You Had to Send a Wrecking Crew After Me

Who: The New Pornographers
Where: Comerica TasteFest, Detroit

Travel: A-

As Ali G might say to the Michigan Department of Transportation, "big up yourselves" on actually getting the highway interchange by the Econ Lady's place working correctly. Still waiting on my jetpack, though.

Karma: A+

The Comerica TasteFest is equal parts food festival and urban reclamation project. For that reason, it's a little rough around the edges; the "New Center" project north of downtown Detroit showcases the same combination of stunning architecture and staggering poverty that characterizes most of the area. What it also means, though, is that you're both sampling food and helping the less-fortunate pick themselves up. Or you're helping Comerica brand itself as a corporation that helps the less-fortunate pick themselves up. I'm going to choose the believe the first one.

Libations: B+

My "golden margarita" cost me 9 tickets, which is $5.40 in real money. Of course, it came in a plastic cup so there wasn't any rock salt to suck on, but what are you going to do? The woman who served it to me sang "do you want a margarita?" to me, which ultimately was the clincher. Marks off for (lack of) quantity; between the pick-up soccer game I had right before we left for the city, having driving duty and the warm sun overhead for the early part of the evening, more alcohol really wasn't in play.

Parking: A+

$5.00 for a spot about 50 yards from where the main stage was. Huzzah.

Music Speaking Across Ethnicity, Culture: D-

The festival overall broke down something like 90-10, black to non-black. The rock show went something like 90% white, 10% Asian. I guess that's the way life goes.

Uncomfortable Reminders of the Past: C+

The girl member of the New Pornographers looks like an ex-ladyfriend, minus about 4 or 5 stone. Which actually leads to another category...

Living Well as the Best Revenge: A triple-plus.

The Music on its Own Terms, Divorced from the Previous Three Categories: B+

Very relaxed, very chill, very Canadian show. Econ Lady remarked later that they got considerably sloppier as the show progressed, which I have to agree with; I suppose an outdoor show is like that--as is having your drummer drinking beer and smoking a blunt during your songs while the frontman is drinking Red Bull. These things, tragically, are on different pages.

In a lot of ways, it was a little too chill. My favorite songs from their last album are, predictably, the two fastest ones. The rest is still stuff I can enjoy listening to, just not nearly as often, nor while standing for over an hour. I'd probably go to another show of theirs, but it wouldn't be an automatic decision. However, good times were indeed had by all.