Hello again my ever so faithful and patient readers - it has been too long since we've talked! A lot has gone on since we last conversed, and I believe I owe you an update. Good thing I've got quite a cozy spot out on the verandah with some Arizona and Vampire Weekend playing. So find a comfortable place to sit, cause this is probably going to be quite a doozy of a post (unless I get hungry and leave). Let's begin shall we?
Much to my shock, the last time we talked was quite a time ago, before even the Moody Blues show! Well I guess I'll start then. The show was at the wonderful Pacific Amphitheater next to the O.C Fair and our seats were killer to boot! My Dad and I were as giddy as schoolchildren as the show began under a beautiful sunset. The show kicked off with some Tuesday Afternoon - one of my favorites - that got all the over 50's dancing (including my mother and father, O Brother!). As the night wore on they played quite a few songs I didn't know but were rocking as usual. They closed with a trio of songs that made the night: Nights in White Satin, Ride My Seesaw, and my dad's favorite, Question. We left exhausted and hoarse; it was one of the best concerts I've been to.
Next on my summer outings plate was a excursion to the Getty with a bunch of folks. We were lucky and missed the forecasted thunderstorms, but encountered intense humidity instead. Either way the day was wonderfully hectic; most of the group was content to roam the gardens chatting merrily while small groups of us pondered the finer points of Monet, Gauguin and Degas. We all had a fun time sipping iced drinks, making masks, taking pictures of ourselves and the beautiful scenery, and laughing quite merrily. The day ended with a delightful concert on the grass that elicited dancing from the more energetic of the group (including me) while the little ones slept soundly. After a long ride back to SJH in the "van" we all trucked over to Beachfire in Ladera and after a rousing game of tag at one end and a dance party at the other, we all sat down to eat. On a whim we decided to tell the waiters it was Tala's birthday in hopes of (free) cake. About halfway through the meal we watched as some "tough" looking dudes in hairbands and leather took the stage - we wondered what the devil was going on. Much to our delight the "tough" looking dudes were members of "Lipstick and Leather" an 80's revival / hair metal band whose lead singer was a hot mess of a 40 yr old woman. After much initial laughter, we decided to give the band some support (sarcastically or not, I'm not sure) and most of us rocked out in the extra space around the table - I think they were quite chummed that someone actually liked them. I promptly lost my voice after some Bon Jovi, Heart and Quiet Riot singalongs; nothing can beat "You Give Love a Bad Name" after a few too many Diet Cokes! About halfway through their set we shouted over them with a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" as Tala received her "birthday" cake. Needless to say we rocked out a bit more afterwards before dispersing for the night - I was one tired kiddo!
BEGIN SS09 GUSHING
Preface: I'm gonna go into way more detail than necessary, reader beware.
Next up was the crowning achievement of my summer - Street Scene 09. I had been looking forward to the event since probably March of this year, I remember Conner and I jumping up and down giddily when we first saw the lineup. I was even more excited as more and more people decided to go too, especially after the epicness of the Dana Point "Lovedown". However, disaster hit the night before for Hillary and all of our plans crumbled; Conner, Zeke, Ryan, Lexi and I were the only ones that ended up going :(. Even so, very little could get me down as we drove to San Diego, how can one be down with Modest Mouse, Cake, Devendra Banhart, Matt&Kim and Extra Golden on the horizion? Unfortunately we missed most of Extra Golden as the tram to the event was late but I was too excited for DB to care. (I guess I'll go band by band at this point to be more organized)
Day 1
Devendra Banhart / 5:50-6:35
The sun hung lazily in the sky as Devendra walked on stage - I squealed with excitement. He began by telling us he had just broken a rib the night before (at which the guitarist quipped "You should see the other guy,") and wouldn't be dancing much. The crowd cheered him for showing and swayed as he began a breezy "Little Yellow Spider" followed by a fun "Long Haired Child." After a few other songs and a song by his bandmate (which was quite good) they debuted a new song called "Rats" that had a killer guitar riff that had the audience bobbing away. He closed with "Carmensita" which I danced to as Conner and I walked over to Holy Fuck - we watched for 5 minutes before leaving for Matt&Kim.
Matt&Kim / 7:15-7:55
We all met up early for Matt&Kim and stood pretty close to the stage, while the crowd behind us grew to one of the biggest of the night (and full of hot hipster girls to boot!). They came out to huge cheers and promptly kick-started the crowd. When they got to Yea Yea the crowd was pumped and went absolutely crazy when the chorus hit. After 5k and Good Ol' Fashioned Nightmare they asked the crowd to form a circle pit for the last two songs. The crowd obliged quite quickly and we were engulfed in sweaty hipsters. I had never had so much fun with music and I was about to collapse as they closed with Daylight. I came out of Matt&Kim with a brand new outlook on live music and they quite possibly had the set of the night. Zeke and I stayed for the opening of Deerhunter but left hungry for Cake (PUN! - I'm glad I was able to work that in somewhere) around 8:20.
Cake / 8:30-9:30
The crowd was huge for these guys, deservedly so, but were most likely sorely disappointed by the set. Cake was late and the lead singer was grumpy and negative - something that isn't associated with their mostly upbeat music. After a couple of good songs they got into the hits, but with little enthusiasm - Zeke and I left early to get close for Modest Mouse. Disappointment of the entire two days for sure and I'm wary to see them again.
Modest Mouse / 9:35-10:35
I joined the Modest Mouse bandwagon a little late, and this quasi-ignorance was the downfall of the set for me. The energy of Issac Brock was amazing but I couldn't get into the show as much as other bands where I've known little of their material. This paired with a group of sloppy drunks and the incredible press of the crowd left much to be desired from me, but I still immensely enjoyed what songs I did recognize.
After a somewhat disappointing couple of sets and Conner's apparent sickness, we decided to beat the traffic and left around 11. (Holy smokes this blog is getting long - 1 more day to go!)
Highlight (tie): Matt&Kim's Circle Pit / Devendra Banhart's "Rats"
Disappointment: CAKE ):
Day 2
We arrived promptly at 4:00 on Saturday and had time to kill before the Ra Ra Riot set, so we cruised the shops and I picked up Matt&Kim, Of Montreal, and Street Scene t-shirts (my closet is entirely band shirts now...). At 5 we headed over to see Ra Ra Riot, another band I had little previous knowledge of.
Ra Ra Riot / 5:10-5:45
I only knew about 2 of Ra Ra Riot's songs but I was pleasantly surprised by their set, especially the strings which wafted lazily through the summer air. I decided to leave early on my own for one of my favorite solo acts right now, Zee Avi.
Zee Avi / 5:30-6:15
Although her set was plagued with sound problems her performance was great and had quite a bit of the crowd (incl. me) dancing with her carefree songs and sweet voice. I was in the greatest of moods as I joined the others on their way to Of Montreal.
Of Montreal / 6:40-7:25
Undoubtedly my most looked forward to show of the night (and probably the entire event), Conner, Zeke and I got to Of Montreal about an hour or so early - we were gonna be at the front of this show no matter what. We were successful in getting close but had to wait 30 minutes for Public Enemy to finish, those gosh-darn rappers. When Of Montreal finally came out everybody went crazy and we danced like maniacs through "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse" "Id Engager" and "Bunny Ain't No Friend of Mine". Much like Matt&Kim the crowd's and James' energy made the night - the crowd was one big dance party that jumped and cheered insanely, it was a experience I won't soon forget. By the end of the show the entire front half of the crowd was a wet mess from all the dancing and water - but by golly it was worth it. I left as exhausted and happy as a human can be.
No Age / 9:10-9:50
After the Of Montreal set we all passed out for about 30 minutes before getting ourselves ready for a show incredibly likely to make us pass out (again), No Age. We got there a little early and got all the way up to the front - our ears were ready to be destroyed.. No Age opened with Boy Void if I remember correctly and the crowd got into it quick. By about halfway through the set, the crowd had gone way crazy, surfing and moshing like crazy - Conner and I had to get out to preserve our lives. But when the opening chords to Eraser kicked in we went right back into the middle of the pit. And I know I've said this twice now, but Eraser was a life-changing (cliche!) song for me - I just let myself go with the music and flailed like a fucking retard, completely surrounded by the song. After the song ended I had to be lifted out by a huge Mexican guy because I was about to pass out in the middle of the pit, I have never been so exhausted in my life. Again at the point of near death, we stumbled away, passed out and drank in the sweet sounds of Jack White's guitar as he finished his set with The Dead Weather (which was epic).
Delta Spirit / 10:30-11:15
Opting not to go to the M.I.A show (I was sure it would be a disappointment), I headed over to the Green Stage with Zeke to check out one of my favorite bands, Delta Spirit. As soon as they started, I shifted into another gear of energy and danced like a madman to "People C'mon" and "Strange Vine" - it was musical bliss. At this point they kicked their set up a notch and really rocked HARD. The whole crowd was grooving like crazy and I was lucky enough to find a beautiful girl to dance with through the middle of their set. After talking to the crowd a bit (they hadn't been paid yet!), they closed with Trashcan - one of my favorites - and I got one more opportunity to dance in the moonlight. The crowd sung along loudly throughout "Trashcan" and asked for more, but apparently the organizers had to shut them down. Either way I was giddy as a school-kid, and turned around to talk to the girl I had been dancing with but she had left by this point ): I guess I finally experienced what Blink-182 was talking about with "The Rock Show".
After Delta Spirit, we watched M.I.A and Basshunter for a bit but weren't too impressed/really tired - we left around 11:45. I blabbed about how amazing it was the whole way home but promptly passed out as soon as I hit my bed. Probably the best 2 days of my musical life.
END SS09 GUSHING
After SS09 I rushed to finish the rest of my AP homework (ugh, except APUSH which I loved) and had a jolly time with my friends a couple of times - Bonfire! Besides that I've been doing a lot of thinking, sometimes about really important stuff (love, life etc) and other times about random things (what's the point of button-fly jeans?). But yeah, I've run out of steam, and I'll preserve your eyes for school (tomorrow!) and stop here. There's probably other things I wanted to say but, bah I'm over it. I hope you enjoyed your summer too my readership, and I hope to see you soon! I'll leave you with a 30 sec clip of Of Montreal's Id Engager (:
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