I was going to write some sort of pretentious crap about why people do this online journal nonsense. For that matter, why someone that used to do this a long time ago would possibly come back to it. I'd likely have gone on and on about introspectiveness (woo hoo! new word! go me...) and wanting more creative outlets and blah blah blah...

And yeah, I'll probably do all that at some point anyway, 'cause I have my pretentious moments, and to be honest, I am doing this because I would like another creative outlet.

But, right now, I'm going to be completely meaningless, because I just want to gush for a while about the Elliot Smith concert I saw last night. It was a simply magical show. One of those shows, where you're not sure if it's the crowd, or the band, or the person or people you're with, or just the air around you -- but you know it's a special show.

One thing that could not have hurt was that if I could have made up a set list for his show, it would have looked much like the set list he played. Ballad of Big Nothing, Son of Sam, Everything Means Nothing to Me, Bled White, Waltz #2 (X/O), Independence Day, LA, Stupidity Tries, and Speed Trials were all highlights (yes -- that many highlights) of the main set.

But, the encore managed to continue to deliver the goods when he broke out the acoustic and played a great solo version of Angeles, and a transcendental version of Say Yes. I never in a million years expected to hear those two songs, and Say Yes is very likely my favorite Elliot Smith song. ...the way he presented that song, just gave me chills up and down my spine. Sort of like what the feeling I felt that first time I listened to the climax of Eclipse on Dark Side of the Moon.

As if this wasn't enough, he closed the show -- in honor of Halloween, I assume -- with a spot on cover of Don't Fear the Reaper. Complete with a guy playing a tambourine dressed up as, well, the Reaper.

Ray was at the show with me, and I couldn't have asked for better company. Prior to the show, Ray -- who is not Elliot's biggest fan -- was planning on bum rushing the stage and taking him out if he got pissy, as he is wont to do from time to time. But, he won Ray over as well, and so Mr. Smith was allowed to live.

The venue was perfect. It was a small, somewhat intimate place, the sound system was quite good, and we had a great location on the floor.

Reading this over, I don't know if I'm at all managing to convey exactly how much I enjoyed this show. I may be too poor of a writer to pull it off. It was an absolutely magical performance, with moments of great explosiveness, and stunning tenderness. The man has me as a fan for life.

At some point I'll blather on about me or something, and finish all this layout garbage, but not now. I'm going to go listen to Mr. Smith's album, Either/Or.

...and so should you.