"The universe is big, it's vast and complicated... and ridiculous, and sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen."
The Doctor, Doctor Who.
"Or not."
Me.
"Or not."
Me.
For your consideration...
Friday night (September 28) I larked off to New York City after work to stay and hang out with most excellent relatives and burn through some vacation time in Brooklyn. I was well watered and fed. Saturday night cousin Rebecca and I went to the David Byrne and St. Vincent show at Williamsburg Park (parking lot is more like it) after spending the afternoon in the Lower East Side hitting up a few galleries, The New Museum ($15, a bargain), and the best t-shirt store ever. As you may have noticed, I'm a Byrne fan and seeing him was a big thing (seeing him with Annie Clark and a horn section was an amazing bonus).
Sunday we all hit up the Atlantic Antic, the craziest street fair I've ever seen, and Monday I hit up MoMA ($25, but truly worth it) before getting a tour of Brooklyn from cousin Jamie and a burger in Red Hook. Tuesday ended up being an out of body experience, visiting cousin Sean at the National Arts Club (I'm glad I didn't wear my hoodie) before getting a good (ie DAMN good) meal and seeing M83 (with Sun Airway) at the Hammerstein Ballroom, crossing "seeing a show at Hammerstein Ballroom" off my list.* This truly was one of my best vacations ever, right up there with Jon & Maya's wedding in the California wine country. Even trying to keep it real, this was nuts.
So... I come home Wednesday, returning to reality, and not an hour after touching down while checking my e-mail I learn that there was an improbable possibility that had I gone to NYC next week I could have gone to the Led Zeppelin presser at MoMA, a presser that most likely would've involved them performing a few numbers. Next week. Mind you, I have NO regrets about David Byrne & St Vincent and M83, or any of it. Absolutely None.
Still, that's weird shit.
So... I come home Wednesday, returning to reality, and not an hour after touching down while checking my e-mail I learn that there was an improbable possibility that had I gone to NYC next week I could have gone to the Led Zeppelin presser at MoMA, a presser that most likely would've involved them performing a few numbers. Next week. Mind you, I have NO regrets about David Byrne & St Vincent and M83, or any of it. Absolutely None.
Still, that's weird shit.
Karma? An "oops upside the head" from the universe? Let me know.
* But, the crowd SUCKED. They sucked so bad. Seriously, it was alarming and almost off- putting, considering M83 was thunderous and holding nothing back. And I was not the only person to grimly observe the lameness of the crowd as more than a few people in the 2nd balcony where we were relocated to areas where we could jam out and/or dance freely without disturbing the listless and lethargic seated ones vegetating all around us. Had M83 played like that, here back in May, the Town Ballroom would've been in real trouble (as it was, we were totally bonkers in our justified ecstasy). Ain't no party like a Buffalo party, that's for sure.
There's still no place like home.
* But, the crowd SUCKED. They sucked so bad. Seriously, it was alarming and almost off- putting, considering M83 was thunderous and holding nothing back. And I was not the only person to grimly observe the lameness of the crowd as more than a few people in the 2nd balcony where we were relocated to areas where we could jam out and/or dance freely without disturbing the listless and lethargic seated ones vegetating all around us. Had M83 played like that, here back in May, the Town Ballroom would've been in real trouble (as it was, we were totally bonkers in our justified ecstasy). Ain't no party like a Buffalo party, that's for sure.
There's still no place like home.
NYC shows are the worst, which is ironic because that's where EVERY band plays ALL the TIME. More than once I've danced into a lackadaisical(spelling?) crowd who got annoyed because one person out of the 500 were dancing i.e me. The advantage of living in a smaller city is we appreciate what we have.