Ah, Technology

Last Monday night I had the great privilege of covering a The Killers concert at the Royal Albert Hall. The journalists like to call The Killers the most British band from America. The show was broadcast over BBC radio which made it extra fun because my buddy K could listen to it live with me over the internet as we texted our comments back and forth about each song. It was the night before the big election so as I walked out feeling proud that four Americans from Las Vegas just had a full house on their feet jumping and singing along, I was hoping my American high would last through the next day, and it did.

Bus Tales

I have been taking a different bus in the mornings to get to work. I have two choices, I can sleep in a little longer and take the number 4 which requires me to walk to a bus stop further away or I can not sleep as long and pick up the 375 which stops just down the street. The 375 takes a windier way to work and every day when we get to this one road, where there is just one narrow lane going in both directions, and people parked in one of those lanes on the left, the bus ends up playing chicken with a car coming at us until the car basically gives in, pulling into a parking spot on the left or putting it into reverse and backing all the way out. At that moment, roads in England seem insane to me. Why would a bus go down such a narrow road?

When I am coming home in the evenings I sometimes take this bus home where a woman, the bus driver’s girlfriend or wife, stands next to him every day as he drives his route. I was telling someone at work about it and since she is an optimistic person, her response was, “How romantic!” I told her that yes, I thought that at first, but then I started wondering, is he one of those controlling men that won’t let her out of his sight and that’s why she is there? He is a large man, and I can’t tell what language he speaks to her but it is a very harsh sounding language, so maybe that makes me think something sinister is happening. My work colleague, suddenly not being very optimistic said that maybe SHE was the controlling one and stood there where each woman entering the bus had to buy their ticket to make sure he didn’t stray. Who really knows but it is funny how we construct tales about perfect strangers.

With entertainment like that, I have not felt super motivated to get a car. I had the great opportunity of covering Reading Festival this weekend for a website and it is a dream gig for someone who likes music. We really have nothing comparable in size to Reading Festival in the U.S. After looking over the public transport options, there was just no way to get to and from in an easy fashion each day and there was no way I was camping there, especially alone. I was upset about this and told H that if we had a car this wouldn’t be an issue. He of course told me that we shouldn’t rush into buying a car that day just because I had an impulse. So true. We are just beginning our car research and were planning some looking this weekend. I’ll just be watching the Reading coverage on the telly and watching the drama on the bus a little longer.

I've Got To Get Another Camera...

When I lived in St. Louis K and I would sometimes cover live shows for a music magazine’s website in exchange for tickets to the show. I told H the first time we got to do this, “Free concert tickets…it might be a sign of low expectations for myself, but I can now die having met all my goals”. So last night I was back in the zone as I made my way down to Brixton which is south of the Thames to cover a Kings of Leon concert at the Carling Academy. I was looking forward to it but was also nervous because I was solo, without my partner in crime.

The security guy in the photographer’s pit in front of the stage, who looked mean as hell turned out to be the only gentleman in the crowd. He took pity on me and helped me get some great shots. All the other photographers had backpacks full of expensive equipment and all I had was my Canon PowerShot!

Last Night of Mel's Visit

To give Mel a little taste of London nightlife, and selfishly fulfill my craving for live music, we went to see the band Spoon at Scala on Monday night. Spoon is band from Austin, Texas that my friend S from Denver got me into this year. It is weird that every concert I have been to in London has been an American act. Is that a subconscious choice? We had a great view from the balcony and really enjoyed the venue, but we left early because I felt rotten.

We had one of those strange rides home on the train where we witnessed an altercation between two strangers that made everyone else on the train nervous. The day before after the Carling Cup, we had a bunch of young guys get on the train and ask Mel to talk into their shoe as if it was a telephone. I was glad the weird things were happening on the train when I wasn’t alone.

A Southern Moment

It is freezing here! Literally. After I walked to work this morning, I checked the temperature and it was zero. I can't explain it, I don't know if I was thinking about my plans tonight but when I walked into work, I said to one of my co-workers in a Southern accent, "God ya'll, it's cold out there!" It just came out that way.

I braved the cold alone to go to Wembley Arena to see one of my favorite bands from Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, Kings of Leon. It was a great show and it made me happy to see them gain the level of success here that has eluded them in their home country. I'm attaching a clip of one of their videos in case you are interested.

As I left the Arena and headed to the tube station (pictured above), I couldn't help but overhear the conversations around me. For some here there is a fascination with the American South.

I'm with My People, and about 20,000 Other Screaming Fans

Yesterday was a beautiful day. A feeling of serenity washed over me in the a.m. knowing that I was able to get two tickets to a sold out Foo Fighters concert in London without paying more than face value for them. I took housemate N with me. He loves American rock music. When lead singer Dave Grohl talked to the crowd in between songs and said “Well shit”, and shit was two syllables because of an exaggerated southern accent, it warmed my heart. This show was bigger than any of theirs I have seen in the States and the fans were definitely the most committed. Almost every one in the stadium had either a new or a past Foo Fighters concert shirt on. You don't see that in the States.

The O2 Arena is a beautiful place. I tried to take some pictures outside but they did not do the venue justice. It's an entertainment complex with the music arena, several restaurants, a movie theatre, as well as a skating rink all under one big tent. I hear that it was built for New Year's Eve in 2000 but has been a bit of a white elephant. Finally, they are using it to its potential. Since most people take public transportation to the O2 Arena, it was a bit of a nightmare to get out, but it was worth it.

One Last Concert in St. Louis

Wednesday night proved to be a classic final act in St. Louis. When I moved here in 2003 my friend RB mentioned that music legend Chuck Berry (now 80 years old) had a standing date at Blueberry Hill each month and that we needed to go at some point. She went a year ago with family to celebrate a birthday but I totally took it for granted and kept thinking, oh I'll go next month. The thing about this standing date is the club is very intimate and sells out very quickly.

While I have acquaintances in St. Louis outside of work, I basically have one good friend here that is not a SD employee. Her name is Megan and we met each other when both of us were taking our first graduate class at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. We were planning to see each other before I left and to my delight, she called a few weeks ago and asked me if I wanted to go see Chuck with her. I was thrilled. An added bonus was that while I had graduated in December, I didn't know that Megan had finished last week. It was a perfect way for us to celebrate what we had both started together. Megan, I will miss you and wish the best to you!