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glow in my pants: posh deluxe reviews kanye west

Published by

Sarah

May 1, 2008 in cray and music. 12 Comments

last night, i experienced the kanye west entertainment musical spectacle known as the “glow in the dark” tour. and i shall now offer you my humble review.

i want to preface my opinion with the idea that usually, when i see a show, i’m in a small venue where i’m usually struggling to get close to the stage while people are sweating on me, elbowing me and sometimes even dancing on me (rare for hipsters, but it does happen). and i realized something crazy last night– i LIKE that. not only do i like it, but i PREFER it.

believe me, i’m just as surprised as you are.

so the show last night was at the frank erwin center, which is like a big arena theater. i was pretty excited about the idea of experiencing a concert in AIR CONDITIONING with a seat (my own seat!) if i got tired or lazy. our section was really close to the stage but sort of perpendicular to it, which meant we had more of a side view. this was slightly disappointing, but since i could still see everything, i didn’t mind.

so then the show started. at 7:15 PM.

you guys, that is WEIRD!! it’s like, so early, the sun was still out! i’m used to shows starting at MAYBE 9 PM, but usually more like 10 or so. and yeah, i’m not gonna complain about getting to bed early, but still. it’s hard to rock out at 7 PM. it just is.

so lupe fiasco came out first, and he won my vote, as well as erica and henri’s, for Best Fashion. boy knows how to DRESS FOR SUCCESS! he had on these kinda sparkly dark jeans, a black shirt with a sequined stripe (when a man can sport sequins proudly, you know he’s awesome) and this pirate-y type jacket. as dessiree would say, “he was seeeexyyyyy!!!”

henri and i saw lupe at emo’s a while back, and i think my memory of that experience is what got me thinking about the whole stadium show versus small sweaty club show thing. lupe is definitely on the rise, and he possesses the kind of star power that gets a massive crowd on its feet, but it still felt strange to watch him with an audience that was mostly sitting or still trickling in. overall, though, he was awesome, and i would see him again in a heart beat.

next up was n.e.r.d., who i had never seen before. i was pretty excited, esp. cos erica and i have this theory that pharrell is an alien, cos he is WAY too good-looking and WAY too cool to be a human being. for example, in the “like i love you” video, when he’s standing next to justin timberlake, he looks SO MUCH MORE AWESOME than justin. i mean, who does that?!!! who looks more awesome then justin? PHARRELL DOES, that’s who.

also, that red dog reminds me of clifford. but he wasn’t part of the show, unfortunately.

n.e.r.d. put on a fantastic performance that ended in the best way possible– a crazy chaotic dance party on the stage, kinda like a sing-along but with more lighting effects. erica and i had our own little dance party, but again, i kinda wished the crowd was smashed together, grooving to the same beat in a giant, sweaty, awkward but happy mess. i love that these guys aren’t afraid to, as they say, “spaz out” and make complete fools of themselves. i also love that there are two drummers. watching them made me want to practice REALLY HARD on my “rock band” drum skills so that i can convince myself that i am an actual drummer. even though it’s a video game.

pharrell got a little aggressive with the crowd, like singling people out who weren’t standing up (dude, just STAND UP. do NOT make pharrell mad! seriously), but i kind of liked his bravado. at one point, he asked us, “ARE YA’LL READY TO FEEL THE ENERGY?” no one has every asked me that before. but yes, a THOUSAND TIMES yes, i am ready to feel yr energy, pharrell.

next up was my girl rihanna!!!!

i love rihanna. i know some people* (*henri) don’t think she’s attractive, but i think she’s gorgeous and talented and just totally marvelous. and last night she totally lived up to my expectations!

first, she had dancers, and i LOVE shows with dancers. in fact, that’s definitely an advantage that stadium shows have over club shows. second, she had some costume changes. if i ever go on a world tour, i’m gonna have a DIZZYING number of costume changes, and most of them will include a million sequins and glitter. third, the dancers used props, including umbrellas (duh) but ALSO LIGHT SABERS!!!! they didn’t fight with them, they just twirled them around and i think all the nerds in the audience almost peed in their pants.

i have to give her major props for singing/dancing/walking in this pair of boots with SUPER DUPER high heels. i’m wondering if the ability to wear heels happens magically when you become famous, cos there is just no other explanation for the celebrity ability to rock sky high shoes. it’s like MAGIC.

finally, it was time for kanye west.

now, i know some people can’t stand him, but i think kanye is awesome AND hilarious. i love his ceaseless self-promotion, i adore his obsession with fashion, i think his song-writing is fantastic. so i admit, i had extremely high expectations for his show.

the stage looked REALLY promising. it took them FOREVER to set it up, but that’s cos it was so complex– basically, it looked like the rocky surface of a planet, with a massive screen in the background, a small screen hanging down in the middle, and TONS of ducts for fog machines. plus there was a panel in the middle of the stage that not only moved up and down, but was actually a screen as well. here’s a mock-up i found on the internet:

so finally the show began, and the audience learned that kanye’s spaceship had crashed on a planet with no energy left for the return flight. this caused kanye to be v. angry and motivated him to rap several songs. then jane, the ship computer, told him that some shooting stars were coming to see him.

yeah, stick with me here.

so i’d heard there would be puppets in this show, from the jim henson shop, and i could not WAIT to see them. like, this was gonna be the highlight for me, no question. would they be crazy alien puppets, like the guys on sesame street (who always scare me, btw)? or would they be more of the fraggle rock variety?

and then i see… the puppet. not puppets, but puppet. and it looks like a life-sized anime barbie doll with blue hair, glowing eyes and no clothes.

that was it.

and it didn’t even MOVE! it just hung from some sort of wire while it “spoke” to kanye about how the shooting stars were totally in love with him, cos he is the “most famous hip hop star in the world.” and so they decided to use their radiance to fuel his ship!

ok!

so then the ship started to take off (the square stage in the middle with lights all around the edges, that looked pretty cool, actually) but there wasn’t enough energy so it crashed again. then kanye said he needed to have sex, so jane, the computer, made herself into an image on the screen of a scantily glad lady painted in gold. and then she danced for him while he sang, “gold digger.”

and THEN he sang a song about his mom, and i think he genuinely got choked up (which was sweet), but what cheered him up? an excerpt from “don’t stop believin’” by journey! I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP.

AND THEN jane, the computer, said, “kanye, don’t you realize? you’re the brightest star in the galaxy. you have more than enough energy to fuel this ship.” and then he gave his star power to the ship and it blasted off.

THE END

so… yeah. i have never seen anything like this. and i actually mean that in a good way. cos isn’t that kanye’s style? he’s always so over the top and theatrical and the man does everything to the MAX. i admire that about him, honestly.

in addition to the, uh, creative storyline, the lights and fog were pretty amazing, especially the massive background screen. and there were even fireworks!!!!

i wish there had been more fireworks, though. henri was obviously not involved with the making of this show.

after the show, we talked about how strange it was that kanye was the ONLY person on the stage for his ENTIRE show. no dancers, no band (they were in an orchestra pit), nothing. i guess he really does relish the spotlight, but i think it would have been better with at least a few dancers. and maybe, like, some stunts!! yes!! stunts!!

i guess there’s only a few bands that can really generate a high level of energy in an arena or stadium setting, so that the audience feels like they’re genuinely connected with the performer. justin definitely made that feeling happen, and i have to say, U2 (i know, there’s lots of haters out there) is a master at making the crowd feel like they are united by passion and love and they can CHANGE THE WORLD TOGETHER.

so yeah, i enjoyed the spectacle of it all, but i’m ready to head back to emo’s and force my way through a sweaty crowd wreaking of beer and cigarettes, all in the name of music.

now, are ya’ll ready to feel my energy?

LINKS

have you guys seen the new chromeo video? it’s no “needy girl,” but it’s still pretty great. also? how weird is it that i saw it on perez hilton? uh, yeah.

selina sent me this hilarious blog entry about a sex and the city promo photo. all i can say is, double true. and also, can someone get me a cosmo?

i know everyone is kinda hating on the new hulk movie, but this trailer makes it seem kiiiinda cool.

YES! gandalf returns!

my musical heritage: a posh d. exploration

Published by

Sarah

March 25, 2008 in growing up and music. 20 Comments

since my birthday’s coming up (TOMORROW YAAAAAAY), i’ve been thinking a lot about growing up and how i’ve changed since i was a wee one with a big head and red hair. in particular, with the memory of sxsw still sizzling in my brain, i’ve been wondering about how exactly my musical tastes were formed.

you might think that since i have (in my opinion) a pretty eclectic taste in music, particularly indie rock, i grew up listening to, say, david bowie or the talking heads, with maybe a dash of gang of four and the clash.

ahh, but you know what happens when you AssUMe things, don’t you? yes, you do.

i guess the key is that “eclectic” doesn’t necessarily mean “cool.” it also doesn’t necessarily mean “selecting what appears to be best in various doctrines, methods, or styles” which is what the dictionary says. eclectic, in the case of my childhood musical taste, pretty much means that i loved a lot of random, kinda cray, maybe NOT the best of various stuff.

thank you, mom and dad!

no, seriously, my parents did listen to good music, like the beatles and the stones. but they do have to take responsibility for exposing me to what became my all time favorite, most requested on car rides (even short ones to the grocery store), #1 song of my childhood:

elvira by the oak ridge boys

OH how i WISH i had the mp3 of this song to share with you today. but i’ll do you one better. here’s a video!!!

if it’s any excuse (which it isn’t), i had NO idea that the oak ridge boys looked like that. in fact, i probably would have immediately begun to hate them, cos i had this whole “fear of bearded men” thing going on when i was little (don’t even ask about the santa claus at the mall). how was i to know that i was happily singing along with two mountain men, a member of the mafia and mr. macho pants?

anyway, the point is, this song ruled my universe. the part where the deep voiced guy goes, “ah boom bah, ah boom bah, ah bow wow”? total genius. not to mention that it’s super fun to lower yr voice as much as possible when you sing along.

my second favorite choice of cassette for car rides should give me a leeetle more cred: the big chill soundtrack!

come on, it’s motown!

for the record, i loved “i heard it through the grapevine” WAY before the california raisins came onto the scene. i didn’t need claymation to alert me to the fact that this song is one of the best grooves of all time.

little known fact: i have never seen this movie. nor do i want to.

moving on

just when you thought my musical tastes were looking a little more acceptable, along comes hooked on classics! ok, seriously, did ANYONE ELSE ever listen to these albums? anyone?

ok, in case you’re one of the FEW people who never enjoyed the phat beats of this tape, hooked on classics was basically an assortment of well known classical musical pieces dressed up with… disco.

now that i think about it, hooked on classics was like the world’s first mash-up!!!! holla!! see, i knew a good thing when i heard it. and that’s why, in my family, we not only had hooked on classics, we ALSO had hooked on classics volume two AND three!

the only bad thing about hooked on classics (well, assuming you like the marriage of classical and disco) was that it gave me a v. false impression of mozart, beethoven, etc. like, when i heard the original pieces, i was like, “uh, why is this soooo slooooow?” or “what happened to all of the hand claps?” or “when do the village people start singing?” (ok, that last one is a lie, cos the village people only WISHED they could appear on this album).

little known fact (to me, at age 5): louis clark did a lot of the arrangements for ELO. so SEE? my musical roots are awesome.

speaking of awesome… amy grant!!!!

i’m pretty sure my mom and i wore out the tape we had of her greatest hits, pre “baby baby” of course (i DO have standards).

plus there were lots of christian songs on this tape that we actually sang at church sometimes, and that made me feel really cool.

because you know there was nothing cooler than amy grant in 1986.

and last but not least, we have olivia newton john. i LOVED olivia newton john. mostly cos she was in “grease” which i watched about 800 times with my friend emily philips. my tape was recorded from tv, so we had to fast forward through the commercials, and some of the “dirty” parts were edited out, but we didn’t care. cos olivia newton john had perfect skin and big blue eyes and shiny blonde hair and she could sing and danny totally didn’t deserve her but then she got all hot and smoked a cigarette in spandex and OMG SHE IS THE BEST!

i don’t think we actually had the “physical” album, but it was some kind of collection, cos there were songs from “physical” PLUS her major songs from “grease.”

i wasn’t allowed to watch MTV when i was a kid, so i didn’t realize that there were actual *sexual innuendos* in the song. i just thought it was about exercising!* (*hey, i was only seven! give me a break).

so there you have it. my musical roots. if the dj directors at ktru had only known…

but you know what? i’m not ashamed! i *still* love all of these songs (ok, well, i’m not really familiar with the rest of the oak ridge boys’ catalog, but still). and i’d like to think that all of them have contributed, in some small way, to me being me.

like, maybe olivia is the reason i love jazzercise. and maybe the big chill is why i like black people.

KIDDING KIDDING. obviously the real reason is “the cosby show.” duh.

i’m pretty sure that everyone has a cherished childhood song by a band that maybe didn’t make it into pitchfork’s “100 best bands of all time” list (yeah right, it’d be more like, “ten bands that are pretty good, for now, until people like them!”).

and now it’s confession time! what was yr favorite song as a kid? don’t be ashamed. i mean, i almost, just now, bought “hooked on classics” from itunes. cos, to be honest, mozart has never sounded as good without that disco beat.

LINKS

i meant to post this yesterday but i forgot: giant pink bunny on a mountain!!!! ROAD TRIP!!

matt has found my new favorite book. supposedly it’s for kids so they can “learn the alphabet” but whatever. this book is totally so i can play with lots of fun pop-ups!

have you guys heard about this powder that helps you to regrow limbs? I AM NOT KIDDING (although doesn’t it sound like something that madam pomfrey would use?).

there’s an interesting piece in the times today that asks “why do certain kids get picked on?” it’s interesting, not to mention really, really sad.

i really want to read this new (serious) book about competitive cheerleading. it’s like someone from the new yorker had written, “bring it on.”

there’s this game (for kids) online called miss bimbo and… CAN’T WE ALL JUST PLAY CHUTES AND LADDERS?

sxsw 2008, day 4: all the right things

Published by

Sarah

March 21, 2008 in extravaganza and music. 11 Comments

ok ok ok so i’m writing this blog post over again.

i *hate* recreating posts, cos no matter what i write, i always fear that the first version was better. which, you know, is strangely conceited. like, “sorry, guys, this entry is but a ghost, a PALE IMITATION, of my amazing, articulate and incredibly illuminating first draft.”

anyway, i’ll try my hardest to give this last day of sxsw its due, cos it really was a fantastic day.

the weather on saturday was pure, sparkling spring, so i drove with my windows down to austin java, where i met my old rice pal, jen hitt. jen hitt! jen and i spent countless hours at the RMC, pouring our souls out over coffee. she now lives far away from me in dc, but we have a tradition of seeing each other every year at sx. last year we only managed two minutes around midnight in front of emo’s (not exactly quality time), so i made sure we could share at least one meal together. jen is an incredibly radiant, eclectic and warm person, and it did my heart good to see her again. look how happy we are together!

i planned on spending most of my day at the home slice pizza party, which is always super happy and relaxing (not to mention the fact that tasty pizza is readily available). plus, it’s fun to walk down south congress during the festival, cos there are always tons of visitors and artists and musicians and kids all out and about. celebrities tend to cluster around soco, and i was *desperately* hoping to replace my perez hilton sighting with someone like, say, drew barrymore or carrie brownstein (she was in town as an NPR reporter!).

i arrived at home slice about midway through a set by le loup, a group i’d heard a little about (and i liked what i heard). they were actually fantastic! they just seem like a ragtag band of merrymakers, like if the boxcar children discovered arcade fire.

le loup: we are gods! we are wolves!

here’s a picture of the overall party area, so you can see why i like it so much.

it’s so idyllic and breezy and… sunny. v. sunny. as a pale child of the shadows, i made a beeline for the shade in the back so that i wouldn’t explode under the direct sunlight (but yes, dad, i was wearing sunscreen!).

next up was a band i’d never heard before, the morning benders. they weren’t bad, but i think my favorite thing about them was the lead singer’s pink rimmed sunglasses.

by this point, jessica and matt had joined me in the shade (they, too, are Ghost Children of the Night). after the benders set, we were all LUCKY ENOUGH to receive a free cd from some random dude! oh yay! ok, seriously, free cds are like, the new coozie. and when was the last time you were REALLY EXCITED about receiving a FREE COOZIE, often featuring the brand of yr FAVORITE RADIO STATION? exactly. although free cds do make good coasters, so i guess they’re even more like coozies than i thought.

matt shares my opinion.

i was really thrilled to see the watson twins again, cos the last time i saw them, they looked absolutely ADORABLE. they were on tour with jenny lewis, so there was this whole classy40s vibe going on with their wardrobe. their outfits this time weren’t quite up to par, but i found their new stuff to be lovely and easy on the ears.

watson twins: just like heaven

seriously, home slice really delivered (HA) on their musical line-up this year. usually there’s one or two bands at a day show that i wish would KEEP IT DOWN a little so i can catch every single fascinating word my friends have to say. but the music at saturday’s show was incredibly pleasant and fun, including the last band we saw, the spinto band! i actually don’t know the spinto band super well, but their song, “oh mandy,” carries a lot of memories for me, so when they played it, i got excited and did a little dance.

spinto band: oh mandy

the four of us (henri had shown up towards the end of the watson twins) decided to take advantage of the tasty business at home slice, and we snagged a table by the front window. it was the perfect sx meal– light hearted, banter-y and v. silly.

matt, do you get that response a lot from people?

matt actually took flossy from me and proceeded to take candid (read: unflattering) photos of all of us. i actually do love this close-up of henri, caught in mid-expression, with some guy’s face on the other side of the window.

don’t you LOVE IT when people take pictures of you when you’re eating? ah well. i try to be honest on this blog, so here’s me, doing what i do best.

during our meal, i just happened to get a text from my friend jordan, who just happened to be having people over for margaritas and who just happens to live near soco. obviously, it was destiny! since i’m such a planner pants, i rarely get the opportunity to take advantage of spontaneous fun, so visiting jordan was an absolute treat for me.

plus, this girl *knows* her margaritas! look at her, squeezing real actual limes instead of using frozen limeade like some people i know.

not only can jordan make great margaritas, she also makes boxes for worms to live in and digest her compost. or something. i’m not sure how it all works, but i like the idea of happy worms living in a box together.

jordan’s patio provided the perfect respite from all of the sx crayness. i honestly believe that lounging on a porch with friends is one of the finer pleasures in life, and this afternoon was no exception. you know how, every once in a while, you realize with 100% certainty that there’s no other place you’d rather be, in the whole world? yeah.

jordan’s friend brought his super sweet goofy dog, who really REALLY reeeeally wanted some pizza.

can i has pizza?

as night began to fall, henri dropped me off in front of st. david’s church downtown so i could see jacob golden and m. ward. i was *bursting* with anticipation for this show, which of course meant that… i couldn’t get in. OF COURSE. you know, every year there is just ONE show that i can’t get into, and all things considered, that’s not so bad. but i had made it this far without being denied, and i was secretly hoping that i had broken the spell but… no.

that’s ok, though! i had a plan B! cos i am a prepared sxsw pantser! i walked down the street and got into maggie mae’s so i could see david bazan! easy peasy.

david bazan: don’t cry, i’m not gonna hurt you

whenever i see david bazan, i really want to give him a hug. he’s just so earnest and scruffy and quiet and sweet and sad.

next up was jim noir, who i have never heard of. but i know he’s on barsuk, cos this was the barsuk showcase. and i also know that he really likes america and the royal tenenbaums.

i mean, he’s from manchester, so maybe that explains it.

as you can see from the picture, i totally made it to the front row AGAIN! cha-CHING!!!! i was of course driven by a higher power, and that power was matthew caws. nada surf was up next, and since i’d been in the front row before, there was no going back. plus i wanted to make sure matthew saw me in case he needed my number. or you know, advice on where to eat tex mex.

and YES i realize i’d already seen them and some people might think that’s a waste of sxsw time but those people have *obviously* never heard “blizzard of ‘77″ while driving in the dark on a sad, lonely night.

it was totally worth it, obviously.

even though matthew caws was wearing the same exact outfit as the night before, and i saw him sweat a lot that night, and i was just kind of curious about if he had access to a washing machine.

the set was acoustic, so their show sounded different than the one at cedar door, but it was still just as dynamic. the highlight for me came when they performed “blankest year,” which was pretty much the anthem for pants world over the summer of 2005. add in the fact that we spent a lot of time at maggie mae’s that summer, and i was hearing the song there, LIVE, five feet away from matthew caws… wow. the whole audience sang along and pumped our fists in the air and our straining voices and the music collided into one triumphant, jubilant, racous roar.

this, THIS is why i come back to sxsw, year after year after year.

nada surf: blankest year

my night had definitely peaked, but it wasn’t over yet. jessica and matt picked me up and we drove together to the red bull party to end out the night. by this point, i was already a tired pants, but jessica and matt manage to look pretty awake in this picture. oh right. they were drinking red bull.

jessica was excited to see talib kweli, who performed around 1:00. the party was waaay more hoppin’ that it had been on wednesday night, but we scored chairs (need i remind you of my skills) and sat against the balcony for a good view of the show.

amazingly enough, henri had survived his three-going-on-four nights of red bull hosting and came by to say hello. check out that hoodie… what a hipster.

even though i like talib kweli, i was totally distracted by this super cool light screen on the left side of the stage. i could NOT stop staring at it.

so matt and i decided to head down and take future facebook profile pics of ourselves against the screen. many, many other people had the same idea, so there were lots of “charlie’s angels” and “does it look hot if i press myself against the screen and raise a leg?” posing going on. matt and i went for more classic modeling.

matt also did his little sxsw dance in front of the screen.

he did this dance in different places throughout sxsw, which you’ll see in a minute.

here’s me, in the “i’ve had a great time but i’m cold and sleepytime tea and can you take me home please?” pose.

it’s a good feeling to be exhausted from enjoying goodness, you know?

so thank you, sxsw, for another fantastic fling. i’ll miss you, but i’ll see you next year. pinkie swear.

to conclude, here’s a video that john made with footage from all of our festival days, including matt’s special form of “dancing.” i think it conveys our experience, which was, in a word, awesome.

South by Southwest 2008 with Pantsworld from John Harney on Vimeo.
LINKS

it’s easter weekend! usually i do an entry about cadbury eggs, but this year, i can’t compete with the cadbury creme egg interview (it’s on one of my new favorite blogs, thanks msw!).

and of COURSE i have to mention peeps. have you guys heard of peep duels? hello, #1 thing to do this weekend.

henri sent me this v. well-written piece in salon on the decline of “good” celebrity gossip. check it out.

a melted ice cream truck!! ha ha ha!! thanks, matt.

sxsw 2008, day 3: how to conquer sickness and achieve yr front row dreams

Published by

Sarah

March 19, 2008 in extravaganza and music. 15 Comments

if you listened to any of my whiney pants utterz from friday morning, you already know that i woke up with an incredibly sore throat and immediately went to the doctor, cos i am REALLY SCARED OF STREP THROAT. i realize i’m a pansy, but i have waaaay too many feverish childhood memories of the dreaded ST to let sickness run its course (am i right, mom?).

some people might say it’s all about mind over matter, and they would be right. if i think i have strep throat, i feel like i have strep throat. and there was NO WAY i was gonna let some stupid ST ruin my weekend of rocking pants.

so i went to the doctor, and i read some of my slash book in the waiting room, and then they took my temperature and swabbed my throat (GAG, like real gag) and then the doctor showed me this fancy high falutin’ new step test they use. it looks like the baby of a calculator and a pregnancy test (pregnancy test… baby… HAR), and if you have strep, a big ole + sign shows up.

fortunately, my strep test came up negative!!! yay!! no juno ST action for moi!

the minute i knew i didn’t have strep, i felt a LOT better. but it was super hot outside, so henri and i decided to peruse the posters at flatstock, which is always one of the best parts of sxsw. i’ve gotten most of my bunny artwork at sxsw, and this year i bought a hot pink poster for a steve malkmus show which features a pair of lady legs in white heels and paisley tights. come over and i’ll show it to you!

i was excited about dinner, not just cos i always get excited about eating but because i was meeting up with winston! WINSTON!!!! winston and i went to rice together, and the summer before our senior year, i saw him pretty much every freaking day cos we coordinated orientation. if there’s anyone you want to see every day, especially late nights in the computer lab, it’s winston. he’s one of the kindest and most genuine people i know, PLUS he plays a killer game of office chair trashcan basketball. he lives far, far away in d.c. now, so you can imagine how *thrilled* i was to see him. see? yay!!!!

we had dinner at moonshine, where i saw my FIRST and ONLY celebrity of the ENTIRE FREAKING WEEKEND WHICH IS UNBELIEVABLE GAAAAH. and in spite of that sentence, i flat out refuse to call this person a celebrity. cos, well, it was perez hilton.

sigh.

perez hilton totally WASTED my celebrity sighting for the festival! i was so mad! it’s just like the time my parents and i were in vegas, and we saw marvin zindler, of ye olde “slime in the ice machine” houston news fame. i’m in VEGAS, and the celebrity i get is an old dude in a white wig and sunglasses? i swear, it’s a ridiculous misuse of all of the celebrity knowledge i have stored up in my brain.

on the bright side, i got to eat delicious delicious moonshine food, including mac ‘n’ cheese! holla!

after a lovely dinner with winston, we headed over to stubb’s cos i wanted to get close to the stage for santogold and MGMT. we caught most of the ting tings set, which was kinda fun.

the ting tings: that’s not my name

again, the sound on this video is worthless, but i figure it gives you a feel for being there.

i think john (who saved us a spot in line, kudos to you, sir!) hated them, but i didn’t mind. plus, when their set ended, we got even closer to the stage! cha-ching! that’s like, sxsw currency.

while we waited for santogold to come on, i took some pictures and noticed an interesting progression. check out this first picture, with winston being his normal smiley self and henri being his cray, weird face self.

slowly but surely, henri began to rub off on winston… either that, or winston just got more comfortable and let a little of his wackiness show.

and finally, we see both boys let go of all inhibitions and work that PHOTO MAGIC!

aww, i love you guys.

santogold appeared right on schedule, and i was so excited to see that she brought her two dancers with her!!! you may remember them from the totally major video i posted a little while ago.

i was worried that santogold wouldn’t live up to the hype, but i found her to be completely charming and talented without all of the flash that most rappers seem to feature these days. even john liked her, and he HATES hip hop.

santogold: shove it (switch remix)

i recommend turning the sound down on this video and just watching her awesome dancers in action.

MGMT came on after santogold, and unfortunately they turned out to be the most disappointing band i saw at sxsw. i was REALLY excited to see them, cos they were a new discovery to me back in december and i love hearing music live that’s still fresh on my brain. but, um, i guess i thought the band would be more like, some djs and some instruments? i mean, listen to this song and try to visualize the band.

MGMT: electric feel

got a picture in yr head? ok, good.

now does the band look like this?

EXACTLY. like, who IS this guy? when they were setting up the instruments, i assumed they were just the tech guys, but no, they were the actual band. and all of them look like they’re 21 and really into skinny jeans. and while i still definitely enjoy their music, i think maybe they haven’t played enough shows to truly develop a presence. cos, dude, a bandana just won’t cut it.

john, winston and i left stubbs and went next door to red eye fly to see say hi, which was another band that i was REALLY excited to see cos they’re kinda new to me. we ran into joy and nathaniel, who definitely put the FLY in red eye fly.

after the disappointment of MGMT, it was exhilarating to discover that say hi was just as great as i thought they would be. it’s mostly just this one guy who sings and plays guitar (i could look up his name but i’m laaaazy) and a guy on the drums who looks a LOT like the teenage son in “little miss sunshine.” and the songs live are just as inspiring and thoughtful and electrifying as they sound on the record, if not more so.

say hi: northwestern girls

i admit, though, the lead singer didn’t look at all like what i pictured. but unlike the MGMT hipsters, i didn’t mind at all. cos this guy rules, and not everyone can look like matthew caws or john vanderslice (seriously, don’t those guys LOOK like how they sound?).

i bid adieu to winston and john and set off for cedar door to see nada surf (YAAAAY!!). on sixth street, i ran into erica and josh!

i like encountering people i actually *know* on sixth street versus “meeting” sweaty, drunken strangers. speaking of, during our conversation, we were accosted by this billy idol looking dude who thought a good way to request a lighter would be to rub his hands up and down his legs while saying, “what’s uuuuup.” when we didn’t go for it, he said, “just kidding!” which, you know, i thought was pretty great. like, “hey, you thought i was crazy, but just kidding!… i’m crazy!”

i made it to cedar door in time to catch half of the tapes n tapes set, which was totally rockin’ and fun.

tapes n tapes: hang them all

once again, the speakers proved to be too much for flossy, although i think the sound on these videos is better than the bass line at stubb’s. at any rate, i hope you can still get a glimpse of the energy from this show.

(playing blizzard of ‘77)

(playing ice on the wing)

WOOOWWWW!!!! this show was almost as great as the first time i saw matthew caws, at sxsw ‘04. we all sat cross-legged around him inside of tambaleo (which is now a condo lot) and he just played his guitar and told us stories. like indie rock story time. and i think that is when i really and truly fell in love with the band (esp. cos the guy with dreds wasn’t there. that dude is gross).

after the show, i felt EUPHORIC… until i had to catch the night bus home. the night bus only runs, like, twice an hour, and it stops at 3 AM. and you’d think that capital metro would increase the number of buses to accommodate the festival… but no. OF COURSE NOT, cos that would be too PRACTICAL.

i’ve never seen so many people in austin trying to get on a bus. it was a total mob scene. after two unsuccessful attempts, i decided to try for a cab, which was the dumbest idea i have ever had. there were no cabs. nada. not even in front of the driskell, where all the rich people stay. you’d think rich people would still have access to cabs, but THAT’s how dire the situation was.

so i called into the blog, vented and then eventually henri took a break from hosting to pick me up and take me home at 3:30 AM. cos he is a really nice boyfriend and could tell that i was v. v. grumpy.

the whole parking and transportation thing is definitely the downside of sxsw, but when i compare the annoyance of getting from downtown to my apartment with the exhilaration of getting from the back of the audience to the front of the stage with matthew caws, i can say with total certainty that:

it’s worth it.

sxsw 2008, day 2: leave this to the professionals

Published by

Sarah

March 18, 2008 in extravaganza and music. 8 Comments

day shows during sxsw have become a lot like night shows– there’s an overwhelming amount of them, and you must approach them with a great deal of flexibility and patience. in fact, it’s kind of a science. sure, some people just walk around and poke their heads into any place that emits the sound of good music and the smell of free beer, but, as a planner pants, i’m nerd out over my day schedule just as much as my night schedule.

and i am NOT ALONE. i present to you: jessica, with her hand written (old school!!) day schedule:

matt, john and i ran into jessica early thursday afternoon at the emo’s day show. initially, we had planned on getting into the NPR show, until we saw this line:

dude. it’s 1 PM. it is WAY too early to stand in that kind of line. queues like this should never see the light of day.

my personal day show philosophy features two rules:

1) the environment should be relaxed

2) there should be free items for consumption, preferably food and/or beverages rather than, uh, cds. NO MORE FREE CDS. seriously.

while emo’s fulfilled rule #1, there was definitely NADA on the #2 front, so we headed to the mohawk, which not only featured free beer but ALSO boasted this incredibly chill rooftop patio (complete with juicy hipster filling!).

in spite of the american apparel overload, mohawk proved to be the perfect place to settle for the day. they even had free food! it’s difficult to balance free food, free beer, free music AND socializing, but matt here can show you how it’s done:

only a professional can manage that pose.

the upper level of the patio was reserved for VIPs, so i furiously scanned the crowd for anyone famous.

there was NO ONE! NO ONE! how can you be a VIP without being famous? i read celebrity blogs, so i *know* who’s famous, and none of these people passed my, “OMG! it’s __!! right there! that is cray!” test. obviously, i was disappointed, but it was only thursday. i still had plenty of time to surpass the pinnacle of my sxsw celeberity sightings, the 2005 climactic encounter with elijah wood.

lots of people met up with us at mohawk throughout the day, which was super fun. here’s caitlin with matt, who really loves having his picture taken (almost as much as ray).

see what i mean?

even though the patio was pretty crowded, i manged to secure chairs for our little group. cos i totally have eagle eyes when it comes to empty chairs. like, i can sense when people are about to leave, so i’ll jump up the SECOND their bottom leaves the seat and quickly drag the chair over to the circle like this squirrel i saw one time at rice who dragged an entire bagel from a table back to his little squirrel house. plus, like a squirrel, i am small and cute (well, i try), so no one stops me.

chairs are *really* vital when it comes to day shows. cos yr feet have to be prepared for the 6+ hours of standing during the night.

henri took the opportunity to catch up on the latest issue of harper’s. of course.

when sxsw began, i wondered what sort of new hipster trends i’d encounter. one year it was bandanas (still happening, can someone explain WHY PLEASE), the next it was fannypacks (seriously, that is more irony than i can handle). i decided that this year, the new hipster trend is cut-offs. observe:

hmm. i think prefer fannypacks.

as the day progressed, the sun peeked through the clouds and made the day even more glorious and relaxed. here’s j. and i, soaking it all in:

i liked the fact that we could listen to the music without actually watching the stage. although, when clipse was about to come on, i made sure to drag my chair (no standing!) to the railing so i could watch the show. and guess who i spotted in the crowd?

when clipse began their set, i totally had the best seat (MUAHAHA) in the house. i mean, check out this view!!!!

clipse: hate it or love it

if clipse isn’t on “stuff white people like,” they totally should be. just check out this crowd:

i’d personally like to nominate the #1 most annoying person at this show, The Guy Next To Me!

not only was this guy a chipster (i just learned this term from meredith, and it’s a combination of chad and hipster, like a frat guy dressed hip), but he *insisted* on contributing his own vocal stylings to the show, which consisted of him moving his hand up and down and going “uh uh uh uh” throughout every single song. yepola.

in the bathroom, i saw this graffiti and wanted to add The Guy Next To Me as #4.

then i thought about actually having to befriend that guy, and decided NO.

speaking of bathrooms, guess what? there was NO LINE for the girl’s bathroom. even more amazing? THERE WAS A LINE FOR THE BOY’S BATHROOM!!! I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP. i swear, no hallucinations involved. so, whereas i was in and out of the bathroom in just a few minutes, john had to stand there and wait. and make conversation. which apparently is an experience he’s never had before. i interviewed him about it, along with his impression of clipse:

we rounded off our day of free food and beer with… happy hour at manuel’s! yesssss. i love going to manuel’s during sxsw, cos i can never get there in time for happy hour when i’m coming from work.over dinner, the subject of living on the moon came up (this is what happens when you hang out with matt), and we tried to decide who would get killed (by another member of our party) first. guess who it was.

in case you can’t watch youtube at work, it was john. let’s hope for his sake that we never get stuck in a space station together for longer than a week. also, if that happens, i really hope there’s gonna be astronaut ice cream involved.

the plan for the night began at emo’s, where jens lekman was playing. we got there early, before they opened the doors, cos i wasn’t sure what kind of crowd there would be. honestly, the line was pretty short, but OF COURSE there had to be a debate about it between henri and john. of course.

personally, i’m ok with lines, as long as i know i can get in AND it’s at night. i really don’t like waiting in the sun. probably cos i am a vampire.

jens put on a really precious show– it was just him! i like the way he tells long stories about each song, cos it makes you feel like you’re just having a lovely conversation over tea.

jens lekman: the opposite of hallelujah

after jens, john and i decided to walk over to austin music hall to check out ya la tengo and my morning jacket at the austin music hall. i’ve never been inside, so i was excited! cos it looks kind of majestic, don’t you think?

unfortunately, you can’t take pictures inside. well, people do, but there are tons of signs that say the security guard will take yr camera away. and i am totally one of those pansy pants that follows the rules, cos i HATE getting in trouble. so i kept flossy safe inside my purse and just enjoyed the show, but i’m sorry i don’t have more pictures to show you.

i was happy to discover that not only does the austin music hall have a balcony, but you can sit in it! yes! by this point, i was feeling pretty crappy… like, i couldn’t tell if i had a bad cold or if the strep throat monster had paid me a visit (HATE). so sitting and listening to the awesome musical sounds of these two bands was pretty much the best thing ever.

my morning jacket: what a wonderful man

also the best thing ever? watching people try to sit in the VIP area right in front of us. basically, about every ten minutes, like clockwork, a new group of people would walk over, spot the empty bleacher row and think to themselves, “even though this place is packed with people, no one has thought to sit here! so i will!” and then security would come over and tell them to leave. if i hadn’t been sick, this would have made a *great* drinking game.

after MMJ, john and i called it quits and shared a cab back to our apartments. even though my throat was killing me, i felt incredibly satisfied with my first full day of sxsw– i had carefully balanced a relaxing day of music with a night of rocking. i know it’s tough, but i consider myself a professional. a DR. professional.

LINKS

did you guys here there’s gonna be a new 90210? but wait, didn’t that already happen, like, in the form of the OC? or the hills? eh?

speaking of bad ideas, there’s a new lost boys movie!
SQUEEE TINY DEER!!! i want to pet you. but only if you are clean.

my latest “THIS IS SO TRUE” entry on stuff white people like: the wire

sxsw 2008, day 1: sushi, guillotines and moon towers

Published by

Sarah

March 17, 2008 in extravaganza and music. 7 Comments

aaaaaand i’m back.

did you guys enjoy the bajillion utterz that we left on the blog? i have to say, it was super fun to be able to call in and leave posts… talk about the lazy man’s blogging! plus it kind of felt like i was sharing walkie talkies with all of you! walkie talkies are awesome. next time we will have fake names and use codes, like “7-4″ would mean “free cupcakes!” or “8-3″ would mean, “come see this awesome band!” codes are awesome, too.

so sxsw is over, and i have to say, i’m ok with that. which means i had a totally amazing time and feel completely fulfilled… and i don’t need to see another band for at least three days. seriously. I CANNOT HANDLE ANY MORE LIVE MUSIC RIGHT NOW.

work was insane today and i’m running late, so let’s get to it!

wednesday night i took the bus downtown straight from work to get in line for kyoto sushi happy hour with matt, josh, erica and john. EVERYONE was on time, mostly cos i think we’re all veterans and know that we would totally leave each other in the dust in order to get a table. kyoto turns people into hard, ruthless machines. just like war.

we decided to sit in the “traditional” area, which meant that most of us (everyone but erica) were pretty uncomfortable by the end of the meal.

but that’s ok, cos we got to eat lots of tasty, cheap sushi!

here’s matt, doing what he does best. and by that i mean, looking like a dork.

if you want to get fresh with someone, take them to kyoto. it’s impossible NOT to touch someone’s feet when you’re sitting in the traditional room, which leads to all kinds of footsie hijinks.

after dinner, john and i headed to the convention center so i could pick up my wristband. i heard there were gonna be long lines, but guess what?! NOTHING!!!! i totally conquered this situation.

we decided that ghosthustler would be our inaugural band, esp. cos they were playing the patio at the beauty bar and it was easy to get in. this picture is extremely blurry, but get used to it. it’s hard to take pictures of bands without them being blurry, so please lower yr expectations right now. flossy can only do so much.

(btw flossy is my camera)

ghosthustler: busy busy busy

i liked ghosthustler, cos it’s a DJ sounding band, but they actually do sing and play instruments. the lead singer was totally born to play at the beauty bar in front of hundreds of hipsters.

after the show, we decided to walk over to central presbyterian church to see zookeeper. one of the funnest parts of sxsw is that you have the opportunity to explore a lot of venues… like downtown churches!

john made the perfect sxsw companion– he was excited, energetic and didn’t mind doing whatever i wanted. these are definitely top qualities in a friend.

we met up with matt and his friend (sorry, i forgot her name! that is terrible) inside the church, which made for a super cool and gorgeous venue.

the acoustics weren’t exactly top notch, but who am i kidding? this is sxsw, which means i am constantly wearing ear plugs, which means i’m a v. accepting and accommodating audience member. with that said, zookeeper put on a great show.

zookeeper: snow in berlin

next on the list: my friend erik’s band, the fatal flying guillotines! every time i see the guillotines, something crazy happens, usually involving someone getting punched in the face and/or spat upon. the last time i saw FFG at sxsw, they were all wearing (ill-fitting) girl scout uniforms, and the lead singer ended up getting in a fight with a sixteen year old girl.

yeah, they’re awesome.

guess who was at the show? erik’s dad! yay!

it’s not often i get to hang out with someone’s dad at sxsw, especially a dad who can enjoy the spectacle of the guillotines (i.e. not exactly “parent-friendly”).

just to give you an idea, here are two videos of their show. keep in mind that the sound is *terrible*, cos basically the speakers blew out the microphone on my camera. but, you know, i don’t think the guillotines are memorable based on their actual *sound.* just watch and you’ll see what i mean.

afterwards i got to chat with erik, who was still recovering from rocking his pants off. erik, btw, is totally the pacifist of the band, i.e. you don’t need to worry about him punching you and/or yelling “YOU’VE GOT A FIRST CLASS TICKET!”over and over at you* (* this actually happened to me, and it was scarier than you can imagine).

john and i decided to finish off the night by visiting henri at the red bull party. henri sort of accidentally landed a hosting gig at the party, which meant he was there, every night of sxsw, from 10-5 AM. I KNOW, RIGHT?!!! i thought it was cray, but apparently people do stay out until 5 AM. when did i catch the lame bus, i ask you?

since john and i didn’t have a car, we decided to walk to the red bull party. which turned out to be… three miles away. which, you know, isn’t far when i’m on the elliptical machine at the gym, with law and order playing. but three miles, after you’ve been rocking out at shows for several hours? it’s FAAAAAAAR.

about halfway there, we encountered a mini-living room on the side of the road. john decided to use it for a brief respite, which turned out looking like some sort of album cover.

seriously, guys, we walked FOREVER. but finally, FINALLY, we reached the moon tower, which is what red bull called this thing:

this place was CRAY!!! especially when you think about the fact that, only a few days before, it was a vacant parking lot.

in order to get in, you had to have a moon tower tattoo. henri’s friend j. came out to give us the tattoos and, lacking water, christened our hands with red bull. how appropriate.

as soon as we walked in, i totally felt like we had entered some uber LA night club (which i say having never been to an LA night club). this place was HUGE and neon and shiny and just, wow. the buildings had actual *wood floors* that had been lain over the cement, and there was a huge stage and multiple lounges and a barn just for playing guitar hero.

here’s the second floor (yes, there were two floors) view of the stage: