Tom Waits

[Rickypt]

I don't think there has been a thread about him since I've been here.

After seeing his masterful performance on the Daily Show last week, that I have watched over and over, I feel like telling this story:

I am a huge Hedwig and the Angry Inch fan. The play came to San Francisco in November, 2002. I saw it 13 times before it closed in May of 2003. A month after it closed, the bassist from the show was hit by a car while riding his bike to work. He left behind a young bride and a 2 year old girl.

A few weeks after he died, there was a benefit concert/memorial for him, which brought back all the Hedwig performers to perform all the songs as a concert, without costume. I bought a front row ticket. Two days before the show, it was announced that Tom Waits would perform, as the guy had played bass for him on a recent album. I had heard the name Tom Waits, but really didn't know anything about him, so this didn't mean much to me.

When I showed up at the show, there was a swarm of people in the street trying to buy tickets. It was then that I learned he rarely tours and people had come from all over to attempt to see this performance.

When Tom took the stage and starting singing, my first thought was "who on earth is this drunk and what the f*k is that voice about"? For the second song, he went to the piano and sang the most beautiful ballad I've ever heard in my life, "Take It With Me". Even thought he mumbled almost every word, there was more passion in his delivery than almost anything I've ever heard. For the rest of the short performance, I was mesmerized.

I adore him. Since then, I've seen "Black Rider", a play for which he wrote the music and it is one of my favorite plays. I would love to see him live again.

He gave me goosebumps on the Daily Show, and it was the first time that Jon Stewart did nothing but fawn over someone.

Any fans here?