A note on Muse

I won't be reviewing this superlative concert. Despite wanting to, there are a number of reasons why it would be a bit pointless:

• it's been so long since I've written a review that I am horribly out of practice, and given the gravity of the band, this is not the gig to review while rusty
• being the midget I am and missing all the visuals, I really only experienced half the show. While that's fine for me, for the purposes of a review you really need to be able to give readers at least a vague idea of what the band did.
  

More importantly, there is already a supreme write up by fellow fan and friend-of-a-friend Ross. For a fairly slick piece, go read it (he's well and truly proved engineers can write).

My two cents
Noticing there were a lot of fans at the concert who stood around looking aloof and bored, I decided fairly early on in the piece I was not going to stint on the enjoyment side of things. This was especially due to the fact I'd paid through the nose for a real live concert, with money that wasn't really in my bank account at the time of purchase - oops. So I sang loudly to the songs and danced/spazzed hard out for the first time in years, thoroughly enjoying myself and completely pissing off the guy in front of me, who got the brunt of my bad singing. Sorry dude, but you were tall enough to see the band, so it was a fair trade-off. Them's the breaks.

The constantly-referred-to merch
Before the concert, I spent enough time lining up for overpriced merch for the apocalypse to have taken place three times over, receiving a round of applause when I made it back to our group of mates in the same century I left it. Despite being sadly overpriced, the t-shirt is really good quality, a face-meltingly awesome colour and very much worth the effort. I am stupidly proud of (and a little in love with) my not-quite-offensive band t-shirt that is - get this - not black. Just ask Fraser. (I think he's actually embarrassed for me - sorry dude. It'll wear off, honest).

Alternative methods of enjoying a concert *cough*
All in all, the concert was *soooo* worth it, even if we did get "busted" for being stoners. The guy who tried to catch us out was the most disappointed security guard I've ever seen. He also managed to come up with a pretty unrealistic explanation: Westpac stadium is a training ground for police dogs. At 11.30 on Sunday nights. While a large number of civilians are walking around. Riiiiiiiight. If you've ever wanted to know what it's like to watch someone:

1. Swagger up to a group, and casually throw their weight around
2. Slowly realise part way through the spiel that they're completely in the wrong
3. Start back-pedalling and try to regain credibility by bluffing while sounding authoritarian;

then ask anyone from the 'stoner circle'. A study in human character fit for Lizzy Bennett of P & P. To everyone who made up our enormous party, cheers - it was fantastic giggin' with you all. Good times :D

Apologies for the complete lack of quality and brevity that is this post: I've just gotten back from a Mona Vale Falls gig and I'm pretty wasted from a week of not sleeping. More reviews to follow...

Done like a fish in the night. Only on Tuesdays!

The passing of my final assignment was marked with a blonde Leffe (mmm, European monk beer) and the watching of Little Miss Sunshine. Which, by the way, is totally awesome in a warped kind of way and even has a Sufjan Stevens song playing in the background at some stage. I totally want a yellow VW van now. Possibly one with a clutch, though.

*Does a little happiness dance*

I am pretty excited about seeing people again and doing stuff that requires no justification along the lines of "this will ensure maximum productivity and help the team become more cohesive". Yus!

Note:
Also, just for future reference, LMS is one of those movies you probably shouldn't watch with your (anti swearing / dodginess / alcohol) parents, what with the awkwardness and all. Or drink a beer while doing so... *cough* good times!