Ready for the Floor
Listening to: Eskmo (Hypercolor)
Hot Chip with the xx opening. Where to start. I’m not sure what to do with myself now that I’ve seen what is sure to be the best show of 2010. I’ll of course hope to top it (dream BIG!) but this night was stellar on every level.
Before I launch into that, though, I need to talk about my day. Get comfortable. You may want to pour yourself a drink – I sure as hell needed one by about 10 a.m. (with heavy heart I tell you I had to wait until 4:45 to scratch that particular itch). As my faithful few followers can attest, I spend my days in the soulless pursuit of making sure my clients (lawyers in my current job) make as much money as they can via their websites. It’s called search engine optimization (SEO) and it is the cross I bear. My days are on par really stressful, provide fodder for some pretty good stories, and occasionally end with a kegger.
I had one of those classic days of ‘one step forward, two steps back.’ Fix one problem, two more surface. Answer one IM, two more pop up. Try to make a little progress, get crushed into a fine powder. You get the gist. By about 4p I was ready to implode and explode at once (I bet Brian Greene can back that up with some fancy physics – have I mentioned he’s my dream date?).
Unlike other days, on this particular one I then went down to the lobby and poured myself a big ole cup of beer from the keg. Alcoholic beer. The last “beer bash” thrown by the CEO featured ROOT beer and NON-ALCOHOLIC beer, and even a little BIRCH beer throw in just for diversity. Fail. But today, ah, glorious fortune – I got a little tipsy on the company dime. Thumbs up on getting everyone sauced before they head out for their evening commute.
So, Hot Chip and the xx. Wow. The night was one miracle after another. Miracle #1 – finding an excellent gimlet at a nondescript Manhattan-ite bar on the way to Terminal 5. That set the tone for a great night. We get to the venue just as the xx starts. Minimalist at its best – guitar, bass, electronics guy. That’s it. They were off the charts amazing. The show was mesmerizing, literally. The crowd noise wove its way into the music, making the entire venue and everyone in it part of the show. They sounded… just… amazing. So sensual, so tight. I’m getting a little hot and bothered reliving it. I cannot recommend enough the xx live. If possible, go with your paramour and a bed.
Then Hot Chip comes on. One 3-6 minute dance party after another. By the time they closed the show with my personal favorite, Ready for the Floor, we were all going out of our minds. I haven’t had that much fun at a show since Of Montreal last year. This was actually way more better than that. It was fucking sensational. Completely entertained, dancing around with dear H_, having the time of my life.
But it gets better. I got backstage! I drank one of Hot Chip’s beers and talked to a Hot Chip roadie friend of H_’s and was within grabbing distance of several members of the band (I did NOT grab). Highlight of my concert-going life. Much love, H_!
I knew this was going to be a fantastic year. I had what can only be called a vision about 6 years ago. I dreamt a series of images of what this year would be like. Based on the Hot Chip show, the truly great gimlet in the least likely of places, and several other equally powerful occurrences so far this year (not the least of which was meeting Mark Ryden last week), I am beyond excited about the remainder of 2010. Let the mind-blowing rage on!
Of note: I’m entering into a dubstep phase that seems to have no bottom or end or bottom-end of any sort. I am being sucked in. Call for help if I don’t respond to emails within 24 hours. I could very well be the victim of a particularly crunchy bass line.
