Saturday, February 26, 2005

So I went to see Moe (indie jam band; I'd never heard of them until i met alan) at the Pagent last night. It wasn't a bad venue. Alan, Crazy Matt, and I sat down in the front, stage left, with a perfect view of all the action. We also had the fortune of obtaining chairs, so we didn't have to stand for the entire night. Ouch, my back recoils at the thought.

As for Moe themselves, I found their music passably palatable. What I liked best was their showmanship. They dominated the stage and worked the crowd with a finesse seldom witnessed in even the most seasoned of bands. Their lighting rig was phenomenal. Splendid. The show, in of itself, was worth attending. I may not buy the concert CD, but I don't feel like my ticket money was wasted.

I recall that there was a man at the concert who spent the entire duration of each set waving a stick over his head. Not a cane. Not a bat or some other piece of equiptment. A stick that looked like it had been ripped off a sapling. I don't know how he kept it up, but every time I looked back at him, he was waving his baton wildly over his head as if to attract the attention of the band.

I noticed that several kids from school attended. At the end of the concert, I noticed a girl exiting the pit whom I have always considered to be tame and disinterestingly docile. What a refreshing shift of perspective! The man behind me remembered me from a dance last semester, during which I spun poi and did glowstick tricks all night. He and his inebriated female companion spent several minutes trying desperately to grasp the fundimentals of raving. Sorry kids. I doubt you'll even remember seeing me, much less remember my tutilage. Stoned out of their minds . . .

My favorite part of the evening was watching Alan in his element. He lives for concerts. He HAS to see them from time to time. I relished seeing him at his most engaged and energetic. The minute we entered the Pagent, he became somewhat of a new man - a seasoned, sagacious, no-nonsense, hemp-clad, headbanging nutcase. He's a freaker. We sat right by the speaker.

Tonight we're going to Keller Williams, same venue. I have higher hopes for Keller than for Moe. Let's see if he lives up to my expectations.

shiny objects