last night I looked into the belly of Evil.

since I was feeling moderately well, I went to the Neil Finn concert with April. when we got in line at the door, I was shocked to see a crowd that was probably 75% middle-aged and 100% lame.

we made our way to the front left of the stage, which was pretty open, and waited for Ed Harcourt to come on as the opener. as soon as he came out, a row of guys who had been sitting on the stage stood up. two of them stood well over 6' 4" each and I can't tell you how livid I was. who the fuck stands at the front of the crowd when they're that bloody tall? to make matters worse, Ed Harcourt was in a bitchy mood and his set was a real stinker.

after he finished, about 5 or 6 people pushed their way up to our area, where it was already mighty crowded. one guy was actually standing with his arms straight down, crossed in front of him he was so squished in. at this point I was beginning to hate everyone in the crowd. I turned to the guy and said, "are you actually going to stand like that for the whole show?" it was when a girl near April and two other guys started arguing about who was there first that I suggested we just give up and move to the back. that really sucked.

so, to the back we went, where I got a horrifyingly real view of the crowd. seated below me was a white-haired man in a loud printed shirt, accompanied by his manicured wife and son. to my left was an overweight 40-something woman with brassy red, poufy, rooster-style hair, heavy eyeshadow, lots of gold jewelry and a tasteful middle-aged tunic and pants. as soon as the show started, this woman began singing and dancing along to every song. I looked at her with terror in my eyes and turned to April to say, "I am ashamed to be here."

not long after, the red headed woman turned to me and asked, "Is Johnny Marr coming out onstage tonight?" because he's done work with Neil Finn before. I stammered, "I dunno," and looked at April. "Please don't tell me she was into The Smiths when she was younger," I pleaded. April laughed and said, "She's really rocking your world, huh?" and she was.

I suppose Neil Finn was good but I was so damned distracted by the overwhelmingly middle-of-the-road crowd around me that it was hard to concentrate. factor in the small waves of nausea that were washing over me due to my illness, and perhaps you'll sense my state of mind at that point. it was difficult. but oh well. at least I got to see Neil and I know if ever I choose to see him again, I'll get there early, stand up front, wear blinders, and focus only on the faces playing the instruments.

I am beginning to feel better now and I'm praying that by Wednesday I'll be able to head back in to work again. I cannot believe it's been over a week that I've been ill now, with little relief. just can't stop thinking about it.

okay it's couch time again. fare thee well.