it's nothing that you do to me

indie 103.1 is playing talking heads' "once in a lifetime" right now (this is one thing that's going to suck about being on the west coast -- i'll be in the same time zone as my favourite radio station, which means i can't cheat by listening to what would be their station at 4 a.m. pacific time, when there's no commercials or obnoxious radio hosts) and it's totally reminding me of last summer at the `bucks, when we had the senses working overtime compilation (what i later nicknamed "the 80's cd") in constant rotation. seriously, go look at that track listing (and we actually had an extended version to play in the store) -- that album was fucking rad.

so speaking of fucking rad things, i reviewed the projekt revolution show at the molson amphitheatre the other day. (writeup coming soon on chartattack, once my editor manages to slog his way through my four-page long review) it kind of reminded me why i love the big concert spectacle.

i don't see many of those, really. i never have, mostly because a) i don't usually have the money for a good seat (i am rarely satisfied with anything less than the first few rows, because i'm spoiled and all) and b) when it's a band i really love, i want to be on the floor, up as close as possible. i don't like the lack of intimacy that comes with arenas and bandshells.

but then, i thought as i meandered through the crowds of people on tuesday, there's a whole different kind of intimacy at work within these shows, and it's a kind i've sadly forgotten -- the intimacy that's created by a concert experience being shared by thousands of fans. and that in itself never fails to put a smile on my face, or remind me why i love live music.

i went to the projekt rev show not expecting a hell of a lot. after all, the weather was shitty, the place was sure to be overrun with hot topic teenagers, and i had to sit there from 3 p.m. until close to midnight by myself (chart doesn't proffer extra tickets so you can bring friends, which makes sense because you're essentially working, though it's a decent tradeoff because you usually get the 200-202 seating area). i mean, i did sign up for this one myself, mostly because placebo was on the bill - seeing two placebo shows in less than six months? yes please! - plus i was curious about seeing him (who actually ended up disappointing the fuck out of me) and the infamous my chemical romance (who ended up impressing me -- that gerard way is one hell of a performer). so all in all, enough reason for me to go check it out.

and even through the shittier parts of the day - the crowds, the endless waiting, the terrible amphitheatre service, the drizzly rain, the freezing wind - i could still grin. this was mostly because of the crowd.

what can i say, i love positive energy. i love feeling that anticipation and excitement from a concert crowd. and what i love most of all is the fans -- seeing the little girls freak out together as they wait for their favourite bands to hit the stage. i revel in seeing that because i remember what that was like, and it just goes to show that fans of my old giggly overexcitable calibre will never die off. it's that passion and love for a rock band that i can completely relate to, and it makes me happy to see it -- because i know what it did for me, and i can only hope it's as much of a blessing (for lack of a better word with non-religious connotations) for these young girls as it was when i was their age. i'm not the kind to say that music saved my life or anything, but it did put me on a completely different path than i would have traveled otherwise, and i'm still grateful for it.

and then there's the live show. i've been backstage, sidestage, front row and back row and right in the mosh-pit center, and every time, nothing can equal the energy from a sold-out large audience. to me, it doesn't even matter how i feel about the band itself -- i've reviewed plenty of bands i'm not that crazy about, but i'm usually impressed anyway. that has a lot to do with how i observe the crowd, and it never fails to put a huge grin on my face -- to see all these people so happy because of music. because of a concert. and everybody feels the same way, at the same time. it's that shared experience that really makes it memorable for me, no matter who the band is.

a few months ago, i interviewed amanda from the dresden dolls. among some of the more notable quotes - she's a very articulate interview subject - was her speaking about the importance of the live show:

"Back into the furthest reaches of history, there's something really important about everybody gathering together... There is a general sentiment on the whole here that's 'look around, these are your people.' I don't think that is ever going to go away. And in these times, with people attending less and less live music and getting more into DVDs, it really makes you think about what it means –- what the significance is of buying a ticket and going and seeing a live show with other people. The meaning of that is interesting – I feel like it's changed over the past couple of decades. If you sort of follow the trail of live music and how it's treated and see what the vibe is between 1968 and 1998, it's evolved the way everything else does. But there's one essential fact which remains true, which is that gathering with a group of people and listening to music is not the same as sitting in your bedroom alone. It serves as a source of inspiration for everybody there, to take a little bit of that feeling back out and distribute."

and i think that all kind of sums it up, really.

(placebo was fucking amazing, by the way.)

[ music | the cure, "in between days" ]