Sinkhole de Mayo

Yesterday, a water main burst under the south end of the University Bridge, creating a sinkhole that swallowed two cars. The bridge was closed most of the day yesterday and is still closed this morning. A catastrophe of that magnitude deserves a name, or perhaps a shot of tequila.

lcd soundsystem

So my neighbor talked me into going to the LCD Soundsystem show at the Showbox last night. I can't remember the last time I went to a live performance. Was it the Jack of Herts at the 2003 Eastercon?! Thankfully, the Showbox hadn't changed much since the last time I was there, which was probably at a Spearhead show five or more years ago. The main two bars are in the same place, although there was a new mini-bar up by the front door. The floor is still a great trampoline for pogo-ers, which is the important thing.

I don't know LCD Soundsystem's music much. Jay apparently played selections of their first album for me a while back, and I apparently enjoyed them. We listened to half of their second (and latest) album before the show, and it was definitely groovy. Reminded me of Yo La Tengo in the way it moved from genre to genre of sound. The first album seems more dance oriented. Some of the lyrics seemed a little scenesterish (i.e., hyper-ironic), but the beats and the textures were good, remixing lots of familiar sounds from the '80s in compelling ways. (It's Gang of Four plays Gary Numan!)

Their live show utterly jammed. We ended up out on the floor, as we always used to do, and we ended up dancing our asses off -- perhaps a little less energetically than in elder days, but I got a nice healthy sweat going. Think the last time I got a dance sweat going was probably at the last Seattle Potlatch, courtesy of DJ Vacuo.

Cute moment in the show: James Murphy, who is the singer and the creative force behind the band, said we were having a special night together, but could we stop crushing these two women up front? "I'm talking to the dudes," he said. "If you're a dude, and you're surrounded by only other dudes, that's probably not a good sign. Maybe you're dancing too hard."

I myself was surrounded by beautiful young women who could have been my great grand daughters. It was paradise. LCD Soundsystem kept it jamming till half past midnight.