Impromptu Gigs (or why "Winging It" has benefits)

On Wednesday 14th April, Rachel and I knew two things: Florence + The Machine were playing at the Commodore Ballroom on Granville Street, and tickets for the gig had sold out online. Still, we thought, if there was even so much as an outside chance that there were tickets at the door, it’d be worth trying. So it was a beautiful sunny day, and I was working at the Old Spaghetti Factory, being very envious of the guests on the patio, sitting in the warm sunshine. So I gave Rachel a call, and asked her if she’d rather eat out in the sun rather than go back to mine for dinner? And we met up after I’d finished – the sun still out – and had Spaghetti and Sangria on the patio.

Finishing up dinner we wandered to the nearest RBC ATM for Rachel, (which turned out to be all the way on Burrard!) before heading to the Commodore. When we arrived there were already a few people looking to buy tickets, and this was around 7/7:30pm – the warm up act didn’t even start until 9:30! They hadn’t even opened the box office to Will Call, and when we asked what was going on they let us know that they may, or may not, release tickets later in the evening – but it could be as late as 10pm, and they didn’t know yet.

So Rachel and I decided to line up with the hopefuls, rather than nip back home to get changed, pick up our cameras etc. (which is why I have no photos or videos – sorry). This way we’d be somewhere near the front of the queue and in with a better chance… RIGHT DECISION! So we hung about in line and then, around 8:30 ish they started talking about letting us know “yes” or “no” pretty soon. So we stayed and – can you freakin’ believe it? – we got in!!

$35 – that was all we paid! $35 to see one of the hottest new acts of last year!

The Commodore was an awesome venue too. It’s how I’d imagine a small concert venue to look right? There was a big ol’ stage, big dance floor, seating areas near the bars, this kinda old-worldy feel to it. Pretty damned cool. So we grabbed drink before the warm up act, still well chuffed with ourselves for getting in. The drinks weren’t too overpriced, and there were like three or four bars there, so it was hardly difficult to get to the bar. I didn’t have much money so I went with a pear Cider – Okanagan, of course.

Anyway, then the support act started. I have no idea what they were called (they weren’t even mentioned on the tickets), but they were cool. The only problem was that the distortion on the guitar drowned out the lyrics. But I wouldn’t mind checking those guys out.

So at this point, with the dance floor starting to fill up, we decided to get in the crowd and stake out a place – which turned out to be pretty easy. Oh, Canadian crowds – so much more laid back than UK ones. Everyone had drinks in their hands and (at least during the support act) it was pretty easy to wheedle your way towards the front. You almost had elbow room the whole night! Very different to Feeder playing at the Warwick Student Union I can tell you that!!

We ended up about three or four people away from the main stage! Which was freakin’ awesome because, when Florence finally did come on stage, she came right up close and you could see her properly! Their stage was set up pretty cool – with lots of flowers. And they had a harp! The Machine led out the band, dressed in black with a bit of cape-action going on, lol – later on Florence said they’d dressed up as Superheros, ha ha. Then Florence made her entrance, wearing a very glam-rock-esque outfit, really freakin’ high heels (she actually took them off after a couple of songs) and a spangley head-cover thing which didn’t last very long with all her hair-thrashing and dancing.

They opened with HOWL and I was like “Woooo! Hell yeah!” and yet again I felt like the only one in the crowd who’d listened to the album, because it seemed like no-one else around me even knew the song! Le sigh. But it was sooo cool! And Florence’s voice is just amazingly powerful. It was a pretty cool set and they had so much energy on stage. They played:
Hurrican Drunk, I’m Not Calling You A Liar, My Boy Builds Coffins, Lungs, Cosmic Love and an old track of theirs I’d never heard called The Hardest Heart (which sounded pretty good). When they played Blinding it was really eerie! She had a shawl as one of her few props, and she put it over her head like a hood, so you couldn’t see her face and made her like the reaper or somethin’ – spooky =D And they played Drumming Song – completely rockin’ the joint with some absolutely mental drumming and dancing.

And when they played Dog Days, Florence was like “Alright Vancouver, I want you to do something for me…” and, I will love her forever for this, she told everyone to dance to the music! To actually DANCE! Yeah, you tell ‘em Florence. Woo! So FINALLY everyone was leaping together, and then the next song was You Got the Love. Oh man, I’m tellin’ ya, I was jumping and singing so hard I actually ran out of breath for a moment! But it felt soo good. And some point after Dog Days (but I can’t remember which song – it could’ve been You Got the Love) she stood on the barrier, and jumped in! Crowd surfing – hell yeah! I never in a million years expected her to be such a rocker, lol, though, thinking about it, they made it big through festivals! So it makes sense.

By the time they left the stage the audience was pumped and hollerin’ for an en core, and when they finally returned they came back with Kiss With A Fist! Amazing. And finishing, finally with Raise It Up! Leaving us on a momentous high, and feeling as pleased as punch that we’d waited it out, and only spent $35 for such an amazing experience. Oh crap, I still owe Rachel $35… musn’t forget that! Lol. Florence + The Machine – way better in concert than on CD. Bloody brilliant.

A Flavour of Life - Vancouver Style

I realised that as things in Vancouver start to become mundane that I've not really blogged. As my mother pointed out - I seem to only be writing about "worthy" things. It's not intentional, I assure you, I just don't think it's entirely fair to start splashing the names of aquaintances about where all the world can see! Hence plenty of nights-out go unchronicled here, and plenty of fiascos in the work-place too!

That being said, half of living in a place isn't the events but the everyday. The SkyTrain: driverless, fast, regular as clockwork. Tim Hortons - where the donuts are less than a dollar, and you can get a lunch combo for $5. Eau-de-Weed, that all-too-common Vancouveran scent. The hobos on every street corner, the crazies. We have regular crazies at HMV - my favourite is the crazy-dancing-lady. She spends hours at the listening-posts, harmlessly dancing away.

The thing is, that no matter where you go, the Earth is the Earth. But - to quote Pulp Fiction - "It's the little differences..." : chocolate tastes wierd, more powdery, less milky perhaps? Either way - don't buy an Aero - it's just not the same. The only place in the world with more Starbucks is probably Seattle. The streets are straighter, wider too, and all the electric cables hang overhead, buzzing away in an eerie fashion which makes you wonder if it might fall on top of you at any moment!

The crossing man is white, not green, and he makes a strange noise (though I struggle now to remember the sound of a British one). Skunks can occasionally be seen scampering between houses - racoons too, apparently. Mountains, with real snow on! are just on the city's doorstep, and I see them everyday. Art Gallerys and Museums are rare, and small, and barely visited... and therefore overpriced. Every-other person is of Asian descent - especially in East Vancouver. The Irish are here in abnormal amounts - as are the Aussies and Kiwis.

When it's not raining, or freakishly windy, the sun is glorious - and the sunsets here are sublime:

(I took that one from the SkyTrain Station in February!)

I have never seen a city with so many trees! And we have cherries along our street:

I'm living in a basement flat with two other housemates and we each have our own room. Our old housemate Johanna (who is Swedish,) moved out in the beginning of April, so we made meatballs and mash for a last meal kinda thing:

This all kicked off because Jules loves cooking and eating together, and kept stuffing our faces with pancakes. (Seriously, I think I put on weight!) Jules (on the right below) is German. She's still here, but now we have a new housemate - Emily, who's Korean and very nice. (She may be cooking us some octopus soon - how cool is that?) Anyway, will probably write again with more snippets of the mundane later! Toodles!

MUSE

Ok, anyone who knows me, knows one thing: I love MUSE.

Now, I'm not the biggest fan-girl in the world - and I ain't about to start stalking anyone! But sure, I know a little too much, and I get a little too excited when I hear them play. And yes I have an itunes playlist devoted entirely to them... so needless to say when I couldn't get tickets to the UK Tour, or Teignmouth, and then found out I wouldn't be in the UK when they play Wembley - I was gutted. Especially as I didn't manage to get tickets for the Black-Holes & Revelations Tour in '06/'07.

As I started to seriously consider a weekend abroad to see them I found out they were playing in Vancouver on April 1st!! I didn't get tickets right away. After all I had no idea if I'd find anyone willing to go with me, but then I met Rachel - and then when I visited my cousins, David said he'd love to go too! So, hoping this wasn't some sick April Fools joke, I got us some tickets and OMG - it was the best $60 I ever spent! The only possible way that gig could've been better, would be if I were closer or on the floor. Then I could have jumped up and down some more without worrying about falling, but it was just... wow, just... WOW.

Silversun Pickups were the support act, and they were ok. (Very Goo Goo Dolls sounding.)

Though I felt bad for them, half the arena didn't turn up until they'd finished. Personally I like to see all my ticket is offering! But then MUSE opened up with Uprising, sadly David's awesome videos won't upload so you'll have to settle for my crappy ones:

It was when they started playing New Born that I was like - That's it! I'm not sitting down through the entire show! Hell with that. And dragged Rachel up with me! =D

And they played almost all my favourite songs I was soooooo happy: Uprising, Resistance,

New Born,

Supermassive Black Hole, Map of the Problematique, Hysteria,

United States of Eurasia, Feeling Good (yes, he broke out the speaker-phone),

And Matt and Dom had like a drum & bass jam which was so cool, and then they had Undisclosed Desires, Unnatural Selection (man that solo in the middle is just magic),

Time is Running Out...

Finishing with Plug In Baby and some giant inflatable eye-balls! it was all over too soon. We were cheering and shouting, Encore, ENCORE!!!

So they came back and played for like another half hour! =) And they played Exogenisis Part 1, and then STOCKHOLM SYNDROME! OMG!! and finished, of course, with Knights of Cydonia! Legends! And Matt started reflecting the spot light into the crowd and making each side cheer, louder and louder, to outdo each other - which was funny.

There wasn't much banter, but oh dear lordy we hardly needed it! They're such awesome performers, sooo good at what they do. They moved seemlesly from one song to the next. Not just reproducing it, but making it mold to the crowd, so you felt surrounded by it. And the lights and everything just fitted so perfectly.

So basically MUSE deserve the title best live act in the world. Especially if your a fan.