Thursday, June 19, 1997

Blur/That Dog - Rage

I got in slightly late for That Dog due to lack of a comp ticket and insufficient funds to pay a scalper $45 for admission. (Blur, the headliner, are pretty big in Vancouver.) I had to give the doorman $30 as That Dog were starting their set. Anyways, I made my way into the middle of the crowd and thoroughly enjoyed That Dog's set. At one point, Anna Waronker commented on the beauty of Vancouver. Anna seemed a bit hesitant playing in front of 1000+ people who had never heard of her band. (Since the demise of the late, great Coast 1040, the city has not had a modern rock station, so the only exposure has been through the excellent University (UBC and SFU) radio stations and the CBC.) I heard snide comments from the crowd who were obviously anxious to see Blur. (Since I had seen Blur just days earlier, and in fact had seen Blur in this same venue five years earlier, I had to restrain myself from explaining that That Dog were far superior to Blur live.) Well, I thought that That Dog were great, and I told Anna so. In fact, I babbled to Anna at some length about how much I loved her band and her music, to my considerable embarrassment. I guess I was just "Totally Crushed Out" by her. It was interesting to note that many people wanted to talk to Petra and Rachel, but not many people approached Anna. I guess most Vancouverites respond more to the down-to-earth looks of the Hadens and are a bit put off by the L.A. glamour of Anna.

Sunday, June 15, 1997