Tom Waits brought his “Glitter & Doom” tour to Knoxville this past Sunday and I was lucky enough to snag a few tickets. At $85 per ticket it certainly wasn’t cheap, but the good stuff rarely is. Several months ago, when he Announced a North-American tour, I nearly lost my brain when I saw he was appearing in Knoxville, Atlanta & Birmingham. We chose Knoxville as the one and the show was everything I expected and more.

The show began about 45-minutes late. The sold-out crowd was getting a bit antsy, occasionally applauding and whooping like the drunken concert-goers they were. Tom was taking his sweet time to start the show and people took advantage of every last minute to snag that last beer. I also wasn’t aware marijuana use was allowed, but apparently the two gentleman sitting behind us thought it was. More on them later. Tom finally made an appearance and the crowd, myself included, went absolutely nuts. He looked good for a man of 60-years, his Henschel Hat and overcoat fitting perfectly. He launched into “Lucinda” while pounding his foot on the stage. The voice — dear God his voice — was perfect. It was demonic while at the same time heavenly. His whiskey soaked, guttural growl was present, but so was his gospel-like wail and whisper. I was awestruck.

Now, back to the “gentleman.” About three songs into the set, our Marijuana-smoking drunks decided to begin talking to each other, loudly, about how “cool the show was” and how “they couldn’t believe they were at the concert.”

If I have one pet peeve it’s people talking during a concert I paid good money to come to. So, I turned around and told them as much. One of them gave me the old familiar suggestion and threatened my life. I smirked and turned around, bracing for a blow to the back of my head. It never came and they shut up for the rest of the set. Ha, I win!

Tom’s set lasted for about two hours and 25 minutes. The highlights were, in my opinion, his songs performed solo on piano. He played two of my favorites, “On the Nickel” and “Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis.”

As usual, Tom and the band threw some more surprises in the mix, playing a few songs he hasn’t played live in a long time. We heard the stunning opening track from 2002’s “Blood Money” called “The Part You Throw Away.” My girlfriend particularly enjoyed “Eyeball Kid,” which Tom performed while wearing a disco-ball hat.

The final song of the set was “Make it Rain” from 2004’s “Real Gone” album. I was hoping it would rain in the auditorium, proving my theory that Tom Waits is God. It didn’t though. His encore seemed a bit short, but still excellent. We heard the slow ballad “Fannin Street” and the Gospel sing-along “Come on Up to the House.” The crowd pleaded for him to come back one more time, but in typical Tom Waits fashion he just simply waved to the crowd and walked away.

Despite everything: The near brawl, the ticket prices and the unruly crowd, this show was among the best concert experiences of my life. Now, I go to a lot of shows so deeming this one “among the best” is a pretty big deal. But considering my expectations and my obsession with Tom Waits and his music, he could’ve spent two hours reading the phone book and I would still write a glowing review. I think the rest of the shows, including Birmingham and Atlanta, are sold out. I was lucky enough to see a musical legend. And that’s something you can’t put a price tag on.

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