; Fun! Fun! Vancouver!: April 2009

Saturday 25 April 2009

Let's Go See The Killers and Make Out in the Bleachers...

ady Gaga really said it best, didn't she?

Last night's Killers concert was well, Killer. Brandon Flowers rocked the house. He was so high energy, so damn adorable, and we were all putty in his hands.



Brandon's actually a thin guy, not to mention tiny. So, my dreams of him sweeping me off my feet have been a bit dampened, but not much. His singing voice is swell, and he's quite the talent, jumping from guitar to piano to keyboard, all while singing and running around the stage like a child hopped up on candy. Standout songs included the opener "Human" and their new single "Spaceman."

They did all their hits and then some, which had the entire floor flowing like an ocean wave and jumping in unison. We watched as one girl crowd-surfed her way to the front not once but THREE times. It was a mosh pit I'm glad I wasn't a part of! It was nice to sit right next to the stage and stare at Brandon with no one jostling me! It was a great crowd - everyone was into it, nobody chattering away during the show (though it was so loud I probably wouldn't have heard them), and I even forgave the pot smoker in front of me who asked me to take his photo, cause he was nice and he was cute, but mainly cause he was cute.

The Killers put on an electrifying show!! Complete with pyrotechnics and falling sparks!! Brilliant!

Saturday 18 April 2009

Hold On To The Memories...



Richard Marx was a treat last night. He played all his hits, and a few new songs that actually sounded pretty good. It was unfortunate to see that the venue (the size of a lecture hall at a college) was only 3/4's full. Ah well, everyone seemed to have a good time, including Richard.

He sang Hold On To The Night and Right Here Waiting both on acoustic guitar, rather than piano. Guess he was trying to keep things interesting for himself, since I'm sure a lot of people were expecting him to do these songs on piano.

There's something about Richard Marx' voice that just makes me feel...sad/nostalgic. It makes me think of the poor kid in class who you later found out via the 6 o'clock news died in some horrible death. The kid who wore high tops and ripped jeans and was just a bit on the dirty side. Why does Richard Marx conjure up those images for me? I don't know. But THAT'S how sad his voice makes me feel sometimes.

Anyway, he spoke quite a bit to the audience which was great, making cracks about Billy Bob Thorton, poking fun at his old mullet, and talking about his hit song Hazard, which he almost didn't write but ended up finishing to spite his wife, who told him it was the coolest song he'd ever written.

Here's an acoustic version which is what he did last night, of his biggest hit, Right Here Waiting:

Wednesday 15 April 2009

The Time Has Come to Lip Synch FOR YOUR LIFE!

The rumour mill is spinning. It's pretty much secured that for Vancouver Pride this year, we will be graced with the presence of the one, the only, Miss Nina Flowers - Loca!!!



Apparently, she'll be performing at the annual Rapture party, held at the Commodore, for Pride. But that's not all. Organizers are scrambling and trying to land another drag queen whom Rupaul told to "sashay...away!" Keep your fingers crossed because we just might also be getting the one, the only, ONGINA!!!



What I need to know, is why the fuck they haven't tried to get us Miss Fuckin' Fabulous herself, Tammie Brown, goddamnit!!! Excuse You Me???



"I had a nightmare and I didn't wake up."

Thursday 9 April 2009

An Evening with the Legendary Miss Britney Spears

Yes, I went. Don't judge.

The story goes like this: I bought tickets for my niece, they were too expensive and she didn't want them, I planned to hawk them on Craigslist but Ticketmaster wouldn't release them to me until the day of the show. Erego, I found a friend who wanted to go so we went.

Now onto the good stuff.

We arrived late so we completely missed the Pussycat Dolls opening!! I mean, really, it's Vancouver, and no one ever starts concerts on time here! We strolled in at around 7:30 and the PCD were pretty much done their set.

We found our way to the floor and ended up being literally right next to the stage. It was insane! But not as insane as a club night concert with Lady Gaga (i.e. no drunk ho's rubbing their crotches into our back). But then again, this was a stadium and not a nightclub, and tickets were not $30 each. Maybe that's the way to see concerts from now on? Pay for the highest priced ticket you can find in order to avoid all the riff-raff?

You've most likely heard about the clusterfuck that took place at the show last night. Britney doing 3 songs and then disappearing for 30 minutes leaving the audience bellowing in the dark, only to get an announcement that the show would not continue until everyone put out their cigarettes and joints.

I for one applaud her for doing it! I mean, even at the Madonna show, Madonna had to say to the audience, "Please don't smoke near the stage." Why does this shit only happen in Vancouver? I don't understand why people feel they have to toke up at concerts. I mean, if you want to get stoned, go ahead, but maybe do it outside or before the show? I just find it inconsiderate to light up during a show with everyone around you. I'm not uptight, I'll smoke a doobie with you if you want, but let's not do it in a stadium full of people and then blow it into the performer's face. It just makes me embarrassed for our city, having people think we're inconsiderate and a bad audience, therefore possibly turning off other acts who might want to come do a show here...

Anyway, the show itself was fun. I mean, yeah she lip synched her way through, her dancing was not on par with what she used to be, but it was pretty awesome to be THAT close to her. We screamed out "Merry Christmas!" to her a few times hoping she'd hear us. I wasn't very impressed with the setlist. I mean, she didn't do Gimme More or Break the Ice, let alone Toy Soldier!! I would've much preferred those songs over some of her choices i.e. Hot As Ice, Breathe/Touch of Your Hand, and Ooh Ooh Baby. Like, she's lip synching anyway so really what does it matter?

Overall though, entertaining and a great night out!

Sunday 5 April 2009

Un-Conventional

The new Vancouver Convention Centre opened its doors this weekend to the general public for an open house and I was lucky enough to be in the area and took a quick visit. First off, the place is GIGANTIC. There was room after room after room, on several levels. The "Green" roof they've got going is cool, with grass/gardens growing on them. One thing I didn't know is that they also set up a mini bee colony on one of the roofs, so that should be interesting too. Otherwise, it should be a great addition to the city and function as a great gathering spot during the 2010 Olympics!