Secondhand Daylight
Aug. 29th, 2005 11:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alfvaenThought I should do a concert report.
The Garbage concert was at Red's, at West Edmonton Mall. I left about 6:15, because the alleged time for the concert(which I double-checked) was 7:00. I got to the mall about 6:40, and it took me another five minutes to find Red's. I'd never been there before, and had only the vague idea that it was on the north side; I overshot and parked near Bourbon Street, but managed to find a map(which now indicates Wifi locations, btw). There was a fair lineup, which was moving slowly, so I joined it. I had my book(the Sheri S. Tepper one, The Visitor)with me, so it was not that unpleasant, apart from the standing.
When I got to the front, I saw the sign saying "Ticketmaster ticket pickups at parking lot entrance". I asked, and luckily I was able to cut through(up one flight of stairs and down another)to the parking lot entrance, where the lines were fairly short. I waited there for a bit(someone wandered by offering a ticket for half price, and I amused myself thinking maybe it was the person who'd withdrawn the ticket I was originally going to buy...), and finally paid for my ticket--except I didn't get a physical ticket, just confirmation that I'd paid for it, and a little paper wristband as proof. By then it was 7:20, but there didn't seem to be any sense of urgency, so I presumed they were starting late.
I wandered into Red's itself, which is also a restaurant and has bowling alleys and pool tables and stuff. I quickly found the stage. There were a fair few people there, standing or wandering around in the open area between the bar and the stage, or sitting at the few dozen barstools, all of which seemed to be occupied. No sign of anyone I knew, but since I knew so pitifully few people in Edmonton, I wasn't that surprised. There were a bunch of people clustered around railings overlooking the stage, which turned out to be the "all-ages" area. I got myself a ginger ale, drank it, wandered around, chewed the ice cubes, went to the bathroom, and it was 7:45 and still no sign of band. According to the big screen showing ads for future(and recent past)Red's attractions, Garbage was going to attend with "Guests"(or perhaps it was "Special Guests"--always a good name for a band, I thought, right up there with "Various Artists"). I wondered who the opening band was going to be.
I stood around between bar and stage for a while. It was a little bit too dim to read, and I would've felt a little bit self-conscious. I had my jacket with me--my heavy fall jean jacket, too, because I switched when the weather got cool a few weeks ago. Aware of the risks, I put my keys in my pocket, with my cellphone, and soon my book as well, leaving only my wallet in my jacket. (Lest you think I'm foreshadowing, nothing happened to my wallet, so worry not.) Hanging onto the jacket wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but I didn't want to give up my spot by that point, to go look for a coat check. My feet were beginning to get a little bit sore.
At 8:00, the screen above us suddenly changed. Now it was playing...what looked like the 300th episode of "America's Funniest Home Videos". Without the sound--that was still playing the same music as before, a punk-pop-metal blend that I couldn't fully get behind. "AFV" was at least diverting to watch, rather than the Nth repetition of "Bret Micheals[sic] of Poison, live in concert". As it went on, and on, I began to think that perhaps this was the opening act. Like that Friends episode, where they talk about "the stand-up comedian you have to sit through before Pink Floyd came out". I'd never in my life seen a comedian as an opener for a musician, but maybe this was sort of like that. But no, it just went on(at least without commercials), and I watched most of it except for the "babies spitting up voluminously, ballistically, and/or into their parent's mouths", which I couldn't stomach.
Finally, at about 9:15(my feet were definitely sore by this point), a band came onto the stage. It actually took me about four songs to determine that they were not, in fact, Garbage, which is good, because otherwise I would definitely not have been buying "Bleed Like Me". Well, the lead singer had half-white/half-black hair, but Shirley Manson could've done an image change, right? Anyways, when she began to ask if we were psyched to see Garbage, I began to suxpect that maybe this wasn't Garbage. I was relieved, because I wasn't that enchanted with their music. So I didn't know who they were, but I caught a glimpse of their drum kit as they were leaving the stage, and I Googled some song lyrics, and apparently they were "theSTART". Oh, such whimsical capitalization! Wonder if they get filed under "S" or "T"?
It's now 10:00. I phone Nicole to let her know that far from the concert being over(an early estimate, based on it actually starting at 7:00), only the opening act has played. Some radio personality came on and assured us that Garbage would be on "in a few moments", but it was another 20-odd minutes of roadies hooking up and testing instruments. Seriously sore feet by this point, and the crowd had definitely swelled. I was starting to feel a little claustrophobic, because there were many tall people in front of me, and more people all but pressing into me from the back and sides. I felt like I couldn't move my arms, or take a step, without bumping into someone.
Finally Garbage themselves arrived. Yay! The lights went down, and the claustrophobic feeling receded. They started with "Queer", an instant crowd-pleaser. I could only see them fitfully, because of the tall people--especially the two right in front of me, who obviously knew each other, and kept leaning over to shout into each other's ears, thus blocking off my view of the stage. Shirley Manson had not dyed her hair. Butch Vig was not there--a death in the family, apparently--but they had Matt Chamberlin, whose name even sounded vaguely familiar, so that was all right. Noise was still deafening, but I'm used to that at concerts, even if it's not my preferred way of listening to music.
Their next few songs were all unfamiliar, probably from "Bleed Like Me"...well, I never did a setlist or anything, though a woman near me(with whom I commiserated briefly about tall people)was scrawling them down on her hand. Let me see if I can remember the highlights. They dedicated "Only Happy When It Rains" to New Orleans, which was, sadly, the first I heard of it. I'd heard mention of Hurricane Katrina briefly last week, but hadn't heard more than that. Shirley Manson kept extending the microphone towards us, so we must have been a good crowd. Of course, I always like to sing/shout along with the lyrics when I know them, but it's satisfying to be one of a hundred people all singing out "Pour your misery down on me" at the top of our lungs. It was even more fun, frankly, shouting out "This is not my idea of a good time", when it so obviously a ripping good time nonetheless.
What else did they play..."Stupid Girl", of course, "I Think I'm Paranoid", one I recognized but can't remember(as one of the people next to me said, "It's the ba-ba-ba song!" No "My Lover's Box", no "Untouchable", no "Androgyny", no "Supervixen". They did do "Push It", which was most interesting because of the cute girl who'd pushed her way in from the back who basically danced with me for that song, then thanked me and pusher her way back. ...Whatever. (And now I know what the second line of the chorus is, much easier to make out when it's shouted instead of whispered.) No "The World Is Not Enough", but I wasn't really expecting it.
In the encore, I was quite pleased that they did my new favourite Garbage song, "Cherry Lips(Go Baby Go)", where we the crowd got to sing the backup "Go Baby Go"'s. As a closer...well, there was one of those people holding up a handwritten sign, which I couldn't make out because I was behind him, except that I thought it had a "#" on it. Finally Shirley Manson said that they'd have to play it, and apologized for the drummer because he hadn't rehearsed it(though he did just fine)...and they played "#1 Crush". Which I had totally forgotten about, because it's not an album track, but it was one of the first Garbage songs I heard, and I don't have a copy of it... (I've heard they may be putting out a rarities/B-sides album someday, and I'd be up for that.) And that was it.
But oh my god, my feet were sore, my ears were acclimatized to high decibels and were ringing by the time I got home, and my back was sore--I guess from the unaccustomed standing, or dancing, or something. I didn't try to find the merchandise table or anything, just went home. That was after midnight, and it was at least 1:00 before I unwound enough to get to sleep. And yet here I am typing this up. I was just going to start it before bed and finish it in the morning, but here I am. Oh, well.
Btw, anyone who's been there--is Red's always so late starting? Should I just know to show up two hours later next time? Seriously, that was the most annoying part.
The Garbage concert was at Red's, at West Edmonton Mall. I left about 6:15, because the alleged time for the concert(which I double-checked) was 7:00. I got to the mall about 6:40, and it took me another five minutes to find Red's. I'd never been there before, and had only the vague idea that it was on the north side; I overshot and parked near Bourbon Street, but managed to find a map(which now indicates Wifi locations, btw). There was a fair lineup, which was moving slowly, so I joined it. I had my book(the Sheri S. Tepper one, The Visitor)with me, so it was not that unpleasant, apart from the standing.
When I got to the front, I saw the sign saying "Ticketmaster ticket pickups at parking lot entrance". I asked, and luckily I was able to cut through(up one flight of stairs and down another)to the parking lot entrance, where the lines were fairly short. I waited there for a bit(someone wandered by offering a ticket for half price, and I amused myself thinking maybe it was the person who'd withdrawn the ticket I was originally going to buy...), and finally paid for my ticket--except I didn't get a physical ticket, just confirmation that I'd paid for it, and a little paper wristband as proof. By then it was 7:20, but there didn't seem to be any sense of urgency, so I presumed they were starting late.
I wandered into Red's itself, which is also a restaurant and has bowling alleys and pool tables and stuff. I quickly found the stage. There were a fair few people there, standing or wandering around in the open area between the bar and the stage, or sitting at the few dozen barstools, all of which seemed to be occupied. No sign of anyone I knew, but since I knew so pitifully few people in Edmonton, I wasn't that surprised. There were a bunch of people clustered around railings overlooking the stage, which turned out to be the "all-ages" area. I got myself a ginger ale, drank it, wandered around, chewed the ice cubes, went to the bathroom, and it was 7:45 and still no sign of band. According to the big screen showing ads for future(and recent past)Red's attractions, Garbage was going to attend with "Guests"(or perhaps it was "Special Guests"--always a good name for a band, I thought, right up there with "Various Artists"). I wondered who the opening band was going to be.
I stood around between bar and stage for a while. It was a little bit too dim to read, and I would've felt a little bit self-conscious. I had my jacket with me--my heavy fall jean jacket, too, because I switched when the weather got cool a few weeks ago. Aware of the risks, I put my keys in my pocket, with my cellphone, and soon my book as well, leaving only my wallet in my jacket. (Lest you think I'm foreshadowing, nothing happened to my wallet, so worry not.) Hanging onto the jacket wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but I didn't want to give up my spot by that point, to go look for a coat check. My feet were beginning to get a little bit sore.
At 8:00, the screen above us suddenly changed. Now it was playing...what looked like the 300th episode of "America's Funniest Home Videos". Without the sound--that was still playing the same music as before, a punk-pop-metal blend that I couldn't fully get behind. "AFV" was at least diverting to watch, rather than the Nth repetition of "Bret Micheals[sic] of Poison, live in concert". As it went on, and on, I began to think that perhaps this was the opening act. Like that Friends episode, where they talk about "the stand-up comedian you have to sit through before Pink Floyd came out". I'd never in my life seen a comedian as an opener for a musician, but maybe this was sort of like that. But no, it just went on(at least without commercials), and I watched most of it except for the "babies spitting up voluminously, ballistically, and/or into their parent's mouths", which I couldn't stomach.
Finally, at about 9:15(my feet were definitely sore by this point), a band came onto the stage. It actually took me about four songs to determine that they were not, in fact, Garbage, which is good, because otherwise I would definitely not have been buying "Bleed Like Me". Well, the lead singer had half-white/half-black hair, but Shirley Manson could've done an image change, right? Anyways, when she began to ask if we were psyched to see Garbage, I began to suxpect that maybe this wasn't Garbage. I was relieved, because I wasn't that enchanted with their music. So I didn't know who they were, but I caught a glimpse of their drum kit as they were leaving the stage, and I Googled some song lyrics, and apparently they were "theSTART". Oh, such whimsical capitalization! Wonder if they get filed under "S" or "T"?
It's now 10:00. I phone Nicole to let her know that far from the concert being over(an early estimate, based on it actually starting at 7:00), only the opening act has played. Some radio personality came on and assured us that Garbage would be on "in a few moments", but it was another 20-odd minutes of roadies hooking up and testing instruments. Seriously sore feet by this point, and the crowd had definitely swelled. I was starting to feel a little claustrophobic, because there were many tall people in front of me, and more people all but pressing into me from the back and sides. I felt like I couldn't move my arms, or take a step, without bumping into someone.
Finally Garbage themselves arrived. Yay! The lights went down, and the claustrophobic feeling receded. They started with "Queer", an instant crowd-pleaser. I could only see them fitfully, because of the tall people--especially the two right in front of me, who obviously knew each other, and kept leaning over to shout into each other's ears, thus blocking off my view of the stage. Shirley Manson had not dyed her hair. Butch Vig was not there--a death in the family, apparently--but they had Matt Chamberlin, whose name even sounded vaguely familiar, so that was all right. Noise was still deafening, but I'm used to that at concerts, even if it's not my preferred way of listening to music.
Their next few songs were all unfamiliar, probably from "Bleed Like Me"...well, I never did a setlist or anything, though a woman near me(with whom I commiserated briefly about tall people)was scrawling them down on her hand. Let me see if I can remember the highlights. They dedicated "Only Happy When It Rains" to New Orleans, which was, sadly, the first I heard of it. I'd heard mention of Hurricane Katrina briefly last week, but hadn't heard more than that. Shirley Manson kept extending the microphone towards us, so we must have been a good crowd. Of course, I always like to sing/shout along with the lyrics when I know them, but it's satisfying to be one of a hundred people all singing out "Pour your misery down on me" at the top of our lungs. It was even more fun, frankly, shouting out "This is not my idea of a good time", when it so obviously a ripping good time nonetheless.
What else did they play..."Stupid Girl", of course, "I Think I'm Paranoid", one I recognized but can't remember(as one of the people next to me said, "It's the ba-ba-ba song!" No "My Lover's Box", no "Untouchable", no "Androgyny", no "Supervixen". They did do "Push It", which was most interesting because of the cute girl who'd pushed her way in from the back who basically danced with me for that song, then thanked me and pusher her way back. ...Whatever. (And now I know what the second line of the chorus is, much easier to make out when it's shouted instead of whispered.) No "The World Is Not Enough", but I wasn't really expecting it.
In the encore, I was quite pleased that they did my new favourite Garbage song, "Cherry Lips(Go Baby Go)", where we the crowd got to sing the backup "Go Baby Go"'s. As a closer...well, there was one of those people holding up a handwritten sign, which I couldn't make out because I was behind him, except that I thought it had a "#" on it. Finally Shirley Manson said that they'd have to play it, and apologized for the drummer because he hadn't rehearsed it(though he did just fine)...and they played "#1 Crush". Which I had totally forgotten about, because it's not an album track, but it was one of the first Garbage songs I heard, and I don't have a copy of it... (I've heard they may be putting out a rarities/B-sides album someday, and I'd be up for that.) And that was it.
But oh my god, my feet were sore, my ears were acclimatized to high decibels and were ringing by the time I got home, and my back was sore--I guess from the unaccustomed standing, or dancing, or something. I didn't try to find the merchandise table or anything, just went home. That was after midnight, and it was at least 1:00 before I unwound enough to get to sleep. And yet here I am typing this up. I was just going to start it before bed and finish it in the morning, but here I am. Oh, well.
Btw, anyone who's been there--is Red's always so late starting? Should I just know to show up two hours later next time? Seriously, that was the most annoying part.
