Liberty Lunch was a live-music venue at 405 W. 2nd Street in Austin, Texas that operated until 1999.
From: IN%”SCREWBALL@delphi.com” 2-DEC-1994 07:36:41.70
To: IN%”sugar@csua.berkeley.edu”
Subj: REVIEW: Liberty Lunch, Austin, TX 01 Dec 1994 (includes setlist)
Liberty Lunch is another one of those venues with *strange* acoustics.
Between the floor (uneven cement), the ceiling (corrugated metal
incompletely covered by wood), and the PA (not exactly the best one
out there), soundcheck took longer than usual. Again, excellent job
by Bill Rahmy; the place can sound hideous, but once again, he did an
*amazing* job. Liberty Lunch’s staff were very professional and very
competent, which was a very welcome change from the personnel
encountered at some of the venues thus far.
The audience was also a welcome change from the crowds in Georgia; they were enthusiastic without being pushy and actually *stayed quiet* when the bands played. No crowd-surfing, but given the nature of Liberty Lunch’s floor, that would have been a *very* bad idea. Attendance was surprisingly good, considering the lack of advance sales; then again, this *is* Austin.
For various reasons, Magnapop weren’t able to get a proper soundcheck in. That didn’t stop them from playing a good, if slightly rough, set. Unfortunately, due to the (temporarily) somewhat thin crowd, the first part of their set sounded a bit harsh. Considering what he had to work with, soundman Ricky Martocci did one heck of a fine job. Once again, Magnapop won the audience over.
This was Bob’s homecoming show. He seemed *very* pleased to be back home; he smiled a lot and bounced all over his side of the stage. David and Malcolm did well to match his enthusiasm. They were tight and polished, showing all the good effects of having had a week off, with none of the drawbacks. Once they took the stage, they dazzled and annihilated the audience with the kind of sonic assault that only Sugar can muster. An amazing show, and one well worth waiting for.
David’s and Bob’s vocal harmonies are sounding better and better all the time, and the musicianship is getting *very* tight and polished, but they *still* don’t sound artificial or contrived; in fact, a Sugar show is probably one of the last, best explosions of the kind of riveting, creative, mercurial energy that live music is supposed to be all about.
Highlights: the segue from “Granny Cool” into “The Act We Act,” a searing version of “Clownmaster,” the segue from “In The Eyes Of My Friends” into “Gee Angel,” and a scorching, no-holds-barred “Tilted.”
Set time: 58 minutes; with encores, one hour, twelve minutes.
———————————————————————-
soundcheck
Clownmaster
Company Book
Hoover Dam
The Act We Act (fragment)
set
Gift
Company Book
Hoover Dam
Going Home
Where Diamonds Are Halos
Granny Cool
The Act We Act
A Good Idea
Running Out Of Time
Frustration
Changes
Your Favorite Thing
Clownmaster
If I Can’t Change Your Mind
Mind Is An Island
In The Eyes Of My Friends
Gee Angel
Armenia City In The Sky
Man On The Moon
Tilted
———————————————————————-
And tonight, we’re doing it again.
screwball
(screwball@delphi.com) From: IN%”fagan@austin.ibm.com” 2-DEC-1994 11:28:04.90
To: IN%”sugar@csua.berkeley.edu”
CC:
Subj: RE: REVIEW: Liberty Lunch, Austin, TX 01 Dec 1994 (includes setlist)
Screwball did another great review. I’ll just add a few
other comments.
> Once again, Magnapop won the audience over.
I’ve only heard two songs prior to the show last night, but
Magnapop was excellent. I’ll be looking to buy Hot Boxing
soon.
>
> This was Bob’s homecoming show. He seemed *very* pleased to be back
> home; he smiled a lot and bounced all over his side of the stage.
Bob looked like he was in a great mood. Some of his facial expressions
were priceless. I’m going to bring my camera tonight to try and catch
him in a look.
I really enjoyed the energy of the show. Bob was all over the place,
and David sang real well on his songs.
I was pleased to hear The Act We Act followed by A Good Idea.
Where Diamonds Are Halos is really growing on me.
> And tonight, we’re doing it again.
It should be a great crowd for a Friday.
> screwball
> (screwball@delphi.com)
—
Jim Fagan AIX APAR Regression Test BOS Team Lead (512) 838-2458 From: IN%”danstein@tamu.edu” 2-DEC-1994 12:34:49.13
To: IN%”sugar@csua.berkeley.edu”
CC:
Subj: RE: REVIEW: Liberty Lunch, Austin, TX 01 Dec 1994 (NO setlist)
>The audience was also a welcome change from the crowds in Georgia;
>they were enthusiastic without being pushy and actually *stayed quiet*
>when the bands played. No crowd-surfing, but given the nature of
>Liberty Lunch’s floor, that would have been a *very* bad idea.
>Attendance was surprisingly good, considering the lack of advance
>sales; then again, this *is* Austin.
I was quite surprised by the Dec. 1 show in Austin for the very reason
that Screwball mentioned. I just moved to Texas from Georgia, and I am used
to the insanely dangerous crowds at the Masquerade, and throngs of
testosterone-pumped fratboys at the 40 Watt. This was my first show in
Austin, and I was impressed by the attentive crowds. At one point I saw a
guy start shuffling his feet and bobbing his head, but he was quickly
removed by bouncers (team-Biohazard).
The show was very good and I attempted to tape the proceedings. Unlike
Mark Weygandt, I do not have a quality recording device, so I used what I
would equate to a Fisher Price, “My First Bootleg” setup. The sound was
extremely overblown. Gain control is minimal on my recorder. If anyone has
suggestions, before I try again tonight, please e-mail me privately. It is
not suitable for trading but will serve well as a momento.
Dan Boorstein
spamstein@tamu.edu
Muscle Biology Laboratory
Texas A&M University
“I made my world of happiness to combat your neglect.”
-Bob Mould
