i can now say that since i moved to the city, i've had (and taken) the opportunity to see all of my favorite bands. first was stereolab. then mogwai. then tortoise. i was even fortunate enough to see the solid steel set at the knitting factory. but tonight was something different and special. all the way from japan, i saw cornelius.
felt great.
doors were at 8, cornelius didn't hit the stage until 11. felt like forever, waiting. opening band, dymaxion, wasn't very cohesive. i'd seen them open for stereolab once.
cornelius knows how to put on a show. they played most of the tracks off the new album, perfectly in sync with the music video being projected behind them. i mean it was perfect...
they also played some tracks off the first disc, and some that were only released in japan - one in particular was apparently about soccer and if i were to give it a title, it'd be "spalding."
he played like a chill virtuoso... hitting all the hard notes and making it look easy. it was really a sight to behold.
in the middle of "brand new season" - which was accompanied by a video of elvis and some hula dancers on a loop - he pulled an audience member up onto the stage and used the audience member's body in conjunction with a theremin to belt out a cover of "love me tender." after it was over, they threw confetti in the air and presented the audience member with a flower-necklace (lei?) and a hug before sending him back to the main floor.
i'm left utterly exhausted but with a feeling of such great satisfaction.