Cheap Souvenirs... and Lissie

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of finally seeing Lissie in concert.  I say "finally" because her last show was canceled due to illness.  So yes, I had been waiting in anticipation for quite awhile.  Not to mention, the show was at Lincoln Hall... one of the best new venues in Chicago.  Acoustically gratifying, aesthetically pleasing, and just the right size so I can see and hear the performer wherever I stand.  Of course, it does help to be on the taller end.

 This is Lissie.  She's rocking the Brady Bunch hipster look.

     When Lissie came onstage, the first thing I asked was, "Is she wearing pants?"  This may seem odd, but I've seen her pull off the oversized flannel shirt look with no pants and no shoes.  It's a Rock Island thing (she's from the Quad Cities).  Or is it an L.A. thing?  She is a transplant.  I think Lissie actually wears really short shorts underneath the oversized shirt.  Regardless, it's a pretty cool look that I, even as a rock star, can't pull off.  I think I need pale/freckled skin and straight, blonde hair.  Seriously.  I've been thinking about it.

    Lissie's following a new musical trend - the no drummer trend.  And by "no drummer," I mean one of her other musicians acts as a drummer.  The bassist sat in a chair and played all the drum parts with his feet, and all the bass parts with, obviously, his hands.  I consider this a musical trend, but that's only because Mumford & Sons has popularized this with their lead singer/guitarist/bass drummist:

Is it too expensive to tour with a drummer?  Or is this the new cool?

Back to Lissie... let me show you the awesome souvenir I got:

Hmm.  It's sideways... but you get the point.

   I think people are stupid.  Why?  Because why would this poster still be up for grabs when I got to the concert?  Elizabeth and I were across the street drinking margaritas and missed the opener.  When we got to the show, there were still free posters on the wall.  People, people... these are FREE!  After the show, the venue is only going to take them down and toss them out.  Why pay for a poster when you can take it off the wall?  This is a once in a lifetime memory.  Maybe I'm a little passionate about the concerts I go to.  The other best "cheap" (aka free) souvenir?  Setlists from the stage:

This is me and the setlist that I took from Kate Nash at Lilith Fair.  I am showing off my Converse because her setlist actually has a footprint on it that matches the bottom of my shoe.  Did I mention the shoes that Kate Nash was wearing that day?  Oh yeah, I have Kate Nash's footprint.  Beat that.

    Maybe I'm a dork.  I don't care.  How do you get these free souvenirs?  Oh, it's very easy.  Walk up to the stage 1 minute after the encore is over (aka the lights go on) when the stage crew is shuffling about, smile, and say, "Hey, can I have that setlist?"  It's all about the smile.

   Back to Lissie... the show was in fact great.  I'd review it, but I want to skip to the end.  She has all this great music, and has become most famous for her cover of Kid Cudi's "Pursuit of Happiness."  Elizabeth was a little disgusted with this.  Why is she known for a song that isn't even hers when she has all this other great music?  But alas, the Kid Cudi song doesn't sound like his anymore.  At least, that's my opinion.  Dude, Lissie makes it her own.  Of course, that's what you can read about in my thesis.  Do we really want to get into a whole discussion on the appropriation of the personal narrative, the confessional voice, and authority in general?  Not today.  I have to shower and teach some 6 year olds.  Here's the video for Lissie's cover of "Pursuit of Happiness."  Be your own judge.  Do you like it?  If so, then that's all that really matters: