Heather! Did anyone mention Beck's Sea Change for weepies? It's a breakup album. Lost Cause always makes me cry.

I saw U2 around the Joshua Tree era (back when I was a fan!) and to be honest it was rubbish, it put me off going to big stadium shows forever. My rule of thumb now is that unless I could (hypothetically) hit the performers with a tomato from where I'm standing/sitting, I'm not interested in live shows.

You'd be surprised how far a tomato can go if you put your arm into it, Angus.

My first REM show:

4 March 1989 - Kemper Arena, Kansas City, MO
support: Robyn Hitchcock

set: Pop Song 89 / Exhuming McCarthy / Welcome To The Occupation / The One I Love / Turn You Inside-Out / Orange Crush / Sitting Still / Feeling Gravitys Pull / Time After Time (Annelise) / Cuyahoga / Being The Begin / Driver 8 / Pretty Persuasion / These Days / Get Up / Life And How To Live It / It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
encore 1: Stand / Tired Of Singing Trouble / I Believe / Crazy / You Are The Everything
encore 2: Finest Worksong / King Of Birds / Academy Fight Song
encore 3: Summertime / Auctioneer (Another Engine) / Perfect Circle / After Hours

I was in 8th grade as well and it was my first concert evah. I bought a bootleg of it that summer at Recycled Sounds in Westport (KC) and that was my first bootleg ever. When I used to make tape mixes I put the version of "Acadamy Fight Song" from this show on just about every mix I made.

So I moved to Chicago this week and my new roommate, actually my old (college) and once again new roommate, has a music collection to kill and/or die for which I have been listening to while unpacking. It's like I got 500 new CDs without paying a dime!

My update on the mix swap: I haven't had any buffista mixes to send on in a few months and I never did send a new copy of mine on to Angus because I had no CD burner.

Hey tina! You should hook up with some Chicagoistas. I saw a bunch in December and had a blast.

You should hook up with some Chicagoistas.

I am hoping to. I had a crazed move. I got here Sunday and started freelancing full time on Tuesday. Yay money. Boo hectic moving/working at the same time. Is there some kind of wacky mailing list I can join for Chicago folk, perhaps?

Just back from seeing The Arcade Fire. Frankly, I wasn't crazy about their recent debut album, but I'd heard that they're one of those bands "you have to see play live" so I figured I'd give them a chance. Plus, FAQ Girl likes the CD.

Aaaaannnnnd, they were... OK, I guess. I get why they've got the buzz. High energy, enthusiasm and sincerity can get you pretty far. They've got the large (7 piece, including two violins) band thing happening which is so popular with the kids these days. But the songs just weren't there for me. Sure, the arrangements were nice, but the songs were full of (as FAQ Girl put it) unearned climaxes. It was like eatin empty calories -- it feels good in the moment, but a few minutes later you can't remember why.

I'm glad I saw them, but I won't be rushing to see them again any time soon.

In other news, that Jeff Mangum guitar went for over $1000. Yay! [link]

You'd be surprised how far a tomato can go if you put your arm into it, Angus.

You haven't seen me throw, Michele!

t Makes mental note to choose tomatoes at thirty paces if he ever has to duel Angus...

I never did send a new copy of mine on to Angus because I had no CD burner.

Tina, if you want, I can burn off a copy and send it on to Angus. I have some other CDs coming in from Teppy that I'll be sending along anyway.

Or tina, if you want to hang out sometime, I could bring along my iBook and copy some CDs for you.

There is a Midwest Buffista mailing list. When I got a sec I'll dig up the URL where you can sign up for it.