: : : 2001-07-29 : : : 10:37 a.m. : : :

Arg. I think I�ve gotten over the entity that is the pain/hunger/sunburned/too-much-2nd-hand-pot that is an outdoor festival. In a few hours, I�ll be back at it again! I know all of you have been waiting for it, so here�s my report. I�ll just stick to the Sloan-related stuff, even though the bare-breasted women dancers of ShoCore would have been a cool thing to write about.

(Oh, & when you�re done, check out this other really good report. It�s long, just like this one!)

Anyway, after I had enjoyed enough BMX street competition to tie me over for a few hours, I went to check out Morning Maker. They have a single that�s played on the radio that I really enjoy. Anyway, as I was standing there, I noticed that one Patrick Pentland had joined the crowd a bit in front of me. So I decided to move in a little bit closer. Then the few people in front of me decided to move and voila I was right behind Patrick. Anyway, there were a couple guys beside me smoking some pot and they blew the smoke in his general direction (of course hitting innocent bystander me). Well, Patrick caught wind of what they were doing (literally) and moved beside them and partook (partaked?) in the affair. Well, where I was standing, I was downwind, so whenever he exhaled, I came right at me, so I couldn�t help but take it in. After a couple minutes, I realized I was inhaling Pentland Chronic. Ha Ha. (Hmm...why do I feel like no one else will laugh at that?) So if anyone is wondering what he smelled like yesterday, he smelled like pot.

Anyway, on to the show. For Static in Stereo�s set, I managed to get near the front. When Copyright came on, the really tall guy in front of me moved to a different area so I got to be front row for Sloan (10 for 10, woo!). Even though that meant I would be really close and able to hold on for dear life, being at the front for a festival does have a disadvantage: security guards getting in the way.

I really enjoyed the set. They played for less than the 45 minutes they were allotted because the main stage was running behind schedule since the beginning. Their set list is as follows:

The Good in Everyone
Coax Me
So Beyond Me
Pick it Up and Dial it
If it Feels Good, Do it
Sensory Deprivation
Snowsuit Sound
The Other Man
Money City Maniacs

I was surprised they didn�t play �Underwhelmed,� it being a festival and all. But I�m glad, because I probably wouldn�t have survived. �Pick it Up� sounds so KISSably good! And I really enjoyed �The Other Man.� Not as rocking as the other two, but really good.

After a couple songs, Chris noticed me and gave me a big smile and said �hey.� Later on he gave me a smile again.

After the show, I managed to find my friend Christina and I followed her out of the pit. My gawd, getting out hurt more than being in one. Usually I ask a security guard to pull me out when I�m at the front, but this guy was smaller than I was so I decided to try to walk out.

I managed to sort of meet Alan after the show. We didn�t say much to each other. That�s the problem when 2 shy people who never met before get together. Jay was the only one who came out, but then he had to go back again. When he came out again, I managed to get him to sign a picture that I took. I made him choose 1 of 3 and he picked one from the Edmonton show at the Golden Garter. I was hoping the others would come out, but I�ll just wait till next time. Too bad Chris didn�t come out, I had plenty of stuff to say to him.

Hmm....what else? Oh there was this guy in the pit with a cool Sloan t-shirt on who was going nuts. He was quite hilarious. And I saw some chicks who came from California & Seattle to see Sloan. That�s just crazy. I wouldn�t travel that far just to see Sloan play for 45 minutes at a festival. They were at the Vogue show as well as the Edmonton show that I went to. There were a couple other fans who went through my pictures and said that they were really good and were quite surprised that most of them were taken without a media pass. Yay, people I don�t know think I take good picture! One guy I was talking to for a few minutes was surprised to have met someone who saw Sloan more than he did.

OH YEAH! On Andrew�s shirt, written in what appears to be red felt was the word.... Well I tried to figure out what it said while he was playing the drums. Agia? That�s not a word. Regina? Didn�t seem likely. But after a while I thought, �Vagina?!?� When he stood up, it confirmed it.

Whew, my hands are tired.

=)

PS My group got 80% on our presentation, even though it lacked pizzazz. I should have opened or closed, but I was nervous, so I probably wouldn�t have helped much. Oh well, I easily passed the class. YAY, NO MORE SCHOOL!

PPS One of the write ups about Sloan in the program was pretty funny. Maybe I�ll type it out later.