Why I Rule & You Hate Me

Because I shall be seeing Sparks perform the entire "Kimono My House" album live at UCLA's Royce Hall tomorrow night.

They'll also be playing the entire contents of their latest album, and a few old favorites. Yep. I see you all, shaking your fists, cursing me, insane with jealousy.

Unless one of you saw 'em play ALL their albums in London last year, in which case I'll be the one doing the cursing and fist-waving.

Who are Sparks?

I kid! Very cool, Fab. Hope you have a great time. Looking forward to a report on Monday.

I second the bit about the report. We wanna here all about it so we can further seethe with jealousy.

Holy blanking blank. Damn me for not going to out to LA this weekend for the Doctor Who convention.

And I just geeked myself into a black hole...

do they have a greatest hits album or something to get familiar before I pay to see them live?

p.s. please buy the band exactly three drinks apiece for me sir fabious.



Post Edited (02-14-09 21:29)

It was great! Better then I expected - there's a live version of "Amateur Hour" on the CD reissue of "Kimono" and Russell couldn't get to the high notes. Thought his voice was shot. Nope, he's never sounded better.

Not quite Vegas/Broadway production values, but still (sorry, folks) probably too elaborate to hit the road, e.g. an interactive video screen; and 6 gals who were, for lack of a better phrase, backup singer/dancers. They did things like walk slowly in procession singing into mics standing up in shopping carts that they were pushing. Then Ron Mael got out of a bed on stage and went over to his keyboard. I don't know why.

Ron (whose Roland keyboard's letters were rearranged to read "Ronald") was silent all night to great comic effect, a la Teller to Russell's Penn, til the very last song, a white-hip-hopper parody called "Suburban Homeboy," in which he, er, raps.

'Twas a long night - both albums, then "Propaganda," "Mickey Mouse," "No. 1 Song In Heaven," a few others.

Two Asian girls in the audience were wearing kimonos.

Steve McDonald of Redd Kross on bass!

It was all a bit confusing for some of the Royce Hall season ticket holders, who are used to seeing stuff like ballet. During one of the new tunes, which boasts the chorus "Photoshop me out of your life," a gray-haired lady sitting in front of me asked her husband, "What does 'Photoshop' mean?"