I like my weekends long: Random Springsteen Observations

Today we have a special guest contribution from thesilencesib-ling.  The silence kids took in last Thursday’s Bruce Springsteen concert, but we’ve been laying low due to several outstanding bar tabs that we may or may not have knowingly dashed on.  Here’s what we remember though:

• Catching Springsteen live is like turning on your television and discovering you have free porn.
• The reverend of funk, Clarence Clemons is one unique individual, plays a mean sax.
• Springsteen is still hot at 59-years old.  Probably would have taken the chance to bone him if there was one.
• He could have played a little less from The Rising, considering it’s not very good.
• Tunnel of Love and The Rising could probably battle it out for lamest Boss album.
• During the encore Bruce played a Keltic rock song for over seven minutes.  I fucking hate Keltic rock.
• He closed the night with a rocking rendition of “Glory Days” and I’ve never seen so many white people’s arms flailing about in an audience.
• Thankfully, he didn’t play that Tom Hanks AIDS song.

Thanks to the “sib” for her contribution.  Keep “slappin’ da bass”.

Modestly Social

I have taken in Broken Social Scene in just about every incarnation the collective has ever staged.  I saw a bare bones crew at the Marquee in Halifax that just managed to inspire me (I was arms crossed and nodding

Courtesy of Matthew Field, Flickr

most of the show).  I’ve watched them on Toronto Island with everyone who contributed so much as a fart to their records, all on stage at once. I watched them not really give a fuck at Dundas Square.

Despite the recent lover’s split between Leslie Feist and Kevin Drew, and the former’s subsequent “departure” from the live act; I was moderately excited to see last night’s show at the Sound Academy in Toronto.  Logistically, the Sound Academy is the worst venue I’ve ever been to (obscure bus routes, no cabs after the show, a shuttle (school) bus full of drunk yahoos).  The site’s deficiencies were overlooked once the latest touring lineup of BSS Korged out their first few notes of ambiance.

Throughout the first half of the near 2 and 1/2 hour show a range of the band’s contributors from past and present made appearances.  Jason Collette joined in for some backing vocals and rhythm guitar, James Shaw wandered to and from the stage all night, members of Do Make Say Think were routinely active, and the biggest surprise of all; Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse joined the band to be backed by BSS on “The Good Times Are Killing Me”, “Paper Thin Walls”, and “The World at Large” later on.

Metric front-babe (Goddess of Hotness) Emily Haines joined the band to sing “Anthems For a Seventeen Year-Old Girl” and remained onstage for the majority of the night from then on.

The best shows are the ones that shatter your expectations.  I’m picking up the pieces of mine this morning.

Listen to this today:  Genius/Gza-Liquid Swords

My first favorite collective may have lost some of their cultural relevance over the years, but nothing says true Wu-Tang Clan like the collection of solo releases from the mid to late 90′s.  Liquid Swords was the best of the bunch.

SL