tell me what did you bequeath, to the girl with the freaky teeth?
First: Perks of Being a Wallflower, the movie, was perfect and so much more than I ever expected a movie of my all-time favorite book could be, and I cried so hard almost all the way through that I think I had an asthma attack by the time the last song came on.
Now to what this entry is really about: UGH YOU GUYS I HAVE NO MORE GIGS LEFT TO LOOK FORWARD TO, WHAT THE FUCK DO I DO WITH MY LIFE NOW?
So this week I took a six hour bus ride to Minneapolis to visit Nicole. She is my favorite person in the entire universe (barring a certain someone), but quite frankly the trip would not have happened if Noel wasn't ONLY doing Minneapolis for this leg of the tour instead of, say, that nice place where I live (aka... Narnia). Whatever, whatever, I spent the other two days with Nicole and did I mention it was a SIX HOUR BUS RIDE BOTH WAYS? BUS. I HATE BUSES.
Anyway. I usually like to get to gigs at LEAST two hours before the opening act sets up because I am a) short and b) a complete freak who isn't satisified unless my ears have been blown out by the amps at the end of a gig, but Nicole kept INSISTING that no one in Minnesota knows who Noel Gallagher is and so after grabbing dinner and going back to her apartment to get the car, we didn't get to the venue until at least 6, if not later. Honestly I was so traumatized by the mob of people when we got inside that I have NO IDEA what time it actually was, except that it was later than I've ever shown up at a gig. So because I'm a complete twat I spent the fifteen minutes before the doors opened having a mini panic attack and basically making a nuisance of myself.
Through some force of nature that we'll call Sergio Christ, the doors opened and they took our tickets and I still managed to get DIRECTLY in front of where Noel's mic stand would be - with one person in front of me at the barricade. I spent the rest of the time before the opening act came on moaning about this, but when the opening act started I realized that I could still see perfectly well - the barricade itself was pretty fucking close to the stage and there was a gap between the two women in front of me.
The opening act's name was Jake Bugg, and apparently he has a number one album in England or something? All I know is that he was tiny and adorable and wore a hoodie and I was FASCINATED by his guitar playing. Seriously. He's like eighteen or something and he was SO GOOD. Nicole kept trying to take video of the way his hands moved but she couldn't zoom in far enough. He played maybe sixish songs and they were all lovely; I tried to find his CD after the show but apparently he's not selling it so I'll have to check iTunes after I get paid next week or something.
AND THEN NOEL CAME ON. Ugh. Ugh. The set was not nearly long enough but it was 100% perfect - my only complaint I guess is that he didn't play "Supersonic" acoustic because that shit gives me chills in the best way, but whatever. He played what I think is his typical festival set - "(It's Good) To Be Free" (favorite favorite favorite), the majority of his album, plus "Wonderwall" (which was actually nice because he didn't play it the first time I saw him) and "Whatever," and of course "Talk Tonight" & "Half the World Away." "Everybody's on the Run" is still MONSTER live. I do think when he tours again (which, let's not even talk about how long it's going to be before that happens considering Noel doesn't have Liam to make him stop being lazy, okay?!) he should put "(Stranded On) The Wrong Beach" earlier in the set because it's probably my favorite song off the album (with the possible exception of "The Death of You and Me" because that song is made of awesome) but every time he plays it I just go NO UGH NO THE SHOW'S ALMOST OVER CUT THAT OUT.
Before the concert, I kept trying to explain to Nicole the way that Noel typically interacts with his audience, but about five songs in she leaned over and said, "Rachel, he hasn't said ANYTHING yet." Which was true. He did glare at a piece of confetti that somehow got in front of his face, but he seemed a bit tired, poor thing. His eye kept winking involuntarily. BUT shortly after Nicole made that comment Noel decided to address us. "I thought you'd all be in fancy dress," he said, and someone shouted to ask him where his costume was. "I am in fancy dress. I'm dressed as an Englishman!" Then he did an American accent and went, "Or, a fuckin' British guy." Best. He also started heckling someone in the crowd who kept trying to get him to play "Listen Up." "Listen up? Okay, I'm listening, what d'you want?" "Play Listen Up!" "Oh, you want us to play it? They don't know it! We tried it at soundcheck actually, and it was shit."
According to Nicole, I should've been about four feet to the left of where I was. None of the people in front of me really sang along to any of the songs, but just a few feet away EVERYONE was getting into it. But if I'd been over there I wouldn't have been right in front of Noel so FUCK IT. I think I sang loud enough for about five people; I'm not sure because I was half brain-damaged by the time Noel got to "Don't Look Back in Anger." Ugh ugh ugh magic. Even if there weren't enough people singing for him to leave off singing the choruses himself. DISRESPECTFUL.
For all that the audience was kind of lame, though, there was a pretty huge exodus after Noel finished up - meaning lots of people came to see Noel, not motherfucking Snow Patrol. I got home today and saw my ticket from the last Noel gig and I realized I'd paid more to see him supporting Snow Patrol that I had to see him by himself. WHAT EVEN IS THAT.
Also, I went to the zoo with Nicole yesterday and I spent an actual hour in front of the lions. And I should really say lion because the lioness spent most of her time sleeping. A WHOLE HOUR right up against the glass while the lion put his big face right in front of mine. I am still six and waiting for my pet lion and I don't care.
Now to what this entry is really about: UGH YOU GUYS I HAVE NO MORE GIGS LEFT TO LOOK FORWARD TO, WHAT THE FUCK DO I DO WITH MY LIFE NOW?
So this week I took a six hour bus ride to Minneapolis to visit Nicole. She is my favorite person in the entire universe (barring a certain someone), but quite frankly the trip would not have happened if Noel wasn't ONLY doing Minneapolis for this leg of the tour instead of, say, that nice place where I live (aka... Narnia). Whatever, whatever, I spent the other two days with Nicole and did I mention it was a SIX HOUR BUS RIDE BOTH WAYS? BUS. I HATE BUSES.
Anyway. I usually like to get to gigs at LEAST two hours before the opening act sets up because I am a) short and b) a complete freak who isn't satisified unless my ears have been blown out by the amps at the end of a gig, but Nicole kept INSISTING that no one in Minnesota knows who Noel Gallagher is and so after grabbing dinner and going back to her apartment to get the car, we didn't get to the venue until at least 6, if not later. Honestly I was so traumatized by the mob of people when we got inside that I have NO IDEA what time it actually was, except that it was later than I've ever shown up at a gig. So because I'm a complete twat I spent the fifteen minutes before the doors opened having a mini panic attack and basically making a nuisance of myself.
Through some force of nature that we'll call Sergio Christ, the doors opened and they took our tickets and I still managed to get DIRECTLY in front of where Noel's mic stand would be - with one person in front of me at the barricade. I spent the rest of the time before the opening act came on moaning about this, but when the opening act started I realized that I could still see perfectly well - the barricade itself was pretty fucking close to the stage and there was a gap between the two women in front of me.
The opening act's name was Jake Bugg, and apparently he has a number one album in England or something? All I know is that he was tiny and adorable and wore a hoodie and I was FASCINATED by his guitar playing. Seriously. He's like eighteen or something and he was SO GOOD. Nicole kept trying to take video of the way his hands moved but she couldn't zoom in far enough. He played maybe sixish songs and they were all lovely; I tried to find his CD after the show but apparently he's not selling it so I'll have to check iTunes after I get paid next week or something.
AND THEN NOEL CAME ON. Ugh. Ugh. The set was not nearly long enough but it was 100% perfect - my only complaint I guess is that he didn't play "Supersonic" acoustic because that shit gives me chills in the best way, but whatever. He played what I think is his typical festival set - "(It's Good) To Be Free" (favorite favorite favorite), the majority of his album, plus "Wonderwall" (which was actually nice because he didn't play it the first time I saw him) and "Whatever," and of course "Talk Tonight" & "Half the World Away." "Everybody's on the Run" is still MONSTER live. I do think when he tours again (which, let's not even talk about how long it's going to be before that happens considering Noel doesn't have Liam to make him stop being lazy, okay?!) he should put "(Stranded On) The Wrong Beach" earlier in the set because it's probably my favorite song off the album (with the possible exception of "The Death of You and Me" because that song is made of awesome) but every time he plays it I just go NO UGH NO THE SHOW'S ALMOST OVER CUT THAT OUT.
Before the concert, I kept trying to explain to Nicole the way that Noel typically interacts with his audience, but about five songs in she leaned over and said, "Rachel, he hasn't said ANYTHING yet." Which was true. He did glare at a piece of confetti that somehow got in front of his face, but he seemed a bit tired, poor thing. His eye kept winking involuntarily. BUT shortly after Nicole made that comment Noel decided to address us. "I thought you'd all be in fancy dress," he said, and someone shouted to ask him where his costume was. "I am in fancy dress. I'm dressed as an Englishman!" Then he did an American accent and went, "Or, a fuckin' British guy." Best. He also started heckling someone in the crowd who kept trying to get him to play "Listen Up." "Listen up? Okay, I'm listening, what d'you want?" "Play Listen Up!" "Oh, you want us to play it? They don't know it! We tried it at soundcheck actually, and it was shit."
According to Nicole, I should've been about four feet to the left of where I was. None of the people in front of me really sang along to any of the songs, but just a few feet away EVERYONE was getting into it. But if I'd been over there I wouldn't have been right in front of Noel so FUCK IT. I think I sang loud enough for about five people; I'm not sure because I was half brain-damaged by the time Noel got to "Don't Look Back in Anger." Ugh ugh ugh magic. Even if there weren't enough people singing for him to leave off singing the choruses himself. DISRESPECTFUL.
For all that the audience was kind of lame, though, there was a pretty huge exodus after Noel finished up - meaning lots of people came to see Noel, not motherfucking Snow Patrol. I got home today and saw my ticket from the last Noel gig and I realized I'd paid more to see him supporting Snow Patrol that I had to see him by himself. WHAT EVEN IS THAT.
Also, I went to the zoo with Nicole yesterday and I spent an actual hour in front of the lions. And I should really say lion because the lioness spent most of her time sleeping. A WHOLE HOUR right up against the glass while the lion put his big face right in front of mine. I am still six and waiting for my pet lion and I don't care.