The Best of 2010 (for me at least)
I’ve already explained how amazing an experience this was in an earlier post, so I shall not linger. Looking back, this would be the height of my performing experience (disregarding the intonation) and emotional connection with music. You could even say I was in a trance. Now I just have to figure out how to play like I did again, consistently.
Everything was much more beautiful IRL, of course.
3) The Wall Live- Dec 14
Before I go on, everything would make much more sense if you’ve heard, seen, or at least understood the concept of the Wall .
Anyhow, the humming intro of the concert began subtly, but fireworks heralded the advent of In the Flesh?- which was totally exhilarating and had everyone screaming their heads off. The graphics, which accompanied each song, were extremely eye-catching, and much of the lettering and drawings looked like they were drawn by Banksy or something. A good portion was also drawn from the Wall (the movie) by cartoonist Gerald Scarfe.
Although the outline of the concert didn’t follow the Wall (the movie) step by step, it had the general gist of it. Many of the themes from the movie was there, most notably the cross-hammer, the war theme with the soldiers and tanks and planes, and rebellious attitude that is so characteristic of Waters (“Mother, do you think I should trust the government?” /large red scrawled words appear on the wall “NO FUCKING WAY.”) However, they totally cut out the storyline of Pink Floyd (Floyd Pinkerton? Or just Pink?) probably because nobody would get it. So, they settled for giant, gruesome puppets of the mother, ex-wife, and teacher from the movie to appease those hardcore Pink Floyd fans who actually watched the absolutely legit movie. However, I was a little dismayed by some extraneous details- during Young Lust, they actually showed a modernized version of the female groupie as well as a lot of skin- an unnecessary amount of skin. There was also a snide reference to Dark Side of the Moon with “Us Not Them” scrawled on some of the walls. It was also disappointing that they showed a great portion of the cartoons from the movie, because I paid to see an elaborate and awesome conclusion, not 20 mins of animations that I could pull up on Youtube. Not an extraneous detail, but bothered me just as much. Plus, there was someone smoking pot a few rows down and to the left of my seat...it really stunk. Didn't the ushers/security have noses??
2) ARIA- July 30- Aug 11
The most memorable thing about music camp (besides music) was the nature, actually. Here are the photos that I owe you to help explain (taken by my phone, isn't the quality pretty decent?!):
The most memorable thing about music camp (besides music) was the nature, actually. Here are the photos that I owe you to help explain (taken by my phone, isn't the quality pretty decent?!):
Lower Lake.
This was the clearing that I had to climb up a slope to find the trail thru the forest. a freaking CLEARING, can you believe it?
Looking back at the clearing as I get on the forest trail...
I found a lot of deteriorating/fallen trees caused by both human and natural means. Creeped me out a little
huyhyhyuyhuyhuyh
The Equestrian Center was holding a training exam and I saw some beautiful horses.
Upper Lake.
Almost broke a knee and a half to get down here.
3) The Wall Live- Dec 14
Mind/ears/eyes= blown.
Ever since rumors started spreading around early 2010 that Waters, one of the lead singers and bassist of PINK FLOYD, was going to sing his “swan song” by touring the Wall, I felt like I was living in a dream. Ever since I got hooked on PF, I’ve always thought that if I ever encounter a time machine, my first stop would be a Dark Side of the Moon concert in the 70’s. After all, PF disbanded and wasn’t going to reunite, ever (Richard Wright died in 2008). God answered with the Wall Live in Anaheim, CA, right on my birthday. However, my dad refused to get me tickets and I missed the presale, but my sister saved me by buying me tix for the show that was added on the day after- the last show in the U.S. I was crying tears of joy that night (had trouble falling asleep too).
The event took place at the Honda Center and I had a pretty good seat, even though it was on the upper terrace. (I tried seat-hopping but it was really, really fail.) A partial, white bricked wall surrounded the stage, acting as screens to project on as well as a circular screen in the background. The band played behind the wall, with Waters out on the space in front of the wall. Throughout each song, more bricks would be added until at intermission, a complete wall was formed and the band was out of sight. After the wall was built, various band members appeared on top of the wall as they had their solos and rocked (with full intention of that term) in the limelight. Later on they relocated in front of the wall. It’s a pretty simple design, but considering the concept behind The Wall, this was the perfect set-up for the show.
Ever since rumors started spreading around early 2010 that Waters, one of the lead singers and bassist of PINK FLOYD, was going to sing his “swan song” by touring the Wall, I felt like I was living in a dream. Ever since I got hooked on PF, I’ve always thought that if I ever encounter a time machine, my first stop would be a Dark Side of the Moon concert in the 70’s. After all, PF disbanded and wasn’t going to reunite, ever (Richard Wright died in 2008). God answered with the Wall Live in Anaheim, CA, right on my birthday. However, my dad refused to get me tickets and I missed the presale, but my sister saved me by buying me tix for the show that was added on the day after- the last show in the U.S. I was crying tears of joy that night (had trouble falling asleep too).
The event took place at the Honda Center and I had a pretty good seat, even though it was on the upper terrace. (I tried seat-hopping but it was really, really fail.) A partial, white bricked wall surrounded the stage, acting as screens to project on as well as a circular screen in the background. The band played behind the wall, with Waters out on the space in front of the wall. Throughout each song, more bricks would be added until at intermission, a complete wall was formed and the band was out of sight. After the wall was built, various band members appeared on top of the wall as they had their solos and rocked (with full intention of that term) in the limelight. Later on they relocated in front of the wall. It’s a pretty simple design, but considering the concept behind The Wall, this was the perfect set-up for the show.
Waiting for the Worms- Can anyone make out what the heck he's saying with the megaphone?
Before I go on, everything would make much more sense if you’ve heard, seen, or at least understood the concept of the Wall .
Anyhow, the humming intro of the concert began subtly, but fireworks heralded the advent of In the Flesh?- which was totally exhilarating and had everyone screaming their heads off. The graphics, which accompanied each song, were extremely eye-catching, and much of the lettering and drawings looked like they were drawn by Banksy or something. A good portion was also drawn from the Wall (the movie) by cartoonist Gerald Scarfe.
Run Like Hell
Although the outline of the concert didn’t follow the Wall (the movie) step by step, it had the general gist of it. Many of the themes from the movie was there, most notably the cross-hammer, the war theme with the soldiers and tanks and planes, and rebellious attitude that is so characteristic of Waters (“Mother, do you think I should trust the government?” /large red scrawled words appear on the wall “NO FUCKING WAY.”) However, they totally cut out the storyline of Pink Floyd (Floyd Pinkerton? Or just Pink?) probably because nobody would get it. So, they settled for giant, gruesome puppets of the mother, ex-wife, and teacher from the movie to appease those hardcore Pink Floyd fans who actually watched the absolutely legit movie. However, I was a little dismayed by some extraneous details- during Young Lust, they actually showed a modernized version of the female groupie as well as a lot of skin- an unnecessary amount of skin. There was also a snide reference to Dark Side of the Moon with “Us Not Them” scrawled on some of the walls. It was also disappointing that they showed a great portion of the cartoons from the movie, because I paid to see an elaborate and awesome conclusion, not 20 mins of animations that I could pull up on Youtube. Not an extraneous detail, but bothered me just as much. Plus, there was someone smoking pot a few rows down and to the left of my seat...it really stunk. Didn't the ushers/security have noses??
the end of In the Flesh- Yes, Waters is firing an AK-47 o_0
The most significant thing I got out of this concert was not just an incredible auditory/visual experience, but a greater appreciation for the album. To be honest, I never like the Wall at first because I didn’t understand it. I mean, the music seems pretty foreign if you’re listening to it for the first time without prior knowledge of a “concept album.” It’s even weirder when you listen to individual songs out of context. After I watched the movie, I was able to relate to the music a little more. After the concert, I’m like I LOVE THIS STUFF MUST LISTEN MORE and every time I hear the Trial, or Goodbye Blue Skies, the devastatingly beautiful and dark emotions conveyed by the Wall Live are nostalgically recalled.
That picture to the left is a map of Ground Zero and the surrounding areas. Note that purple is Ground Zero, and the red square is the proposed mosque. You know how a city block is pretty damn big, right? Well the distance between Ground Zero and the mosque is a grand total of two city blocks. This place isn't anywhere NEAR Ground Zero, it's not built on the former site of a terrorist attack that ended thousands of lives and affected billions more, it's built on the former site of a Burlington Coat Factory. That's like if some guy decided to build a Jamba Juice downtown in Jerusalem, and for some reason people automatically assumed he would be opening up shop inside the Church of the Sepulcher and building his store out of pieces of the Dome of the Rock, all while taking a giant piss into the Holy Grail. Makes no sense whatsoever.
Another gem: "How many bags you'd packed" from the song One Less Lonely Girl. "How many bags you'd packed"? Really? You're singing about a 15-year old girl, not a tired, lonely woman rejected once too many times. The last time she had to pack was probably deciding what to bring on her next Disney World trip.
With the help of a mysterious wizard I threatened with a gun, I was able to locate and decipher parts of a journal once held by a Ken doll. This is the story of his life:
