A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Yesterday was an absolutely perfect day here in New York City. I got up nice and early to go see Ms. Regina Spektor play at SoundFix Records for Record Store Day. I got in line at 10:30am, and I was honestly a little worried that I wasn't going to make it in, as the line was already pretty long. I did make it in however. I even got a "guaranteed entry" wristband (which some people who made it in via standby didn't have). Although I was probably in the last 10 people to get a wristband. The doors didn't open until after 1pm, but it was a beautiful day to wait in line for 2.5 hours.

When we finally got in, I got shoved in the back. That turned out to be not the worst thing in the world though because Regina entered right where I was standing, so I got this awesome picture:

She played about 6 songs. Unfortunately I couldn't see her all that well because this one tall guy with the bald spot was directly blocking my view (see right). Honestly, she was adorable. She giggled a lot. She was funny. When she first came in she said she felt like she was at a press conference because of all the cameras flashing. Then she goes "I'm like the Pope. What was that, God? Ok, I'll tell them." She also seemed very modest, as if she didn't really understand why all of us were there to see little old her. Her performance was great. Her voice is amazing. She made a few mistakes because, as she informed us, she has been working mostly on new stuff lately so she is forgetting some of the old stuff, but that just made the performance more real. At the end of the show, she stood up to do "Hotel Song" with a beat boxer and then I could finally see her decently well, so that was nice.

The other advantage of being in the back for the concert portion was that meant I was one of the first people to get her autograph. She was so sweet during the signing. And I got my picture taken with her but the kid who took the picture is apparently technologically inept - or at least when it comes to a camera that is more complex than a point-and-shoot. He couldn't grasp the concept of looking through the viewfinder, so the framing is terrible. Plus he took three in rapid succession while I was trying to explain how to use the camera, so they're pretty much the worst pictures ever taken of me.

After that was done, I headed over to Central Park to catch Matt Pond PA doing a performance for an Earth Day celebration. It was a cute little event - with a community mural made up of 1000 squares, each painted by a different person (yes, I painted one, and it was only slightly better than the 7 year old who was painting next to me. Ha) and the concert was powered by solar panels, which was pretty cool. There was a band that played before Matt Pond PA called Glint, but I wasn't really digging them, so we went and played frisbee instead on the very crowded lawn.

Matt Pond PA was good. It was pretty much the perfect music for the day - kind of laid back, peaceful rock music. They also had some playful dialogue with the audience. Matt Pond kept complaining about the heat, and by the end of the show his shirt was pretty much soaked with sweat. It got a little hot in the direct sunlight, even though it was for the most part otherwise the perfect temperature. And I have to guitarist Steve Jewell was one of the most nonchalant lead guitarists I've ever seen. When he had any kind of solo, he didn't milk it at all - you wouldn't have been able to tell it was him soloing if you weren't watching his hands. And his long hair covered his face half the time.

The concert seemed to also attract eccentric park-dwellers who wanted attention. There was this guy in ruffled skirts with flowers and bees sown on them, with funny hats (one of which I think was actually a purse upside down). His beard was painted, and he had a parrot and a poodle, both of which were also painted. I felt sorry for the animals. The guy kept going up in front of the stage and twirling around. At one point he went directly in front of one of the videographers (clearly trying to get on film) and the cameraman was just annoyed. There was also a guy who danced in front of the stage briefly dressed all in black with white iPod earbuds. Even his face was covered. I think he was trying to imitate the iPod commercials with the silhouettes of people dancing. It was random.

More pictures from Regina Spektor.

Hotel Song [mp3] - Regina Spektor - "Begin to Hope" (iTunes)

More pictures from Matt Pond PA.

Taught To Look Away [mp3] - Matt Pond PA - "Last Light" (iTunes)

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