This evening, Autumn and I went to see Cake in concert at a small venue in downtown Atlanta called the Tabernacle. It holds about 2000 people, I would guess, on a floor and two balconies. We sat stage center, down front on the third balcony — perfect seats to see Cake do their thing. The opening band is not worth mentioning except to say they were probably one of the worst bands I had ever seen, something that neither of us expected as openers for Cake. We figured that there may be something more going on there than was readily apparent. Nevertheless these three white-girl rappers were off the stage in 40 minutes, and Cake took their place at about 9:30.

They played about two hours: a mix of popular tracks as well as some just for their big fans. Among the highlights were “No Phone,” “Stickshifts and Safety Belts,” “Comfort Eagle,” “Nugget,” and “Never There.” Their final encore was “I Will Survive,” a popular choice for this crowd. I would have liked to have heard “Satan Is My Motor,” but I’m not complaining.

Cake sounded fantastic live; they are all obviously accomplished musicians. The lead singer, John McCrea, was a bit of a prick: once an audience member shouted “rock and roll,” and McCrea responded with “that’s crappy bullshit. Don’t ever say that crappy bullshit again.” At one point McCrea, who encourages audience participation on his terms, left the stage because the people on the floor weren’t responding to his satisfaction. Granted, they weren’t listening, but McCrea became almost abusive. It was all in good fun, and his antics made me like him a bit more. They seem to fit his attitude as lead singer and as main talent of the group.

That said, though, all the musicians were first-rate, not surprising suggests Dan, who tells me that McCrea is Cake, Inc., and only hires the best. McCrea also, it seems, plays the shrewd businessman. As far as politics go, he mentioned that the third presidential debate was happening at the same time as the show (thanks, Dad, for TiVoing it for us), but that it really didn’t matter. In fact, when he introduced “I Will Survive,” he stated: “We’re going to end with a hopeful song. There is no hope for the future, but for right now. There’s hope for right now.” Again, a consistent view, it seems.

We really enjoyed the show. This venue, unlike most I’ve been to, has good beer. However, unlike most others, they gouge your on the price: a pint of ESB was $6, and it was served in a plastic cup. Yes, it was one beer to split that night, probably a good thing as we drove Tim’s car to the show (thanks again, Tim). We head north tomorrow toward Dad’s. Hope the weather gets a bit warmer.