Adele Finally Arrives

Can we talk for a minute about how ridiculous service charges are for concert tickets? Good God, they can be close to 50% of the ticket price at times. Back in February when I was down by the venue The Depot I noticed they actually have a box office so you can buy tickets for their venue service charge free. I bought a ticket for Adele thinking not many folks probably knew who she was here in the U.S. but I hoped she could get a decent crowd, especially on Memorial Day weekend and it was only $25 free and clear! Little did I know her second record would be released and she’d blow up in America.

The day of the gig came. We were in the middle of moving house and I actually thought about not going but then thought it might be just what I needed. So I park in one of the parking decks downtown and start walking to the venue. I’m half-way there and I see tour buses parked outside and a crowd milling about. A homeless guy comes out of nowhere and says, “Are you going to that concert (pause waiting for a response) It’s cancelled!!!” He said that last bit with pure delight. I get up there and sure enough there are signs saying that they have cancelled the gig. We learned from her later that she was in the middle of her sound check and it was obvious that she couldn’t go on. She burst into tears and cancelled the rest of her North American dates. I called A and said, “The gig’s been cancelled. You want to go see Bridesmaids?” So the night was not a total bust.

The next week at work I overhear a work colleague that I know very casually sharing with someone else about the gig being cancelled and I couldn’t help myself, I had to go talk to her about it. This was like finding an oasis among all the people that look at me sideways at work when I mention going to a concert. We agreed when the dates got rescheduled, she (E) and I and our other co-worker who also had a ticket (M) would all go together.

So getting back to the service charges…they announce new dates and much to my disappointment, a different larger outdoor venue. I don’t mind outdoor venues but I think an Adele show is better suited to an indoors small club, but heck I’ve got a ticket and I didn’t pay the now $45 plus service charges at the new venue. As we were talking to others while waiting in the crowd, no one seemed to pay less than $70 for their ticket.

We got there super early and sweat in the sun until the gates opened. When they did M got in first. I got stuck at security behind the woman trying to bring a picnic into the venue. He was about three deep to the front of the stage. The venue kinda sucked. The layout was weird and the stage was really low which puts someone’s height into question and how well they can see the stage. M is 6’6”. Now if I were that tall would I go stand in the front of the stage, probably not, but Adele is his favorite and he was undoubtedly the most excited of us three to see the show. I was standing slightly behind him but had a good view of the stage. Then the three harpies came and stood next to me directly behind them. These were three probably college-age very short girls who were pounding the beers and talking about being so drunk when they went to see Britney Spears that they didn’t even remember the show. Okay, immediately my judgemental flag comes up, not because of the drinking but because they think Britney Spears is truly a good night out not understanding the irony of seeing a “concert” of someone who doesn’t even pretend to sing anymore . They are really loud, really obnoxious and start talking about how they’ll probably puke before the night is up. After knocking into me several times and me just ignoring it they start complaining about M and how he is ruining everything because he’s so tall. He needs to move and it gets much worse than that. He can’t hear any of this probably because of the huge distance between his ears and their filthy mouths. Finally right before the opener (Wanda Jackson), they start tapping him to tell him to move. I can’t take it anymore and explain to them that he paid for a ticket just like they did and if they can’t see they need to move somewhere else. This caused a huge argument and in my mind I was thinking of the headline, “Local Woman, 41 Takes out Rage of Past Bad Concertgoers on Three Short Students”. I calmed down, turned to the side and prepared to enjoy Wanda.

If you don’t know who Wanda Jackson is, she’s a contemporary of Elvis Presley, and Jack White recently produced a record for her. She is a living legend, and all I could think was wow, I’d skip Adele if I could go back and just listen to Wanda’s stories. She had a great rockabilly band backing her and she sounded fab. Well, of course the three harpies didn’t appreciate seeing an old woman on the stage and was openly mocking her as well as calling me a “tall bitch”. What’s funny about that is these girls didn’t realize they were secretly delighting me, I mean to focus in on the one physical quality I enjoy in myself, ha! I had the last laugh. But nevertheless, their constant shrill chatter was getting the best of me so I decided to relocate which was kind of a bummer because we had a great spot near Adele’s gay contingent who had great signs and provided a celebratory vibe, unlike “the three”.

So I found myself wandering a bit for a good spot. Adele took the stage with just a piano to sing “Hometown Glory” and the crowd went wild. This venue fit about four times the amount of people as the original venue and also had a several floor parking deck that was full of people looking for a free show. She gave a shout out to the “car park” a few times during the show.

When someone sings a break up song and you’re no near a break up but you feel like she just summed up the way you feel, that’s the real deal. She sounded amazing. My favorite point came towards the end of the show after the sun had gone down and she sang a cover of Bob Dylan’s To Make You Feel My Love, which is on her first record. It was difficult to find a good spot without a lot of chatter, a by-product of the outside venue I think, but during that song, I was by myself in a quiet place and I was moved to tears. When it was time for an encore she let the audience know she was supposed to go off the stage and act like she was done and then come back but she didn’t like encores so she was just going to step off for a moment, kick off her shoes, have a drink and be right back and she was. During the encore she played her most popular singles which the crowd was obviously waiting for. My pal E, having a huge grudge against the “johnny come lately” fans talked through the whole thing saying stuff like, “If she would have played this first I bet half the venue would have cleared out. These people aren’t really fans”. I get the point but again, the chatter was ruining the moment. Can’t that wait for the drive home?

All in all I’m glad I saw her but really wished it would have been back in May in that club setting.

Oh Amy

This post is long overdue but because of all the activity here I hadn’t had a moment to sit down and ponder. Amy Winehouse is so entwined in my English experience that I can’t think about it without thinking about her. She seemed to be the reigning tabloid queen the whole time we were there. My buddy K became a fan when we were both still in St. Louis before I did. But now Amy’s Back to Black record is about the only one that the three of us could put on in the car and not want to kill each other. My fave – Love is a Losing Game, H’s fave – Back to Black, and A’s fave – Tears Dry On Their Own.


After her divorce she ended up for months and months in St. Lucia and my good friend and work colleague happened to be vacationing in St. Lucia at the same resort as her for a few weeks. My friend’s portrait of Amy was quite different than what you read in The Daily Mail or The Sun. She was just a young woman who loved to laugh and sing. Hearing these stories from St. Lucia made me happy. She seemed to be getting back to herself and I couldn’t wait to hear more music.

I’m afraid her best came out of suffering so it’s probably right that there will be no more music. I’m attaching here my favorite performance of hers. It was after a swirl of bad media attention that she showed up and performed my favorite at the Mercury Prize Awards.

HoJo

Howard Jones, 80s synth pop star will be coming to the Sandy Amphitheatre in July to perform. When I saw that I thought oh this venue must be one of those places that books nostalgia acts. Then a few people at work mentioned this to me and also mentioned how many times they’ve seen Howard Jones. Turns out he’s very popular in Utah and visits often. I don’t think he’s a nostalgia act here. One of my work colleagues sends me a daily “HoJo” video from youtube to entice me to buy a ticket. I may go just to experience. He told me I needed to brush up on the material because here in Utah his concerts are sing-a-longs.


Don’t know who Howard Jones is? Here’s a video of one of his popular songs. It’s shockingly mellow.

Tuesday to Tuesday - Music Bookends Moving Bullshit

Rice-Eccles Stadium

I don’t recall if I mentioned this but after arriving in Utah last year I was reading the entertainment newspaper and found out that U2 was going to be playing the University of Utah just up the road in June. I went over to the box office to get a ticket and the attendant announced, “Oh that’s postponed. The lead singer hurt his back”. Lead singer? Does this kid not know who Bono is? A few months later after Bono had gone through back surgery in Germany they rescheduled for May 24, 2011, eleven months after the original date. I bought two nosebleed seats and was feeling like I should go but not really looking forward to it. Bono’s schtick can be pretty preachy. Well, it’s been a long winter of no live music so when last week was rolling around I was suddenly very excited to go even though they were predicting rain. A went with me. She’s not a U2 fan but I told her she’d still enjoy it. As they walked to the stage to Space Oddity, 40,000 people lost their minds. They played a good variety and because it happened to be Bob Dylan’s birthday, a little of Bob was sprinkled in here and there. It was a spectacle of the best kind, massive in scale and capable of giving everyone, even those of us in the cheap seats, a terrific experience. I don’t know why I doubted it would be an amazing show. I guess it was the stadium setting, but that “lead singer”, he’s a charmer.

A week later, A and I were headed for a very different experience at a small venue to see Arctic Monkeys. Funny, this is a band that headlines the huge music festivals in England but here on this tour they’re playing pretty small places. They came to the stage to the sound of The Guess Who’s American Woman, plugged in and ripped through a variety of hits from the back catalog and their soon to be released record. Also a great show, and while I was up in the 21 and older balcony, A had pushed her way up to the front and was next to a superfan. After the show we waited around a bit and talked to the superfan and his older brother who had been travelling around the country following the band. Superfan seemed to have two great loves, Arctic Monkeys AND Harry Potter. He was sporting a Griffendor hoodie and would not shut up about those two things. As we stood in line so A could get here picture taken with Alex Turner, superfan said, “Getting your picture taken with Alex Turner for the first time is the greatest first you’ll ever experience”. Nothing against Alex but he way oversold that.

Pic by A.

On a related note, I nabbed a poster for the film Submarine at the show and then when meeting Alex Turner failed to ask him to sign it. Alex wrote a number of the songs on that soundtrack. If you like British humor, do seek this film out. The music really does fit perfectly.

Convince Yourself That Everything is Alright...

It was a full moon last night

So let me preface this by stating that I in no way think I’m cool, hip, or any of the above terms. I realize more this year than any that I’m lame. Back a few months ago, missing the live show experience and scanning the concert listings in SLC and being very unimpressed with slim pickings I saw that Pete Yorn was going to be in town. Seeing Pete Yorn is kind of like seeing the best parts I remember of St. Louis. K and I went to see him at Vintage Vinyl our favorite record store for an in-store set. We also saw him at our favorite venue, The Pageant, and then our last concert in St. Louis was Pete as we sat on the steps of the Arch. Pete was bringing some of my favorite STL memories to me. How could I not go?

But as I mentioned, I’m lame, and as the snow began to fall as I drove home from work, I began to think I’d just skip the concert and stay wrapped up in a blankie and watch my favorite show, Top Chef All-Stars. I even said to H, “Do you think it’s safe out there?” giving him the opportunity to give me the okay to stay home but he said it looked fine to him, so I bundled up and headed out. It was as if it was meant to be because I got primo parking right in front of the venue (see how lame I am?) I walk in to the opening act, Ben Kweller who very soon after I’m there invites a friend from Salt Lake City to juggle as her performs. I look around at the crowd and think how even the nightlife has a wholesome quality in the SLC. Juggling, really? I could be listening to Anthony Bourdain put a chef in their place at judge’s table.

So I didn’t quite expect the night to turn into Caligula. Let me just say Pete sounded great and he played a lot of the old favorites. For that I wasn’t disappointed and the crazy around me kept me from getting too nostalgic. Was it his strong shoulders and the five o’clock shadow or a hangover from Valentine’s Day that made it seem like everyone standing around me had taken ecstasy before the headliner? In between songs a woman standing next to me howled at the singer, “You make me wet!” After the next song, as Pete said, “This song” and then took a pause. Another lady standing to my right yelled, “Is it called DO ME?!” But the strangest thing and I’m not making this up, was the two very drunk girls to my left who after making a spectacle of themselves, caught the attention of a couple also to my left. The woman in the couple looked like she stepped off the set of a porno and while I can’t say here what was being discussed, let’s just say the four of them were arranging some group activities after the show. Seriously? On a Wednesday night in Salt Lake City in front of a singer/songwriter?

Me, I picked up a ticket to see Adele in May at the box office and was in my pjs by 11:15pm.

Elvis, Sweet Elvis

A few weeks ago I sent a box of See's Candies Peanut Brittle to our Sri Lankan landlord and his family in the UK with a thank you note.  I used to bring this peanut brittle back to the UK office whenever I had a trip to the States and it was always a big hit.  I got a thank you email from them yesterday saying that they really liked it and had never had it before but had heard that Elvis liked peanut brittle.  That made me smile.

Speaking of charismatic singers, when we were at Heathrow I picked up my final copy of Q magazine to read on the plane.  The cover boasted an article about the 100 greatest frontmen in rock.  As I'm going through the list I'm thinking yeah, absolutely not, what???  Then I get to the end.  The number one frontman of all time in rock....Liam Gallagher of Oasis.  Seriously?!  This article totally exemplifies the cultural divide between the U.S. and the UK.  Most Americans don't think the Gallaghers are rock gods and no we don't think everything Damon Albarn does is brilliant.  I've seen Liam in concert, yes a little after their height of fame, but what a wanker.  How can you have the likes of James Brown, Prince, Elvis on a list and then top it with Liam?  I thought about writing a letter to the editor, but once our flight got delayed in Denver and I was desperate for sleep, the moment passed.

The Magical Mystery Tour

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I went on the LondonWalks’ Magical Mystery Tour which is a tour through London to various Beatles-related sites. The guy leading the tour has been doing this for some time and he’s a combination circus barker/super fan. I was a bit envious of him that he has been able to turn his obsession into profit. The final stop on the tour was Abbey Road Studios. I stopped paying attention to what he was saying at that point because close to Abbey Road Studios is the infamous crosswalk that was on the cover of The Beatles Abbey Road. It’s become a very popular tourist destination and on that Sunday it was particularly busy with people trying to pose for pics on the crosswalk. I could have watched this all day! There was a group of teenage boys with an older lady that took a lot of time trying to get the pic right, changing shirts, taking off shoes, all in the name of flattering imitation. You can watch a live webcam from the crosswalk here.

Abbey Road Studios has been in the news recently. There was talk of it being sold to help pay EMI’s debts. It has quite a history, and I hope no matter what happens, someone will take care to preserve that. I met up with my friend L by the Baker Street tube station after the tour and she was telling me about her friend who works there in the music library. He has in my opinion what might be the coolest job in the world despite getting his picture taken regularly by tourists visiting the studio.

My Header Pic

I thought it was only fitting for my last week in England that my shoe make another appearance.  I took that yesterday and at that moment I was walking on the crosswalk (aka zebra crossing) near Abbey Road Studios.  More on that later...

Abbey Road has been my go to stress record the last few years.  Every time I listen to it and hear the words "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make", I smile, partly because I'm thinking about this SNL clip.  Mid-way into this I laugh out loud every time.  Enjoy!

A Very Long Day

A and her friend J have had tickets to see YouMeAtSix at Brixton Academy for about four months now. This would be their last concert together and A was really looking forward to it. Following the success of this band was the first British thing she embraced when she got here so it seemed appropriate that this would be her last concert before leaving. She wanted to go down to Brixton really early and it’s not an area where you send your kid alone for several hours. Inevitably I ended up spending more time in Brixton than I was planning on Saturday. There was some drama surrounding getting the girls where they needed to be but by show time it was all okay.

Before we went to Brixton we went into Fortnum and Mason to round out the gift for the French family with some tea. A mentioned it first. The crazies seemed to be out in full force Saturday. Strangers struck up conversations with us. As we rode down the escalator, A standing behind me, she put her chin on my shoulder and told me to slowly turn around and look behind her. There was a bald guy in a peach cardigan with nothing on under it. The V in the cardigan revealed the thickest carpet of chest hair I think I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t a good look.

When we arrived at the venue the line was already crazy long so we thought we’d explore a little bit, check out Brixton Market and get some lunch.

The girls had downstairs tickets. I had a balcony seat where you weren’t allowed to stand up during the show. A license to stay seated, that sounded good to me when I’d been standing in line with her for hours. By the time I got J home it was about 2:00am. H had only been home about an hour and I had to be up by 6am to get A to her bus for her French trip.

She woke up in a foul mood, no surprise after 3 hours of sleep. After a few tense conversations between us I drove her to the bus in silence still in my PJ bottoms so unlike the other parents, getting out of the car was not an option. I was tempted to yell out the car window as I left “Hope you’re nice to your French family because you treat your American family like crap!” I thought better of it since I hadn’t had any coffee yet and driving a car AND trying to make a statement would be considered multi-tasking and at that hour without caffeine something could go horribly wrong with that plan. Oh yeah, and I wouldn’t want to embarrass her.

The Cream of the Crop

About a month ago I was listening to one of my favourite podcasts, Sound Opinions, and a listener left a message in their feedback section suggesting that someone needs to do some research as to why all the good music in 2009 comes from a small country like England when America is so much bigger and produces so much crap (I’m paraphrasing). Friday as I was eating my lunch I read this article which asks why is America kicking Britain’s ass when it comes to inventive television. The answer to both questions when you are evaluating a country’s exports is that you’re getting the cream of the crop.


My buddy R in DC recently sent me a message asking me what good television shows were happening here in the UK and since Gavin and Stacy has ended I racked my brains trying to think of a single British television show I’m watching these days. Instead I am basking in the glory of getting the best that the U.S. has to offer without having to purchase all of the pay channels to get it, shows like Nurse Jackie from Showtime, True Blood from HBO, Glee, Mad Men, and many more. With few exceptions, the imports make us look really good!

I sent a comment back to Sound Opinions about the listener’s concern. I explained that the entire spectrum of English music is not represented by what makes it to your shores. They don’t know that on Friday about 5pm when you turn on the radio to head home almost every station is playing awful techno, they don’t know that the songs that dominated the charts this past decade weren’t by hipster bands, but watered down remakes by reality show contestants. It’s just an illusion that the grass is always greener.

The Battle for the Christmas Number One

I have mentioned the Christmas Number One phenomenon here in the past, but there is a funny thing happening in the UK this year regarding the Christmas Number One. Simon Cowell created a machine in the UK, a television show called X-Factor that is similar to American Idol. The show wraps up close to Christmas which is no surprise. This guarantees that the winner will have the number one record for Christmas. Unlike American Idol, this song is usually a cover, not an original song written for the newly crowned winner and this year the winner Joe McElderry singing The Climb. Someone started a Facebook campaign to put another song at Number One and they chose Rage Against the Machine’s Killing In the Name. Why this song? It’s a modern protest song and contains the words “F*** you I won’t do what you tell me” over and over again at the end.


The media of course is eating this battle up with a spoon. Cheryl Cole, one of the judges on the X-Factor says she would find it disgraceful if an American band had the Christmas Number One. Cheryl must not have ever looked at the historical list because a few Americans, including Elvis, have had the Christmas number one in the past. Rage Against the Machine, who got dragged into this by the couple who started the Facebook campaign, appeared on one of the BBC radio stations this week to play the song. This is where it gets hilarious because they were asked to cut out the expletives but when it came to them playing the song they ignored the requested and F-bombs were dropped on the air. Did they really think a band that sings “F*** you I won’t do what you tell me” about 20 times in a song would do what they told them?

I can’t vote in this country but I did buy a copy of Rage Against the Machine’s song this week to help them in the charts. I don’t particularly like them but I can’t stand how orchestrated the Christmas Number One has become thanks to Mr. Cowell, who recently said in an interview that he doesn’t particularly like music.

The London Transport System Gets Us There

Trains to Wembley ran without a hitch last night so we made the show. There were three bands playing, the first from Nashville, Tennessee, the second from England, and then the headliner, Paramore, also from Tennessee. This music that A likes, I guess I’d call it power pop/punk (?), is male-dominated. While it’s not my thing, it was great to see Hayley Williams, lead singer of Paramore in that environment. She has the pipes and she had that sold out arena (boys and girls) up on their feet singing along with every word.

Girls rule!

Wait, they don't love you like I love you...

Last Tuesday night A and I escaped to Brixton to see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I’ve been loving their latest record all year so it was a treat to myself to get to see them live. It was fun to photograph them too.

She's Won Me Over

A & I caught Florence and the Machine's set at Reading Festival this year.  She's got quite a following here in the UK.  Usually that style of music is a little too airy fairy and taking itself way to seriously for me to like it but slowly, Florence has won me over.  Check her out.

Duran Duran

The BBC had Duran Duran night recently and this weekend I caught up on some of the programming. Duran Duran didn’t have the hold on all of America as they did in their home country, but they did have a hold on me and my best friend. C’s and my bedroom wall were covered with pictures of our favourite band. As I watched the programs all I kept thinking about was how much we would have loved these documentaries back in the day. I felt 14 all over again.

A came in the room as I was watching one of the shows and she got that look on her face when she sees something “old” on the television that doesn’t interest her. I told her that she should appreciate the fact that I take her to concerts. When I was 14 Duran Duran came to Chicago for their biggest tour and no one would drive us into the city to go see them. I explained to her that back then you had to go wait at a ticket outlet in line for tickets (oh how the world has changed). I thought at that point in my life that having a brother that was almost 8 years older than me would be a benefit but when I asked him if he would take us to the show he told me that he wouldn’t go see Duran Duran if they were playing across the street, in fact he would call the police on them for disturbing the peace. A thought this was hilarious but I remember bursting into tears at this answer. Well, just four days before the concert brother S fell in love with the woman who would later be his wife. She told him that she wouldn’t mind going to see Duran Duran if there were still tickets so four days before the show my mom drove me to the ticket outlet and we picked up four of the worst tickets available for the show at the Rosemont Horizon. We didn’t care though, we screamed through the whole show.


My best friend C and I would see Duran Duran two more times after that glorious evening. We saw them as they declined in popularity once again in Chicago in the late 80s, and then we saw them a few years ago in Louisville during their comeback tour. I remember as we were parking the car in Louisville we saw this steady stream of older women heading to the venue and I remember saying to C, man look at all the older fans, they look so old! It was a bit like the reveal moment in an episode of The Twilight Zone as I realized those women were my contemporaries and I looked just like them!

Who Knew the Entertainment Would Be on the Train

Saturday was a great day. After A got packed and ready for her early train on Sunday, we went to Camden to have some dinner at the market and to see a photography display at Proud Gallery. Camden is full of various ethnic food stalls and I think Saturday A and I did not choose wisely! We’ve had great food there but it is possible to have some dreadful food as well.  The line at this creperie was really long.  I shouldn't have let impatience.get the best of me.

On to the O2 Arena for the Green Day concert and A absolutely loved it. Every time the band talked in between songs, all I could think was wow, they sound so American! On the journey home we boarded the last train of the evening and it was packed. I couldn’t help but notice this young guy, looked to be about 18 sitting about three rows away but facing us. I noticed him because he was so thin that he was nothing but teeth and cheekbones and his skin was a strange color. He was very drunk and very soon I noticed that he was beginning to slowly heave. Yes, in a packed train with no bathroom he began to throw up all over the place. I was so afraid that the smell would hit us and set off a chain reaction. His friend got some napkins from somewhere and then promptly left him alone on the train. Some poor girl who didn’t even know the guy took care of him. By the time he got off of the train, his skin was green and there was a void of people in the middle of the car where he had been sitting.

The funniest part of the evening was everyone’s reaction around the guy. While I felt like I needed to make it a lesson telling A don’t ever do such a thing, the rest laughed at the poor guy right to his face and made comments to him like, “did you eat chicken because I smell chicken”.  A woman near us was musing about all the places she had puked in the city, but she had the decency never to do it on a commuter train!  By the end of it A and I couldn’t stop laughing. There was a young Frenchman on the train and one of the older guys standing near said to him, “I bet in your country you know your limits. See what happens here when the young ones drink here. They can’t handle their liquor.”

Birthday Present in Birmingham

I gave A a choice a few months ago. She could have a birthday party, or she could invite one friend and I would take both of them to Birmingham for an overnight visit where one of her favourite bands was going to be playing. She picked the latter and I have to say I was pretty relieved as I was not up for the party. So last Friday, right after A got out of school, she and her besty J and I travelled up to Birmingham by train. Friday night on public transportation can be entertainment as passengers start the party early, and this Friday was no exception. I had booked us in a hotel close by the train station and picked the train station closest to the venue so everything looked to be in walking distance. But because we arrived so close to the time of the show and we still had to drop our stuff off at the hotel, I told the girls we would get a taxi outside of the train station to get to the hotel. When we walked up to a taxi and I explained where we were going, the taxi driver wouldn’t take us. He said you can walk there. I started looking at the map but I couldn’t find the building so I called the hotel. The woman at the front desk explained that the hotel was part of a shopping and entertainment complex. She kept saying that I should look for a sign for the mailbox because that’s where the hotel is. I repeated I’m sure to the annoyance of the hotel clerk, The Mailbox??? That is such an American term, one I have never heard before here so I couldn’t figure out what she meant. In the mean time, as A tends to do when she senses at all that we are lost, she started freaking out saying things like we’re never gonna find it. I finally had to turn to her and say “Don’t talk to me right now”. Sure enough, after about a five minute walk we are standing in front of a building called, you guessed it, The Mailbox. It was a comedy of errors finding the hotel buried within the building though.

By the time we got to the concert, we weren’t speaking so I pointed out a meeting spot to the girls and I went to find a place to wait until this was over. Knowing I’m not going to be crazy about the music, I look at these evenings photo opportunities. The venues in the UK are a lot less uptight about letting people bring in cameras. I did after walking around the venue, find what seemed to be the “parent’s section” and stood there. When the show was over, A and J emerged from the crowd completely soaked with sweat. They had pushed their way through the front. The only thought I had was oh God, how am I going to explain J’s internal injuries to her mother?

We stood outside the Academy so the girls could get autographs. The air was starting to feel crisp but it was still pleasant to be standing out there with a few other parents and a massive crowd of girls. I heard one of the girls say after meeting the lead singer, “I got his autograph and kissed his elbow!” Hahaha

Mission accomplished.

P.S. This must be the Guitar Hero effect. In between bands, as the venue blasted Bon Jovi’s Livin on a Prayer, and those teenagers, aged 14 to 19 sang every word.

The In-Between Stage

Last week I took A and a buddy to see a band in Camden, which is north London. We had been having an argument back and forth the week before, unrelated to these plans about when it would be okay for A to go into London with just her friends. Unbeknown to us, something about turning 14 makes her think she is now grown. At the end of the discussion I just plainly stated, “The first time that you go to London with your friends at night without an adult, you won’t be 14”. That ended the debate.

So here we go into London to listen to a pop punk band that while British, seem very American. We get in line with all of the teens waiting for the door to open and I take my newspaper and go sit on a stoop a little bit away from the line to give her some space with her friend, and she yells to me wanting me to come stand by them. When we are in the venue, I let her and her friend go stand away from me, closer to the band than I care to be. Close to the end of the evening, as I’m standing in the back reading email on my phone she comes up and hugs me. I was telling my buddy C about this saying that here I was trying to not ruin her rep in the place by having her mom be right by her side, and she won’t leave me alone. C said, yeah enjoy those moments, they get few and far between as they get older!

Reading Festival

I’ve always heard about the infamous Reading Festival, and couldn’t leave the UK without experiencing it. Some might say I still haven’t experienced it since I didn’t buy a weekend pass to camp and attend all weekend, but to my critics, I am too old and too fond of indoor plumbing to be down with that.
I bought day passes for A and me back in March. She was very excited, especially since it was her 14th birthday yesterday. We were very lucky to have beautiful weather with just a few sprinkles. I know people regularly go to the festivals and wade through the mud if that’s the weather, but I can’t imagine what that would be like. The beautiful weather meant that people were all over the place just laying out in the sun instead of just crammed in the tents.
We had a great day, seeing a lot of bands including several American bands like Jack’s Mannequin, Fall Out Boy and Kings of Leon. I could have spent the whole day just people watching. The festival fashion was interesting, with wellies being a requirement.
It’s interesting that a country that is so into health and safety would sell firewood at a festival so the campers could build bonfires right outside of their tents in very cramped quarters. That with all of the alcohol being wheeled into the campsite seems like a recipe for disaster. Our feet were killing us as we started the long walk home along the Thames River to our car and A, looking at the tents said if she had to spend the weekend in one she’d probably cry. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Music Recommendation

Scotland seems to be the theme in our lives lately. I’ve been watching coverage of T in the Park Festival this weekend from Scotland. Last week I had a long conversation with a customer who relocated from Scotland to Kent. She told me how liberating it is being from Scotland compared to England because your class is not as obvious in your accent as it is in England. We’re planning to drive up to Scotland in a few weeks for a vacation when A is finally out of school and I can’t wait. So it only seems appropriate to talk about Franz Ferdinand. Scottish band Franz Ferdinand got a lot of press in 2004 with their debut record. In 2009 they released their third record proving they have some longevity. Here are some links to Franz Ferdinand-related items:

Interview on Sound Opinions – I still regularly listen to this podcast of Chicago Public Radio’s rock and roll talk show.

Sound Bites – Lead singer Alex Kapranos wrote a series of articles for The Guardian newspaper in the UK when they were touring. He used to work in kitchens so he has an interesting take on food around the world. It’s a quick read and good for short attention spans like my own.

No You Girls – Single off of their latest record, a good mixture of dance and guitar music.

If you’re interested in seeing some T in the Park Festival coverage, check out the BBC website as well as YouTube. It’s the biggest music festival in Scotland with a stellar lineup this year (including Franz Ferdinand).