't want to be the only person using a flash.

Eric Bachmann Tour Dates
11/12: Pittsburgh (Diesel Club Lounge)
11/13: Columbus, OH (Andyman's Tree House)
11/14: Iowa City (The Picador)
11/15: Kansas City, MO (Record Bar)
11/16: Omaha (Slowdown Jr.)