Stacey and I hit the British Isles to see a couple of our favorite bands, Wilco and Radiohead, play live. Actually, the plan was originally to see Radiohead at the Reading Festival on Sunday, but then Wilco booked a couple of shows in Dublin, and Stacey adjusted our travel schedule so we could see them, too.
I'm glad she did. The Reading Festival was pretty overwhelming. I enjoyed Radiohead's set, but the whole thing was insane. I haven't been able to find actual attendance numbers, but it seemed like there were a million people there. I'm probably just getting too old for the festival scene. The Wilco shows, on the other hand, were at a small venue known as
St. Vicar's Vicar Street. We were up front (in "the pit," as it were) for the Thursday night show, but we found some awesome seats for Wilco's Friday night set and had an even better time that night. It didn't hurt that Wilco ended that show with "Monday" and "Outtasite (Outta Mind)." I thought for a minute they might play all of disc one of
Being There, which would have been fine with me. Also, Jeff Tweedy poked a little fun at Bono's Jesus complex. That didn't play well with the locals, but Stacey and I found it hi-larious.
I really love London and Dublin. Maybe it is just the accents, but most people here seem so nice (don't worry, fellow Americans, they have douchebags here just like in the States--I think the whole "ugly Americans" thing is bullshit). The weather is dreary, which suits my pasty complexion (though gray skies still make me long for Norway). And we got to catch up with our favorite American expatriates, Paul and Angie.
The only downsides to the trip--mayonnaise, spotty wi-fi, and missing our kitty-cat. We'll start heading back to America in about five hours, so I guess I should try to get some sleep...
EDIT: The theater in Dublin was "Vicar Street," not "St. Vicar's." Guess my memory was a little dyslexic on that one.
