"You're like Def Leopard and I'm like Enya..." ~ Sara Quin

My first concert of 2010 has set the bar pretty high! Tegan and Sara played the Jubilee auditorium for two nights and I was at the 2nd show last night. The opening band An Horse, who come from Australia, were also very engaging and I thought WOW so much sound from just two people. One Singer/guitarist and one drummer (very impressive) and they have really good, catchy songs. They joked that they were brought on tour so Tegan and Sara could watch and laugh as they froze in Edmonton in January. They were very funny and warm hearted.

We went for some beers in the lobby during the intermission and it was like a reunion we saw so many people we knew, it was lovely to see good friends!

Once we were settled the lights dimmed and a red screen descended from the stage and there they were: 2 wee girls surrounded by a ton of equipment. On stage all the band members wore red shoes (the drummer wore red flip flops--in January--in Edmonton, brave man) and it was as if we all just old friends getting together again after a long time apart. They changed guitars between each set and had 3, count 'em THREE, giant keyboards.



Tegan and Sara are talkative and engage the audience in a way I have not seen at a concert of this size before. They were witty, funny and gracious and made sure we were up out of our seats for some songs and comfortable throughout. Last time I saw them I was all crammed in standing room only at the Power Plant, it was nice to have a seat and breathing space to really enjoy the concert. They played a range of music. Lots of new stuff co-mingled with the old favourites I love and it was a great set list. The encore was amazing and my favourite part as it featured Call it Off, Back in Your Head, and ended with Living Room (linked in the title ^). It was such a treat.

There was one young girl who was yelling from the audience and was slightly embarrassing after a while. She asked Sara out and that got a bit of a conversation going. Tegan asked where she would take Sara on a date and the girl replied, "to my bedroom" and Sara replied, "I am not that kind of girl, I need dinner and a movie and to be romanced first."

Tegan told stories about her love addiction and prefaced many songs with anecdotes about the genesis of each. I really enjoyed this part, I love knowing where the inspiration for a song comes from. Tegan is a talker...she joked about the review of the 1st show in the paper and wondered aloud what loquacious meant. One audience member shouted, "Verbose" and another, "talkative" and she had to agree with the review...she does like to talk. I was grateful for it. How many times to you go to a concert and get to really hear from the band members in a meaningful way that is not just "Hello [insert city name here] we love you..."?

Great songs, incredible melodies, and such harmony that I found myself closing my eyes to soak them up just like the rays of the sun on a beautiful day. It warmed me and energized me. I had that "can't sleep concert rush" when I got home and had a hard time coming down off the music high. That is the signature of a great concert for me.

If you missed them you have a chance to see them again very soon as the news just came out that Edmonton will be part of the Lilith Fair concerts this summer and Tegan and Sara will be sharing the stage with an incredible array of talented women.

Song Du Jour: Miracle Drug by U2

Sometimes I wish I was dead. I'll be okay, I guess, 'cause I'm lookin' up. Lookin' for something to fall

So we went and saw Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire and I struggled to watch the really hard parts. It was the best movie...which seems somehow wrong to say...it was the most provocative movie I have seen, but I haven't seen Hurt Locker, it doesn't open until next week here. With Precious you see a stripped down, raw, and tender glimpse into a young woman's life. A woman who is told she has no worth but just refuses to listen. It will inspire you --no....Precious will rip your heart out and remind you to LIVE your life to the fullest. You will be transported back into the late 80's to Harlem where giggles and laughs are hard to find but when they come they are pure joy. The scenes with Mary the Mother from HELL are riveting. Mo'Nique should win the oscar --hands down. She plays a woman so completely convinced of her own distorted reality that I was blown away.

Not recommended for the softies out there, violence is part of their lives every day, and to walk with Precious through her life from day to day will wind you. It's the kind of movie you have to sit back in your chair after the credits roll and take a moment to let it all sink in. Powerful to the point that I thought how grateful I was for my screwed up life....Go see it!

This is going to be my pick for best movie of 2009. This and Up in a weird top 2 list. Everything else I have seen...from Avatar to Sherlock Holmes (maybe in my top 5 because of Guy Ritchie, but I hate a movie that just leads to a freaking sequel) to what ever other regurgitated scripted crap hollywood churned out---this is the one to see.

Song Du Jour: Born On The FM Waves Of The Heart by Against Me! (with Tegan! can't wait to see the Tegan and Sarah concert tomorrow night!!)