Tag: the xx (page 1 of 1)

Great Pics of The XX at the Hollywood Bowl Not Taken By Me

“And every day I’m learning about you. The things that no one else sees.”The xx, Angels

The xx, along with The Chromatics and Austra (who we didn’t make it in time to see), played at The Hollywood Bowl this past Sunday. We got to our pretty solid seats in the terrace section right before The Chromatics went on.  The Chromatics are very enjoyable but the Bowl is an odd place to hear shoegaze-y, head-noddy, synthpop. Should we all be swaying back and forth in our seats or eating our fried chicken and drinking wine from our picnic baskets?

I said as much before The xx hit the stage. I might have even suggested this was my last time coming to the bowl for this kind of non-orchestral, non-spectacle show. And then Romy, Oliver, and Jamie came out and amazed for over an hour. Pretty spectacular what two kids on guitars and an electronic music guru can do to make great use of an enormous stage and entertain with the power of their performance. 

And then the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra joined them and took it higher.  

Anyway, I took terrible pictures that I didn’t post to instagram but other people took much better pics. Here are some of them: 

That last pic is from Ray who graciously allowed me to buy his good seats at a fair price when he found himself with even better ones. Thanks Ray! 

And thanks The xx

What I Want To Remember About September 2013

“And the music don’t feel like it did.”The xx, Teardrops

Yoga became a thing I like to go do.

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I might like a lazy Saturday but I love an active weekend.

I’m not too old to go to shows (though I do appreciate when they end before 11). 

Certain relationships manifest beautiful serendipities.

For my sister, it’s all happening.

Most of us aren’t Emily Bear.

And, by that, I mean that discipline and unrepentant passion for something isn’t intrinsic for most of us. It clearly isn’t for me. At the age of 12, Bear has composed 350 pieces of music and released six albums. Even though I enjoy both immensely, I have to remind myself to read books and write something on a daily basis. I’m not called to it. I’m not called to anything, really. I’m interested in many a thing but I’m passionate, truly passionate, about little.

That’s not true. I’m passionate about always getting better. I’m passionate about doing the right thing. I’m ardent about encouraging people to aim high and go for it. It doesn’t matter what the “it” is.

I have notions of how to make me better and I have made commitments to myself to do those things in a consistent fashion. I stumbled a bit with some of them in September. I’m not Emily Bear or those like her for whom, it seems, can’t get enough of doing the things that make them great and bring them joy. I’ve got to remind myself these things are worth doing.

The rewards are rich when I’m not a victim of the inertia of the couch and the tv and my internal dialogue.

And that’s what I want to remember about this September.