Is there anything more lovely than coming home to find a mix CD in your mail box?But why did you put have to put the saddest song in the world on there? That shit makes me want to cry.
The only advantage the mix CD has over the mix tape is this: I can skip over that sad stuff quickly before that silly, you know, weird emotional stuff takes over.
But I�m not really sad, starshines.
I wanna talk about the Big Rock Show that went down Sunday night. The Dismemberment Plan and (zzZZZzz) Death Cab for Cutie.
The Plan was amazing.
And this time, I can honestly say, I actually saw the band I paid to see actually play
You see, I always feel like I am lying just a wee bit when I say I have seen a lot of bands play live.
Don�t get me wrong, I have shown up to hundreds of venues to see hundreds of bands play.
I have, in fact, purchased, bartered and dickered over tickets. By now, I could have �conveniently� purchased my own third world country with the amount of cash I have forked over for Ticketmaster �convenience� fees alone.
But you see, my friends, if you really want to get down to the heart of the matter - standing only a skosh over 5 feet tall, I have, in fact, heard many, many bands play live.
Seen them? Not so much.
My life at The Rock Shows has been spent teetering on my tip-toes trying to see over the rest of the world.
So yeah, I didn�t even realize Death Cab had a bass player for a good portion of their set �from behind the sea of heads I could only make out the singers left eye brow. But of course, they do and my friends and I agreed it looks like he wears a hair piece.
Well, Death Cab fans, does he?
At any rate, when I see a show at the Metro, I usually hang in back * to the right on the main floor, on this little step-up platform** because frankly, I can really use that 4 inch advantage. ***
Plus, it�s close to the bar.
And for once, from where I was standing, right when The Plan took stage, heads parted and I actually could see the entire stage the entire time.
Not just one microphone stand. Not just the bassist�s elbow intermittently as he swayed back and forth. Not just the fret from someone�s gee-tar � not just an occasional drum stick swinging all willy-nilly above the heads of the experimental hairdos and facial hair.
I could see the entire stage, y�all. All of the instruments and all of the members.
A sweet rarity. Which made it like, the best. Show. Ever!
And please, let�s remember my friends, I am not really complaining about any of this. I am not. Jockeying for a good view -- it�s just the nature of The Rock Show. This I understand completely.
Things like �Standing room only� and �general admission� means I am, in general, going to get a better view of the suburban kid with the kooky white-boy afro than the band I am paying to see.
This, I may not always enjoy, but can deal with.
Just make sure there�s a short cut to the bar.
* no seriously, I always stand in like, the same place if I go to see a show at the Metro. It�s total habit. So, show you ever find yourself at a rock show, you know where to find me. Say hello!
** back in the day they used to have those sections barred off and table set up on these platforms but apparently decided they could cram more people in without seats and tables. I only mention this as a pretentious fuck who wants all the kids to know she has been going to see the rock shows for a long ass time, so next time you little girlies try to tee-hee your way in front of me so you can see and you block my view entirely? Forget about it. I will tell you to move. Tell, not ask. I am too old for your cutesy-shit. Do not try it with me � save it for the guy in the turtleneck and tivas who took the wrong turn at the Dave Mathews show.
*** I do not even try to fight a crowd to get a closer look anymore. Not since literally losing my Chuck Taylors off my feet at a Beastie Boys show ages and ages ago.
**** For those of you who want to compare notes and get all geeked out about the set list: They played the rare Academy Award because well, it was Oscar night (and they apologized in advance for it possibly sucking they do not play it that often). And did you see the fella from Death Cab come out and start the robot dance during �Ice of Boston?� Yes, that was funny, wasn�t it? I thought for sure �The Dismemberment Plan Gets Rich� was going to sound like ass live only because of all the wigged out samples. They hit each and everyone. It sounded fucking amazing. I think it woulda been cool to see �em do Gyroscope with all the freaked out changes and all, but maybe next time. And every time Travis just backed away and did his little impromptu and enthusiastic �yeah!� with his big ass grin, it made me smile. They were having such a good time there was no way you could�ve felt any different. Ok, I am done.