Thursday 18th – Bloc Party 2

Before leaving for work today, I had 10 minutes spare so decided to check my facebook and email. Not much had happened on facebook, a few people had updated their statuses, a couple of wall posts and photo comments had been written, but generally the world was being quite quiet. So I checked my emails. I had one from Hotmail, one from my Dad, and one from RSVP. I nearly deleted it, assuming it was spam, but ended up opening it anyway to have a look. And I’m so glad I did. The email read as follows:

Hello!

You are on the list for the Bloc Party gig tonight with a +1 (so you can bring a friend).You will need to go to the VIP entrance / line to get your tickets and your VIP area access.

Have a great time

This made my day. I no longer had to fear about not being able to get into the gig, and definitely didn’t have to worry about not being able to see. The day was too long for me. All I could think about at work was going to the gig. After seeing them last month at Webster Hall, I was very very excited.
We planned to get the 4.30 train into NYC, so that we’d get there an hour before doors opened. This was because whilst Cam and I were on the VIP list, Dave was not, and was going to have to queue like everyone else. For the first time since I got to America though, the trains were delayed (due to a fatality apparently) and we got into New York at about half 6. By this time, the line to get in was longer than that for anything else going on in the city. It wrapped right round the building and headed up Broadway. So instead of making Dave queue, we simply glanced at the VIP list and pretended he was someone else. It turned out that not only was I on the list, but I was actually eligible for the extra-VIP treatment. Most people on the list got in before everyone else but except for that, they were normal folk. Me and Cam got access to a special side-stage (and later on, we got to skip the queue into the aftershow party too!).


So we picked up our wristbands, had a few drinks in a nearby bar, and headed into the gig. The support band Amazing Baby were an odd mish-mash of musicians. Most notable was their heavy-metal lead guitarist head-banging at one end of the stage by himself. So whilst they played, we drank. Stupidly, I got really drunk at this gig (as this is the first time I’ve been at a big gig and been able to stand by the stage and the bar at the same time.
But when Bloc Party came on, it was unbelievable. The set was roughly one third new stuff from Intimacy, and strangely they opened with their newest single, Talons (which isn’t even on the album!). By the time the band had closed with Flux and Helicopter, I was covered in sweat and was ready to just go home and collapse.
But on the way out of the show, I was handed a flyer for the band’s aftershow.



Normally speaking I may not have bothered, as it was blatently going to be a VERY expensive night out. However, the flyer said “MOBY DJ SET” on it, and I instantly knew that we had to go. After an argument with a taxi driver who’d tried to charge us $30 for a $10 ride, we got some money out (pretty much all that was left from my earnings this summer) and showed our blue wristbands to the bouncer who let us straight in. Sadly we weren’t there long enough to see Moby DJ, as we had to get the last train home to Locust Valley at 1am – but all in all, the night was pretty damn good.


Bloc Party – Roseland Ballroom – 09/18/08

Talons
Trojan Horse
Hunting For Witches
Positive Tension
Signs
Song For Clay (Disappear Here)
Banquet Better Than Heaven
The Once And Future King
This Modern Love
The Prayer
Like Eating Glass
-----------------------------
Ares
Price Of Gasoline
Flux
Helicopter