The show last night was great, but didn’t get home until almost 2 a.m. I was probably about 15 years older than most of the people there, but I tried not to let it bother me. The Shins (and thanks to Jack I got it right even before I got to the show, preventing any embarrassment. No Chins in attendance anywhere) were ok, musically good, but their singer can’t sing. He also chooses to sing at the high end of his limited range for every song. It’s too bad. They had some good songs. 764-HERO were better, their singer reminded me of Bob Mould in his Sugar days. And their drummer is this tiny beautiful woman with short hair. I just stared at her the entire set. Modest Mouse played almost two hours, not surprising for a band whose CDs regularly clock in over 70 minutes. But they did have a tendency to jam a little too long. And parts of the show were more like a sonic assault, with them playing much heavier than they sound on disc. I enjoyed it but was a bit disappointed that a lot of their subtleties and musicianship were lost under a wall of noise. I brought my friend Brent along and was hoping they’d impress him with their quietness as well as their loudness. Isaac (their singer) mentioned that the last time the band were in Toronto, only about 50 people turned up, but this show was sold out, about 500 people. All in all, a good show, but it drove me back to the CDs for reassurance.
You know what I need? I need a US address. There is just so much good stuff available online that just costs me too much to have shipped to Canada. If anyone would be willing to help out, I would reimburse them for shipping the stuff from their home to mine. And if the stuff is re-wrapped, and marked as a “gift,” I don’t have to pay any customs duty. American friends rule!!