THANK YE's to Matt Williams for being just super, Melissa and Jered for the ride, and to my body for not shutting down. Also special thanks to Tim McCready for letting me lock my stuff up in his safe room at the 159 Manning NYE party, that was a lifesaver!
Unsure of exactly how I made it to the airport, through security, onto the plane and finally to Chicago, I realized that the new year was being rung in in the most Hunter S. Thompson of ways. Wandering through the frigid and yet occupied streets to the downtown location of my residence was as surreal as it was human. Somewhere I bought new shoes and a pair of jeans. Sometime around 7 I was awoken and sent on my way to see the Greenhornes/Black Keys at the Aragon Ballroom. The adventure, having the illusion of just starting, was in fact, not even in creation yet.
Unaware as I was that the venue I was arriving at held 6000+ humans, I was somewhat prepared for the strange sight of 2 regular humans facing a crowd of 6500 who were facing them. It's so bizzare and group-thinking isn't it? I was in one of the smaller balconies, facing another on the other side where some well reserved seats were being kept warm by well deserving people.
I have little use for the masses of people who wait quietly and yet who fume silently over the process of removing one's self from shows of that size. This is usually why I always find myself going to shows alone. It only took a half hour to get out, and another 15 to get a cab- but then I was headed to what would be the drawn out climax of the night- The Empty Bottle and the ensuing party.
Hot Machines and Nobunny love you and loved everyone at the show, too. My lovely friend Allie ( of the White Wires) was in town playing host as a merch girl for her rambunctiously fantastic boy, Thee Bunny himself. Upon seeing Hot Machines I was reminded of the fact that I had already heard of them, years ago, when I was given their 7" that was put out on Cass Records, the treat was all mine!
Nobunny are for sure one of the greatest ( as in, from up on high) bands of this age, and it was too much fun hopping around and yelling along in a city that I was for the first time getting to know.
Yadda Yadda Yadda, I love Chicago. Too bad the Bears lost the game the next day. See ya soon, methinks!
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Das Greenhornes
The Black Keys!
============= = @ The Empty Bottle
Hot Machines
Nobunny
Ring that new year in!
xo
