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Bleeding stops Kweller
Poor Ben Kweller. Just before he came onstage, he got a double nosebleed, delaying his Saturday AT&T Stage set for 10 minutes. And it didn’t stop once he started performing. Grabbing a towel, the Texas-raised 25-year-old declared, “I feel like Nolan Ryan” (after the baseball player’s famous ball smack to the face), and promised, “I’ll do this until it gets too disgusting.”
“If you don’t care, I don’t care,” he added. “I’m not gonna bleed to death in front of you.”
It quickly became apparent that the situation was a little more serious than he originally thought. After playing a couple of rockin’ songs (“This one’s called ‘Run,’ ” he announced. “Talk about running!”) and thoroughly splattering his guitar with blood — while managing to prove how adept he is at using it — he even employed a female sanitary product to try to stop the flow.
As the band went from laughter to looks of concern, Kweller moved to the piano and played a pretty, poppy tune called “Falling” before saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, I think that’s all I can take, you guys. I’m really sorry. They say that Austin is the allergy capital of the world, but I never believed ‘em.”
His fans appeared disappointed, but he clearly had tried his best, proving to be a real trouper. And he promised he’d be back to make it up to them.
(photo by Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment | Categories: 2006 Scene Reports
Comments
By R A V E N
September 24, 2006 06:34 PM | Link to this
Remember Austin’s pride slogan “We cut it with glass!”
By Shocked
September 18, 2006 01:29 PM | Link to this
I don’t know him, but I agree, assuming the worst is rediculous and sterotyping. Pretty narrowminded as well.
By Jennifer
September 17, 2006 01:35 AM | Link to this
IT WAS ALLERGIES!!!!! I was there front row. After the next band (Shins) played, I got a minor nose bleed also from allergies. Then latter that evening, I saw a young lady with a pretty bad nose bleed sitting in a lawn chair at ACL probably from the same allergies. Don’t assume the worst (especially about someone as nice and dedicated as Ben Kweller.)
By NOSE CANDY?
September 16, 2006 08:12 PM | Link to this
Makes you wonder if it was allergies?? Thin nasal passages from nose-candy, don’t like heat, winds and stress! Maybe it was allergies?? Hope so!