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review by Leif
www.nebulamusic.com

Besides the Mariners losing, it was a great night. Mark Lanegan was amazing, he sounds like he smokes a case of cigarettes and drinks a case of whiskey each day. I was surprised because his voice was much deeper and more powerful than on any of his albums. All I can say is I hope he releases a live album sometime soon, because now I'm thinking the studio albums don't quite do him justice.
It was great to see Mark, Mike, and Ben in such an intimate setting. They played mostly songs from the last album, the highlights for me were Carry Home and On Jesus' Program. But they also managed to work in some older stuff like Mockingbirds, The Winding Sheet, Bell Black Ocean, Last One In The World, Slide Machine, and for the second encore they finally did River Rise (only song played from Whiskey).
One funny story from the show... it doesn't stop many people, but it is illegal to smoke in bars in California - so for the first half hour of the show Mark was chewing gum like a maniac. Then Mike broke a string and Mark said "time for a cigarette" and headed quickly backstage. At that point he must have noticed that a couple people in the audience were smoking, so after a few minutes he came back out with his cigarette and said "I've been chewing this fucking Nicorette gum all night because I didn't think I could smoke in here!"
It was an early show - Mike Johnson came on at 8:15 and the whole thing was done by 10:30. Which worked out great for us because Gammera was playing a short cab ride away at the Paradise Lounge so we got there in time to catch their entire set. So it was a full evening of music to say the least.

review by Jared

I walked down the stairs to the Cellar at Johnny Foley's Irish Pub. It's a small hallway of a bar about 20 feet wide and maybe 50 feet from back wall to stage. Earlier I sat at a dinner table upstairs near the band as they kept one eye on their plate and the other eye on the Yankees Mariners playoff game that loomed above. As the Yankees closed the gap I heard Mark yell, "Fuck" and get up and go outside for a smoke. Now in the cellar, Mark sat leaning over the bar watching every pitch. Between innings he would run to the back room no doubt to smoke another cigarette. Ben Shepherd came out and was noticeably tense watching the game. Mike was talking to some friends. As the crowd filled the room, Mark stayed out watching the game, creating a laid back atmosphere about the place. When it was clear the M's had lost, they all disappeared behind the stage to get ready for the show. Mike Johnson came out first and played a solid set. His quiet simple rhythm guitar and worn bass voice set a low-key mood for the show. He performed an amazing version of Eclipse that made everyone silent, even those who have never heard the song before.
About a half hour later, Ben, Mike and Mark made the stage, three tall lumbering guys who sat immediately in an effort to fit into the place. Mark asked for the lights to be dimmed, and Ben wanted his guitar volume down a turn. The stage was lit a dark red and barely surrounded their figures. Mark started in with the chilling Carry Home, a song with no hook, but that can be listened to ceaselessly. The crowd was much quieter than other shows I have seen at this venue, usually a place conducive to talking during the show. Mark delivered all the numbers from the Portland show. His voice sounds stronger, healthier and Mike and Ben were very tight. The band was businesslike through the first few songs of the show. After Blues Run the Game, a better rendition than either Nick Drake's or Simon and Garfunkel's, I yelled out "Carnival!" A few people laughed, and Mark looked into the crowd like someone out there was crazy. Nevertheless, he went into Creeping Coastline...and continued on. The first break in the show occurred after Because of This about midway through. Mike broke a string during the song and started to replace it after it was done. Mark thought it would be a great time to smoke a cigarette. Everyone applauded as he jumped off the platform and ran backstage. He came back out two minutes later with a cigarette lit as Mike was all set, and they soldiered into Together Again. After that song he made his first informal interaction with the crowd. "I've been chewing that fucking Nicorette all night because I thought you couldn't smoke in here. Fuck it." He then followed with, "And the Mariners lost." The crowd began to boo to appease his agony to which Mark responded, "Yeah, it's bullshit."
He continued the opening set with Deep Purple, and a fantastically intense version of On Jesus' Program after which he shook his head and said, "Strange song." He finished with Tomorrow Night, blowing away Elvis himself if I can say so. He came back out and did Mockingbirds, a wonderfully beautiful Last One in the World and The River Rise. Before he left the stage, he referred to a line from the last song and said, "That's all I can do." For an hour the Cellar was complete with a moody dark atmosphere and an intimate night with one of the best voices in the land.

review by Corey

I had a blast at this show, for I kept runnin' into ol' friends and ol' crushes augmented by great singin' and great songs. Mike did a sweet and short set which included 'ECLIPSE' (ten minutes of sorrowful joy) and an endearing cover of the BEE GEES 'RUN TO ME'...
Mark did a generous helping of 'I'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU' tunes. Things started to get blurry for me after so many pints(thanks friends) The Yanks beat the Mariners at the end of Mike's set. Mark got to smoke a cig. live onstage in concert in Califonia. That's torture for us local gag-puffers, runnin in and out, smokin' in the boy's room etc.
The venue was a trip. SLIMS will book acts in other venues for whatever reason (for instance Noe Valley Ministry, which was picture perfect for the above dynamic duo), as for the cellar, this joint is located in the central downtown Union Square/Tenderloin district--choose your poison.( tourism vs. the dregs ) The downstairs vibe was of a greenich village basement gig talent show with a handful of confused british ex-pats in the back wondrin' "what the fuck is this all 'bout". Anyway the talent was the best. And so inspired am I by these fellows' clean/sobre ways I've quit smoking. Thank you. PS great sound courtesy of Adam.