Life Affirmed

There's really only this two-word phrase to describe Sloan's gig last night at the Double Door: fuckin' fun. These Canucks really know how to put on a rock 'n' roll show. I'll go as far to say that bassist/guitarist/drummer (the dude's multi-talented, eh?) Chris Murphy is the most entertaining live performer I've seen since prime-era Bob Pollard. Heady praise, to be sure. But, damn, that was a blast, even better than the top-notch show we saw last year at Metro. What was really encouraging/heartwarming was that the crowd was at least 75 percent Sloan diehards who were singing along to every word and clapping along with gusto. Special night.

The one bum note was that Murphy did the old "lick the mic stand" thing (which Sloan freak Jeff has a photo of on his blog), and that's schtick that's as unnecessary as it is gross.

Speaking of music, which I really haven't lately, I'm enjoying new records by Longwave, Portastatic and Idlewild. Check them out (not sure if they're all released yet; yes, I get promos, I'm so cool). All three records are on a par with, or better than, previous stuff in their catalogs.

Given that the Sloan show was on a school night, I don't have the energy to discuss this in depth, but after yesterday's Cubs debacle, the team is done. Corey Patterson (he doesn't even deserve a link) has been farmed out, a couple of young bucks have been called up, and the Fire Dusty talk is at its peak. There's no joy in Wrigleyville, but would we expect there to be?