the bifecta

so i thought i should just report back on the two concerts for anyone that cares. last thursday we went to 'arcade fire' out at the hollywood bowl. a definite highlight of the evening was deciding to eat at 'phillipes' for dinner. we were going to eat at some random peruvian seafood place that my friend once told me about, but upon hearing that nellie had never been to phillipes, we decided to go there, which was also nice because traffic was bad on the 101 and it was nice to get out of it and let it die down. not that it really did, because it is downtown l.a.

so phillipes was classic and excellent as expected. love consistency. arcade fire was also classic and excellent as expected. we were at the hollywood bowl, so we were about a mile away. but it was fine. the bowl has its own sort of charm. the show was very similar to the last time i saw them back in june or so. anyways, the main reason i wanted to write about the concert is because i was thinking about it and i dont know why i havnt converted more people to arcade fire and why everyone isnt a fan.

first, i just learned that the lead singer and his brother are mormons. i cant really confirm it. wikipedia didnt say anything about it, so i dont know if i can believe it. yet the very credible famousmormons.net confirms it.

second, they are true musicians. if you appreciate music, i dont know how you cant like this band. they have a such a full sound with nine members in the band. in every song they are playing many different instruments and they all play at least 3 or 4 instruments. you have to enjoy a band where in one song a girl is singing and then in the next she is playing one of the two drum sets, or the hurdy gurdy (which they really do use).

third, they have such a great sound. they are the perfect rock band. this is the one that really got me thinking and made me decide that i need to proselyte for them. they have a sound that i think everyone would enjoy hearing. everyone. even kids. really. i walked away thinking that family members that i dont think follow music much (paige, laura, eric maybe, not sure how much he listens to music. i just know he likes van halen) would really like arcade fire. even ron and shanon. so i invite everyone reading this to give arcade fire a chance. they have two incredible albums. 'funeral' and 'neon bible.' here are some of my favorite songs from those two albums: 'keep the car running' (note the use of the hurdy gurdy), 'rebellion (lies),' 'black wave/bad vibrations,' 'wake up,' 'neighborhood # 1.' these are of course videos, youre best served by just buying the albums. if you regret the purchase just let me know and when christmas rolls around, ill just use that as your christmas gift.

fourth, thy are canucks. everyone loves a canuck.

finally, especially for family members: this is one of lance's favorite bands. you know, lance, elder sommer. our younger brother in brazil. he LOVES arcade fire. we all know he is musically talented and has a great ear and knows great music when he hears it. so if you wont do it for me, do it for lance. listen to them for lance.

so the next night i suckered nellie into going to another concert with me. we went and saw muse. i dont really know how to describe seeing muse in concert. perhaps stryker, the kroq dj that introduced them stated it best when he essentially said that what he loves about muse is that we (everyone at the concert) know that they are great, yet whenever anyone asks us why we like them, we cant really explain it, but they are just incredible.

and they are incredible. especially in concert. the amount of energy they produce is unparalleled. they get the whole stadium on their feet with the first song and even the people up on the lawn dont sit down until they leave the stage. EVERYONE that i have ever talked to that has seen muse in concert has said they were amazing. not one person has ever not been blown away by them.

another random selling pitch i can throw in there, even though no selling should be necessary. but my mom mentioned that the author of the 'twilight' book series, stephenie meyer, mentions muse in her second book 'new moon' when she is giving her thanks to certain people. i guess she says something about how they helped or inspired her or something like that.

anyways, here is one muse song: starlight. i would include more, but i feel like i dont need to sell muse to people. arcade fire because they arent as well known and i really think people of all ages will like them. sadly, i dont think everyone will cling to muse even though everyone should. i cant adequately explain how much they ROCK.

two final notes: first, just a quick warning to the guys: chicks dig muse and their lead singer matthew bellamy. so its good because all ladies will want to go to their concert, but beware because many of them WILL fall in love with him by the end of the night. chicks already dig the rock star. this guy plays guitar and piano and is an incredible singer. not to mention he sports a red, yes red suit with a black t-shirt underneath. we just cant compete. the ladies will be forever grateful for taking them to the show, just know that when they go home at night, they will have given their heart away to another man.

second: it was supposed to rain all weekend, but it was clear skys and a mostly full moon on thursday and on friday, as the concert was ending, we began feeling rain drops and as we got into the car to go home it began to pour. we couldnt have asked for better timing. surely there are many potentially witty, but mostly blasphemous lines to insert here about who else might endorse these bands but i dont want to die tomorrow.