The Year of the Concert

I used to go see a lot of shows when I lived in Windsor... mostly because this one guy I used to go out with, Ryan, was a HUGE music fan with impeccable taste, so we'd slum it over to Detroit every few weeks to see a show at St. Andrew's Hall, Cobo, or the Palace (I don't even know if these places are still called these names). The one thing Detroit/Windsor has over us here in Toronto- more acts go there.

I've seen Elliot Smith, Stereolab, Sonic Youth, the Dandy Warhols, Grandaddy, Sloan, Violent Femmes, the Breeders, Smashing Pumpkins, Beastie Boys, George Clinton, Pearl Jam, Coldplay, and of course, the Tragically Hip. Just to name a few. And I've got the concert tees to prove it!

this year, I think, I'll be seeing a bunch of shows. I just get the feeling. So far, I've seen The Shins (last night- awesome show) and Sloan, and next weekend I'm going to see The Rheostatics. And I'm definitely buying tickets to the Virgin Festival this fall. I'll get to see the Smashing Pumpkins again! And Bjork's gonna be there! I also need to see Sarah Harmer play live.

I can't wait- it's all gonna be so awesome. There's something about seeing a band play live; it shows us that the band members are real people- they make mistakes (like James Mercer forgetting the words last night- he so cute!), they interact candidly with each other and with the audience. You connect with them, even though they can't see you. I really dig it.

The one thing I've learned from all these year's of concert-going? The closer I am to the stage has a direct affect on how much I enjoy the show. If I can't feel the music in my chest and see the expressions on the musician's faces, it's hardly worth it. So who's up for some elbow action?

Labels: concert, music, sloan, smashing pumpkins, the shins, windsor

posted by Unknown @ 11:37 a.m.