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2004-10-12 - 1:34

Poppin' Thanks

Lots on the go since last I wrote. Last time, I mentioned the Sixtoo/DJ Signify show, for which I now have a review, and the Julie Doiron show, for which I've still got nothin'.

The weekend following those shows was my trip to Montreal with Laurie, which we made a three-day weekend, of sorts. Saturday, we bussed to the city and caught Franz Ferdinand at The Metropolis. Opening up on this Pop Montreal affair were The Evaporators and the Delays.

The Evaporators are Nardwuar's band and, true to form, they were 90% annoying, yet 10% endearing. Anyone who manages to crowd surf his way back towards the stage in time for a keyboard solo deserves some credit. The Delays proved to be a horrible, emasculated British outfit who play entirely soulless music with unjustified cockiness. With Laurie's view of the crowd obstructed, she falsely assumed that the lead singer was a girl.

We managed to move to the front for Franz, though. I got to battle with the crowd a bit, as one obnoxious girl was trying to lead the charge through Laurie. From my angle, I couldn't stem the tide; but I was able to jab her and her friends under the shoulder blades when they eventually shoved through. (I need to upgrade my studded wristband for a sharper model.)

As for the show, I was thoroughly impressed. I had somehow expected Franz Ferdinand to be more staid; but they were ballsy from start to finish.

With the majority of Sunday free, we took in the Biod�me (very impressive), Insectarium (surprisingly boring), and the Botanical Gardens (also great, although October is presumably not its optimal viewing time).

Sunday night, we took in the mighty Magnolia Electric Co., with Field Register and Howie Beck opening. Although locals Field Register failed to make a mark on me, I did appreciate Howie Beck's quirky charm.

I think that Magnolia was a victim of having to live up to my huge expectations; and the set disappointed somewhat. The band was fantastic, with particular praise being earned by the lap steel guitar player and the wild-looking, frizzy-haired electric guitarist. The latter should continue downing Crown Royal straight from the bottle at the stage side before playing, if that is what fuels his blazing leads.

My mild disappointment arose from the staggered pace in the early going of the set and the fact that Jason Molina didn't really start belting out his vocals until about halfway through. That said, everything from "Almost Was Good Enough" onwards was pure gold, including a fine rendition of "Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys."

We bussed home reasonably early on Monday. Although I took the day off work, I ended up doing some coding from home, trying to keep on top of a project that has been kicking my ass lately.

The third concert in as many nights was Alice Cooper at the Civic Centre. This one fulfilled a long-standing gap in my concert history, as I've been a fan of Cooper since I was seven or eight years old. As expected, he was fantastic; and I can't say how much I enjoyed finally seeing a performance of so many songs that I have listened to hundreds of times.

After a couple of days off, concert-wise, the blitz continued with Metallica at the Corel Centre. OCTranspo screwed me (two busses drove by without picking me up); but I still secured a position quite close to the band's rotating stage. Metallica is another childhood fave that I had never seen live; and I have to say that I was extremely impressed. A lengthy set (two-hours-plus), fine song selection, inspired playing, and one of the better Ottawa crowds that I have ever been a part of added to a killer concert (even if everyone else seemingly does hate the band now--oh hell, I haven't even bought the last few albums).

The long weekend was also eventful, as Stacy was visiting us. Although I vetoed the traditional Thanksgiving fare (which I tend not to like) in favour of steaks (which I tend to enjoy rather muchly), it was still a proper holiday of relaxing with friends. Our trip to Gatineau Park was much appreciated, as I had never been to the park while the fall colours were out.

Now I just have to get through an extra-short week, as I'm taking Friday off to hit Toronto for the PJ Harvey concert. Hopefully, work doesn't knock me around too much before then.

J.

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