Weekend of Music, Part 2

"Weekend of Music, Part 1" came of age during the Summer of 2007, when I still lived in Chicago. That was one CRAZY weekend: three days of Pitchfork Music Festival; Wynton Marsalis (at Ravinia); and a Rebirth Brass Band double set at the end of each day. It's a blessing I made it out alive, as my buddies Matt and Nick could attest to the debauchery. I miss those days, but growing up and attaining responsibilities definitely takes precedence to spending copious amounts of money on concert tickets and booze. Or does it… Anyways, this week landed pretty close to WOM1.

It began Wednesday at the Starlight Theatre with The National opening for Arcade Fire. I'll be honest; despite having their 2007 release, "Boxer," I wasn't privy to The National's music. My girlfriend, Cristin, quickly turned me on to them; I purchased their latest record; and I was blown away. Their live set in support for Arcade Fire was no less surprising. Aside from the fact that playing outdoors is not The National's forte, they did an outstanding job in the brisk Kansas City weather. I knew they were having a good time when Matt Berninger was screaming out the lyrics to their final few songs. After their set, I promised my girlfriend, and myself, that I will be more attuned to what they have to say.


Once The National left the stage, my girlfriend and I walked to the concourse to enjoy our Boulevard Pale Ales and Kristoff cigar. Shortly after staking our claim to a nice concrete planter a women half in tears approached us and offered up her VIP wristband. Being the true gentleman that I am I cordially accepted, and she stormed off. We took the golden ticket back to our already stellar seats and plotted… and stalked. Moments later I finally put the wristband to the test and sauntered down past security. ALAS! It was a success! The only problem was that I only had one. Now, I never was a Boy Scout (my parents thought it was too dangerous), but I devised an ingenious plan. I went to the mens' lavatory and fashioned a seemingly idenitical white wristband out of toilet paper. Again, being the true gentleman that I am, I gave the legit wristband to my girlfriend, and I confidently donned the toilet paper look-alike. We got into the VIP section no problem, mere minutes before Arcade Fire took the stage. I snapped this photo on my iPhone at 10 rows back:


Their next song had Win Butler gallivanting into our section where I snapped this photo:


Needless to say, counterfeiting a VIP wristband out of toilet paper was a terrific idea!

Two days after that fateful night, Cristin and me found ourselves at the Foals show at the Beaumont Club. Not only have I been wanting to see Foals since 2007, but the Freelance Whales opened for them. This marked the third time I've seen the Freelance Whales live: in an alley during SXSW 2010; in support of Tokyo Police Club; and now in support of Foals.


Freelance Whales via iPhone
The moment Foals hit the stage, their spastic clicks and picks whisked me away. I am not a music reviewer, so I'll save that for the professionals. I'll just simply post to mediocre photos taken from my iPhone [a big "thank you" to my Olympus e500 for malfunctioning].