Olivia Tremor Control! Secret Taco Stand!

The Olivia Tremor Control show was so good. The ten musicians onstage were constantly trading playing duties on an amazing variety of instruments: guitars, bass, two drum sets, banjo, a cymbal hanging from the ceiling, two trumpets, sousaphone, a couple brass horns, clarinet, cello, violin, saw, typewriter, bullhorn, megaphone, keyboard, accordion, concertina, xylophone, bells tied to sticks, a stereo tied to a stick, one of those mouth-organs, a plastic sheep, and a reel-to-reel. Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum came onstage for background vocals on one song, and then played drums during the encore, receiving huge ovations both times. CGI and black-and-white film clips were projected onto the band, and the audience and band tossed paper airplanes at each other during most of the show. At one point the band picked up their horns, bell- and stereo-sticks, and plastic sheep, and snaked through the audience, then got back onstage and resumed a-rockin'.

I was jealous of Trish for seeing them play with Neutral Milk Hotel back in the day, but this show was so good and I'm so greatly pleased that I got to see it, that what's the point in jealousy?

On the cab ride back to my sister's place after the show, I passed The Corner/La Esquina, which was written up in the NY Times recently. On the street it's a dive taco shop, but knock on the steel door in back and someone might answer it and let you in to the chi-chi secret restaurant/club in the basement. Or they might not.

Wow, when I put it like that it's even lamer than I originally thought.