utterly bereft
I’ve been utterly bereft of things to write about here, so much as I am reluctant to talk about The Real World on here, I’m going to tell you what I’ve been up to the last few days while I haven’t been blogging. And you are going to smile and nod appreciatively from the sidelines.
On Satuday, Hyde Park Calling pt 1. Neil Young. The Pretenders were pretty good. I have a veggie burrito which is unspeakably delicious and incredibly messy. Fleet Foxes were very good but look a bit lost on the enormous stage. Poor lambs. At this ‘festival’ they have a curious sort of tent/pagoda which sprays you with a cool, faint mist that smells vaguely of disinfectant. You are by no means forced to pass through this but it is not unpleasant though it does make you feel a bit like a lamb to the slaughter. You can also buy a JD & Coke in a can. I eat 4 mini donuts and drink beer whilst waiting for Neil Young, who looks about a million years old and could use a hair cut. His black Gibson still has about the heaviest, filthiest guitar sound I’ve ever heard. He played mostly electric Ragged Glory-ish stuff but a few of the more famous acoustic songs too. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and Cinnamon Girl still have massive weight live, and the four (!) false endings to Rocking in the Free World were a great laugh. There was a surprise appearance from none other than Paul McCartney, who bounced on stage for a cover of A Day in the Life, which climaxed which Neil ripping all the strings off his guitar in a blaze of feedback.
On Sunday, Hyde Park Calling pt 2. Bruce Springsteen. THE BOSS. But nobody else I really wanted to see very much, other than The Gaslight Anthem, who played a great set and brought the boss himself on for ‘59 Sound. Ben Harper and Dave Matthews Band were okay but I’m not a fan. I eat a veggie burger and two mini donuts which are freshly made and burn my mouth and so much better than yesterdays. Also the accompanying blue slushie was slushier than yesterday. Of course Bruce was fantastic. He still has incredible energy, if an unfortunate tendency to sermonise, but he played for over three hours: amongst others we got Badlands, Johnny 99, No Surrender, Rosalita, Racing in the Street, and the full power of Clarence Clemons on Jungleland. Drunk people everywhere afterwards singing can’t start a FIRE without a SPARK.
On Monday one of my friends came over to ask my parents some stuff about school. But that was only for an hour. Otherwise ???
On Tuesday I spent a remarkably productive day at the British Library working on my dissertation. It must be the air conditioning. In the evening I saw M. Ward at the Shepherds Bush Empire. He was pretty good, though I’m sure the gig wasn’t sold out. Fuel for Fire and his cover of Let’s Dance were absolutely lovely but he was otherwise mostly electric and I think I wanted more acoustic stuff. Also my girlfriend may have swine flu. But I don’t have it. So maybe I don’t. Does anyone on tumblr have swine flu yet? Surely someone must be blogging it by now.
Wednesday is today and I have done nothing.
