Favorite Live Bands #9 - Morphine

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Being the live music junkie that I am, it was only a matter of time before I started a Favorite Live Bands series. We are at #9, and that band is Morphine. Led by vocalist/bassist (homemade two string slide bass) Mark Sandman, Morphine formed in 1989 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The band built a large cult following through incessant touring, so it was only a matter of time before I got to see them. That time finally came on April 6th, 1999, at the Ogden Theater in Denver. I know this because it was the day before my birthday. My buddy and I went, only upon arrival, I discovered that my friend had purchased only one ticket. No problem, except when I went to the box office, the show was sold out. Luckily, a scalper only charged me 40 bucks. The show was definitely worth that much, for one reason that I'll get to in a minute. The band played their brand of bluesy jazz rock, doing tons of great songs: "Buena," "Radar," "Super Sex," "Cure For Pain ," "Mary Won't You Call My Name," and on and on, to a very enthusiastic audience. We were so loud and appreciative, that the band kept playing on after they had finished their encore's. And they played and played and played, only quitting when saxophonist Dana Colley just couldn't go any longer. It seemed as if they would have played all night if they could have. Remember when I said that Morphine toured heavily? They were slated to return to Denver that August, and I made sure I had tickets this time. Unfortunately, on July 3rd, Mark Sandman died of a heart attack while onstage in Italy, effectively putting an immediate end to the band. Turns out it was forty dollars well spent.