Bob Dylan - Calgary - October 27

A complete different type of show from what I usually attend. My girlfriend is a HUGE Bob Dylan fan so I decided to surprise her with tickets. I also figure, Bob Dylan is a master so I would like to add this to the list of people that I have seen in my lifetime.

Bob Dylan has earned the right to do whatever he wants when performing. I have heard from others that the show is whatever he wants to play, in whatever order he wants to play for as long as he would like to play. As someone without a huge list of "must hear" songs I am here purely for the experience and memory. I appreciated the grandness of it all. I also enjoy the thought of a musician on stage that has inspired change in people. I think that the crowd was mostly satisfied - although I heard some grumbles accompanied by people leaving at all times during the show (which I suppose is to be expected in a Stadium setting)

Mostly, I enjoyed having this experience to witness my girlfriend's excitement and admiration for a musician she loves. It is also so nice to enjoy music with others whether or not it is typical of your own style. It opens your ears and your eyes and therefore your heart.

MSTRKRFT and Felix Cartel - Winnipeg - October 4

It has been YEARS since I have have spent a night dancing in the Exchange district in Winnipeg. It is beautiful - old warehouse building that are turned into restaurants, apartments and dance spaces (both legal and illegal) It was a bit surreal to be there...sober...with my brother and his girlfriend.

The venue was one that I hadn't been to. The Exchange Event Center (very original name) It was a good size, good size dance floor. I was a bit put off by the large metal detectors at the door but then remembered, this is Winnipeg. Which also reminded me that drinks are CHEAP! Beer for $3. By the end of the night though, I wasn't sure if this was a legit operation as they were still serving well past 4AM.

Felix Cartel played a stellar set. I had recently heard his remix of MSTRKRFT Bounce and was really keen on seeing it live. A good work up to the headliner MSTRKRFT.

I had recently seen MSTRKRFT in Calgary and had a wicked time so I was hoping to relive that a little bit. Although the set was good, the energy at Calgary was much better.

The Presets and Cut/Copy - Montreal - September 20

Old Montreal is so beautiful. I was lucky enough to arrive at 7AM on a Saturday after a red eye flight. In spite of the red eye flight and the lack of sleep for the entire weekend, it was worth it to have the streets of Old Montreal all to myself in the early morning hours. I wandered the streets, looking for something to be open and enjoyed some crepes and strong coffee. My walking continued to Monkland for some shopping. I was disappointed because I wasn't hungry and there was an abundance of cafes AND the shopping was not as I had expected. It was a lovely neighbourhood none the less. My brother was able to meet me later in the afternoon. We continued wondering the streets for a restaurant that didn't exist.

The purpose of our short stay was to see The Presets and Cut/Copy. Two terrific Australian bands! The Presets I had seen a few months back in Toronto. My brother was suppose to come with me at that time but couldn't so we arranged this trip as a make up one.


The venue was Club Soda which I was really excited about. It was the perfect size, allowed for dancing and also had gallery seating. The Presets played a great set. Highlights for me included: The Boy's In Love, My People and of course Are You The One? Montreal crowds are terrific - they really do add to the performance of the show. Everyone is dancing, hands in the air, shouting the words. This show was tremendously better compared against the Toronto show a couple of months back. The difference, I am certain is the crowd. Montrealers are all there to have a good time and probably drink way too much (judging by the vomiting I witnessed in the streets and the amount of public urination)

The headliner was Cut/Copy. Another strong Australian band. One word. !!!!UN-FUCKING-REAL!!!!! Dan Whitford is a tremendous stage presence. Whether he is playing guitar, vocals, keyboard he is constantly moving and engaging the crowd. It was completely evident that the band was having a great time - dancing on stage, thanking the crowd gratuitously. I am now quite a strong believer in the idea of songs being crafted for the specific purpose of being heard live. I have always enjoyed Cut/Copy but this show took my appreciation to an entirely new level their showmanship is mesmerizing.



I see alot of live-dance -electro-new rave shows and rarely am I as impressed I was with Cut Copy. Opening with Nobody Lost, Nobody Found and closing with Hearts on Fire as an encore. I seriously could not have asked for anything more (okay, maybe not having to step over the girl vomiting on the stairs to go to the washroom to have to listen to a girl vomiting)

Bloc Party - Calgary - September 10

Mac Hall is typically not my favorite venue in Calgary. It is like a big gymnasium complete with high school kids for this all ages show.

I missed Shout Out Out Out...because I was having a drink in the designated area for grown ups. The Foals were suppose to be the opener - it is rather disappointing that was not the case. I have read that the Foals are fantastic live.

Bloc Party played a complete set that included an excellent mix from the past and the new album.



What was terribly amusing and almost worth the price of admission was the group of guys dancing in front of us. They were all hugging and huddling through out the show. Their enthusiasm was unreal and hilarious.

Radiohead - Vancouver - August 19 2008

Vancouver, rain, Radiohead, perfection.
Thom Yorke begins the show announcing that they had brought the rain. Thankfully, we were in the stadium portion dry. As usual, I was terribly overdressed in a sleeveless dress, no jacket and heels.

The backdrop for the band was amazingly simple therefore making it keenly beautiful. Opening song was 15 Step, a track from In Rainbows. Playing a variety of songs from past and present. I was so pleased to hear Talk Show Host, one song that makes me shiver to my core. I love it so much. After an amazing set, and two encores and lots of rain. The night was complete.

EXCEPT.....that Vancouver transit didn't think it necessary to arrange for special transit to accommodate the over 20,000 people in attendance! In pouring rain, in a dress (thankfully I was lent a coat)....walking to the street to hopefully catch a cab in the middle of nowhere (also known as Thunderbird Stadium). Not a cab in sight! So we walk in the rain, with some broken umbrellas that we found at the gates to arrive at a bus stop filled with people and buses passing by FULL. We decide to walk to the beginning of the line to hopefully get on or catch a ride in a cab that miraculously appears. No cabs but a huge lineup of people at the bus stop. Even if you were trying to outsmart the bus and get on before it reached the starting point, you were promptly kicked off the bus once it arrived to wait in the line. After about an hour of this, finally got on the bus, soaked,cold and thinking this would be my legitimate excuse for missing work if I was unable to make my flight.

I spent the next day drinking too much coffee and therefore talking a mile a minute for hours on end with my friend Clint. We wondered the streets of Vancouver in the rain. I wonder why I do not live there. I will one day, just not yet.

Avenue Q - Toronto - August 16 2008

Another beautiful weekend in Toronto! A day shopping on Queen Street (again I exercised restraint! YEAH ME!) Sitting in Trinty Bellwoods park with a good friend discussing our hopes, dreams, futures and humorous bad dates.

The main objective of this trip is to see the Tony Award winning musical Avenue Q as it is traveling through Toronto. This hilarious musical confirms for me that "It sucks to be me", "Everyone is a little bit racist" and "There is life outside your apartment" -- with the use of characters I can relate to -- Sesame Street type puppets (*Note: As clearly articulated in the program Jim Henson does in no way endorse this musical) This musical is a humorous and somewhat realistic yet adorable skit about life. Smart, college-educated twenty- and thirty-somethings can relate to the songs that ask "What Do You Do With a B.A. in English?" It allows us all to laugh and realize that we are more the same than perhaps we care to admit.


The weekend was completed with coffee at my favorite coffeeshop Niche where I unfortunately can not enjoy the lovely baked goods due to a recent discovery of some food sensitives. Instead I join one of my best girlfriends and her boyfriend (a truly wonderful couple that I am honored to call my friends) for a delicious meal at Fressen, a vegan restaurant that is an excellent brunch spot.

Off to the airport, to return to Calgary to feed my cat so that I can leave for Vancouver!

Ottawa - August 8 2008

I was in need of some serious girl time and was fortunate that my lovely friend Lynn was willing to play hostess! Lynn is someone that I hold dear to my heart. She is the kind of girl that is rare to find and I am fortunate to call her my friend.

The main purpose of visit aside from the usual shopping at Trustfund, shopping at M.A.C, walking in the ByWard Market Square downtown was to see the Sex and the City movie. Lynn had still not seen this! So after a full day of shopping (where again, I showed restraint), girl talk, laughing and drinking coffee (only me) we went to the cheap Rainbow Cinema to enjoy this cinematic masterpiece. I must say that I enjoyed it even more the second time.

The next day we spent the day at the National Gallery of Canada. The exhibit that I was interested in was 1930s The Making of "The New Man". The exhibit was extremely interesting as it showed the changing role that artists played leading up to the Second World War. The collection contain many accomplished artists including Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Vassily Kandinsky, Max Ernst, Jackson Pollock, Walker Evans and Alex Colville.

Then back to the airport. Again on another flight home. Heading back east in four days time. Hardly cause to unpack my overnight bag.