Music!
I have been going to some kickass shows lately. Like, on weekday nights and everything. Not that I can actually handle the lack of sleep, I had to take a half day yesterday to recover from being up too late the night before.
A couple of months ago I saw Idlewild at the Sinclair. They did a tiny tour of the US, just hitting 4 cities, it was the first time they'd been over here in 10 years. They were so good, played everything I hoped to hear, and played it all with so much energy.
Last week I saw Okkervil River at the Royale. They were doing a tour playing one of their seminal albums from like 10 years ago or so. I really like the album, and it was a good show, but I wasn't super invested in it and the crowd wasn't great, so it wasn't a transformative experience, not like the other shows I've been seeing lately.
Sunday night I saw The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die... the best band playing music right now. Period. OMG. That show was transcendent. They were so good, the crowd was electric (I could have lived without the mosh pit, crowdsurfing, and stage diving, what is this, 1994, and what are we, 14 years old?). Plus, it was an all ages show at the Sinclair, which meant they kept to schedule with brutal efficiency- there were 4 bands playing and the show ended promptly at 11.
Finally, this weekend in NYC I'm seeing Sleater-Kinney. Reading Carrie Brownstein's book and listening to all of their albums, I got so psyched by the possibility of seeing them, and then Carrie wrote in the book something about how amazing it is to be in the room when Corin Tucker is singing, and I was like "hells yeah, that's right, I have to go to that show!" I haven't missed an opportunity to see Sleater-Kinney since I first started going to shows back in 1997/1998. I've seen them tour for every album since Dig Me Out. I'm so excited I'm even willing to trudge across Brooklyn by myself for it!
A couple of months ago I saw Idlewild at the Sinclair. They did a tiny tour of the US, just hitting 4 cities, it was the first time they'd been over here in 10 years. They were so good, played everything I hoped to hear, and played it all with so much energy.
Last week I saw Okkervil River at the Royale. They were doing a tour playing one of their seminal albums from like 10 years ago or so. I really like the album, and it was a good show, but I wasn't super invested in it and the crowd wasn't great, so it wasn't a transformative experience, not like the other shows I've been seeing lately.
Sunday night I saw The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die... the best band playing music right now. Period. OMG. That show was transcendent. They were so good, the crowd was electric (I could have lived without the mosh pit, crowdsurfing, and stage diving, what is this, 1994, and what are we, 14 years old?). Plus, it was an all ages show at the Sinclair, which meant they kept to schedule with brutal efficiency- there were 4 bands playing and the show ended promptly at 11.
Finally, this weekend in NYC I'm seeing Sleater-Kinney. Reading Carrie Brownstein's book and listening to all of their albums, I got so psyched by the possibility of seeing them, and then Carrie wrote in the book something about how amazing it is to be in the room when Corin Tucker is singing, and I was like "hells yeah, that's right, I have to go to that show!" I haven't missed an opportunity to see Sleater-Kinney since I first started going to shows back in 1997/1998. I've seen them tour for every album since Dig Me Out. I'm so excited I'm even willing to trudge across Brooklyn by myself for it!