In Which I Spend An Evening With Terrorist Taxis and Scared Bunnies

Okay, so last Saturday night there were huge happenings on the North Shore of the Burgh. Within a 1.5 mile radius there was a baseball game with a post-debacle... I mean, game band (Train) concluding with ginormous fireworks at PNC Park, Heinz Field was hosting a Batman Dark Night Rises shoot and Stage AE was the place to hear outstanding popular music outdoors.  In the sweltering heat. Amongst the icky, sticky masses.

So much to do in one little evening!

My work buddy, Sue was nice enough to tag along with me to see Death Cab For Cutie and my favorite Scottish band, Frightened Rabbit at the above mentioned Stage AE. She and I spent an equally humid night last summer suffering through a wretched Smashing Pumpkins concert. Clearly we are drawn to sweaty events. We are like the Sheen Sister.

we've got to hit some cooler venues

I like this new venue a lot except for the painfully long security line to enter. This evening the queue wound all the way around the perimeter. Fortunately, the Good Humor lady was right around the corner.

me love you long time, ice cream lady

A refreshing orange Creamcicle for me. An erotic ice formation for Sue.

Phallus! Get your ice cold Phallus!

One of the cool things about the gents of Frightened Rabbit (henceforth referred to as Frabbits) is their charitable efforts on tour. Lead singer, Scott Hutchinson has taken to creating a drawing of some kind to sell each night for $20 which goes to a designated charity of record. Last year was the beard tour with Scott drawing a bearded figure on album sleeves bought from local used record stores. This tour's sketch offering is on postcards. Ours paid homage to Batman.

Guess what, kids...

dark night rises from sleep to ... tinkle
answers the question, "what
would batman wear to bed?" 

I scored that puppy, Beeyatch!

After the show, Scott kindly got all the guys from the band to sign the back.

Scott, goober, Gordon, Sue
post-show meet, and greet...and melt

with Andy prior to the show
does he look like a Brit, or what?

The cool thing about this show is for once the opener was as entertaining as the headliner. The Frabbits played a short set, but the crowd was thick with supporters singing and clapping along. They're great fun to watch, if not a wee bit spazzy. Plus the f-bomb sounds so charming uttered in that delightful brogue.





The Loneliness and the Scream is one of my favorite concert finales evah.



Fucking Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrilliant!

(Side Note: Do yourself a favor and click on the "Old Old" video suggestion that pops up after viewing this last video. It's awesome, too and shot from much closer.)

Death Cab For Cutie is one of those oddly named bands introduced to Geo and me years ago via our music guru friend, Beeeeeeal. Their ethereal sound struck a chord early on. It's been five years since they popped through town. Definitely worth the wait.

They played a long 25-song, two hour set full of energetic pop songs. Singer Ben Gibbard was in great voice, buzzing about the stage, bouncing to his own beat. When he stood alone on stage with his acoustic guitar (rifting about how sick HE was of all the Batman traffic chaos), I knew he was about to play my favorite tune of theirs that always makes me cry because I am a huge sappy douche.

*sniff*




This heartbreakingly beautiful song makes me think of the inevitable end of Geo's and my life together...

*double sniff*

For a minute I thought my streak of every performer singing a cover during the show was going to be broken when they finished the master set list and left the stage sans cover song, but then they returned with this.




And the streak continues!! Woo Hoo!




There are more videos on my YouTube channel here.

It was a perfect summer evening of sharing live music with a friend under the starry, moonlit sky. What could possibly top it? Sipping a nightcap in the cool riverfront breeze on a restaurant patio watching these go off.

Perfection.