So Thursday, that is to say yesterday, i went to see Beirut play at the avalon in hollywood. fun.yes.rockin.yes.zack candon has kick ass hair.yes. I got off work at about 5:30 in mission viejo and headed up the 5 freeway into LA witch should have taken about 45 mins instead in took 2 hours. Fun?no. But so I finaly made it to hollywood and found the avalon... and tried to find parking. Instead of parking at the avalons parking lot and paying 15 dollars, I decided to go up vine a little around the block and into some gettoh as your gona get mugged parking lot were i payed 15 dollars to park under a big tree in the very back dark corner under a big scary looking tree and over a bunch of broken beer bottles. After parking I hoofed it through an ally another parkinglot a side street and another ally to get to the avalon and aimless stand in the first line I saw, cuz lines are comforting and if your in one you acheave ananemity witch i like. However... it was the wrong line and a big guy in a big jacket told me so... and i had to shamefully stroll over to the willcall line witch was convienently hidden from view. The avalon btw is actualy really cool, its all art deco ish and has a really loungy nightclub apreance to it while still keeping some of the classic charm. The opening bands for Beirut were Colleen, and Alaska in Winter. Alaskin in Winter played first and was.... odd. It was one guy one stage singing to a prerecorded track list with a video in the b/c showing him playing all the instremental parts. The music was alright and if he had actualy had a band to play it live it prolly would have been good but it really lacked energy. Colleen was pretty rad, one of the Beirut guys came out and told everyone to sit down cuz she doesnt really play the kind of music you would want to be standing up for... aparently. Being that i was at the very front leaning against the stage when i sat down... i couldnt see her at all. But i got the jist of it, She played variouse instraments verry well chello, piano, claranet, some wind chimes...ect. and then just looped the stuff together, The chello was the coolest it started out slow and simple and by the end was really complex but still without a real melody all of it was prety much ambiance. She only played for about 15 mins witch was cool cuz the crowed was pretty restless, The music would have been very enjoyable just about enywere exept on the hard wood floor of the avalon. Finaly beirut got on stage to play their set with last just over an hour. Zack Candon has prolly the cooles wacked out hair ever, he seriously look like some old world composer thats got some screws loose. But hey it works. They mixed it up pretty well playing songs from Gutlag, Lon Gisland and Flying club cup, and twards the end of the set they seemed to give up on their own songs entierly and play very cool songs by some belgian composer who's name i wish i could remember. Being right up front was great it was a pretty mellow crowd as i would expect with the style of music being played and i just leaned up against the stage and kicked it. Zack weileded his sideways trumpet dealy like a wepon, both figurativly and literaly, he carried more sound out of it then all the other brass combines, and while sinnging he would often times carry it on his shoulder like a rifle, while he half conducted half rocked out to his music. The drummer, whos name i think is peat or somthing close to that was a particularly goofy characture, moast of his face was blocked by drums but the parts i could see were always doing somthing silly. The band setup on stage was very dynamic with almoast everyone chaning instraments after every song, the moast powerful formation tho would have to be all of them standing in a line taking up the entire stage producing enough sound to fill the hall w/o any speakers, altho they had speakers so it was even louder and more kick ass. Prolly one of the more interesting shows ive been too i really enjoyed it alot, altho i did get terrably lost on the way home after i discovered that the onramps to the 101 from sunset and from hollywood blvd were both closed... however a quick phonecall and a buddie with mapquest had me on my way home in a jiffy. I got a poster for a dollar and they were out of T-shirts :mad. The Go! team is up next weekend at the glass house :LOS​