Monday, June 15, 2009

Right hand in a trench coat

First, golf.

I had a lot of fun golfing, and no old demons or scars surfaced. I even played fairly well; I had some pretty good drives (for which my ball was used) and some good putts. Overall, the experience was very enjoyable, and not embarrassing. I look forward to doing it again next year.


Second, Phoenix.

The Phoenix concert at Chicago's Park West Theatre was stunningly good. In fact, this was one of the most fun concerts I've been to in a long time. The band took the stage to thunderous applause from the sold-out crowd, and from the beginning, Phoenix was taken aback by their new-found fan base. I think they were genuinely shocked at how enthusiastic this crowd was, how much we all knew the words, etc. And the band loved every second of it.

And if I had written out the setlist myself, I do not think it would have been any different. They opened with "Lisztomania," closed with "1901," and played all of my favorites in between. Lead singer Thomas Mars sounded amazing, very much replicating the studio quality, and he and the rest of the band pounded through great numbers from the new album, such as "Girlfriend," "Lasso," and "Rome." They also included a fantastic version of "Love Like a Sunset, " during which Thomas just lay on the stage. But they also picked the same songs from past albums that I would have picked, such as "Consolation Prizes," "Long Distance Call," "Sometimes in the Fall," and "Funky Squaredance." A highlight for me (and the rest of the crowd) was "Napoleon Says," which sounded even better live.

This band was amazing, and I only regret I have lost several years of good fandom having been such a late arrival.

1 Comments:

At 11:17 PM, Blogger Benson posited...

yay!
i had fun waving at/texting you during the show.
i regret not sticking around after to see you but was already on the way home before i realized i had a message :(

i've been to the park west many times, and i have NEVER heard it that loud. hot shit.

 

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