WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Night 2 of the Pumpkin's anniversary shows in LA was a treat for all the Ghost Children. Billy and the band chose to play a lot of new songs, some experimental stuff, and of course some tried and true classics.

For the second night, I went with 3 friends and sat about 40 meters from the stage. It was quite different from the previous night when I was at the front of the pit. But it was also cool to rock out with people I know.

Just like the first night, Billy was a rock god. The entire band was full of rock gods. Everyone was on top of their craft and that was clear during the 17 minute epic, Gossamer.

01 - Ava Adore - Billy came out with jack-o-lantern and 2 kids throwing glitter on everyone. The crowd was pumped for this song and briefly sang along.
02 - Cupid de Locke - I had never seen this live. It was simply the sweet love song it is.
03 - 1979 - Typical performance
04 - 99 Floors - Sort of new song that is very rich in sound. I can't wait to hear a recording someday.
05 - Owata - Very new song, wasn't entirely my cup of tea.
06 - Sunkissed - Great song from the American Gothic EP. I really liked this one.
07 - Soma - The audience was in need of some badass guitar sounds and we got it. The famous solo drove all the Pumpkin heads wild.
08 - Cherub Rock - This is the single I look forward to the most at SP shows. It always delivers.
09 - Zero - Now the show was really rockin. HEY WANNA GO FOR A RIDE!
10 - Bodies - First time seeing this one live, and I loved when the crowd sang "Love is Suicide."
11 - Crestfallen - Back to the slow jams.
12 - I of the Mourning - Finally, a Machina track!
13 - A Song for a Son - Very new song. I liked it a lot, and would love to hear a more electric version.
14 - Landslide [Nicks] - Everyone sang along.
15 - Disarm - Along with Landslide, the most popular song of the night. The full band (trumpets, horns, whatever) really added to this one.
16 - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - Cool instrumental. Billy wasn't even on stage.
17 - Galapogos - Another great song I had never seen live before. It was perfect.
18 - Gossamer (with George Lynch on guitar) - As Billy said at the end, "HOLY SHIT." I think this song defines everything about the Pumpkins.
19 - As Rome Burns - New song that had everyone rockin. I loved the evil riffs.
20 - The Sounds of Silence [Simon] > Lil' Red Riding Hood [Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs] (tease) - SP just went off on some crazy jams and rants. Great to watch. No one rocks like this.
21 - The March Here > Suffer (middle section only) - Let's all do the conga! I don't know what to think of this yet.
22 - Age of Innocence - Great closer. This is a pure Pumpkins song that reverbs through all the fans every time.

Encore One :

23 - That's The Way (My Love Is) - I have to admit, this is my least favorite SP song ever. I hated the Zeitgeist version. However, the acoustic version last night was really nice and I liked it.
24 - I Am One Part 2 (with George Lynch on guitar) - This was a cherry on top for all of the long time fans. This track is so old, rare, and unpolished that I had no idea what it was until I made out some of the lyrics. Billy told the crowd that LA was the best stop on the tour and we really were.

These two nights of Pumpkins were incredible. Meeting the band and being front row at night one was a blast, as was making some new Pumpkin friends. Rockin out with my friends on night two, a show that highlighted the future of the band, was a great experience. I can't wait until they visit again.

Oh man what a show!!!

It had been over a year since I had seen the Smashing Pumpkins play. It had been over 8 years since I had seen them play in Los Angeles. I was incredibly excited to see the show and I even ponied up $325 for a special VIP pre-show experience. It was completely worth it.

The VIP package stated I needed to be at the venue at 4:45. I of course arrived at 4:00 because I was giddy and anxious. To no surprise, there were already people in line. Not all of them were part of the VIP package though. Interestingly, the 3 guys who lined up behind me, Jeff, Lee, and Rocky, were all participating in the VIP experience, and we were all similarly aged and at the same point in our lives. And we were all retarded for the Pumpkins. It was great meeting them.

Eventually we were escorted into the Gibson Amphitheater about three hours before the show so we could watch some of the sound check. All the Pumpkins were on stage in street clothes and they practiced Once Upon a Time. They also improvised a version of Close to You with kazoos. Very strange but very fun. After that was the meet and greet for the 30 or so VIPs. We got to sit down between Billy and Jimmy for a quick photo and to get something autographed. Then the fans were escorted to the seats for a small Q&A with the two.

Billy did all the talking and expressed disappointment at fickle fans and music critics. He was really pissed off and very open about the state of music and the band. It was cool to see him being so honest but at the same time it was disappointing to see him so upset and feeling like a failure. Weak album sales and abuse from critics will do that I guess. Of course no one at the Gibson cared. We all love the Pumpkins no matter what. After the Q&A, we were treated to some free snacks and beer. I chatted with some of the other fans and I became increasingly aware of something. Pumpkin fans are all grown up. We're no longer angsty, awkward, teenagers. We're adults in the real world with jobs and money.

Eventually the group was lead back into the venue to take our spots in the pit many minutes before the general public was allowed in. I had a spot in front of Jeff and Lisa. The show started promptly at 8:15 and the theater filled up as the house lights went out.

Here's the setlist
1. Roctopus - Jimmy came out alone and wailed on the drums like an 8 armed octopus. Good stuff.
2. Everybody Clap Your Hands - Billy came out in an odd dress and headwear. This was a light little song that made everyone laugh.
3. Tarantula - This got everyone rockin. The solo's were top notch and the amphitheater exploded in cheers and applause.
4. G.L.O.W. - was fine
5. Siva - All the Gish babies went nuts. I realized I was surrounded by true fans as everyone sang along.
6. Eye - I had never seen this live before, it was a treat.
7. Mayonaise - Great song and played incredibly well. At one point Billy coughed during the song and messed up, and everyone went nuts as we helped him out and sang.
8. Tonight, Tonight - heard it many times.
9. Speed Kills - I hadn't heard this live since 1999. Great song.
10. Stand Inside Your Love - Supposedly played for the first time on this tour.
11. Superchrist - My favorite song of the night. It was incredible and melted everyone's face.
12. United States - kicked ass. Billy was really feeling the crowd's energy and let out some great screams.
13. Once Upon a Time - Billy brought it down and played some acoustic stuff.
14. The Crux - Again, Again, Again!
15. The Rose March - Really sweet song
16. Today - The show became electric again, as the audience sang the opening chorus.
17. Bullet with Butterfly Wings - Jungle beat version
18. The Beginning is the End is the Beginning - Was cool to hear live
19. Heavy Metal Machine - My second favorite song of the night. It was insane and included some great Billy rants.
20. Glass - 2 minutes of power
21. Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun - WTF was that (in a good way)? This was a song I hadn't heard and it was avant-garde ear candy. Instruments included stuffed birdies that make bird sounds and Billy beating on huge drums.

Encore
22. We Only Come Out at Night - played with kazoos, and a sweet end to a rockin show
23. Close to You - Also played with kazoos as Billy ranted about love and failure.

My pictures are here.

This is what I knew about Slumdog Millionaire before I saw it. It's about an Indian kid who is suspected of cheating at Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

There's not much to go on from that description but I was interested. The movie started and I couldn't tell if it was going to be comical or deadly serious. As it turns out, there were elements of both in an inspirational and great story.

The story is ultimately about how an impoverished, uneducated kid comes out from nowhere and wins the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The police question him to find out if he's cheating, and Jamal explains all the events in his life that lead to him knowing 10 difficult questions that a typical person of his class would have no way of knowing. Along the way there are elements of love, brotherly betrayal, and set back after set back. The film is never predictable and interesting all the way.

The camera work was great. There are stunning (sometimes shocking) shots of life in Mumbai. The camera work had great perspective and really added to the film. The actors were sincere, and very good.

Definitely checkout Slumdog Millionaire. It's original, captivating and just plain old good. I can't imagine a reason anyone wouldn't enjoy it.

skip it.
I seldom write about movies I dislike, but this one for some stupid reason has received much acclaim and award buzz. Don't believe that.

acting - awful
story - boring
main characters - unlikable
false endings - too many

I've been a mild M83 fan for a while. Their mostly dreamy, shoegazey sound is great for playing in the background while you work and their man-made electronic (a guy bangs a drum but sounds like a drum machine) beats keep things interesting. I was pretty excited to see their show on Saturday at the Henry Fonda.

Opening up for M83 was School of Seven Bells. I like their recorded stuff a lot, and their female vocalist has a great voice. Their set was ok, but I think they need to make a few tweaks for their sound to be just right when playing live. I would love to see them in a smaller venue with better sound for the vocals.

M83 came out on stage and made music in a way I'm not sure I've seen before. They had a very produced way of making live music. Each member of the French quartet would layer their music on top of the other members in a simple and easy to hear way. The drummer, who was behind some glass with headphones on controlled the tempo and flow of the music. The lead singer and guitarist would mess with recorded songs on his laptop, while another guitarist jammed along and the fourth member of the band would play keyboard.

M83 played a good range of songs from their catalog. They played slow melodic tunes, poppy stuff, and music that made me wish I had brought glow sticks. The crowd was into it and their performance was ear candy for everyone.

At some point as everyone was singing in unison "Hear all the bombs, fade away" I thought to myself, "I love this concert."

The Decemberists played at the Wiltern last night and put on a great show. Their mix of old English lyrics expertly articulated with good ole rock n roll is a recipe for a captivating performance. The band was touring in support of a handful of singles they recently released. They were trying out the songs live for some reason or another that only the band would know. All of those songs were played in the middle of the set, flanked by some of the most memorable songs from their previous albums.

I was surprised by how much fan participation and interaction was involved in the show. Decemberists fans, really like to sing along. The fans at the show were definitely way more knowledgeable than me about the band. Everyone had a great time and the Decemberists brought the house down.

Caution!, The girls U-12 team I coach with Eddie won the Burbank championship yesterday. We had two matches, a semi-final and final.

In the first match, we found ourselves down 3-0 at half-time and our goalkeeper was crying as she walked off the field. Things looked bleak although we were controlling the match like we usually do. Our parents were pretty quiet and the girls thought it'd be the last time they get to play together. Eddie calmed them down, and the girls stepped up in the second half to score 3 smart goals and complete the comeback. We won in PK's, which some of the girls on our team didn't even know existed. This was the most exciting match since the Milan-Liverpool Champions League final in 2005. In fact, the girls were so confused about PK's that we had to tell they had won and they needed to go dogpile our goalkeeper who made the winning save. It was great and we were proud at their grit and the way they kept their heads cool.

As if that performance wasn't enough to make us proud, the final was one of the most memorable matches I've ever coached. Unfortunately two players couldn't make the game so we had no subs. We told the girls they'd really have to focus and be smart. I knew they were capable of that, but we hadn't seen that from every player at the same time for a full match. Eddie and I were blown away over the next 60 minutes. Every girl had her best match of the year. They did so many things we practiced and they even went beyond what we thought they were capable of. We scored a late free kick after dominating the match to win 1-0. Of course we had to teach the girls how to celebrate a championship with the "Ole Ole Ole" song.

Winning the league means we get to play in a district tournament in January. If we win that we get to play in the Southern California championships in Bakersfield. Right now, I'm not really thinking about those. I'm just glowing in the team's inspiring performance yesterday.

I've been a fan of West Indian Girl since at least 2004. I have a really old mix CD with a couple of their songs on it. Shame on me for making last night the first time I've seen them live.

WIG's combination of psychedelic, experimental electronics, and California pop sounds makes them a unique band. They make really interesting transitions from tight knit rock to a loose echoey feel while maintaining an upbeat, danceable groove. It's quite something.

Last night at Spaceland was their 3rd show of a three-show residency at the venue. They worked on some new material but also rocked out with some beyond-indie classics. Also they've acquired a new singer since their first album was released, who had the voice of Christina Aguilera and the body of Salma Hayek. Most of the males in the audience spent a good amount of time fixated on her, but quickly realized she was more than just a pretty girl on stage.

I think there set was a little short due to Spaceland's tight schedule last night, so I can't wait to see West Indian Girl again when they get a longer set. The crowd was really into the show and some people were even doing that hippy dance where you wave your arms and shake your hips from side to side. Getting people to move at a show in LA is quite an accomplishment. I highly recommend trying out their music (see the links) and catching a show. They're really good.