Tapes-n-Tapes was pretty good, I'd see them again. I got a ticket from a group of guys with an extra (so it was $10, oh NO! haha) and while in line (I got there maybe 10 min after 8, when doors opened, and the show was to start at 9) they sold out. It was raining and luckily I was actually warm enough in my two thin layers, two hoodies, and scarf. First Ave has a black exterior with silver stars all over it, with the names of bands/musicians who've played there on them. The only one I can remember seeing offhand was The Smashing Pumpkins, though I saw a lot more since I was sort of looking for U2's one while in line (it might've been on the 1st Ave side, I was on the 7th St side). It was my first time back there in at least four years, maybe as much as 5 1/2, and I vaguely remembered things like, seeing this low wall on the left, standing there at some show back in high school. First Ave was the place...um, well still is, where I've seen the most concerts, so it was a semi-nostalgic experience, and quite amusing seeing black 'X's on hands while I had a wristband and a stamp on mine instead (it was my first time there over 21), and I didn't remember that Target Center is right across the street either--that's where my first non-free concert was (Foo Fighters & Red Hot Chili Peppers), and next to where my first concert was (Smashing Pumpkins).
Note to self: either MN people are ruder than other concert-goers, or club crowds are ruder than large-venue crowds, or people about 4 years YOUNGER than I am are ruder. 'Cause there were lots of annoying people (mostly high schoolers who seemed to all know each other), even tall guys, who just insinuated themselves in front of me and the really short girl next to me and her two friends who were about my height. And a few of them were bopping back and forth, taking up 2-3 times the space of one person (or just hitting everyone around them, and no, there wasn't a mosh pit!).
The first two acts were not amusing. First guy was like going to some avant garde art exhibit. I like a guitar, but if you can't give me that, I need a melody of some sort. The drums became the highlight, and he rocked them, but only for about 5-10 seconds per "song", then it went back to random tones and stuff. No singing either--that would've been too close to a melody, I think. The most obnoxious dude in the crowd, who started out behind me but ended up either in front of or next to me, who did the 2-3 people-wide back-and-forth moving throughout the entire concert, was REALLY into this guy. The second band was called Halloween Alaska (I think) and just weren't that good. AND, the bassist only played half the time, the other half was spent playing "air bass" very unrealistically, and he'd also pretend to fiddle with real and imaginary things on the body of the bass. The female friend of the extremely short chick and I wondered why he didn't just leave the stage for those songs, or unplug the bass so he could play anything (but still TOUCH THE STRINGS) and we wouldn't hear it, and wondered what the hell he was thinking, since anyone who looked would be able to tell! Weird.
Tapes-n-Tapes got a great reception (they ARE local, after all), and from the first couple notes, I was excited/relieved since those few notes already showed they'd be more rockin' than the first two acts. The sound was such that I couldn't make out the lyrics, but the music (and yea, I could hear the bassist/he wasn't faking!) sounded good, the band was energetic, and they were even pretty decent-lookin'. ;) The drummer was especially into it--my first view of him, he was pounding away with this huge grin on his face. The keyboards guy multi-tasked, sometimes grabbing a drumstick and banging on one of the symbols or a tambourine, sometimes rocking some kind of tuba-looking-but-slightly-smaller horn. I considered merch but decided not to battle for it since the singer said that most of their shirts were stolen in Australia(! ...sad) so there weren't many of those but there were some limited edition tapes (ha, of course) from Japan, "but we still sing in English on them." Anyway, I got back to my car around 12:45, got slightly lost trying to go back the street way I came from before just taking the highways way, and got home to find everyone still up.
Early day tomorrow--it's the last sports bar day/last football game of the season, and, since the Giants won earlier tonight, unless the Cardinals, Dolphins, Vikings, Lions (I think?), and, of course, Packers win, it's the last Packers game this year. Then, of course, New Year's with Anderson. Heh. :P Lame? Sure, but I comfort myself by thinking that, if I were still in LA (and hadn't come back here for winter break), I'd have plans. If nothing else, *I'd* be hosting. I had more parties those 1 3/4 months of "new" apartment than ever before (unless you add up all my birthday parties), it was fun. ANYway, no one cares. G'night all and hope you have a nice New Year's! I'm sure I'll be hanging out with some of you in the Anderloads chat :)
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