Thursday, October 20, 2005

Bif Naked in NYC

Last night I was finally able to cross off a big item at the top of my life's "To Do" List.... I saw Bif Naked in concert. Those that know me can tell you that I don't get all that excited about too many things in life; sure I may obsess about the next great computer game coming out in 6 months, and I did check the forums every day for a month before getting my Scion tC for any relevant news, but other than that I don't really have a strong opinion about too many things, especially in the way of music. Up until recently there was not one band I would undeniably say is my favorite, a band that I would buy anything they put out, with the possible exception of Rage Against the Machine. That has changed with the discovery of Bif. Out of maybe....MAYBE four bands I would spend the money to see in concert nowadays, she was #1 on my list. Was it worth it? You have no idea.



Everyone knows I'm a big worrier. I worry... alot. This night was no exception. I was worried about: Being late; not getting a good seat; not being able to see Bif; was the venue going to be too big? too small? Were they going to take my camera away? Hell I was even worried about meeting Bif in person. Why? Because I'm not cool. That's not a put down, it's not low self-esteem, it's just a simple fact, like saying "I'm not blonde". I've come to accept this. Just the fact that I thought I MIGHT actually meet her is evidence that I'm clueless. Need more proof? How about the fact that I spent $50 on tickets, then come to find out she put a password up on her website prior to the concert that lets you in for free? Yeah, I'm a chump. But at least I feel better knowing I'm contributing to the arts, I just hope she got a decent portion of the proceeds.



Anyway, long story short, all my worrying was for not. We were early (2 HOURS early, thanks to an apparent mix-up with the time). Being so early allowed us first choice and essentially got a spot right up against the raised stage, about 3 feet from the mic stand. The venue was slightly larger than my apartment, so it was pretty intimate. I could see her just fine, especially when she sang to the girls right next to me. I was able to snap over 100 photos, although most ended up being of her elbow or back of her head, since she was moving around the stage faster than my crappy camera could capture. And no, I didn't get to meet her.



So, the concert was awesome. Short, but awesome. I was surprised that she didn't play every song off her new album, given that it was what she was there to promote. And she didn't sing my favorite song 'Religion', but in the hour or so she had to squeeze in her songs, a few of my favorites were bound to be missed, and I was just happy enough that she dove back and played some earlier stuff. Lyrically Bif's music is unlike any other band I've heard. Every song is intensely personal drawing from her own life experiences; it seems almost autobiographical in nature. And as such, I almost feel like I know her as a real person as opposed to just some rock star, and when she took the stage it was almost like watching a good friend playing in a band.



Suffice to say, I'm really glad I finally got a chance to see Bif Naked live, up close and personal. Even if I never get another chance, this experience will last a lifetime. And Bif, if you're reading this, I was the annoying F**ker to your left taking all those pictures... Sorry!

5 comments:

Toni said...

Yeah, I am still excited about seeing her! I have listened to nothing else on my iPod since, and I am ready, willing and will make darn sure I am able if she comes to town again.

And to anyone who hasn't heard her yet...I pity you.

By the way, I never heard back from you -- did you get the pics I e-mailed you from my camera?

Steve said...

[[[[[ Everyone knows I'm a big worrier. I worry... alot. ]]]]]

Actually, I didn't know that about you. You seem cool, in control.

Anyway, good review here. She should ditch the straightlaced, conservative look and get some tattoos, though.

"ibgzqrax"

That's the word I must "verify" in order to post this comment. That's a mouthful, isn't it. "Ib-guz-cue-racks."

Paul G. said...

[[[[By the way, I never heard back from you -- did you get the pics I e-mailed you from my camera?]]]]

Yes I did, and it's a shame you didn't have it set up to take more pics, we could have gotten a bunch of really good professional looks shots. Then again, It's probably for the best, because if I could take 107 shots with my rinky dink camera with no juice left in it, I'd probably burn out the poor girl's retinas with the flash from a pro camera with unlimited picture capacity... yes, I tend to go NUTS with cameras and once-in-a-lifetime situations. =)

Toni said...

Well, my card holds about 300 or so pictures, so you would have had to stop some time... and I DID offer it to you if you wanted to use it. (grin)

My verification phrase of the day is rvikuxvx.

Paul G. said...

[[[[Well, my card holds about 300 or so pictures, so you would have had to stop some time... and I DID offer it to you if you wanted to use it. ]]]]

But then I wouldn't have seen much of the concert, and poor Bif would now be totally blind from 400 flashes from the left-side of the stage....

And since we're all apparently on this Word Verification kick... mine is "upztabnm" which, when viewed quickly looked like "up tha bum".... something that, I'm sorry, I'm just not all that into.... =P