Tag / Nerdist Podcast

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20 Years Queer

garbage-riv20 years ago, on August 15, 1995, the self-titled debut album from Garbage was released, starting an odyssey that would encompass 5 studio albums, 1 greatest hits package, and 1 live DVD concert video.  To celebrate, the group scheduled a small tour for this fall, called the 20 Years Queer tour, where they would perform the first album in its entirety along with other B-sides and rarities from that era.  Saturday night, that tour rolled into Chicago.

The show was at the Riviera Theatre, which was the site of my first Garbage show all the way back in 2002.  To gear up for the show, I listened to a recent Nerdist podcast with singer Shirley Manson, which got me in the mood without having to listen to the same songs I was about to hear.  The opening act was Torres, a band I had never heard of before.  Shockingly, I actually liked some of what I heard, so I may try to listen to their music going forward.  To date, though, I haven’t found a playlist from them, so I don’t know which songs I enjoyed.

The Garbage portion of the show started with a short video, with accompaniment by the B-side Alien Sex Fiend, projected on the curtain, followed by a mixture of songs from their debut album.  The order was mixed up, mostly, I would assume, to avoid burning through the hits halfway through the show.  The main portion of the show ended with a rendition of #1 Crush, from the William Shapespeare’s Romeo + Juliet soundtrack.  The encore consisted of 2 more B-sides, including a cover of a Vic Chestnut classic, followed by later hits Cherry Lips and, to close the show, Push It.

This was my 5th Garbage show, and my first since 2012.  Rumor has it that they are also working on a new album due out next year, so they may be coming through town again next year.  Assuming my poor feet recover from the experience, I hope to be there to see them again.

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Vacation Recap – Toronto

toronto-condoTwo weeks ago, I headed out early on a Friday morning for the long drive northeast to the Canadian city of Toronto.  I arrived in the early evening, with my allergies inflamed after an afternoon of driving through the wilds of Michigan.  After a quick trip to find a pharmacy, we settled in at the sports bar just around the corner from our condo for dinner before calling it an early night to recover from a day of travelling.

Saturday morning was spent walking around the lakefront, enjoying the views and trying to get a little lay of the land.  The afternoon was spent at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays easily handled the Orioles to keep their hold on first place in the AL East.  Eventually we ended up at the fancy Italian restaurant across the street for dinner and drinks.

Sunday was another day of exploring.  After a late breakfast, we ended up on a bus tour, which, due to street closures, was not following its normal path.  It managed to drop us off a few blocks away from the Royal Ontario Museum, where we headed to enjoy some culture, including a special exhibit on Pompeii.  Thankfully, the tour was back on its normal path afterwards, so we grabbed a ride back to the condo before heading out to the Molson Canadian Ampitheatre for the Oddball Comedy Fest, which I went into much detail here.  After the show, we eventually managed to catch a cab back to the condo.

niagaraMonday was time to bid a temporary farewell to Toronto, as we headed south to Niagara Falls, where we spent the afternoon.   Continue reading →