The Concerts: 2006

So 2006 eventually came a'callin', the first year since 1991 that I didn't have some sort of record store affiliation. Amazing to think that working at record stores was some part of my life for fifteen years, even before I started to attend concerts on the regular. Plenty of good shows in '06, such as:

The National / The Cloud Room [Intersection, Grand Rapids 3.23]
Electric Six [Magic Stick 4.1]
Editors / Stellastarr* [Magic Stick 4.13]
Coachella Music & Arts Festival [Empire Polo Field, Indio, CA 4.29/4.30]
Secret Machines [Magic Bag, Ferndale 5.14]
Movement: 06 [Hart Plaza, Detroit 5.29]
Intonation Music Festival [Union Park, Chicago 6.24/6.25]
Gnarls Barkley / Peeping Tom [State Theater, Detroit 8.7]
Steely Dan / Michael McDonald [DET Energy Music Theater 9.2]
Lindsey Buckingham [Emerald Theater, Mt. Clemens 10.22]
Mobius Band / Baby Dayliner [Intersection, Grand Rapids 10.23]
Electric Six [St. Andrew’s Hall 11.4]

As I examine the list, I can't help but think that perhaps my E6 fanaticism is a bit strong, but I apologize for nothing when it comes to Dick Valentine. I remember that The National were intense but still not reaching their full potential; I remember hating myself for liking the debut from Editors so much; I remember being underwhelmed at Movement '06, the newer iteration of the Detroit Electronic Music Festival.

Lots of fun seeing Gnarls Barkley and the total musical genius that is Lindsey Buckingham, as well as Coachella and the Intonation Fest, which ended up being crushed by the Pitchfork Fest which debuted in '06 as well. And after wanting to punch every stinking second-home-having pot-smoking Prozac-using fat-and-pasty sing-along Steely Dan "fan" around me, I told myself to always remember that anger and to never see them live again. And I wish I would have listened to myself, but those were future days.

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