I've purchased my ticket and will be spending the Thanksgiving holiday in Stockholm. My glow is back and I couldn't be more excited.

Long time, I know, but a mild and quick update will have to suffice today. I'm finally going to meet Gustaf tonight in Houston. We'll be traveling to Austin, Dallas, back home, and finally New Orleans. I have friends who paint it as if we are going to be engaged by the end of the year, but the truth is, I don't know if there are any of those feelings there. I don't even know if this trip will aide in that subject either. I haven't panicked to a point where I start crying, which usually happens when I'm scared shitless, and that scares me a bit. Not to mention, my own issues with male specimens, I'm paranoid of bad intentions on his part. I think I'm subconsciously trying to push him away because I know that even if a romantic relationship were to ensue, the odds would be greatly against us in the long run.

Who knows...

I attended my cousin Corey's wedding this past weekend, and while it was nice, it made me realize the following (in no particular order):

1) No songs which have some sort of line dance associated with it will be played at my reception, along with country, and Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl." Don't get me wrong, as a brown eyed gal myself, the song is played at just about every damn party/reception/prom I've attended/chaperoned.

2) Kelly & Catholic church weddings don't get along.

3) If I have 5 bridesmaids, not to mention a handful of junior bridesmaids...shoot me.

4) What is it that the groomsmen get to rent their tuxes, while the bridal party pays for all of their dressy stuff?


In other news, I'm working on a short story that has me listening to Spoon's "The Ghost of You Lingers" on repeat. And just my luck, this month's Spin magazine has a small article about sign language interpreters for music festivals. I'm taking it as a sign to feed the literary beast that's waking me up at 4:30am. The ghost of you lingers...and lingers...

Last week didn't end well with the death of one of my kids in Business English. He committed suicide to be blunt, and while the pervasive question of why still sings in my ear, I've decided to make sure that his desk remain empty for the rest of the semester.

I went to his funeral yesterday, but deliberately stayed in the back. I didn't want to see him in the casket and have that be the last image of him glued in my brain. Friday, the class was a wreck to say the least. One could tell that his classmates wanted to express themselves emotionally, but didn't know how to. I'll see them tomorrow, and while I don't know what I can say or do to somehow make things better, I think we'll all have to find a way to "heal" together. I want to thank all of you who left such good thoughts and well wishes. They were very much appreciated.

In other news, my English II kids turned in their rough draft business letters to Arcade Fire this past week. The purpose of the assignment was for them to request that their favorite English teacher, moi of course, be sent some goodies (autographed pictures, maybe a backstage pass or two, Richard Reed Parry knocking on my door with a dozen of tulips, etc. etc.) However, my kids never cease to amaze me with their creativity and blunt honesty. If not the constant singing of "My body is a cage..." that I've been hearing lately by man of them (I used the song to teach poetry last week), it is someone asking for a cd. Here are some bits and pieces of the work turned into me:

-- "My teacher really loves you guys and whatever my teacher wants, I will try my best to get no matter what it takes. I only want to see her happy."

-- "Ms. Thompson told us about the time she snuck backstage, looking tacky, and really had a good time with ya'll."

-- "Whoever writes your songs is a lyrical genius."

-- "If we were to meet you and she couldn't, she would probably cry all day long. She is in love with one person in particular, but I forgot his name."

-- "Thank you for reading my letter. I would also like to ask for at least some backstage passes for my teacher so I can get an A in her class."

-- "I feel a connection to the song sung by the woman. The song had to do with liking the backseat..." (In reference to "In the Backseat" sung by Regine Chassagne.)

-- "I don't want my teacher going to jail for sneaking backstage."

-- "The other day she told us the story bout how she snuck backstage at one of your concerts. It sounded like a pretty die hard story if you ask me."

-- "My teacher, Ms. Thompson, is crazy about you guys. I think you should let her get on stage with you guys."

-- "I think Arcade Fire should come jam down here in the south instead of staying in the north all the time."

-- "She has showed us pictures of some of the concerts she's gone to. She told us "My Body Is a Cage" is one of the songs she never got to see live and that she wishes she could see."

-- "Ms. Thompson gets quiet worked up over you guys. She was giving a lecture about her experience about meeting the band and members, so she could get the point across for the assignment. While she was telling this experience, I and others could see the joy on her face. She has said that she could be having the most gloomy day, but after putting on "Wake Up," she knows that everything will be ok. (Later in the letter this student wrote) Teachers do a lot for us, and it's time students give back."

Yesterday I was told that my student who attempted suicide was moved to a bigger room in the hospital and that he was getting better. Last night his heart failed. My English II kids were so great in that they brought me tissues and were there to provide a comforting hug/moment if needed. I brought my seniors to the auditorium where grief counselors were waiting in case anyone wanted to talk. The counselors were asking if I needed to talk, but I'm more concerned about them. We didn't do anything today in 3rd block to say the least.
All day I asked my kids who normally sit where he sat to leave his chair empty. It will remain empty next week also during state testing.

A student from my Business English class attempted suicide the other day and as of now, he's in stable condition, but it could go either way from what I heard yesterday. We're (teachers) are always told to pay attention to certain warning signs, but he didn't possess any in my class. He didn't fit into the mold whatsoever, and while I originally thought it may have been alcohol or drug related, his friends are saying that he was in a right frame of mind. He was supposed to give a presentation the other day, but today two of his classmates asked to give his presentation for him. It almost brought me to tears.

I had a dream this past Sunday night that had me out of my bed and in tears at 5am. Upon reflection, I realized that I wasn't involved in the dream, but rather, it was my cousins two daughters who don't understand the full grasp of what their mother has done to them. (Previous journal entry might help to clarify the situation.) Thankfully, Gustaf called me and I was able to vent my anger out on a balcony at 5:30am.
Today I called my mother who has taken a week off to help out my cousin by watching the two girls while he tries to set up a daycare schedule. While on the phone, my mom told Taylor, the oldest of the girls, that "Kelly" was on the phone. (I share the same name as their mother.) Taylor began our seconds long conversation with, "Hi Mommy!" It was a grim reminder that their mother took her illegitimate son, picked up the boyfriend at the Lafayette airport, and is now in California, hoping to get custody of the girls during the summer.
If I've learned anything in life is that what comes around goes around, and that while karma is beautiful in nature, it is also known to bite you in the ass. I shudder to think of what those girls will feel when they truly understand what has been done to them and their father.

I saw There Will Be Blood this past Sunday and can say that Daniel Day-Lewis gives one of the best damn performances I've seen for a long time! If the man doesn't win an Oscar, then there is no justice in this world. Paul Dano's performance was just as riveting, but I want to see the movie again, just for the stellar performances.

I also saw Atonement today, and even though I read the book and knew how it would end, the movie affected me in a strange way to say the least. I don't want to mention anything for fear of spoiling the ending/plot. I want to see this one again too, but am waiting for a few of my friends to finish the book. (Hint hint: hurry up Stacey & Linda!) Keira Knightley's performance inspired me, and I will blame all that is subliminal in that I went to the Chanel counter at Dillard's today with the want to purchase one lipstick, but ended up getting my favorite kind in 3 colors. While contemplating between Violet Sapphire and Ruby Lite, Keira's face stared me down at the counter and somehow convinced me to throw in Nude Topaz as well. That's $32 a pop ladies and gents, and if the sales lady gets paid commission, I'm her new favorite customer I'm sure. I can say that while I'm not crazy about Chanel's perfumes, I do love me some Ultra Wear Lip Colour!

Both movies are completely different, but at this moment, I can't choose which one I like more.

Over a year ago I found out that my cousin and his wife were having a few marital problems. They were the kind of couple I idolized in that they were married for at least 5 years before they even considered having kids. (This was when I thought I wanted kids.) I don't know all of the factors that led up to this, but basically my cousin's wife got a Myspace page and ended up having an affair with a guy she would fly to meet in California whom she met on the site.
I saw the profile of "Beau" and will be flat out honest in that he's not much of a looker, unless you like that dried up wannabe rock band member in his 40's with long black hair, and a fugly face that screams that he doesn't use sunscreen. It angered me because my cousin knew what was going on, but to spare the family some drama, he only told my mom what was going on.
When she revealed she was pregnant, I knew that the kid was for "Beau," and while she didn't know that I saw his Myspace page, when she told me that she was thinking of the name "Beau," it angered me to say the least. (She ended up giving the kid a different name.)
For the past few months everything was fine for them. It seemed as if the tension between them had faded around the holidays and that they were going to try and make it work out. However, last night, I found out that they had been divorced since last March! My cousin's ex had plans to take the kids to California with "Beau," and she expected my cousin to just roll over and be cool about it! My mom told my cousin to get a lawyer and after a tussle with both of the grandmother's, my ex-cousin-in-law can't leave St. Landry parish without my cousin's permission. The two are due in court later on this month.


A few months ago I started writing a story called "The First Song." It's part of my short story collection, 12 Songs, and is based off of the Band of Horses song by the same name. I used the situation my cousins are in as the main inspiration. The story was just about complete, but now I am aching to finish it over the Mardi Gras break. Speaking of Band of Horses, this Monday they'll be rocking out Baton Rouge, and yours truly has tickets!

Tonight is my friend Jenny's 30th birthday party. It being a costume party, we are being told to come as our favorite movie character. Linda, Alicia, and I visited Old Vogue the other day to find costumes for the party. Linda will be a flapper, Alicia, Ophelia, and as for me...after trying out some colonial digs with some not so great results, I decided to just go with gut instinct/first choice - Margot Tenenbaum from one of my favorite movies, The Royal Tenenbaums. I rented a dirty blonde wig, and a fake fur shawl. I figured because I can't get a Lacoste dress, I'll just dress her up a bit with a black dress skirt and shirt. Margot will be even more morose than she already is when I get through with her. I had trouble seeing what kind of kicks she wears, and while I have a brand new pair of Anne Klein loafers, I will pull an non-Margot move and wear some cute Mary Jane heels I purchased instead.
Today I'm going to get some black kohl eyeliner, and as for the cigarettes she's constantly smoking, I bummed one off of Dave, a dude Linda, Alicia, and I met when we ate dinner at Artmosphere later on that night. Dave overheard some of our teacher stories and, being drunk off of his ass, told us that we are great for being educators and thinks that we should have the kids exchange their guns and brass knuckles for LSD and pot. It was rather interesting to say the least...

My friends and I rang in 2008 with a No Reservations (I love Anthony Bourdain!) marathon and cheap wine/champagne. I just had small sample sips because that stuff was so rank, but did enjoy come caffeine free coffee while my friends partook in boxed wine and played a drinking game to The Golden Girls. I’m not really a “hit the town and party” kind of person, so it was nice just chilling in my grubbies with my friends.

As much as I despise resolutions for the New Year, I think I’m gung-ho about it this year because I think some of my goals are actually attainable. So here are a few of my goals for 2008:

1) Only weigh myself once a month and rely more on pant size/clothing fit. (Linda will be responsible for hiding the scale.) I told myself months ago that when I could fit into a certain size I would get a tattoo on my wrist of a drawing from the lyric packet from Arcade Fire’s “Funeral” album. I hit that goal in November, but never got the tattoo. It’s not that I’m scared; I just want to see how much further I can push myself. So now I’m thinking when I hit a size 8/10 I’ll permanently mark myself. To know that I was a 22/24 at my highest and presently rock out a 14 is one of the best feelings in the world.

I’m proud of myself to be honest and even though I relaxed on the 1st with the regime, I’m learning to take it one day at a time, which is something I needed to learn for a long time. My “all or nothing” attitude still haunts me, but I now know how to compensate and make healthier choices.

2) Finish my collection of short stories, 12 songs, before the end of April. Some stories just need some finishing touches, while others are still baffling me. If anyone would like to critique them, please do let me know. I still lack confidence in my writing, which is something I also need to work on.

3) Learn to be more patient. (This is something I am severely crossing my fingers for, but every damn website I find offering tips is something tied to religion which immediately makes me proud of my Dr. House tendencies. To quote my friend Delaine, “Fuck that shit!”)

4) Read more books. My school is starting a reading program where the kids will have to silently read for the first 15 minutes of second block. I think it’s great in that it will allow me to read too. I already have a poster set up and will post pictures of the book I’m reading at the time.

5) Gustaf. We’ve been dancing around that circle long enough…

I'm 3 pounds away from my goal for the year of 2007. I confidently know that I'm going to hit it, and maybe even have a lower number than the one I originally set for myself. To reward myself, my Christmas present to myself this year will be some REAL workout/yoga clothes from prAna.com. While some parts aren't so svelte just yet, I plan on purchasing a workout tank.
A few weeks ago I bought a pair of jeans that were a little tighter than I originally anticipated and wore them last weekend. Thinking they were too damn tight for my own good, Linda told me that they were perfect. "No offense Kelly, but your other jeans aren't so flattering if you know what I mean." Note to self - if it's loose, it's not so good. It's hard to get used to because I've always worn clothes that were loose in order to feel comfortable. However, I will admit that it felt so damn good rocking out those jeans. I don't like to toot my own horn, but I don't even remember the last time I was this size (high school maybe.)

Yesterday I took my kids on a field trip to the Zoo of Acadiana, and while most of them grubbed out to some pizza and other not-so-good foods at Siciliy's Italian Buffet, I stuck with the salad bar and brought my own salad dressing and some organic cashews. And while the spinach pizza was rather tempting, I just kept thinking of my goal. I would rather reward myself at the end of the day with a sugar free vanilla latte than something I'll feel guilty about later on, especially knowing that I'm so close to my goal. It's sad that a $24,000 surgical procedure is what made me finally see the light, but I can honestly say that it has forever changed the way I live my life.

Hello dahlings! If anyone wants one of my lovely eco-friendly Christmas cards please do drop me you address at Kellmeister04@yahoo.com

In 2001 when I was in my last semester of Anthropology at UL, I took a class called Primitive Religions. Our main research project was to take a religious ritual and investigate/report on it. My grandmother died, so I did my project on a Catholic funeral. It was during those days that I noted that funerals are really reunions.

I attended a funeral this past weekend of a guy I graduated high school with, and it saddened me to realize that it had been 10 years since I had seen a lot of these people I knew in high school. (I also graduated with his wife and we are second cousins if memory serves me correct.) I saw the first boy I ever had a crush on again, along with my first “boyfriend” even though I was always too shy to speak to him when we were in middle school.

No one should ever have a reunion like that, and I felt guilty in that I enjoyed getting to know these people all over again, considering that someone, in a sense, died for that to happen in the first place.

Last night I tried a Nigella Lawson recipe for sweet potato soup, and it was da bomb! I won't be able to eat it every week due to the fact that the two main ingredients have a high glycemic number on the index according to South Beach, but with the weather getting colder, it was nice to have something so warm and comforting.

Today is the last day of before the Thanksgiving holiday - can I get a HELLZ YEAH! I'm sure I'll be asked to bring desserts to the Thanksgiving celebration, but I'm still intending on following through with my exercises. The 27th will be the one year anniversary of my surgery, and to quote Radiohead, "every day in every way I get better and better." Plus, I'm looking forward to getting some writing done. I have so many ideas I want to work with and all I need is the actual time to sit down and get them out of me.

Finally, in my Business English class, we have been doing a unit on job interviews. Yesterday I gave them an article about the 10 indicators that you may need to quit your job. I told them that while there are some days I wonder what was wrong with me in not going to grad or law school, overall, I LOVE my job. I smile knowing that at 4:50am I have a pot of coffee waiting for me. I love going in at 6:25 to get a head start on the day. I love that even though I'm the little fish in the big pond that is NISH, at the end of the day, I haven't been this happy with my career in a long time. I know that high won't be there forever, but for now, I'm more than content.

One final thought - the new Radiohead album kicks ass!

Do You Voodoo – Part 1: I Spent $120 To See Spoon and None Of Their Merch Was For Sale!

New Orleans' annual Voodoo Music Festival was one that I had yet to experience, but when I found out that Spoon would be one of acts performing, I knew that I would purchase a 3 day pass just to see them rock out the crescent city.
Don't get me wrong, I was looking forward to seeing M.I.A., Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Smashing Pumpkins, and Wilco, but Britt Daniel and the rest of Spoon was my numero uno priority when it came to Voodoo. To make the trip even better, my friend and fellow Britt lover, April, was flying down from Los Angeles with her friend Karina for the festival also. It was almost as if the stars aligned and craziness would ensue! Mandy was going to drive in from Mississippi, and Linda recruited our friend, and fellow teacher, Alicia, to take the adventure with us.
This year, the festival started on a Friday instead of the usual Saturday, and because of our jobs, I realized that I was going to miss both M.I.A. and B.R.M.C. Sad, but not shedding major tears over it, I knew that my main reason for taking the trip in the first place was to see my future husband and the rest of men who will serve in the wedding rock out the Playstation/Billboard stage on Saturday at 6:30pm.
Thursday night I was checking my Myspace page before going to bed and, as if a voice whispered it into my year, I decided to visit Spoon's page to see if any changes were made. Looking at the calendar with a smile on my face, I noticed underneath their date for Voodoo ANOTHER NEW ORLEANS SHOW WAS GOING TO HAPPEN AFTER THEIR VOODOO PERFORMANCE! I ran down the hallway screaming at the top of my lungs, "OH MY GOD!" I nearly gave Linda a heart attack, but caught my second wind as I told her about the show. The ticket money was going to go to an organization that helps out New Orleans musicians affected by Katrina, and at twenty bucks a pop, I knew I would have easily shelled out another hundred just to be in the same room as Britt Daniel. I tried to purchase tickets, but they weren't available for sale online. I then tried calling One Eyed Jacks, and left a message, hoping I would get some news in the morning. Nothing. Determined and hell bent on scoring some tickets, I called April, who had arrived in the city earlier that day, and spread the news that our future husband was going to be seeing us twice in the same night. I asked her to swing by the venue to see if any information was available. No information was available. I was beginning to think that some cruel ass prank was being played on my weary and tired Britt Daniel lust filled heart.
The next morning, April sent me a text confirming that no information was known. I called One Eyed Jacks again, and also got my hands on the phone number for the organization the ticket money was going to. My Friday lunch period and most of my free period was spent calling various numbers, asking for any information available pertaining to the show. Finally, I got in contact with Jeff of the New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund (www.nomrf.org) and he confirmed that the show was going to start at 1am Sunday morning and that tickets would be sold at the door. He mentioned that the band was really cool and was grateful that they were willing to help out the organization. I told him that Spoon are truly are some of the coolest guys I've ever met after admitting that my main reason for going to Voodoo in the first place was to see them. I was tempted to see if he could hook me up with some backstage passes, but thought better of it. Happiness in my heart, I walked back onto the campus with my mind set on scoring tickets the next day.
Linda, Alicia, and I left New Iberia after decorating Alicia's vehicle with window markers around 4pm. Our trip to New Orleans was pretty pleasant, but nothing major occurred. I expressed my history with a particular blond haired musician with all of the times I met him and all of the lines that came out of my mouth with such encounters.
FLASHBACK! (Cue the time warp music.) Omaha, Nebraska. 2005. Picture taken. A hug - Britt's sweat on me. Upon meeting Britt Daniel again later on, "You're the only man I wouldn't kick out of my bedroom for using improper English."
Reading trash magazines and trying not to scare Alicia to a point where she would drop our asses off on the side of the highway and regret ever thinking of the words "roadtrip with Kelly and Linda," we made our way into the city later on that night and decided to grab a bite to eat in the French Quarter before going to our hotel room. I established that I wanted to swing by One Eyed Jacks before checking in to see if any updates were made in regards to the Spoon show. I felt a bit like an idiot strolling in with my New Iberia Senior High Homecoming shirt and dress pants on, but still, no new information was available.
We checked into our hotel and it didn't take long for us to settle in for a good night. However, while checking in, Linda started chatting with some drunk dumbass who was hanging around the check in desk. He was in town for Voodoo, and knowing Linda and her penchant for chatting with total strangers, Alicia and I wanted nothing more than to just crawl into our pajamas and go to sleep. Leaving Linda to her own devices, we grabbed a card key and hauled it to the room.
The next morning, Alicia and I awoke before the crack of dawn and wanted to get in a workout at the hotel gym. However, when we found out that the gym was actually seven blocks down at another business, we decided to just walk around the block for thirty minutes. It was nice, and the weather was absolutely perfect. Knowing that Linda was still konked out, we decided to just walk to Mother's Restaurant down Poydras street for some breakfast.
We didn't plan on going to Voodoo until the early afternoon, so we chilled out a bit at the hotel and awaited Mandy's arrival. After catching up, we grabbed a bite to eat before heading out to City Park. All day I had been nervous to a point where I felt nauseous. The city had weather which I've never experienced in New Orleans, so I thought that maybe the cold winds were having an extra affect on me, but I had my usual anticipation nerves which were amplified for some reason. (I'll now state that the idea of being less than 10 feet from Britt Daniel contributed to it.)
I also resigned myself to giving up Ghostland Observatory, who was going on at the same time, in order to see Spoon. While I was wishing the situation were different, I knew that Britt Daniel and company would win out the battle of the live acts.
After making our way into the grounds of City Park, we perused the merch booth, which was a bit lackluster when it came to the bands that were playing that weekend. However, the official Voodoo merch tent was filled with a variety of things for sale. It paled in comparison to the wondrous land of merchandise available for sale from both the actual festival and acts performing at Austin City Limits.
I went with Mandy to the Playstation/Billboard stage because she wanted to see Motion City Soundtrack and Coheed and Cambria whom were both going to be performing before Spoon. I figured I'd suffer for love if I had to, and if I could wait eight hours at ACL for Arcade Fire, then four to six hours wouldn't be anything when it came to Spoon.
The first band I saw was Motion City Soundtrack. While they were entertaining, I wouldn't label myself a fan. The fans weren't too annoying and I knew that most of them would stick around for Coheed and Cambria. Feeling confident that I was going to get that prime, sweet spot in at the barrier in front of the stage, I was somewhat content with their set.
However, Coheed and Cambria just didn't do anything for me. I accept the fact that I placed myself in the danger zone so to speak in terms of possible mosh pits and crowd surfing, but what aggravated me more were the scenester fans. I felt like an adult because I was the only fucking one in the crowd! I did confess to being there for Spoon, and only Spoon, so I wasn't too impressed with their set. I did see Jim Eno putting together his drum kit off aside the stage. I figured that if he looked my way, I'd wave, but alas, no such luck.
I'll be short and sweet in that I was involved in at least five mosh pits and there was far too much crowd surfing for an hour band. I almost got kicked in the face at one time or another, and I'll admit, when the person was being sent my way, I'd grab onto them and basically try to draw blood with my nails. I'll say that the fans loved C&C, but I kept counting down, song by song and checking my phone, anxiously awaiting for the reason I even came to Voodoo in the first place.
Finally! After a close to unbearable hour of moshing and crowd surfing, the crowd dispersed and I found my sweet, beautiful spot right smack dab at the barrier in front of Eric "Scruff" Harvey's station on stage. I called April and gave her my location and saw the band set up their equipment. When Britt walked onstage with a sweater over his usual button down shirt, I couldn't help but have a pang of giddiness. A few audience members started cheering, and while I wasn't verbally screaming, inside, I was a melting in a fondue pot of Britt goodness.
Mandy ended up getting to the front and while the crowd wasn't as packed as the previous two ones, there was still a great fucktard free crowd there. (Linda later told me that right after Ben Harper's set ended, most of the crowd hauled it to the stage where Spoon played.
Before long, a radio spokesperson came out and introduced Spoon. The band walked out onstage and I, filled with nervous excitement, began screaming like the rabid fan that I am.
"My Little Japanese Cigarette Case" was the first song, and it was nice to be able to move around and sing along to my favorite Spoon songs. The set was mixed, but I knew that a lot of the older songs would be played at the One Eyed Jacks show. One thing that I always love about Spoon's sets is that they are varied and just about every album is represented at one point or another. I knew that Girls Can Tell wouldn't be as represented as Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, but still, any Spoon song will make Kelly a happy girl.



My highlight though was, without a doubt, "The Ghost of You Lingers." I didn't record it because I got it when the band performed it at ACL last month, but I regretted it this time because the song takes on a different feel at night, and the cold weather only added onto the mystique and pain that is the song. The song is amazing live – especially when Jim Eno rolls in with the drums.



I did, however, miss the fact that the horn section that was present at ACL wasn't helping Spoon to rock out the Voodoo stage. Still, I enjoyed myself to no end. I didn't want the show to end, but when Britt mentioned that they would be playing at One Eyed Jacks at 1am, I knew that even though Spoon's set was almost done, the night was just getting warmed up.
The band ended with "Anything You Want," and as the band walked off stage, I asked one of the security guards if they could possibly score a setlist for me. When the man denied me, I kindly screamed at the stage crew for one, but the toolshed didn't even bother to get one of the four available for me. I waited for a few minutes, hoping that the fact that only a few Spoon fans were sticking around would help me. However, five minutes of waiting with a bunch of Tiesto fans left me empty handed.
I met up with Mandy a few minutes later and I found out that Linda and Alicia didn't even stay at Voodoo as long as they originally intended to. Mandy told me that Linda wasn't feeling good, and I began to get the feeling that it would be a party of one attending the second Spoon show. Before leaving, I slapped down $30 to have some amateur tarot card reader tell me that I was supposed to get married at the age of 27. (I'm currently 28.) I was going to have two children. (I can't stand kids.) Then, she mentioned that they would be stepchildren. I was going to be traveling sometime in June or July of next year. (Finally, she was right, however, I don't consider Montreal to be a "tropical" location.)
Disappointed that I wasted my money on that hack, I left with Mandy. We walked out of City Park and waited for Linda to come and pick us up. However, right before Linda pulled up to pick us up, Chuck the Drunk and his friend jumped into the back of Alicia's car! Mandy and I were wondering what the fuck Linda was doing.
Seconds later, Linda pulled up and told me I had to drive. I was pissed off because there was no way we could all fit into a car. "It's not my fault!" was all that was coming out of Linda's mouth when she explained that Chuck gave her twenty dollars to drive both he and his friend back to our hotel.
I was pissed because I would have told the cop next to the car that I wanted them out of my vehicle and told them to take the money and get a damn cab back to the hotel. On the drive back, I was pissed to no extent, and if one wants to piss me off even more, they should try to crack some jokes. I knew that I would be going to One Eyed Jacks alone by now, and just wanted to get to the hotel and take another shower to wash the grime that was Coheed and Cambria fans off of me.
We returned to the hotel and I began to prepare for my night out. Alicia and Mandy were tired from the day, and I figured that because Linda wasn't feeling well, I would just have a cab bring me to One Eyed Jacks and afterwards, have one bring me back to our hotel.
I called April and we arranged to meet up at the venue after I aired out some of my frustrations. All I could stomach was almonds because I was too nervous to eat anything. My heartbeat elevated to a point where I felt as if I had just did a cardio workout. Trying to calm myself down, but with no avail, I woke Linda up and waited for her to get ready.
We walked out of the hotel around 11:00pm and after driving through horrific traffic, Linda and I stopped at Café du Monde for some coffee and beignets. I called April to tell her that I was on my way, but she confirmed that One Eyed Jacks told her the show was going to be pushed back to 1:30/2:00am. April and Karina were going to warm up for the show at The Absinthe House down Bourbon. I was offered a chance to go and get my drink on, but because of my empty and nervous stomach, I was planning on settling for coffee. Sitting down, I noticed that our neighbor looked just like Carlos D from Interpol! Thinking that my eyes were playing tricks on me, I brushed it off. No way would Carlos D be dressed up like an aviator for Halloween either. I did tell Linda who I thought our neighbor was, but we figured that if Interpol were on tour, then there was no way it was Carlos D. Stating that one of us would have to check the band's tour page, the Carlos D look-alike and his female companion began to leave. Linda busted out, "Has anyone ever told you that you look like Carlos D from Interpol?" Apparently the aviator didn't hear Linda's question.
I called April to see what time she and Karina would be walking into One Eyed Jacks, and we arranged to meet up around 12:30. Linda, not feeling too well, decided that she would miss out on Spoon and dropped me off at One Eyed Jacks. I was glad that I had the numbers of at least six cab companies in my pocket. Still nervous, I waited in a line that had already started inside of the venue. Still not knowing what was really going on, I asked the girls in front of me if they were waiting in line for Spoon. After confirming it, it didn't take long for April and Karina to show up. Excited, and ready for Spoon, April stated that it was her goal to "get the teacher drunk" It was going to be an interesting Sunday morning to say the least…

ugh! So, Bobby Jindal won the governor's race with 53% of the state's primary vote. Besides the fact that the man gives me the heebie jeebies when he speaks, (his face doesn't move at all) Linda jokes that he is the new Hitler. (what the bleep?) Anyho, here's to 4 more years of corruption, honestly, Jindal can't say shit about everyone else considering his record for starting shit he can't finish, and decisions which will most probably help the upper class.

Finally after seeing and failing to meet them (3 times to be exact,) I FINALLY MET INTERPOL! I can now die a happy music fanatic.

efore even finding out the entire Austin City Limits schedule, I knew that whatever day Arcade Fire would be playing would be my camp out day at Zilker Park. The band would be gracing the AMD stage, but before we arrived at the park, Greg and I stopped at a CVS pharmacy to pick up some supplies for the day. Food cannot be brought into Zilker Park, but I knew that I wasn't going to leave my spot in order to visit the Stubb's food vendor. Instead, I purchased a box of peanut butter protein bars to hold me over. I also had to purchase a new memory card in order to get more pictures and videos (which I fully intended on using for Arcade Fire.)
Once we arrived, Greg and I purchased two more bottles of water each and staked out the AMD stage. The first band of the day wasn't going to go on for about another hour, but the stage was already getting lined up at the barricade. Curious, I asked the people around me whom they were there to see, and every one of them was waiting for Arcade Fire. I figured I wouldn't have a problem spending my day with a bunch of AF fans like myself. Greg stayed with me for a few minutes before heading out to enjoy the rest of the festival.
Because my scalp was burned to a shade of a tomato from not protecting it the previous day, I brought and used a straw hat that Sarah said I could have. I felt funny wearing it, but Greg said that the hat suited me well. Earlier that week I also purchased a pair of prescription sunglasses to make my trip more enjoyable. It was nice to see the bands with clear vision rather than the astigmatism that screws with me a lot.
The first band up was Sound Team. They had a good sound, but I couldn't really get into them. The band did have a strong following though, and it was nice knowing that they had fans to make up for the enthusiasm us Arcade Fire fans weren't showing.
As soon as Sound Team was finished, I sat down and chilled out while the next act, Paolo Nutini, was setting up. There were a lot of women lining up to see the twenty- year old Scottish singer. I started chatting with a college student who drove in from New Orleans. She commented me on my Neville Longbottom t-shirt and we ended up talking about the final installment of the Harry Potter series.
With five minutes left to go until Nutini was to appear on stage, everyone started standing up. There was so much estrogen in the audience, it was smothering. I saw a variety of age groups waiting for him to come out on stage. The theme from Rocky came over the speakers, and the audience went spastic. Soon, Nutini ran onstage and started his set. I won't lie - I was pretty excited about seeing him live and did enjoy his performance quiet a bit. However, I wasn't enjoying it as much as the ladies around me were. When Nutini admitted that he was rather hot (the temperature hit 95 degrees that day) the girl from New Orleans shouted, "TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRT!" This got a few cheers from the audience. Overall, I did think Nutini was a nice surprise to the day. I thought that my mom would like him, so I decided that I would purchase his cd for her the next day.



After Nutini finished his set, I tried to sit down, but couldn't because of the rush of fans for the next act on the AMD stage – Blue October. Now, before I get flack for what I'm about to say, let me just state this. I didn't see one act so far that I honestly didn't enjoy to some extent. I had no idea that Blue October is from Austin, so the audience was pretty packed to say the least. I tend to be the music fan that connects to music that makes me feel. I can say that while I am not a fan of Blue October, and have yet to be converted, they did have a good performance. Their fans were singing along and shouting the lines back to the band. Plus, the blue, green, and red violins, along with their player, were awesome to watch.
The Arcade Fire crew and I would clap at the end of a song and show our appreciation, but we were basically saving our vocal chords for Arcade Fire. While some of the fans around me looked as if they were contemplating eating a gun, I figured, it I could be listening to some band that blew chunks in that moment, so I wasn't about to complain. I knew that the way I love Arcade Fire was the way that Blue October's fans loved them. Just a few more hours, and all of us fans would be able to have our moment in time.
After Blue October ended their set, I couldn't even think about sitting down. Arctic Monkeys were next on the lineup, and while my back and bladder was starting to kill me because of my standing up for so long. I kept leaning against the barrier, hoping to all things sacred that my bladder and back would hold out just a little while longer. It was hard to try and not drink any water because I was dying of thirst, but my bladder was also aching for release.
Trying to focus on Arcade Fire and how it was too soon for me to just puss out and walk away, I crossed my legs and hoped for the very best. I kept giving myself the pep talk of how long I waited, and how I couldn't back out now, in this vital and critical period where any desperate fan would be more than willing to run me over to get my spot.
I was looking forward to seeing the Arctic Monkeys, ironic, considering that I never considered myself a huge fan of theirs. To be honest, I wanted a distraction from my raging bladder and aching back, and if four British men could do that for me, who was I to complain? Andrew Bird was now in his set, and while I love the guy and his violin, he just wasn't cutting it for me in those moments. I saw white flags with a red cross on them being flown around by various fans and was wondering what the bleep was going on. I remembered thinking - I thought the Monkeys were from England. I got the flag representing England with the United Kingdom flag. I foolishly believed that the fans were waving around Switzerland flags. Their fans were very enthusiastic, but I couldn't dog it considering what I was currently putting myself through in order to be close for Arcade Fire.
There was a girl behind me who traveled from Chicago to see the Arctic Monkeys at ACL. It turned out that she too was a high school teacher! I also ended up over-hearing the conversation of a couple that are huge Monkeys devotees. The guy confessed that during Austin's annual South by Southwest festival, he pretended to be a newspaper writer in order to get into a sold out Arctic Monkeys show. He admitted that the easiest place to get into is Stubb's Having no same, he admitted that the worker told him that he could only get one press pass for the show, and the guy ended up hanging out with the band backstage. It all brought back memories of he Arcade Fire Sneak In Crew and I in Berkeley at the beginning of June. I relished in those thoughts, knowing that in three hours, I would feel that peace that comes from the music that only Arcade Fire can provide me.
The Arctic Monkeys did a great job to say the least. I was rather impressed with them, and did move around quiet a bit to take my mind off of my bladder pains. The crowd became tighter and tighter, and while I was anxiously awaiting Arcade Fire, I still didn't feel as if I had hit a homerun waiting wise. It didn't begin to hit me that I was moments away from Arcade Fire until I saw the stage crew begin to set up the stage for them.



I honestly didn't think that the audience would get the full on show I that saw in Berkeley earlier this year. However, the circular screens and light poles were being set up. When I saw the deep red fabric draped over the back of the stage, I began to get more nervous and excited. Not to mention, the helmets hanging on the left side of the stage made me giddier by the minute.
I asked the fans who had been waiting with me all day if they were the kind of fans who sing along to every song and dance as if it were their last night on Earth. After getting positive news from both my left and right, I knew that the recipe was perfect for a great Arcade Fire experience.
The boy next to me was hoping to hear "The Well and the Lighthouse" and "Neighborhood 1 (Tunnels)." I was looking forward to "Neighborhood 2 (Laika)" among others.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was at the AT&T Blue Room stage, and while I love CYHSY, I was anxious for their set to be over so that way Arcade Fire could do what they were put on this planet to do. As soon as their last song ended, all of us Arcade Fire fans knew that it was only a matter of seconds until the AMD stage would end the Saturday night with the group that would make me consider emptying out my savings account, live in my vehicle while I follow them around the country, and possibly have a restraining order or two put out against me.
We began by doing a ten second countdown and when we reached one…no Arcade Fire. All of us fans began screaming and shouting for them to come on out, and slowly but surely, we were being tortured. Then all of a sudden, one side of the audience began bellowing out shouts of "ARCADE!" and all of the fans (myself included) on the left responded with "FIRE!"
"ARCADE!"
"FIRE!"
"ARCADE!"
"FIRE!"
After about a minute of going back and forth with each other, the video of the female televangelist began to come onto the circular screens. I watched the video, still in awe, at what I was about to witness. The band started their set with "Black Mirror" and me and my fellow fanatics began singing along with the band. The next song was "Keep the Car Running" and it was a perfect follow up to the first song. The mega fans and I didn't really sing along, but rather shouted along with the band. I think it came to a point where we scared some of the security and press people with our shouting and singing along. Some of the photographers even took pictures of the audience!
Next came "Neighborhood 2 (Laika)," which I recorded. However, due to the fact that any viewer will hear me shouting along to the song rather than actually hear the band sing it, I chose not to post the video on YouTube. I recorded the video primarily to get my favorite percussionists Richard Reed Parry and Will Butler in action when it came to possibly climbing the scaffolding and banging the shit out of something/anything. Alas, there wasn't a huge spectacle of percussion, but I did rather enjoy seeing them go it with.



"No Cars Go" and "Haiti" followed, and I just had to get the later on video. Regine busted out some new dance moves that made me ever the more excited to be getting it on video. I made it my goal to learn the said dance moves for the next time I would be graced with the awesomeness that is Arcade Fire. I was even happier hearing the audience sing along with the band during the chorus, myself included.
"Intervention" was the next song played, and while I knew it was going to be played, I didn't expect it to be so early on in the set. It was gorgeous to say the least, and with each song, I noticed that my bladder was the last thing on my mind with each little four-minute slice of happiness that was one song after another. Next came "(Antichrist Television Blues)" which is a song that has grown on me ever the more since I've seen it live. However, what made the song a highlight for me was when Regine was bouncing around the stage, and she ended up crawling underneath the keyboards and as the fans and I sang along I had a "pinch me" moment. As I was singing along to the song, Regine was looking right at me, AND WE WERE SINGING THE SONG TO EACH OTHER! It was fucking amazing! Not one to engage in a staring contest, I just threw my arms at her and waved like a kid trying to stop an ice cream truck.
Just when I thought the night couldn't get better, the opening notes of "Windowsill" started. It's one of my favorite songs off of Neon Bible, so I was very excited to finally hear it live. The part where Win sings, "I don't want to live in America no more" had a lot of the audience focusing on that specific part.
"The Well and the Lighthouse" was next, which made my neighbor very happy. Regine and Jeremy exchanged instruments, and while I couldn't really see Regine drumming, I was excited for the kid next to me. Next came "Ocean of Noise," and I knew that "Neighborhood 1 (Tunnels)" would most probably be the next song.
I've always vouched that "Tunnels" was a good song on record, but absolutely amazing live. As soon as the opening notes started, the fans in my little section of the audience went nuts. I turned to the kid next to me and told him that his song was next before the audience fully caught onto what song was being played. I sang, with the rest of the audience, and felt such a connection to both the band and my fellow fans. Before the halfway mark of the song, I was crying and singing along. It was one of the most memorable festival moments for me.
This led into a kick ass version of "Neighborhood 3 (Power Out)" in which we all began jumping up and down and shaking the barricade. It was amazing to say the least, especially when the audience all shouted, "WE FOUND THE LIGHT!" in unison when the song called for it. However my moment came when Win sang, "when the power's out in the heart of man, take it from your heart, put it in your hand." I sang along with my right hand on my heart and my hand up in the air, reaching for a stage that was so close, yet so far.
Arcade Fire continued with a smashing end to the song that merged into "Rebellion (Lies)." The audience went nuts to say the least and some of us even began hitting the barricade in the tune of Jeremy's drumming if we weren't clapping along with the audience. The song was a definite highlight of my evening and I can't even begin to describe how awesome it was to be with a group of fans, reaching towards the stage, hoping by some small miracle that the band would exit the stage and move towards us. It was like we were reaching towards the gods and asking them to bring forth the Rapture.
Still waiting for some wild stage antics, we were finally given an answer when Will jumped off of the stage with his drum and began running around in the press area, banging the drum. The way he landed on the ground worried me for a few seconds, but because Will is so kick ass cool, he got up on his feet as if he were indeed invincible. I will not pretend that the audience sang the final melody of the song until the band came out for an encore, but we were banging the barricade, clapping, screaming, shouting, and the entire audience, in unison, begging…
"ONE MORE SONG!"
"ONE MORE SONG!"
"ONE MORE SONG!"
The band came out for their encore, and the audience went nuts. I knew that the encore song would be "Wake Up," but rather than film it, I decided to enjoy every single second of the last song of the night. Just to prove how Arcade Fire unites, it was during this song that one of my campout neighbors decided that my head would make a great headrest. Hence, the first minute or two of the song had us attached, so to speak, while we all belted out, at the top of our lungs, the song that was, I feel, meant to be performed live.
Still attached, we waved our arms in the air and sang to our hearts content as the audience was enjoying the last five minutes of joy on that Saturday night. This video was filmed during "Wake Up," and the audience pretty much captures the feel of the night overall. The hands waving, the singing along, it was all absolute perfection, and I loved seeing a particular redheaded band member rock out on the accordion.




When it was all over, I wanted to beg for another song, but all I could shout were words of thanks with some waves goodbye. Hot and grimy, I'm sure I sweated off five pounds, but I couldn't have been happier. I grabbed my bag and hat and walked away from the stage in a daze of amazement at what just happened.
I met up with Greg minutes later, my vocal chords pushed to their limits, but we walked out of Zilker Park going on and on about just how fucking amazing Arcade Fire was. I rambled on and on like I was on meth about how great the show was, and while we were walking back to the rental car, all of the ACL attendees encountered a group of Bible thumpers preaching about how Jesus was our savior and all that usual bullshit. Some people laughed. Some people threw the bird at them. Some people told them to get a life. I shouted that as long as I had the Neon Bible (Arcade Fire's second album) I would be fine. Greg shouted that hell was filled with Rascal Flatts fans, which drew in a lot of laughs and cheers.
Burnt out and ready to get some sleep, Greg and I headed back to Sarah's house. I figured that Sunday would be my chill out day in regards to the festival. I was looking forward to The National, but other than them, I was more than content to just sit down and enjoy what the Sunday lineup had to offer.

Austin City Limits
Part 1: This is what I get for not being a Bjork fan.

Anyone who has been reading my blog for sometime now knows about how, in 2005, I was supposed to go to the Austin City Limits Music Festival for the first time. It was going to be my first time seeing Spoon and Arcade Fire just to name two acts. However, Mother Nature dealt me Hurricane Rita, and my plans had to be cancelled at the last minute.
This year, however, the trip hinted at being very successful. But, all didn’t go according to plan. Linda had to drop out of the trip because of fiscal issues, so I had extra tickets on my hands. After calling my music loving friends and offering them the tickets, I figured that it would only be Greg and I on the road.
I arranged to meet up with a fellow Us Kids Know board member, Andrea, in Austin. We both like the same bands, for the most part, and I was looking forward to hanging out with a fellow Arcade Fire fanatic.
Wednesday night I packed my bag and put the finishing touches on the trip, plan wise. I asked my friend Sarah if Greg and I could stay with her during our stay in order to save money.
Thursday, after school, I hauled ass to the airport to pick up the rental car. I drove to Greg’s apartment to pick him up and we began our journey to my favorite city in the United States.
The drive was pretty uneventful, and we made decent time; by 11:30pm, we were relaxing in Sarah’s house in Manor, Texas. I was worried on the drive that if I had too well of a time, I would feel the, what I call, “come down” after the entire weekend would end. Rather than focus on the good times, I instead wish I could relive them over and over again. Music takes me away from my everyday life and the stresses that come with it. To many, it’s just music, or something to move around to, but a show, to me, is like a brief vacation, and it can get a bit depressing knowing that I will only have that precious hour or two with an individual or group of people who have inspired, and made my life all the better. I get sad over the fact that it will come to an end, rather than celebrate the fact that I am going to see someone.
I had known for weeks what acts I was going to see and which ones I was going to sacrifice for the greater good of my weekend. There were acts that I hoped I wouldn’t regret seeing, just as there were some that I was hoping wouldn’t make me contemplate slitting my wrists. I had my schedule printed out and highlighted all of the bands I was going to see.
Friday was going to be the busiest day for me because I was planning on seeing various acts throughout the day. After purchasing some official ACL shirts, I got a brief tour of Zilker Park, particularly the AMD stage where Arcade Fire would be rocking out the next day.
I headed to the DELL stage where Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astronauts would start of my ACL weekend. Arriving early, I heard the winners of The Sound and the Jury contest sponsored by Austin City Limits where fans vote on an up and coming band to have a slot in the festival. I don’t remember the name of the band, but I did like what I heard while I was baking in the sun.
After the winning band ended their set, I knew that in one hour, I would be in the front jamming to Joseph Arthur. It was to be my first time seeing him live so I was very excited about finally hearing him. The band began off with “Black Lexus” which immediately put a smile on my face. Most of the set was from his new album, Let’s Just Be. Overall, I was very satisfied with his set.
Between Joseph Arthur and Peter Bjorn & John, Pete Yorn started his set at the AT&T stage a few hundred feet away from the DELL stage. I’ve seen Yorn a few times, and figured that I would stay at the barrier in order to be in the front for Peter Bjorn & John. While enjoying Pete Yorn in another corner of Zilker Park, I, all of a sudden, saw black smoke coming from the food vendor area. Wondering what was going on, but not too worried, I heard one, then two, fire trucks whizzing by. Most of the people around me began looking in the general direction of the black smoke, but Pete Yorn kept on rocking out the AT&T stage.
Then, all of a sudden, the black cloud increased in both its size and color! Pete Yorn’s set had to be stopped after a song so an ACL worker could tell the audience to stay away from the area that was on fire. All the while, two more fire trucks hauled their way to the pyre. (I would later hear that a propane tank exploded in one of the food vendor’s stations. Four people would be rushed to the hospital from what I heard.)
The DELL stage was right around the Artist Check In area too. I swore that I saw Andrew Bird being driven around in a golf cart. It was a brief reminder that I was giving up his set the next day in order to be close to the AMD stage for Arcade Fire.
The fire was contained after a few minutes and Pete Yorn was able to rock out some more. After a few minutes, I began to hear a familiar whistle and the opening beat of Peter Bjorn & John’s “Young Folks.” Knowing that it wasn’t my phone (it’s my ringtone) I began to hear Pete Yorn sing the song. It was nice to hear his cover of my favorite single of the year. I called Linda to tell her about Pete adding his own twist to the song and her tone was one of excited shock. I couldn’t go and tell her future husband/baby daddy, Malcolm Cross that she says hello.
Not even two minutes after Pete Yorn ended his set, the speakers began to pump out “Sitar Folks” from Peter Bjorn & John. I began to get excited about finally being able to see my favorite band from Sweden.
After the instrumental piece was finished, the threesome walked out and began their set with “Let’s Call It Off.” I was excited and enjoyed their set in a calm and controlled manner. (Yes, I said, calm AND collected.) To the right of the stage, I noticed a woman was signing the song to the audience. It turns out that ACL provides interpreters for deaf audience members who can feel the vibrations in the music. This woman was dancing and signing the song in beat with Peter Bjorn & John; it was pretty kickass to say the least. I thought that I would be willing to learn sign language to have that kind of job, but Linda would later say that I wouldn't make it two songs before I would turn around and start singing along with the band.
I freaked a bit when the band stared playing one of my favorite songs, “Ancient Curse.” I recorded a part of it on my camera, but would later delete it to save some space. Besides, the drummer sang the song, and I wasn’t tall enough to get him actually singing it on video.
Soon after came “Amsterdam” which is another favorite of mine, and I did decide to keep the portion of the song that I did record. It’s such a catchy tune, and the audience seemed to be enjoying it a lot.
Throughout the day I was curious about who was going to sing the female parts of their song, “Young Folks.” I thought that the band would recruit a female singer who would be performing that day at ACL, and for a few seconds thought that they might even get Joss Stone to sing the part since she was going to be at the AT&T stage as soon as their set was over.
However, as the song began, Peter introduced two friends of theirs as they both walked out onto the stage. I nearly shit a Frisbee when I saw that BOTH MEL DRAISEY AND MARK KEEN FROM THE CLIENTELE walked onto the stage! The Clientele weren’t playing ACL, but they did have a show lined up in Austin that weekend. I’ve never heard Mel sing because she doesn’t sing more than backup for the band. Mark Keen was handed the bongos and he represented with a Merge Records t-shirt! I think I was the most excited fan when I saw the two of them onstage.
Mel did a great job singing the song and Mark did have some chops on the bongos. After the song was completed, the two exited the stage and waved to all of us fans.
The band played a few songs from their very first album that was never released in the United States. I loved “Collect, Select, Reflect” and made a note to myself that I needed to look into finding their first album. The band also thanked Pete Yorn for covering their song, and mentioned that Yorn could join Peter Bjorn & John because his last name rhymes with Bjorn. The audience got a huge laugh out of that.
In their final songs, Peter and Bjorn got off of the stage and moved in closer to the audience. They ended with a bang and left me with one of the most memorable performances of Friday.
Soon after their set ended, I headed out a few hundred feet away to the AT&T stage where Spoon would begin their set. However, before being graced with the presence of my future husband, Britt Daniel, I got to watch Joss Stone perform. I slowly weaved my way every few minutes from the back of the audience, to more decent spots with every song. It was nice to see a wide variety of people enjoying the music. I saw people old enough to be my grandparents enjoying the music and surroundings. There was a woman who was dancing around with a toddler sitting on her shoulders. It wasn’t until I saw those things that I realized that ACL is really a family oriented festival.
I’ll be the first to confess that I’m not a Joss Stone fan. That’s not to say that she doesn’t have any talent – she does, but I was never one who caught onto her music. However, she did a great job performing. I liked the fact that she didn’t have to rely on her backup singers to help her shine; she could do it all on her own. I was rather impressed, but I have not yet been fully converted.
As soon as Stone’s set was done, I weaved my way closer to the stage and ended up with a pretty sweet spot considering that just about everyone around me was there for Bjork. It would be my first time seeing my future husband and the rest of Spoon rock out since Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was released. To say I was excited was a HUGE understatement!
My love for Britt Daniel is one that has been simmering for quiet some time. I’ll admit, I proposed marriage, asked to run my fingers through his hair, and did say some things to him that would come close to warranting a restraining order, but just when I think that my crush has dissipated, seeing the man walk onstage just brings back those butterflies and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Spoon began with “My Little Japanese Cigarette Case.” I felt that it took Spoon a while to get really comfortable and loose with the audience. (Maybe it was the fact that they were basically opening for Bjork?) I did show my love with some cheering and clapping, and was very happy when Spoon rocked out “Don’t You Evah” and brought out some horn players for “Jonathan Fisk.” I tried not to stare at Britt’s perfect hair, and his perfect hands, and his perfect sunglasses, and his perfect ass, but dammit, when he turns his back to the audience, it’s like he’s saying, “Hey Kelly, it’s ok to stare!” And who am I to deny Britt that?
I was impressed with the live performance of “The Ghost of You Lingers” since it is one of my favorites off of the new album, as was I enamored with “Black Like Me.” The band mixed it up with some stuff off of Kill the Moonlight and my personal favorite Spoon album – Girls Can Tell. The band thanked us for coming out to see them, and ended their set with Britt staying on stage, alone, performing an acoustic version of “Me and the Bean.” I nearly died and went to ACL heaven when that was played.
I wanted to try and score a setlist, so I had a Bjork fan flag down a security guard to see if he could ask the roadie crew to rip it off the stage for me. However, the guard claimed that he couldn’t score one for me. Defeated, I turned around and was, all of a sudden, bombarded by a bunch of Bjork fans trying to bum rush their way to the front. I’ve never had a reason to fear an audience, but some of those fans were flat out desperate. I joked later on that day that some would probably sell their mother’s up the river if they thought it would get them to the front of the stage.
Trying to push my way out of the crowd, I kept saying, “Excuse me!” but it didn’t seem to work. My bag was getting caught between fans and after yanking it back to me a few times I began to get a bit frustrated. I soon was yelling that I wanted to get out of the audience and that I needed to leave. My last words before getting out of the pool of fans, “I guess this is what I get for not being a Bjork fan!” A lot of the fans around me laughed at my words, and seconds later, I was free of the crowd.
Needing a few seconds to “recuperate” from my escape, I headed towards the water/soda stand and bought a Diet Pepsi to tide me over. I wanted to check out Gotan Project at the DELL stage. I didn’t dream of getting close to the stage and wanted to just sit down and chill out to their set.
Relaxing on the grass of Zilker Park, the sun already gone from the sky, I watched the screen in serene awe at the greatness that was and is Gotan Project. The stage had a white backdrop and every member of the band was dressed in white. Even the piano was white! I sat there and watched as fans around me danced to their music and thought that it was the perfect way to end my first night of ACL music wise.
I informed Andrea shortly after Spoon ended their set that I was going to check out the multinational group before looking at the various business vendors set up in the art section of Zilker Park.
While relaxing and enjoying the set, Andrea and her husband happened upon me chilling out on the grass. We ended up chatting for a few minutes before the two decided to go and check out a little bit of Bjork’s set. Gotan Project was just finishing up their last song of the night and the tell tale feeling of my leg falling asleep was an indicator that it was time for me to walk around a bit.
Grabbing my bag, I headed out towards the various vendors that held everything from hats, boots, clothes, jewelry, artwork, and even massage chairs! Naturally drawn to the jewelry stores, I noticed some necklaces that were handmade and decided that I would come back on Sunday if I wanted to purchase one.
I walked around listening to both The Killers and Bjork’s set. I was never a crazy fan of The Killers, but it was nice to hear them live finally. Bjork’s light show was pretty awesome, and I’m sure Greg was having the time of his life in that crowd of fans.
Tired from walking around all day, I decided to just chill out in front of the Waterloo tent and wait for Greg. Earlier that day we arranged to meet over there after Bjork’s set was finished. As soon as the last song ended, all of the Bjork fans began to disperse towards the exits. It didn’t take too long before Greg was visible to me.
We walked back to the rental car and were both starving to a point where I was craving Taco Bell. After arriving back at Sarah’s shortly after midnight, we ate some Mexican food and rested up for Saturday.
I tried not to have an “internal clock” set up counting down how many hours, minutes, and seconds before Arcade Fire, but I was slightly uncomfortable with the fact that I still wasn’t hit with the ultimate bomb that in less than twenty-four hours, I would be seeing my reason for driving eight hours to Austin in the first place.