Last Saturday, Kale and I were lucky to witness (first time for me) the mighty Pearl Jam. Despite being a little cautious with the venue, it genuinely was a night to remember. Ed was very drunk at the start, mumbling and slurring his words between songs, but vocally didn’t miss a beat. What a great experience. Stone Gossard turned back the clock with some long locks, and Mike ‘mask’ McCready, Stone Gossard and Matt Cameron were loving life.

Pearl Jam

Members Equity Stadium

14 November 2009

1.            Breakerfall

2.            Why Go

3.            Corduroy

4.            Gonna See My Friend

5.            Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town

6.            Amongst The Waves

7.            Even Flow

8.            Pilate

9.            Unthought Known

10.          Daughter with W.M.A. snippet

11.          Big Wave

12.          Force of Nature

13.          I Am Mine

14.          Grievance

15.          Garden

16.          The Fixer

17.          Save You

Encore:

18.          Just Breathe

19.          Red Mosquito (with Ben Harper)

20.          Love, Reign O’er Me (The Who cover)

21.          Whipping

22.          Got Some

23.          Do The Evolution

Encore 2:

24.          Throw Your Arms Around Me (Hunters & Collectors cover) (with Liam Finn)

25.          Given To Fly

26.          Better Man with Save It For Later snippet

27.          Alive

28.              Yellow Ledbetter

http://www.charityfolks.com/cfauctions/auction_bid.asp?auctionid=16798&catname=Music+%26+Concerts&mcid=8749

So the year is already past the half way mark, and whilst there have been a number of solid releases, in my opinion it doesn’ t look like matching some of the previous years of this decade. Having said that though, I don’t think I’ve been checking out as much new stuff this year and am more into the oldies.

Some of my favourite songs so far in ’09, in no particular order, are:

• Hilltop Hoods – Fifty In Five
• The Horrors – Scarlet Fields
• The Horrors – Sea Within A Sea
• Junior Boys – Parallel Lines
• Phoenix – 1901
• Phoenix – Lisztomania
• Sugar Army – Tongues In Cheek
• Trouble Andrew – Either Way
• The Whitest Boy Alive – Keep A Secret
• The Lonely Island – Boom Box
• The Lonely Island – We Like Sportz
• The Dream – Walking On The Moon (Featuring Kanye West)
• Rancid – East Bay Night
• Mos Def – Priority
• Mos Def – Auditorium (Featuring Slick Rick)
• DOOM – Gazillion Ear
• Mastodon – Oblivion
• Jadakiss – Death Wish (Featuring Lil Wayne)
• Discovery – Orange Shirt
• Fever Ray – Seven
• Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is The Move
• Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks

There’s probably a few I’ve forgotten (Animal Collective was this year, yeah?) but I’m sure you guys will probably cover them if you want to put up your own lists…

Click the image for it’s full size glory.

Frankly I am not looking forward to the scepters

This is what a 23 year old patient said to me at work the other day:

Patient: “hey I’ve got a story that i want to tell you, and you’ll find it hilarious cos you’re like 30 – 35 yrs old right?”

Me: “Ah….actually i’m 25″

Patient: “REALLLLLY!!!!!!!!”

Turns out the story she wanted to tell me was her 17 year old friend at work, hooked up with a 34 year old dude, and she was going to ask if I would ever do that (given that i’m 35).

Three cheers for self confidence!

>> Bill Wyman’s metal detector <<
The Rolling Stone’s Bill Wyman is famous for
many things:
* Courting peadotroversy by dating the 13 year
old failbait Mandy Smith.
* Being surprisingly old for a 1960s popstar – he
was 30 in 1966, about 7 years older than Mick &
Keef.
* Turning an enjoyable bass riff into an Ian
Dury pastiche with Je Suis Un Rock Star. Also
notable for its nonce-sense lyric, “They’ll
think I’m your dad and you’re my daughter.”
Anyway, hopefully old Bill will now be famous
for one more thing: Swedemason taking his
dribbling about metal detectors and turning it
into something rather special indeed.

I think this video is hilarious! Favourite moment is 1:14. Hope you enjoy it.

 Iron and Wine: Around the Well (2009).

Despite being a compilation of B sides and tracks that previously ‘missed out’, this deserves all the positive reviews it gets.

Sit down, with a cup of tea, and soak up the gentle mastery that is Sam Beam.

Click the image for it’s full size glory.

That's not even Beartato-shaped. You knit that for yourself, admit it