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The Concerts: 2009

For some reason, I don't have any record of any concerts in the first quarter of 2009.  Granted, it's most likely due to the winter season making travel a bit of a pain in the ass, but it's still surprising.  Looks like I made up for it later in the year, however.  This year had some of the biggest travels in my life; at different times during the year, I was in St. Petersburg & St. Pete's Beach (Florida), Oakland & Los Angeles & Indio (California), New York City, Cleveland, Chicago, and lots of Detroit and Grand Rapids.  Sometimes, I miss all the journeys...and then I remember the solitude and I miss it lots less.  At least there were these shows to pass the time:

The Faint / Ladytron [Metro, Chicago 4.4]
Coachella Music & Arts Festival [Empire Polo field, Indio 4.17/4.18/4.19]
Franz Ferdinand / Born Ruffians [Clutch Cargo’s, Pontiac 5.3]
Holy Fuck / Crocodiles [Magic Stick, Detroit 5.29]
The Tragically Hip [The Fillmore Detroit 5.30]
Fischerspooner / Ssion [Majestic Theater, Detroit 5.31]
The Church [Magic Bag, Ferndale 6.25]
Pitchfork Music Festival [Union Park, Chicago 7.18/7.19]
The Decemberists [Royal Oak Music Theater 8.11]
The Donnas [Peabody’s Downunder, Cleveland 8.14]
Adult. [Magic Stick, Detroit 8.15]
Steely Dan [Motor City Casino, Detroit 9.5]
Death [Magic Stick, Detroit 9.25]
Manic Street Preachers [Majestic Theatre, Detroit 10.2]
Gossip / MEN [Majestic Theatre, Detroit 10.15]
Wilco / Liam Finn [Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor 10.16]
Electric Six / Local H [The Intersection, Grand Rapids 12.29]

Lots of good memories of the '09 shows: being reminded of the eternal greatness of The Tragically Hip and The Church; seeing a stellar show from The Decemberists (including their killer cover of "Crazy On You" by Heart); looking around at the well-off crackers at the Steely Dan show and hating myself for being there; finally seeing Manic Street Preachers and Gossip live; going to my first concert with Coco in Ann Arbor, which she loved, even though she took a quick nap during
the show.

If I were to look at concert going from a rational perspective, there would be no way I'd go to shows -- standing for hours, legs and back cramping, surrounded by short people in various states of alteration -- but there's always the hope of a moment or two of musical transcendence, and most of the aforementioned shows got me there.  I'm still going, aren't I?

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