----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John L. Micek" <jlmicek@verizon.net>
> I think the main impediment to FoW, at least that night, was that 
> their amps had been turned to the "Unnecessarily Loud For A Small 
> Room" setting and stayed their for the whole of the night.
> They might well have put on an engaging set, but I was too busy 
> stanching the bleeding in my ears to notice.
> Now, granted, I love My Bloody Valentine, too. But I'd stay away 
> from their shows for the exact same reason.
> Nothing quite kills the vibe like causing your audience physical 
> discomfort.

Actually, I treasure the time I saw My Bloody Valentine, but that's 
because the volume had purpose, rather than simply being loud for its 
own sake.  To be fair, that wasn't a problem any of the times I've 
seen FoW, though.

On my own personal "see them every time they come through town" list: 
believe it or not, after a tentative beginning, the Decemberists have 
become an incredibly engaging, audience-centric live act over the last 
few years; Barenaked Ladies are always worth the ticket price; Nellie 
McKay never fails to deliver even when she takes the stage over an 
hour late because her train got stuck in Connecticut; Yuri Yunakov, 
who has nothing to do with anything pop-related (he plays Bulgarian 
wedding music), but I love seeing him live because it's as close as 
I'm ever going to get to seeing Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

Someone I wish I'd gotten to see more than once: Fats Domino.  The man 
just radiates pure, beatific joy.

S