Gwen Stefani @ Shoreline Amphitheater (6/19/2007)

[cranefly]

You'd think arriving hours early would've assured me of a good seat. But as the concert began, I found myself straining -- both to see the stage and to hear anything.
But then I moved my desk chair a foot back from the computer and a bit towards the north window and suddenly the music became much clearer. Okay, not that clear. Because my hearing isn't that good. Still, by straining hard for maybe 15 minutes, I finally deciphered the beat and nailed down the song: Nice Weather for Ducks.

In case you aren't familiar with the song, it goes like this:

All the ducks are swimming in the water.
All the ducks are swimming in the water.
All the ducks are swimming in the water.
All the ducks are swimming in the water.

Hmmm. I'm getting flashbacks of another thread on this forum. Anyway, Gwen started mellow, but was soon belting out those lyrics. I had trouble focusing on my work (another big deadline at Applied), because the lyrics are so intricately arcane that you get caught up trying to fathom their meaning. Not that I'm complaining, because I really got into it. She gave a good rendition, maybe not up to Lemon Jelly, but providing valences of her own -- including a delicate hickory flavor.

To my surprise, Gwen followed it with the same song, only done differently -- valences inside valences, and this time with a fruity flavor. But the lyrics stayed the same:

All the ducks are swimming in the water.
All the ducks are swimming in the water.
All the ducks are swimming in the water.
All the ducks are swimming in the water.

The audience really got into it and started tossing the lyrics back at her one for one:

All the ducks are swimming in the water.
All the ducks are swimming in the water.
All the ducks are swimming in the water.
All the ducks are swimming in the water.

I forgot to mention Akon, the opening act. He seemed to struggle to establish a rapport with the audience. I suspect that asking them repeatedly, "Where you from?" can only get you so far. It was a relief when the audience started answering him with, "All the ducks are swimming in the water."

There was no pig. At least none that I was aware of. I mean, I could have pulled a Legbone, but I'm pretty sure there wasn't one. I did hear a squeal or two, but Gwen will do that, just to throw you off. That's what I like about Gwen. The way she throws you off. And the way she squeals. Uh... Well, enough on that...

All told, I thoroughly enjoyed the concert from first duck to last. But after reading about Roger Waters and Pink Floyd, I have to feel short-changed. I mean, I think I missed a significant part of reality by never going to a Pink Floyd concert while growing up. Reality is like that. There's pockets of it that you have to run at hard and puncture, then run onward to the next one. Kinda like jousting. Only I think I sauntered through entire decades side-stepping reality bubbles -- and I sort of forgot to lift my lance. Still, I learned a lot about voids. Just ask me about voids.

But dang that pig sounds cool.

[Drunk Monk]

I worked the pit for No Doubt's Rock Steady tour when it hit San Jose. She might have even sweated on me. That was a fine night. I probably wrote about it in another DOOM forum that crashed, but then again, perhaps this was before DOOM forums...

I currently train with a Hell's Angel that's in really tight with No Doubt. He stopped by SLA to say 'hi' to Gwen before the show, and then snuck away to Roger Waters. We crossed paths there after the show.