While i may have had several beefs with the people there, by and large the high school was a good place for me to go since, for the first time, treachers were asking me what i thought and were trying to help me learn. However, i had taken great pains during that time to try and expand what i knew about stuff by experimenting with various differnt things like caffeine addiction, smoking, poetry and other such pursuits. I have largely given up on many things i tried (yay, no cigarettes for almost two years) but one that i have continued to build on was my music collection. Brian, however, does not have as expansive a music collection, nor did he have very many guideposts as to where he should start accumulating said collection. that's when i stepped in.
Brian and i share a mutual love (obsession?) of film and writing. We spent an entire family get together holed up in a corner discussing Hitchcock and thouroughly alienating everyone else there. (sorry everyone). Afterwards (not sure how long afterwards) i began sending brian mix tapes of some of my favorite musicians and bands in an effort to expand his musical horizons. Some of you have been vicims of my musical education sessions/tapes so you know how serious i take this shit.
Anyway, Brian took an immediate liking to Ani DiFranco (can you blame him) and got so amped off of her stuff that he almost went through withdrawl symptoms when he loaned the CDs to a friend for a week. Since then i have innundated him with films, books, poems and music that i think he should here and he has put his influence on me and we have both become more expanded people...is that even correct grammar? who cares.
So i got tickets to go see Ani in a solo show and got a ticket for brian for his birthday. We made the trek to Joliet Illinois and managed to get to the theatre in good time (despite my fameous navigation skills). The show opened with a group called Bitch and Animal who, to their credit, managed to keep the audience up and moving and got the energy going. Not easy to do in this particular setting since the theatre had a very THEATRE feel to it where, to quote Henry Rollins, "dick jokes just don't go over too well." I got a compy of their CD Eternally Hard and highly reccomend it to all of you. I think it's available at Righteous Babe records and is also probably available on their website as well. (Ironically enough, Bitch signed my CD at the end of the show but Animal wouldn't)
When Ani came on the crowd exploded. I have always seen her play with a band so it was still a bit of a shock to see her come out with just her guitar and still manage to keep everyone on their feet and singing along with her. But her stage presence was undiminished, although she seemed to have more interaction with the crowd at this show, probably since she could hear them this time.
Ending the show with "Self Evident" she jumped off stage and kept us all cheering. Brian turns to me and says "This was the best show i have ever seen!" I was a little shocked until i remembered he had only been to see Fleetwood Mac until this point.
So we ended the evening as many Ani shows end, waiting by a bus. Unfortunately my Ani vigil didn't turn out as well as my wait when i met Henry Rollins (that story is here). As i said, i got Bitch to sign my CD but no Ani. The security guard was being a total ass and kept making us move back until we were across the street. At about 11:00 two girls drove by and showed us an autograph they had gotten the night before since they were following the tour, but they said that the wait looked like it would be a long one. We left and headed for home.
As we headed north i reflected on the evening. The sounds of Tori Amos and Radiohead coming from the speakers did little to soothe Brian's excitement as he went over the evening's highlights and marveled at what a great show it had been. It made me think of how awsome live music can be and how bouncy and energised i was after seeing the Smashing Pumpkins way back on the Mellencollie tour. Had i lost that spark and sense of wonder at seeing such great performances from the likes of Michael Kelsey, Willy Porter, Erin McKeown, Ani DiFranco and all the rest? Had i just become so used to seeing great stuff like that that it was commonplace for me?
Food for thought i guess. Anyone who wants to comment on going to shows with me and how i acted during and after please post them in the comment section. I promise i'll read them.