icelandic, hopelandic, chicagoic

the chicago theatre, wednesday september 24th

last night, i saw sigur ros perform at the chicago theatre. their sound takes me away. i always describe it as otherworldly, but that's cause its true. especially during the haunting final moments of untitled 8. this tour was colorful. their stage background screens were tied to cameras on the stage, and the strobe lighting was wild. also, i love a good confetti burst.

now some pictures.

me, in my seat.

the view from our seats.

opening band: parachutes, also from iceland. the lead singer of parachutes, alex, is actually jónsi's boyfriend.

opening: one of my favorite moments, Svefn-g-englar.

performing a song.

performing (another) song.

the projection screen was cool.

goobledigook, with the addition of parachutes' "drummers"

they were all so happy, drumming away.

then there was a burst of confetti!

yay, confetti!

this video captures the very last moments of the confetti falling and the end of Goobledigook:

taking a bow.

[set list, for my own record: Svefn-g-englar, Glósóli, Ný batterí, Untitled 6 (E-bow), Fljótavík, Við spilum endalaust/Með suð í eyrum, Hoppípolla/Með Blóðnasir, Inní mér syngur vitleysingur, Festival, Svo Hljótt, Heysátan, Sæglópur, Hafsól, Gobbledigook*, **Encore**, Illgresi, Untitled 8 (Popplagið)]

no love for beth cooper.

i was just about to start reading I Love You, Beth Cooper when i decided to amazon.com it and check out some reviews, which led me to the web site for the book, which ultimately led to a page that revealed the book is already a movie starring hayden panettiere. now as i read, i'll just see the cheerleader from Heroes. great.

faces in the same places.

when i took the diversey brown line train every morning, it was always hot and crowded and full of unfamiliar faces because you'd be on the train with whoever managed to squeeze under someone's arm or shimmy themselves up against someone's back or plow through however possible. now i take the belmont brown line train. because the belmont station is a hub for both red lines and brown lines, the brown line train that arrives usually unloads dozens of passengers who run quickly to the other side of the platform to hop on a red, allowing me to step into a cool train and take my favorite position - leaning against one of the glass walls, facing forward.

but that wasn't my original point. the belmont trains are cool and less crowded and full of familiar faces. i am beginning to think i am unknowingly following a precise minute-by-minute walk from my apartment to the train; crossing the street after identical turns of the crosswalk signs, traversing the steps at the same speed, and catching the same train each morning -- and so is everyone else.

some days, on the way from the train circa 5:30PM, i pass the same people on the sidewalk that i passed going the opposite direction that morning. like the girl with the cropped brown hair and the green scrubs and the pink crocs.

and almost every afternoon, just before i reach my building, i pass the guy with the too-small-for-his-already-petite-body-backpack that must contain a large bottle of ice, because i heard the crinkling sound each time he passes by.

on some days, this bothers me. i don't want to see the same people every day. i like remaining anonymous and familiarity when really there is no familiarity is kind of uncomfortable. on other days, i like that i'm sharing some common piece of my day with these strangers. i could be in any other city, on some other street, but i'm not, i'm right here. and so are they.

rain

it's been raining non-stop since friday afternoon. today, at approximately 11AM, i finally purchased an umbrella. i can't explain my reasoning.

this morning, i ate my first breakfast at melrose, which has been "just down the street" for the past year and 2 months. i had a grilled croissant sandwich, with scrambled eggs, cheese, and bacon. the waitress complimented me on my top, saying "Gray is very in now you know." I nodded my head as if i knew what she was talking about.