an anthology of sorts:

 Rock Werchter Festival, Belgium 2008:

- seeing Sigur Rós look so surreal in live concert. with feathers behind their ears. splendid costumes. and cannons shooting confetti in the air. Icelandic sagas sung full of hope and longing. yearning and desire.


- Beth Ditto giving it her all to the adoring crowd. The Gossip are punk rock feminism personified. She was cracking hilarious jokes. seeming so at ease and so at home on the microphone.


- Nick Cave in his Grinderman side project persona. backed by scary bearded fuckers rocking out on instrumentals and breaking violins. frightening onlookers with his clever bombastic vernacular. not for the faint of heart. singing "No Pussy Blues" indeed!! That dude scares me and fascinates me at the same time. can't wait to see him with the Bad Seeds.


- My Morning Jacket jamming out in all their glorious audio beautiful reverb. Jim James does what he does best. sing everyone's hearts into gorgeous oblivion was dreaming out loud and in color. i love this band. and i understand why everyone else hates them. but they can't deduce why My Morning Jacket brings me such JOY.


- The National bringing it home to an amazing & appreciative crowd and the feeling of being alive again finally came over me. like honey and sweet milk. i was glad to be out of Korea for once. i can't believe they sucked so hard live in Cambridge. and yet there i was dumbstruck of how GREAT Matt Berninger voice actually sounded. needless to say i was finally converted.


- R.E.M. onstage indulging us in sonic nostalgia and stimuli for moist eyes. Michael Stipe leading us to believe that music meant something again. Mike Mills and Peter Buck smiling at everyone in the crowd made me glad that their latest album is a true return to form at last.


- seeing Neil Young live with old friends as he YANKED out his guitar strings one by one, then proceeded to SNAP off the whammy bar off his guitar COMPLETELY and then GRIND the fretboard of the abused guitar against his amplifier SONIC YOUTH-style.......FUCKING AWESOME....

what a living legend..!!


- Radiohead reminding me why i fell in love with them in first place as they roared with a triumphant headlining slot. the new songs sound great live. Johnny Greenwood murdering everyone not SO softly with his brilliant guitarwork. Thom Yorke dancing like an elf electrocuted but in an endearing and heartfelt manner. eyes closed. mouths agape. great fucking live show.