Where shall I begin? Let’s start with today and then shift into last night at the concert. It is simply a quintessential premium picture perfect hot and sunny Victoria Day long weekend afternoon in Vancouver. I’m laying in the hammock with book and pen to bring down the flow. I am super energized. I am full of purpose and inspired. I left the house at 8 a.m. and headed off to a forest for the first meeting of the 2009 Young Men’s Adventure Weekend. Every year we produce a weekend wilderness camp that helps create positive mentorship opportunities for young men ages 12-17 years.
So with today’s first meeting and the stories we shared of the past, I am electrified and instantly reminded why we do this community work. It’s part of our purpose to share with the young and in turn help them create avenues and venues among themselves to engage, communicate, release, grow, challenge, have outrageous fun and lead purposeful lives. I could go on and on about how each year the weekend changes people’s lives, it always has a profound effect on my life. A book recently released by author Michael Gurian, The Purpose of Boys, includes a two-page write up about YMAW by its founder Brad Leslie. In the meantime, I am currently calling out all the good friends of mine out there to get involved and those of you with sons to give us a call. This continues to be a true grass roots experience and exists completely on the time and energy contributed by all the men and the generosity of donations. I’m sure I will talk more about it between now and July 10. Check out the website www.ymaw.com.
Now the wilderness story ends and the city tale begins, as I take you back to the night before when were walking across Granville Bridge on our way to the Commodore Ballroom. Most of the construction on the Granville strip is complete and with the widening of the sidewalks against the backdrop of older brick buildings, downtown looks like a western town – then the little man awakes from his nap sporting his Benfica soccer outfit and interrupts this writing flow, joining me for a gentle swing in the hammock to assist with his awakening process.
Hours have now passed since those sweet sunburn moments in the hammock and the afternoon sun was enjoyed to the fullest with a slow walk to Kitsilano beach. It was packed along the seawall with bikes and joggers, strollers and dogs, but everyone was in a great mood enjoying the hottest sunny day in Vancouver this year.
Now I’m at home listening to The Kills album and recalling the scenes in my head from the Commodore. We arrived as The Horrors set was ending, greeted by an ecstatic crowd. Nice rock star entrance. We ventured through the club then picked a spot close to the front, stage left. A very happy fan in front grinned happily when one of the roadies passed her The Horrors set list. As we waited for The Kills to hit the stage I checked out the simple stage set up of two guitars, 2 Fender amps, 1 Vox amp, plus a couple drum machines. Looking around I start to see people staring back at me, so I thought, until my buddy Sam tells me Narduar is behind me. Shortly thereafter one guy shouts out to his buddies in front of us – “You guys! You know who is over there? It's Narduar, man!” Next they all scream out “NARDUAR!!!” and bust by us to have their photos taken together. They were so excited. We left and found a new spot, stage right.
Finally The Kills hit the stage with U.R.A. Fever. Jamie Hince battered his guitar while Alison Mosshart strutted and slithered across the stage, her voice wailing like a possessed grand daughter of Roseanne Cash and Shirley Manson. Alison’s voice was sultry and strong, sometimes filled with piss and vinegar sometimes served with vengeance and pain. She rocked, and the duo filled the Commodore with their riff lust. A fantastic combo of dance beats like Getting Down, Cheap and Cheerful and crowd favorite Alphabet Pony was served up, mixed with the raunchy, bluesy, slow and sexy tracks from the Midnight Boom album.
Watching Alison staring into the abyss, first sitting in front of the speakers then teetering atop one of the monitors possessed by the spirit of the dark and friction filled music, one could only wonder where the music took her. My favorite tracks last night were Hook and Line which ‘blow away’, Last day of Magic and the gorgeous cover of Peggy Lee’s 'Crazy'. It was a great show with two artists still growing and experimenting on stage together, too hip for words. An aural assault of pleasure and pain filled our ears and the dirty groove shuffled our feet. The Kills surprised Vancouver, and we loved it.
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