Primavera Sound Festival 2010 - Day One

Introduction

2010 marked the 10^th anniversary of the Primavera Sound Festival, which is held each year in Barcelona, Spain. It began 10 years ago as a one-day electronic music festival, and has sprouted out to include many of the best independent bands/artists in the world of indie rock, electronic, post-punk, and experimental genres. Check out past years’ epic lineups on the Wikipedia page.

I went to the Primavera Sound Fest this year and it was without a doubt the greatest music-related experience I’ve ever had—word--that's saying a lot actually. The festival lasts three days, and each night begins roughly at 4PM and runs until 5ish in the morning (yes, I stayed out for all 12/13hours each night). There are 7 stages (including the impressive auditorium directly outside the festival gates), and it takes place at the Parc del Forum, situated beautifully on the beach alongside the ocean (check out that sweet pic above).

There were supposedly around 80,000 folks there for the three days, but (with the exception of Pixies and Wilco sets) it never felt like an over-crowded festival—actually it was incredibly personal. I never felt like a spectator: I always felt like part of the experience—much like at smaller shows. It was also incredibly easy to view each performance as close or as far as one wanted. Knowing that, it was certainly an endurance test for me; especially since my body was already adjusting to the time difference (I'm convinced that I simply don't have an internal clock now after my trip).

I honestly don't want to hit up another music festival after this (unless it’s another Primavera festival)--it was just too good. The organizers’ sole focus is the music—as opposed to money. It’s not too expensive; the site is clean; the sound levels were fantastic for every band; I met some very rad people; and the lineup was fucking spectacular.

Below are videos, photos, and descriptions of my three days there. I really hope this doesn’t come off as pretentious blog-posting.

I’m surely not writing this as a “look at all the music I saw and everyone else didn’t” sort of thing, cause I'm definitely not like that. I’m just super excited to have such a great experience, and wish to share my time with others, as maybe it’ll convince a few friends to save up some cash to maybe attend next year, as I’m sure it'll be a legit lineup next year too.

Alright--here we go---some pics of the Parc del Forum festival site:

San Miguel State (main stage)

Ray Ban Stage

Pitchfork Stage

Auditorium

All Tomorrows Parties Stage

Vice Stage

Day One

The festival was located slighty outside the realms of the city's center, so I made sure to arrive with plenty of time to spare in case I got lost, which I assumed was very likely, but the hostel's instructions were fantastic--no issues! The first day (along with the other two) was beautiful with sunny weather in the 70's the entire time (with the exception of a little refreshing rain later on).

The El Salon de MySpace housed mostly local Spanish bands--the few that I saw were really awesome!

Not sure why these shenanigans were happening...
I ended up having a The Fall sandwich--highly recommended!

Poor guy...

...and now onto the actual bands (in order)

Biscuit

The festival started out on the Pitchfork stage with rock band Biscuit. These were older guys from Barcelona who just rocked out---imagine a spanish Robert Pollard was every member of a band--that's what they reminded me of. Later in the evening I standing next to them while waiting for Superchunk to begin, and after telling the lead singer that he played a "fucking awesome" set, he responded by flicking me off and then smirking---that's how rock 'n roll these guys were!

Bis

I've always dug the quirky dancey pop music of Bis (from Glasgow, Scotland), so it was a delight to see them play the main stage. I brought my dancing shoes.

Monotonix

I ran over to the Vice Stage to catch a bit of the Monotonix set, as I've seen them before, and know they put on a crazy show. Unfortunately a fairly sizable crowd already gathered (the band plays on the ground amongst the people--as opposed to on the stage), so I watched it from the bleachers for about 20 minutes (I left before the audience started lifting the whole drumset in the air).

El Mato a un Policia Motorizado

The Adidas Originales stage was designed for up-and-coming bands around the country to get exposed to a festival crowd. This smaller stage was also situated right alongside the ocean, so I had no problem catching a few bands here play in-between bigger sets. El Mato a un Policia Motorizado were fantastic--their style fell in line with a lot of bands with 90's indie-rock influences. (On a side note, the guitarist had a really nice set of hair--just sayin'.) Check out their Myspace page.

Surfer Blood

After getting a quick bite to eat, I decided to catch Surfer Blood at the Pitchfork stage--which fit, in that they sound like a "Pitchfork band." BAAM! They were great, but their album sounds better than their live shows, in my opinion.

The Wave Pictures

I was talking to someone earlier in the day who highly recommended the Wave Pictures, so made my way to the Ray Ban stage to check them out. I enjoyed the singer's comment that they have now done a lifetime's worth of Ray Ban sunglasses promotion by playing the big stage (it was the second biggest stage at the festival), and their set was decent.

The Fall

Being one of my all-time favorite bands, I was extremely pumped to see the Fall again (I saw them about seven years ago). As Mark E Smith took to the stage, my first impression was that this will probably be the last time I ever see The Fall--the man's not looking so good, and he's not even 55 yet!

Still, they played songs from their last two albums, and held the audience in the palm of their hands.

The first song of the set...the man likes making an entrance.

I love this--it's like Mark E Smith let his wife sing one song, but in turn, he purposesly tried to fuck it up. Also, check out the guys rocking out at :25.

Titus Andronicus

All girl guitarists need to play like this chick. The whole band looked like they were having fun while still keeping things interesting.

They're jamming at the end of one song below:

The XX

Walking out in front of a giant X on stage, the XX began their set...and I started falling asleep. Massive amounts of concertgoers were filling the stage area, so I assumed their live show HAD to be good...ehhhhhhh, I thought they were super boring.

I totally get "mood music," but it just didn't work in this setting--maybe a church or inside a small music hall. It did start to rain during their set, so at least SOMETHING refreshing was happening during the set.

Due to my boredom, I walked up to a hill, pee'd, and made this little video.

I even tried watching them on TV away from the stage, and it wasn't doing anything for me...

The Smith Westerns

I was a fan of the Smith Westerns' album, so I caught most of their set at the Pitchfork stage. Their guitarist has some copycat Peter Buck moves while playing. They announced that hadn't gotten any sleep the past 3 days...not sure if that was any kind of excuse, but they still put on a gran espectaculo! Check the vid!!

Superchunk

They hardly ever play out, so I imagine most of the crowd felt privileged to see them live. Mac McCaughan puts my on-stage bouncing to complete shame, and he seemed super stoked to be there. They have a new album out later this year, so their set had some new and old jams.

They opened their show with "Throwing Things," which is one of my favorite songs of theirs:

Wild Beasts

They're becoming quite a buzzworthy band, and I love their 2nd album that came out recently--a lot. I stayed for over half of their set. The cool vibe they succeeded at is what the XX was trying to do in my opinion.

Tortoise

I left Wild Beast's set a little early in order to catch Tortoise live. They're one of those bands who I've loved for years and years, but haven't been able to catch them live--even when they visited Pittsburgh.

I watched their set from a hill next to the stage--I wish there was more space on the hill, as the thought of sitting in the soggy grass and soaking in Tortoise's sounds was amazingly appealing.

Pavement

I skipped out on Broken Social Scene (ok, I caught one song) and Mission of Burma (saw them live last year) in order to get a good spot for Pavement at the main stage. They're a band that means more to me than most. I learned how to play guitar in middle school/high school by playing along to Pavement albums (along with Pixies albums (who headlined the second night) and old REM albums (they didn't play)).

I mean it when I say that they were one of the best live bands I've ever seen. It didn't feel like a "reunion,"---it felt like it was 1999 again. Malkmus threw his guitar around everywhere during multiple songs (including kicking his Jazzmaster across the stage in order to make it to the mini-drum set to play 'Two States'). They also played BY FAR the most rockin' version of Unfair I've ever heard. "Fight this Generation" was well-over 10 minutes long, and Scott Kannberg finished the set out in the crowd.

They opened with 'Cut Your Hair.' I wasn't expecting the crowd to be so rowdy, but the vid captures the moment pretty well:

If I could count the number of times I've played (air) guitar to this song in my life...

Setlist:

1. Cut Your Hair

2. Trigger Cut

3. Rattled by the Rush

4. In the Mouth a Desert

5. Kennel District

6. Grounded

7. Silence Kit

8. Elevate Me Later

9. Spit on a Stranger

10. Unfair

11. Starlings of the Slipstream

12 Fight This Generation

13. We Dance

14. Conduit for Sale!

15. The Hexx

16. Here

17. Stereo

18. Two States

19. Range Life

Encore

20. Gold Soundz

21. Shady Lane

22. Stop Breathing

Fuck Buttons

Even though Pavement were the headliners of the night (they went on around 1AM), there was still plenty of music yet to happen. Fuck Buttons (from England) were playing the Ray Ban stage immediately afterwards, and though I've read a lot of good things, I just assumed they were a Black Dice rip-off band....how I was wrong.

Their set was the definitely the biggest surprise of the whole festival. Their noisy, yet catchy, yet dancey grooves were nothing like I'd imagine. Both guys were set up in front of a giant, human-size disco ball. The camera in my battery died early on in their set, but no worries---I danced my ass off for at least 45 minutes.

Moderat

It was going on 3:30 AM as I made my way to the Vice stage to witness Moderat from Germany. They're an electronic collaboration between Modeselektor (a personal favorite) and Apparat.

Their start was delayed due to some technical difficulties, but once they started rolling, it was fantastic. Beautiful visuals and A superb way to end the evening for me.

By the time I left, it was almost 5AM, so the subway was about to open again. A bunch of concert goers were hanging out at the subway entrance, waiting for the authorities to open the gates. I ran in to two of the guys who were staying in my hostel room, so we hung out until they let us all take over the subway and race towards our beds, for there was still another two days....

Hipster Subway Station

Favorite Music Videos of 2008

Here are some rad music videos for 2008. Enjoy.

Pony, Pony, "Cross the Fader"

Feist, "I Feel It All"

Omaha Bitch, "Orgasmic Troopers"

BPA featuring David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal, "Toe Jam"

The Buddy System, "Clap Paws"

What I Would Write if I Really Cared...

Dear Ichiban Restaurants:

Though the service in your restaurants is always hospitable, I unfortunately write to you with a minor issue that took place this past Friday during the lunch hour.

After seated and waiting for over fifteen minutes, our Japanese waiter finally appeared, ready to take our orders. As he went down the line taking each guest’s order, it was finally my turn. After deciding on Hibachi Shrimp (which by the way was delicious) and an order of water, I also asked for a coffee (I was in dire need of one). In response, he chuckled and informed me that Ichiban doesn’t serve coffee. His response would have been exceptional, were he not to laugh again and state in a clearly mocking tone, “you’re in a Japanese restaurant you know. We don’t serve coffee here.” So not only was I denied coffee, but was also reduced to feeling like an imbecile.

I was tempted to inquire why he was speaking English in a Japanese restaurant, or why California rolls (created in the United States in the 1960s) were served in a Japanese restaurant, or why I can still drink Coke, Sprite, or a number of non-Japanese alcoholic drinks in a “Japanese” restaurant. Instead I accepted his reply, but informed the rest of my table that contrary to popular belief, there are coffee shops on every other street in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and even in Nara, Japan.

So as I don’t intend to influence any additions to your drinking menu, and I understand that Ichiban tries to provide a true Japanese experience by presenting a menu that western Pennsylvanians believe to be authentically Japanese, the incident was still odd and somewhat unfortunate.  

Anyways, I wish Ichiban restaurants the best of luck in the New Year, and hope to taste a Hibachi lunch again (with or without coffee) soon.

Sincerely,
Ricky Moslen

Thou Shall Not Be a Hypocrite!

So many Evangelicals, Catholics, and Presbyterians cite the Bible as the primary reason they dislike any concept of gay marriage. I used to love listening to their arguments, because they were so hilarious...now they're just really annoying. What's even worse is the fact that they're ignoring other important issues out there. For example, the Bible's stance on shrimp. Why are none of them commenting on the Bible's shrimp rejection!?! Don't they care about our country!?!!!

Well at least some people still care about morality:

http://www.godhatesshrimp.com/

Sigur Ros Videos

Music videos aren’t what they used to be 10 or 20 years ago. Say what you will about Sigur Ros, but they are probably one of the only bands making worthy visual representations of their music. The band members and various video directors effectively construct images and stories that allow the Icelandic musicians to create short films (rather than simply "music videos").

Sigur Ros Videography

Svefn-g-englar (1999)

Sigur Ros’s first video. They enlist the Perlin Theater Group to dance around in angel outfits in an open field—but when slowed down, the shots and actors create beautiful imagery.

Viðrar vel til Loftárás (2000)

Two soccer-playing boys fall in love, but, of course, society pulls them apart. Another striking video filled with a ton of symbolism. After viewing, every time you hear the song you’ll think of this video.

Untitled #1 (vaka) (2003)

A nuclear winter would suck. Sigur Ros agrees. This is an incredibly sad yet stunning video. Someone could easily base a whole film off of this one idea.

Glósóli (2005)

This is probably my favorite video from the band. In a weird way it reminds me of the book Catcher in Rye when Holden talks about his thoughts of the children playing in a field and jumping off a cliff—and how he yearns to catch them all. The children in this video are forced to leap into adulthood too—with interesting results.

Saeglopur (2005)

If you haven’t figured out the trend, all the band has to do to any footage is slow it down and it somehow fits perfectly with their music. In this video, they actually speed up the footage, and it works to perfect effect. The kid can really hold his breath underwater for a long time…

Hoppipolla (2006)

This one will surely put a smile on your face. I wish all old people could enjoy their lives this much. If all of Iceland’s senior citizens acted like these fine folks, my ambition to visit would rise even more.

Gobbledigook (2008)

Who DOESN’T want to run around, make out, and dance naked in the woods when they hear this song? I know I do! (NSFW)

Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur (2008)

I absolutely adore the song, but strongly dislike the video. Other than showing off the band’s unique fashion, the live footage really offers nothing as unique as their other videos. I wasn’t even going to post it, but for continuity sake:

Heima (2007)

Not necessarily a music video, but a trailer for the film Heima, which not only documents a number of the band’s performances, but also beautifully represents the country of Iceland. One can’t imagine the band’s music based in any area other than this gorgeous country.

Black (sooo politically incorrect) Friday

UPDATE (to my last entry):

The overweight/sweat-pants-and-Disney-shirt-wearing women (Wal-Mart shoppers) weren't the only ones killing each other Friday morning. Apparently two gentlemen shot each other in a Toys 'R Us on Black Friday thereby rising the shopping extravaganza's death toll. Two quick thoughts:

1) Who brings guns into a Toys 'R Us? Isn't that the last place in the world anybody would need a gun.?

2) Maybe I should have gone out shopping...those deals must have been insane. My loss.

Another Reason to Hate Wal-Mart (and people)

The New York Times reported today that a Wal-Mart in a New York City suburb was the scene of an unfortunate death. A 4:55 AM crowd of crazy Black Friday shoppers (nearly 2,000 people) broke the front doors' hinges s and charged into the storet, knocking down many employees, including a 34-year old temporary worker. Picture the scene from The Lion King where Simba’s trapped in the wildebeest stampede that later causes Mufasa’s death—except at least the wildebeest ran for fear of their lives. But hey, I'm sure these consumers had perfectly great reasons to disregard other humans as they raced toward the smiley face sale signs. 

The Wal-Mart crowd apparently ignored the helpless male body lying on the floor, and even as other employees and police officers tried to administer CPR on the powerless man, the entering mob continued to push the rescuers out of the way. Police and paramedics rushed the seriously injured man to the nearest hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after 6:00. Meanwhile, back at the Wal-Mart, those same stampede-people were no doubt bitching about the long lines they had to endure in order to leave with all of their stuff.

This should be an embarrassment to all Americans. Not only are we ludicrously sacrificing employees’ Thanksgiving in order to shop at 5 in the morning, but we’re now sacrificing their lives in order to save a couple bucks on a television or DVD player. I think a security tape should be released of the incident so that those involved can view it and explain to their kids that those few cheap toys sitting under the tree are valued higher than some temp worker’s life. Christians already believe that Christmas is important because Jesus sacrificed his life for the world—let’s not allow anyone else to sacrifice a life so that we may continue our bleak consumerism.

P.S.- This just in. A security tape WAS released detailing the ridiculous Thanksgiving incident. Watch with caution (it's pretty graphic): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMwO9PX4_7c

Smells Like a Job Interview

The alluring yet implacable nature of job interviews quickly becomes blasé if one endures too many. Let’s face it—jobs interviews are difficult! Some are nerve-racking while others prove downright terrifying. In all honesty though, I do quite well under pressure (assuming I thoroughly prepare for each interview), and I truly do love the challenge.

A one-hour interview where an interviewee must prove him/herself to be versatile, confident, skillful, yet not too cocky can drive one bonkers. This is why a two-hour nap must strictly follow any interview (assuming one makes it out alive), because that nap’s well deserved! I recently took a four-hour nap after an audacious interview where I was questioned in a roundtable discussion by five, yes, FIVE ladies all at once. It was quite the interview orgy. Like any good orgy though, when this cornucopia of bodies huddles into one small space, problems arise at unexpected times…problems completely out of my control.

Everything was going charmingly well in this roundtable interview determining my fate with the company. We were discussing—as opposed to me answering monotonous questions. My questioners were five middle-aged women, which was great, because somehow I’m quite the Casanova with older women. Things did get briefly awkward when one woman critically commented that I “like to talk using my hands a lot,” which slightly perturbed the interview’s pacing and instantly heightened my self-consciousness. Other than that, laughs were had and I was proving to be quite the factotum in their eyes. We were conversing as best friends who’ve known each other for years—and I was the leader of this cool middle-aged female posse. I was about to suggest we relocate to an elegant restaurant to continue our conversation, but something horrible happened: someone farted.

This was the worst possible turn the events. Someone parped, and the only one I knew free of any guilt was me—trust me, I didn’t fart in the middle of a job interview! Not only did the horrid smell indicate a definite splurge of flatulent gas in the air, but the crime was also committed silently. Now let’s be honest: all farts should utilize at least two out of the five senses, preferably sound and smell (I do not advocate tasting, seeing, or touching anything that perturbs from one’s nether regions), and I know for a fact that in that tiny, poorly-ventilated conference room, that unpleasantly muted smell did not verbalize while entering our once-sterile air. Remember that I was the only male in the room, so if gender roles proved any genuineness, the four innocent non-farting women no doubt thought I was the one shooting air biscuits during my own interview. It gets worse! The horrid smell wouldn’t leave the room!

The invisible gas caused one woman's eyes to start watering. This wasn't going to end well. I continued answering questions as I stared at their I-know-someone-just-farted-but-I’m-a-professional-and-must-keep-a-straight-face faces, and all of their glaring signaled to me that I was the culprit. Should I say something to defend my innocence or would any comment heighten the awkwardness? No respectable manager would hire someone who causes this kind of mischief in the office, and I wasn’t willing to take the heat for this troubling endeavor while some guilty old woman in the room continued to rip herself a new asshole.

I wanted a woman to excuse herself from the room—that would give us a culprit, but that didn’t happen. I was beginning to feel dirty--every time my mouth opened the invisible gas hit my tongue and my throat tingled. Maybe none of these women possessed the guilty butt cheeks--maybe it was a ghost! Maybe it was like one of those scenes in A Christmas Carol when Scrooge revisits important moments of his life, but in my life, this interview was an important moment. My old cranky self and a ghost were invisibly watching the interview in the corner of the room, but unfortunately the ghost possessed a nasty/silent habit that disrupted our once-wonderful conversation.

Perhaps it wasn't a ghost, and one of the women embarrassingly just let one go. Maybe she has a problem; if so, the other women in the office are no doubt used to it by now, and I probably shouldn't be so inconsiderate. Maybe that day was Nachos and Cheese Party Day in the office, and my poorly timed after-lunch interview aligned with her ass's Nacho Cheese Redux Party. In the end, I left the interview hoping that the women would reflect on the interview experience with their minds and not their noses. I left blissful that I survived the nerve-racking situation. On the other hand, another mystery woman left the interview simply happy that her undergarments survived (or DID they?).

I'm a Mac, and I'll Soon Take Over the World

Another sure-tell sign pointing towards the end of the world: The “I’m a Mac,” “I’m a PC” ads.

These commercials and advertisements are grounded in a slogan that personifies our modern technology, and I think it’s safe to say that this is the first step to our eventual war with the machines—James Cameron couldn’t have written it any better.

I’m personally not a “MAC” or a “PC.” I’m ME. Though I somewhat prefer one over the other, I refuse to identify myself as any multi-billion dollar company's product. Both are corporations solely after my money (and soon—my soul). Soon we won’t identify ourselves as computer brands—the computers will identify themselves as us. Shit, they’re already smarter than us! For example

- A GPS knows its way around my neighborhood better than I do.
- Microsoft Word can spell better than I can.
- Facebook has millions more friends than I have.
- Medical computer technology can save more lives than doctors can.
- Computerized security systems can protect more people than the police can.
- E-mails deliver messages faster than any postal worker.

As one can see, technology is far superior to any human being. Technology will surely rule the world in a few hundred years, and who is to blame? Let’s start with Mr. Steve Paul Jobs.

Steve Jobs has a lot of nerve actually. I’ll be the first to say that Wall-E was probably the best cinematic experience 2009 had to offer, but the fact that Pixar, a company so closely aligned with both Disney and Apple, had the nerve to portray our future as a world where technological breakthroughs allow us to sit on our fat asses and do nothing, while the major company’s products do the work for us, and…wait…hey that sounds like us now! Disney, Apple, IBM, GM, and a plentiful of other major corporations provide the means to shield ourselves from the outside world while the gadgets and gizmos hypnotize us. I walk onto the public bus and see businessmen diligently working via their Blackberries (thanks to John McCain!). College students toddle around campuses ignoring their surroundings thanks to the newly over hyped iPhones. iPods grace the ears of high schoolers, thereby shielding them from participating in the outside world.

The humans in the Wall-E movie are hyperbolic manifestations of us. We allow technology to do everything for us. Soon we’ll all be stupid idiots who sit around, smoke weed (or have the machines smoke it for us), and watch television all day. The only ones profiting will be those programmers at the top of the work chain. Depressing, I know. We must begin to take the first steps to prevent these unfortunate circumstances. Step #1: Recognizing that Wall-E is a propaganda film in every way that Triumph of the Will was. Just don't say I didn't warn you.

Just look at her design. She looks like Steve Jobs' wet dream.

Scary Election Coverage

Election night coverage was insane. First of all, Fox News was uncomfortably the most entertaining cable station on television (Brit Hume’s sarcastic deadpan humor is amazing).* ABC News, CNN, and even Comedy Central’s Indecision 2008 special sucked. They were simply boring: the anchors spent a lifetime analyzing meaningless exit polls, only to reassure us that the polls mean nothing until they receive more results; they interviewed randomly unknown people with no credentials; and they treated viewers like kindergartners. (“Hey kids, look at this big, big television we got! Let’s draw pictures on the map!”)

Easily the most uncomforting moment of last night’s election coverage occurred on CNN, as Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper interviewed two individuals via a hologram image—yes, just like in Star Wars. I caught the middle of an interview between Cooper (who I used to regard as a classy journalist) and an Obama supporter, and it initially looked as if he was talking to the Emperor. It creeped me out—we’re now living in a Sci-Fi movie!

According to David Bohrman, CNN Senior Vice President, “Virtual elements in a real set look so much better than a real person in a virtual set.” Why must everything be ‘virtual?’ What’s wrong with reality? Too good for you? ''It's so complicated,” he says. “The crew is basically shooting someone who isn’t there.” So CGI ruins movies—it’s now ruining cable news channels.

The Salt Lake Tribune described the technology as “very complicated.” “CNN will have 44 cameras and 20 computers in each remote location to capture 360-degree imaging data of the person being interviewed. Images are processed and projected by computers and cameras in New York. There will also be plasma TVs in Chicago and Phoenix that will let the people being interviewed see Blitzer and other CNN correspondents. Bohrman says the network can project two different views from each city so Blitzer can appear to be in the studio with two holograms.”

This setup is preposterously more complex than setting up a camera on a tripod and mic’ing the on-air talent, and it didn’t even look good! Blitzer approved this new technology, for he thought it brought a more intimate studio setting to the interview. I’ve always thought that “on-the-scene” interviews/reporting purposefully don't bring a more intimate setting, because they DON’T TAKE PLACE in the studio. As a viewer I want to know what’s happening in those locations—on the scene--with the crowd. Don’t block out the ambient sound or the interviewer’s surroundings! That's the whole point!

There is no need for this kind of technology. It scares me. Next election we’ll no doubt have Terminators as news anchors; in 2016 we’ll have Tom Cruise’s character from Minority Report reveal the results before they actually happen; and in 2020, Election Night will be delivered to your home via HAL (it’ll only be 19 years too late).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deoOTqT-SMI


* They were entertaining until 11 PM anyways--their lack of enthusiasm was soon tragic. At 11 PM, the magic hour, MSNBC rightfully stuck to shots of the passionate crowd at Grant Park—I watched wishing I could’ve made a one-day trip to the windy city.

The night ended well!