I was going to post this yesterday, but I got caught in the tour press vortex (for some reason when I work on tour press for my bands, I become insanely focused and single-minded and lose track of time), and before I knew it the day had turned to night and I needed to step away from the computer...

Before I talk about the subject above, I have to sidetrack for one moment. As I type this, I have my iTunes playing in the background and Liam Finn's new album is pouring out of my computer speakers. Yes, you may recognize the last name. Liam is Neil's son. So I suppose I was pre-destined to love this album. But to be honest, I think I judged it much more critically because of who his father is. The best part? The album stood up to every expectation I had and far surpassed them all. I've decided he plays something I like to call "noise pop." Brilliant stuff... quirky, yet still very accessible. And every once in a while, he'll sing a note and his voice sounds so eerily like his father's that it's startling, yet not. The album isn't available in the U.S. until January, but Mike bought me a copy from New Zealand online. "I'll Be Lightning" is the name of it. Here's a sample for ya:

So, back to my subject line... Mike and I went to see our old pals The Tragically Hip on Tuesday night. It had been six months since we'd seen them, although I did get happy birthday emails from both Gord Downie and Gord Sinclair.

It's times like Tuesday night that I'm glad to have passes which grant me access to the seated area in the balcony... I could be out of the fray, close to the stage, and I had a seat to use when I wanted to sit down. Usually I'll stand for an entire show, but on occasion my back will get funky (I herniated a disc years ago and sometimes it reminds me), and I need to sit for a few minutes before getting back up to dance again.

The show was great. The room was full. And the band played some super stuff: "Gus," "Nautical Disaster," perhaps one of the greatest live songs ever (and the song that boasts my favorite rock lyric: "We live to survive our paradoxes") "Springtime in Vienna." But the nicest surprise of the evening was "Fiddler's Green" (this clip from a show earlier this year):

Couldn't tell you the last time we heard that live and it was lovely. I was able to take some decent photos as well (I'll include some below). We'll get to see them again twice next week, so I'll have to email some song requests. Last time I did that, they played a song for me, which is always great fun. We hung around for a bit after the show and spent a short while chatting with Rob, Gord S., and Paul. And, as always, we found endless amusement in the folks who somehow ended up with passes but didn't really know how to comport themselves. I don't mean that in a snooty way at all. It's just that some people (often they are drunk) get too loud and obnoxious, and they'd be amusing in almost any setting, really.

Photo time!