Every once in a while you have days that can only be described as excellent adventures. Friday was one of those days. Talk about a day when you are totally out of sorts.
Woke up Friday morning in my usual stupor and start getting ready for work. My big issue was what to wear to work since I was heading to Lawrence Friday night to see Neko Case in concert (pictured above in an explanation of why she ends up either third or fourth on my Perfect Mate list). I typically don’t care that much about what I wear, a point that is plainly obvious to most people, but when I’m heading to shows the “Do I bring a change of clothes to work or not” question takes on real importance. So, I was running late already when I get down to the garage and my car doesn’t start.
This after having my car in the shop twice this week for things that had absolutely nothing to do with the engine.
I’ll admit that I did not pull the usual guy move of opening the hood and staring at the engine with a concerned look on my face. Mainly because I had no idea what was wrong and there were no women nearby that I needed to impress by acting like I knew anything about cars. Instead, I call in the tow truck and make my way to the dealer with absolutely no idea what is wrong with my car. Could be a battery, could be a fuel pump, could be the entire engine was removed when I wasn’t looking. All I know is that I need to get to Lawrence tonight and having a car would be very useful.
Get to the dealer and they look at it and tell me that “Your car thinks that you are trying to steal it.” Somehow, the security system in my car failed to the point that it wouldn’t recognize my key and let the car start. I didn’t even know that was possible. What it does mean is that 500 bucks later I was able to convince my car that I did in fact own it and was able to make it to the office. Though now I was looking at driving to a town an hour away with a car that I wasn’t certain would start once the show was over.
(Side note: This probably means that I’ll be in the market for a new car in the next few months. Up to now, everything that I have had to have fixed on my car was entirely my fault. Now I have random parts failing and with Pontiacs that is never a good sign. Any suggestions on what car I should get next? I’m looking for a car that says “I’m successful and sophisticated and while I am going through a mid-life crisis I don’t feel too showy about it. In a ‘You should look at me but you don’t have to’ sort of way”)
Anyway, I survive the day at work taking care of the few projects that I needed to complete for the week and made my way to Lawrence confident that a) the show would be incredible and b) my car would start on the way back. The show was at Liberty Hall and that is easily the biggest venue that I have ever seen Neko in. I was there early and walked in to make my way next to the stage and ran into Michelle, who owns Davey’s Uptown. We talked about some bands and Billy Joe Shaver getting arrested for shooting a guy in Texas. As the opening act took the stage I took a look at the crowd and went “There are way too many people here.”
Neko sold out Liberty Hall. There were as many people there as there were for Guster or The Shins or Rufus Wainwright or a whole bunch of bands I’ve seen there in the past three years. This just stunned me. I’ve been following her for at least seven years and have been at shows where there were forty of us in the crowd. What’s interesting is that, as opposed to Jack Ingram, I can’t really point to something where I would say that she sold out. Adding a drummer to your band probably doesn’t equate to being a sell out. But all of her touring and work with the New Pornographers have paid off with a really strong following.
The show was her usual amazing performance. She has a commanding if disarming stage presence. I don’t know of many other lead singers who I would describe as disheveled in appearance. But she has her dyed red hair flowing everywhere and she takes the stage in jeans and no makeup and absolutely no airs about her. It’s all about her music and her voice taking over the night. At times she can sound like a classic country torch singer though one with a lot of darkness lurking in her past. It’s just an incredible set and I got to be front and center for it once again.
And I even got my car to start on the way home. And dreamt really nice dreams that night. Sometimes music can really take all of your cares away.
The five random CDs for the week:
1) Damien Rice “O”
2) Bruce Robison “Bruce Robison”
3) Various Artists “Celtic Tides”
4) The Subdudes “Lucky”
5) Mike Doughty “Haughty Melodic”
Woke up Friday morning in my usual stupor and start getting ready for work. My big issue was what to wear to work since I was heading to Lawrence Friday night to see Neko Case in concert (pictured above in an explanation of why she ends up either third or fourth on my Perfect Mate list). I typically don’t care that much about what I wear, a point that is plainly obvious to most people, but when I’m heading to shows the “Do I bring a change of clothes to work or not” question takes on real importance. So, I was running late already when I get down to the garage and my car doesn’t start.
This after having my car in the shop twice this week for things that had absolutely nothing to do with the engine.
I’ll admit that I did not pull the usual guy move of opening the hood and staring at the engine with a concerned look on my face. Mainly because I had no idea what was wrong and there were no women nearby that I needed to impress by acting like I knew anything about cars. Instead, I call in the tow truck and make my way to the dealer with absolutely no idea what is wrong with my car. Could be a battery, could be a fuel pump, could be the entire engine was removed when I wasn’t looking. All I know is that I need to get to Lawrence tonight and having a car would be very useful.
Get to the dealer and they look at it and tell me that “Your car thinks that you are trying to steal it.” Somehow, the security system in my car failed to the point that it wouldn’t recognize my key and let the car start. I didn’t even know that was possible. What it does mean is that 500 bucks later I was able to convince my car that I did in fact own it and was able to make it to the office. Though now I was looking at driving to a town an hour away with a car that I wasn’t certain would start once the show was over.
(Side note: This probably means that I’ll be in the market for a new car in the next few months. Up to now, everything that I have had to have fixed on my car was entirely my fault. Now I have random parts failing and with Pontiacs that is never a good sign. Any suggestions on what car I should get next? I’m looking for a car that says “I’m successful and sophisticated and while I am going through a mid-life crisis I don’t feel too showy about it. In a ‘You should look at me but you don’t have to’ sort of way”)
Anyway, I survive the day at work taking care of the few projects that I needed to complete for the week and made my way to Lawrence confident that a) the show would be incredible and b) my car would start on the way back. The show was at Liberty Hall and that is easily the biggest venue that I have ever seen Neko in. I was there early and walked in to make my way next to the stage and ran into Michelle, who owns Davey’s Uptown. We talked about some bands and Billy Joe Shaver getting arrested for shooting a guy in Texas. As the opening act took the stage I took a look at the crowd and went “There are way too many people here.”
Neko sold out Liberty Hall. There were as many people there as there were for Guster or The Shins or Rufus Wainwright or a whole bunch of bands I’ve seen there in the past three years. This just stunned me. I’ve been following her for at least seven years and have been at shows where there were forty of us in the crowd. What’s interesting is that, as opposed to Jack Ingram, I can’t really point to something where I would say that she sold out. Adding a drummer to your band probably doesn’t equate to being a sell out. But all of her touring and work with the New Pornographers have paid off with a really strong following.
The show was her usual amazing performance. She has a commanding if disarming stage presence. I don’t know of many other lead singers who I would describe as disheveled in appearance. But she has her dyed red hair flowing everywhere and she takes the stage in jeans and no makeup and absolutely no airs about her. It’s all about her music and her voice taking over the night. At times she can sound like a classic country torch singer though one with a lot of darkness lurking in her past. It’s just an incredible set and I got to be front and center for it once again.
And I even got my car to start on the way home. And dreamt really nice dreams that night. Sometimes music can really take all of your cares away.
The five random CDs for the week:
1) Damien Rice “O”
2) Bruce Robison “Bruce Robison”
3) Various Artists “Celtic Tides”
4) The Subdudes “Lucky”
5) Mike Doughty “Haughty Melodic”
1 comment:
Go for an Acura TL.
Post a Comment