February 18 through 21, 2010: began at Copper Mountain, one night at Janet's Hut, up through Searle Pass, over Elk Ridge, two nights at Jackal Hut and exiting from Camp Hale. A cabin full of great people, everyone of them superb skiers. Each meal was a sumptuous delight. Some of the best scenery from the deck of any hut in the 10th Mountain system. Good powder could be found with some knowledge of the terrain, secret stashes hidden in the forest on north facing slopes. I did my best to keep up with this fast moving pack of people. The weather cooperated, giving us some snow early on followed by high cloudiness, keeping the surface of the powder from melting and crusting over. A fabulous experience! Disappointment sets in once I'm back on the highway, creeping along through traffic, realizing that I'm back in the rat race.
Moons halo up high
Snow drops from the mountain sky
Pin pricks on the face
Climbing on his skis
One foot after the other
Struggles just to breath
Sun shines for a while
Gray clouds mark the coming storm
Icicles dripping
Two excellent bands, two excellent recordings of live performances. First up were The Killers and their live performance in Ireland at the Oxegen Festival on July 8, 2007. The CD player, cigar and flask came out when most everyone else had gone upstairs to bed. Ten degrees Fahrenheit outside and wasn't feeling it. Dancing to the music on the outdoor deck under a nearly full moon that was passing in and out of clouds. The band sounded great during this show, riding high in the charts following their release of Sam's Town near the close of the previous year.
Voices bellowing
Proud of their stupidity
And of their audience
Cater to the fringe
Whisper sweet talk in their ears
Prostitutes must please
Corporate illusion
Prosperity trickles down
Drops wet broken backs
Tax exemptions cease
Loud wailing from the wealthy
Their crocodile tears
The main act followed, Echo & The Bunnymen performing live in the Roseland Ballroom in New York City on October 25, 1997. An excellent recording that on the headphones sounded like I was there. Although I was surrounded by the beauty of the night in the mountains, I often found myself with eyes closed simply focusing on the music, imagining that moment in the past when they were performing up on the stage.
The three former members, McCulloch, Sergeant and Pattinson, regrouped in 1997 for "Evergreen", their successful comeback album which restored them to the British top 10; the first release from this CD, "Nothing Lasts Forever", helped to secure ongoing success as it received widespread airplay, especially in their homeland where it climbed into the top 10; the follow-up single, "I Want To Be There (When You Come)" hit the top 30 in Britain and also on the American Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks.
Immediately prior to the release of their next album,What Are You Going To Do With Your Life? (1999), Les Pattinson quits the band.
McCulloch then goes on to explain that Pattison's departure was strictly for personal reasons, with naught to do with any sort of conflict within the band's ranks. Indeed, it was a combination of family illness, divorce, and child custody, all of which added up to both a need and a desire to stay home rather than record and tour with the Bunnymen.
"By not mentioning it in the press release, it makes it seem more sinister than it really is, when, in fact, it was really just something that he needed to do, that had to be done." McCulloch allows himself a chuckle. "People try to make a lot out of saying that Will and I are now the only two original members left, when, in fact, the band began as Will, myself, and a drum machine. Then Les joined a year later, and then Pete (DeFrietas) came along after that."
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