WoW. What a friggin trip. This one surmounted Maui in scale and memories to harbor...easily.

I made the flight to the states with no problem. I had an open seat next to me too so it was a farely comfortble flight (as comfortable as you can be for ten hours on the way to a home and family you haven't seen in six months). My brother in law picked me up and I commenced a wonderful two weeks visting my parents, my sister, my nieces...and the love of my life -- San Francisco. Ok...cheesy I know but I just miss the bloody hell of the city by the bay. I do right at this moment even. 

Just about everything there was to do, I did...caught a show at the fillmore (The Strokes, not bad. don't know if they'll be the "next big thing" as Rolling Stone put it, but I enjoyed their short set.), livermore wineries, the Cliffhouse Resteraunt in SF (where I took my parents out for a sunset dinner to celebrate their 30th Anniversary...hefty price tag on that one), went to work with dad at IBM -- got to put on a "bunny (clean) suit" and walk around their clean rooms...the way the light is a dull muted blue greenand with everyone in their suits makes it all so surreal, like you're on a different planet or something akin to that...quite a cool experience. Dad and I also hiked up in the Sunol/Pleasonton Park to visit the memorial bench/hitching post placed there for my Uncle John. It was a bit of closure I think as the last time I went to IBM Dad got a page from Phylis about John's stroke and we raced out of there up to Grass Valley...

I tried to spend a majority of my time with Justine and Katrina and Carolyn...all pure delights. Katrina is turing out to be a very loving and affectionate child and just a bundle of joy to play with...it is amazing to see just how much she has grown since my last visit. Carolyn too is growing and now walks about freely...that girl has some serious spunk. Hopefully she doesn't grow into a spoiled brat that must always have her way. As I type this I won't see any of them for another year and a half. 

Mostly, really, I just hung out with the family, either mom and dad or justine and the kids. We rented videos, went out to eat, and enjoyed each other's company. Dad was gone on business most of my last week with the family so mom and I went to the movies, out to lunch, etc. My last night the two of us went out for an informal dinner at the Riverview...a resteraunt so steeped in my adolescent memories I feel a fondness for it. When we first moved to Antioch the Riverview was THE seafood resteraunt in town, and going there was a real treat. Now everytime I'm in town I like to go there for the sentimental value. As we were finishing our meal, Justine came in--she'd finagled her way into leaving work early so the three of us went back to Justines to watch a movie and hang out for just those few last hours.

Mom dropped me off at the BART station in Pittsburg on the first day of Bridge, Saturday Oct 20th. I think this was the hardest goodbye I've had to say to her in a long time...I don't really understand why but I just felt this overwhelming sadness. Luckily the next week would provide little to no time to dwell on those thoughts. Saturday and Sunday was Bridge. Everything those two days revolved around the Bridge School Benefit Concert -- to meeting up with Danny Weste, Denniss, Mich, Mark, Big Ben, Kari, Cam, Charlotte, Joe, Brad, Mirella, Lynn, Dave P., Time Wang, Leigh, Mahlon Inksetter, Mike Dolin...Katie...and of course, last but not least Jennifer... The concerts themselves, amazing...just awesome. I was a little dissapointed in Ben Harper's set...solo, it just didn't translate into an ampitheatre vibe. He played well, it just...I couldn't feel it from the 200s. Billy Idol was a cool surprise. He rocked the cradle for sure :) Dave Mathews was cool, more as an oddity or change of pace than anything I think...I wasn't so won over by his duet with Neil on watchtower, to be honest. Also to be honest, I thought REM sucked ass. In fact I though REM sucked ass all three nights that I saw them. (more to follow on that). Tracy Chapman was the surpriser for me this year. I was *really* impressed with her set. She had this energy to her performance, a commanding presence and a beautiful voice to lull you into a false sense of security that just *worked*. I skipped most of her set on saturday but i did not make that same mistake on sunday...

Pearl Jam.

Pearl JAM!!

I hardly need say more than that probably...but I will anyway. I was AMAZED by the setlists from their three performances. Bridge was wildly adventurous and exciting--especially the second night. From the three nights -- Gimme some Truth, Crazy Mary, Indifferrence (with Ben!!! YES!!!), new songs (last soldier and I am Mine-both of which I adore, as I always adore the new songs. I will agree that the latter is by far the better of the two however), low light, drifting, kids, long road with Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, ed on stage with REM for it's the end of the world as we know it and people have the power (the only good thing about having stayed to see REM at Groundworks). The accoustic nights at bridge were an awesome look at the band I was so accustomed (except for bridge 96--FIVE YEARS AGO!!!) to plugging it in and cranking it UP! 
I remember very distinctly Ed's change in wishlist on sunday--"I wish I was the neutron bomb, the one that didn't go off"...and I had mixed feelings about it for a moment, but was simply unable to dwell on the occurrences of the world at the time and let myself go. Those three days were not about protests, or hate, or thoughts on war and destruction...but of peace and love like woodstock so many years ago. Music can bring everyone together even in the most difficult times and it's power has been unparralelled in my life thus far. 

Neil Young with Crazy Horse...awesome, as always. The running joke in "the crowd", however, was Neil playing dylan's blowin in the wind twice each night...and Charlotte (who amongst the other ozzies, saw Dylan do it in San Diego) put it best when she said she'd probably kill herself if she heard ANYONE do that song again. I LOVED Mideast Vacation...without a doubt the standout of my nights aside from PJ. 

Meeting so many fans that weekend and in Seattle was exactly as I had dreamed. At the shows, hotels, airport, on the plane, everywhere I went, I could turn around and almost literally point a finger at someone I knew or had met on the trip, could laugh with, drink with, share moments.

Groundworks...I nabbed my tickets from will call right when the window opened and prompty unloaded all five extras for $50 each (face minus handling charges) within half an hour. I'm glad I got rid of them so early too because the streets were *flooded* with tickets half an hour after that. I was SOOOO very lucky to get back most of what I paid for those spares. A good number of people lost a lot of money.

Jen treated Charlotte, Kari, and Myself to a trip up the Space Needle (using my militray ID we got a cut rate for all our tickets--the last time I went up was when I last saw PJ play Seattle...in 1996) and while up there and subsequently taking people's things back to the car (i'd gotten turned about and parked in a different garage than I had originally thought...) ended up missing the first act, Femi Kuti. Oh well. Mana, a brazilian band, was the first act Jen and I saw (we sat together to rock out together) and I actually was rather taken by them...trying to remember to resolve to get some of their material...

Then Alanis. I've already described my abhorence of her live act when she toured with tori in 99...The ear plugs I had made life a little easier to bear. After Alanis the crews came on to change the sets and we all saw the telltale gold bat wings...but then the crew set up some carpeting and, lo and behold, Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan followed and he and his pakistani friend sang qwali for about 20 mins...his appearance reminded me that I had seen him open for Ben Harper back in college. I had forgotten about seeing him and his amazing set in Seattle made me wonder...how?

Finally Rahat left the stage and Pearl Jam came out, plugged in, and treated Jen and I to ~55 mins of rock out PJ material... Sheer Bliss...from Truth to Long Road. I savored those minutes as I stood there...or more aptly, danced/thrashed/pogoed about and sang/screamed along. I was shocked at their apparent flip flop of opener and closer...but it SOOO worked...especially with the guest vocals on the most gorgeous and memorable Long Road I will EVER see. I honestly can't imagine how I will ever feel my heart warmed more by any musical performance...it was just that beautiful.
One of the most rocking DTE I have ever seen...and all the rockers were so so SO necessary on this trip...and I love the band for their willingness to oblige by only playing one of "the dreaded ones"...betterman. As always, by only burying one of "them" in the set...made it easier to even enjoy that one, at least a little.

Then, too too soon, Eddie was up there on stage at Key Arena with with black telecaster, hugging Rahat while continueing to play somehow as the band closed long road out. And then it was over.

Staying to watch REM was such a difficult decision at that point. It felt so dirty, so anticlimatic to do so after the "surprise" ending...but I had already promised "Screech" a ride back after stipe finished wailing so I was forced to stay. After all, I had given then two chances to win me over accoustic at bridge...the least I could do was give them a chance plugged. 

I hate it when I am at a show and, for whatever reason, I am hoping and almost praying that it ends soon/early. REM that night was one of them...plugged they weren't any more interesting to me than accoustic.
But then they covered part of better man, and that was hilarious. Then they played One I love, which I love...
And then they went off stage and came back on to do an encore--thankgoodnesstheyonlyhavethesamehourorsosetpjhad I remembered thinking...and then they started It's the End of the World as we Know It...a *very* appropiate song and the crowd was loving it...as was I. And then, I could see him quite clearly from where I sat, Ed ran behind the drumkit and out onto my side of the stage, lept up to a mic set up for him, and helped stipe out on a segued People have the Power and back into World...I was speechless. It was just so damned cool that my wait through REM had resulted in something like that. I had hoped it would happen--PJ and R.E.M. HAD spent a good deal of time together the past few days so it was *bound* to manifest somehow, right? Well of course! Manifest it did, and there I was to see it--good seats to see it too. Yay me! Suddenly the last 75-80 minutes or so (including set change) weren't such a waste.

Following the show was about an hour and a half of sleep at the Travelodge in Sea-Tac, followed by yet one more flight, this time to Chicago, for Tori Amos.

The story continues but I am out of steam for now. More to come later. 

current mood:  mellow
current music: Loud Reed _Set the Twilight Reeling_ 

 welcome back! 
taliana 
2001-10-29 13:18  
Welcome back! I'm so glad you were able to go on your trip...and that it sounds like you had a great time. 

Can't wait to hear more. ;) 

 Re: welcome back! 
rainingvodka 
2001-10-31 01:05 
Thanks Tal :) I glanced at your journal the other day, actually...(no further comment). 

anyway enjoy the rest of my adventures. 

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