white house

I heard these words first-person:

"But the bottom line is that our core values of responsibility, opportunity, making sure that the American dream is alive and well so that anybody who is willing to put in the time and the effort and the energy are able to get a good education in this society, find a job that pays a living wage, that they’re able to send their kids to college without going broke, that they’ve got basic health care, that they’re going to be able to retire with some dignity and respect, that that opportunity is open to anybody regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation, that that basic principle- that’s what holds us together, that’s what makes us Americans. We’re not all tied together by ethnicity or a single religion; what ties us together is this idea that everybody’s got a shot. As long as you carry out your responsibilities, you can make it. You can get into the middle class and beyond. You can start a company and suddenly help bring the whole world together. That’s what makes this country outstanding. But in order to do that, it requires us to both have a commitment to our individualism, our freedom and creativity, and our idiosyncrasies, but it also requires us to have a commitment to each other, and to recognize that I would not be president if somebody hadn’t helped provide scholarships to my school and you would not have Twitter if the DOD at some point and a bunch of universities hadn’t made investments in something that ended up becoming the internet. And those were public goods that were invested in. You and I are sitting here because someone somewhere made an investment in our futures. We’ve got the same obligation for the folks who are coming up behind us. We’ve got to make sure that we’re looking out for them, just like the previous generations looked out for us. And that’s what I think will help us get through what are some difficult times and make sure that America’s future is even brighter than the past."

- President Obama, July 6, 2011

roo and beyond

It's been a while since Bonnaroo, but this is the first real downtime I've had since. So go figure.

That farm in Manchester, TN is hot, sticky, and DUSTY as hell, but I think I had some of the best times of my life out there. Bonnaroo is absolute insanity. People just not giving a fuck and having a grand old time. Sweating for 4 straight days in a cramped RV with 8 people (although I cannot complain at all since, well, we had an RV and most had tents)...I took 1 shower, ate junk food every day, and partied the eff out. I drank gallons of water and inhaled (what seemed like) metric tons of dirt and dust. Rode a ferris wheel, danced into the night...still nothing I can say here really describes Bonnaroo. It's another dimension. From catching MMJ on the massive main stage, to smashing up close for Girl Talk, to partying into the night with Bassnectar, to rocking the Silent Disco, to finally catching Arcade Fire light up the stage after 3 years...it was an amazing experience. I think I lost a few years of my life that weekend. But totally worth it. I'd do it again.

Top 4 performances...because if you know me, (spoiler alert) you know Arcade Fire took the cake. Feel like I need at least 3 suspenseful, unknown picks to make this list a tad bit compelling....so here goes.

4) Deerhunter - Highlight of day 1 (Thursday). It was a low key day, perfect for kicking off the madness that would ensue throughout the weekend. Never seen Deerhunter before, but have heard their albums...wasn't sure what kind of live show to expect. Turns out Deerhunter set a high bar. Bradford Cox has a big voice - not totally evident on recordings. "Earthquake" was simply haunting live.

3) Pretty Lights + Bassnectar - Highlights of day 2 (outside of the MMJ-AC back-to-back, of course). What a party. Having never seen either artist, I just knew there would be lots of glowsticks and hulahoops. Truly an audio-visual bombardment. By 2-3am, it's party time at Roo. Bassnectar and Pretty Lights hooked us up with the beats to keep it going. Epic.

2) CWK, Devotchka, Explosions in the Sky - All ridiculous...all bands I've spend lots of $ on over the years. These are bands that never fail to impress, no matter how many times I see them. Simply great live bands. Like an ACL 07 Reunion!

1) Arcade Fire - I gush about Arcade Fire every chance I get. I hadn't seen them in 3+ years. I always say i'm not religious, so AC is the closest thing I can have to a truly spiritual experience. Yeah, my love for their live performance is that deep. They came on back-to-back with MMJ, which rivals AC for sheer grandiosity and live execution. Still, AC is AC. They hit all the big ones, from 'Intervention' to 'Tunnels' to 'Ready to Start' to 'Laika'. To enjoy that with thousands at Bonnaroo was truly...I don't know if there's an adjective to describe it. The new tracks are ridiculous live. Never heard 'Rococo' in person. It was beautiful. 'Sprawl II' = amazing. I can't want to see them again. Now if only they'd play 'Kettles' one more time.

I returned home after a marathon drive back to DC. Two days later, I had the privilege of seeing Yeasayer at 9:30. Apparently, a few of them are form the Baltimore area and grew up attending shows at 9:30. They said, no less than 3 times, how 9:30 is the best venue they've ever played. The longer I was in there (which was the first time, actually), the more I realized that they could be right. Great sound, great setup, intimate...9:30 is a gem. It only made Yeasayer's performance that much more amazing. That day, I realized 'Tightrope' is one of my favorite songs. I also realized that Yeasayer kills it live (2080 and ONE are HUGE), and everyone should do themselves a favor by seeing them at least once. This was #3 for me and I still want more.

Everything I just wrote about happened in one week. Life is moving so fast right now. I am loving it.

Next on tap: Animal Collective @ MPP, Battles @ 9:30, Interpol @ 9:30, Bassnectar @ Armory, Explosions in Baltimore...