"We're having much more fun"

My daughter Presley and I saw X at Cat's Cradle on the 9th. Presley's descent into X fandom had really accelerated since last year's show (written about here), and she was in full autograph-seeking mode this time. Both Exene and Billy Zoom were extremely kind and patient, and my eight-year-old's still floating on a cloud over the whole thing.

Exene handed Presley the setlist, which is now hanging in her room (top photo). As you can see, this was a show full of great stuff. The encore also included an acoustic run-through of "See How We Are" by Exene and John Doe. There was an additional encore of "It's Who You Know," "Blue Spark" and "The World's A Mess, It's In My Kiss" — as fine a chunk of music as I've ever heard.

I've also come to the realization that X is my favorite band. And after years of evangelizing about them, to whoever would listen, my greatest success story has to be my own kid. Seeing Presley singing "Nausea" along with Exene was quite a sight. Her later call to my best friend James to give him a full report of the show was a hoot, too. (When you're handing out the Father Of The Year awards, don't hesitate to email for my address.)

In the background of the photo above (thanks, Erika), you can see Presley chatting with Billy Zoom. Her blog about the whole thing, much better than mine, is here.