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2007-01-31 - 0:13

Then again, Gene invented breathing

Although things are still fairly quiet on the concert schedule, I did pick up a ticket to see Heaven and Hell, which is the Dio-era incarnation of Black Sabbath. For me, the real Sabbath was the original line-up, with the 1970 through 1973 period marking the greatest peak that any band ever achieved. Nonetheless, I wasn't going to turn down this tour, especially since they're playing Ottawa. I can only make so many concert trips out of the city, so I should support the groups that do come here (and don't just tease us with a gig in a high school cafeteria or an arena slot opening for U2). Plus, Dio seemed like a good guy in the documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, which I recently saw on TV.

On the other hand, when it comes to potential concert trips, it's always interesting to hear the Coachella line-up, which came out in the past couple of weeks. It's now a three-day affair, with headliners of Bj�rk, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the reunited Rage Against the Machine. The Rage show is supposed to be a one-shot deal, so, for me, that's the biggest event of the festival.

Other than that, it is an impressively deep lineup, although a lot of the highlights are either bands that I've already seen or could reasonably expect to see in the future. (Okay, Cornelius might be a long shot for me.) Since I'm supposed to be saving money for the wedding by skipping Coachella again this year, I'm glad that the draw isn't irresistible. (But if anyone is keen on going, you could probably talk me into it; I'm sure that it would be a blast again.)

On a more affordable (if less impressive) note, the Virgin Festival is returning to Toronto again this fall, although I'm more interested in the announced plans to expand to Montreal and Halifax in future years. Assuming that the quality of bands is better than what they've announced so far for the debut of the Vancouver edition, it'd be great if I could plan a trip home around a decent festival.

On the subject of justifying expensive concert trips, I finally got some salary movement at work, getting a restoration from a previous cut that everyone in the company took in crunch time. That was overdue but definitely welcome; and it will certainly help pay for that looming wedding.

Oh, and I should also mention that I saw Pan's Labyrinth on the weekend and thought that it was amazing: an engrossing story with great acting, stunning visuals, and a lot of emotion. Highly recommended, as long as you aren't put off by the violence.

J.

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