Sunday, June 6, 2010

FROM BERLIN TO HULTSFRED, LIGHTNING SHOWS THE WAY


The summer house renovation project has begun with valuable weekend time spent stripping paper off the walls of the room at the highest point in the house, in preparation for ripping off the old siding, punching out the windows and replacing them with new ones before residing. This means tearing apart both the outside and inside of the house. So that essentially means two renovation projects at once. Sounds relatively easy but it will certainly stretch out for weeks.


A very active sky these last several days, possibly the result of the strong winds we've been experiencing. After spending Sunday removing wallpaper, I retreated to the roof of the house, lawn chair placed on the peak to enjoy a cigar and watch the sunset. Always a relaxing experience. I mourned knowing that A Basin, the last ski area to stay open this season, closed this day with plenty of snow still on the ground.










Saturday night was reserved for the virtual concert, the show getting underway at around 10PM. When I arrived at my secluded location on the prairie, threatening thunderclouds towered all around, the bolts of lightning flashing in the night sky. I initially set up under this covered structure near the entrance of this yet to be built subdivision, to avoid getting caught in the rain that was at the moment coming down lightly. But the fast moving storms passed by quickly and the stars emerged, moving myself and the truck to a better location away from the road with better views all around.


Going back to an old favorite, I first listened to The Killers perform live at the Columbia Club in Berlin on November 11, 2004. That was several months after they released their first album, Hot Fuss. A good show and good quality recording, in which Brandon Flowers periodically goads the audience into showing more enthusiasm for their performance. A relatively short setlist, setting me up for the main act to follow.


BPs the hit man
Hired to do the dirty work
Paid for with our cash


White sand lapped by blue
Threatened by our black shadow
The innocent suffer








Echo & The Bunnymen performed next, their April 27, 1985 live performance in Hultsfred in Norway. The first third of the show was spent doing cover songs from the likes of The Velvet Underground, Wilson Pickett, The Doors and The Rolling Stones. The remainder of their time spent on stage was spent performing their early classics, many of which they continue to perform today. An excellent audience recording!


A sky filed with stars when I returned home to a darkened house.


Passing overhead
Skyscrapers in the night sky
Lit by white flashes


Flopping in the muck
Feathers glisten with black oil
Just waiting to die


No creature spared
Swim through our brown toxic soup
Bodies wash ashore


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