Who'd have thunk it - well, everyone but me. I'm a record-listening dweeb: Beyonce's Dangerously in Love sounds better outside (in sunshine) than in the dim computer-glow of my room. With sky and cloud overhead, open space around, other people, the pop music sounds like pop music. I'm like the shut-in who discovers real life is fun. I'm the idiot who forgot that fun music isn't for melancholy surroundings.

SARS-fest looks like a good time. Actually, you know what? It doesn't. I mean, I hate enormous concerts - and this one isn't just enormous, the equivalent of like 2% of our whole country is there. Yes, it would be fun to see Kathleen Edwards, Justin Timberlake, Sam Roberts, the Flaming Lips and heck, even the Rolling Stones. But no, it wouldn't be much fun to watch the Lips perform for fifteen minutes on a giant screen several hundred meters from the stage. And the transportation?! It's going to take the TTC ten hours to empty the park (that's if everyone takes public transit. we can assume that, oh, 25% won't. in which case, uh, only SEVEN AND A HALF hours.).

And not only that, a paltry buck (or whatever) from each ticket is going to the SARS charities, while Ticketmaster whips up $4/ticket=two million dollars. Doctors and nurses died, and the vile American beast that is Ticketmaster is dancing on the doubloons.

phew. needed to get that out of my system.

okay, i'm not done.

also: i hate paul martin, and he's going to be there.

also: people keep insulting the line-up, and it's really bugging me. because this lineup is pretty freakin' good. especially for a cheapo festival run by pathetically whitebread interests. i mean, there's the rock (AC/DC, Sam Roberts, the Tea Party), the adult contemporary (sass jordan, blue rodeo, kathleen edwards [sorry kathleen, but it's true!]), the pop (justin, flaming lips), the Big Acts (Rush, the Stones), and a handful of other genuinely-interesting sidemen (la chicane, dan akroyd, etc.). The indie kids are bitching that only the Flaming Lips are interesting (helLO, I would not turn down a justin timberlake or rolling stones concert, myself, and though i despise AC/DC i can't imagine that they wouldn't be a good time on par with watching Paradise Hotel, which is how I spent my evening). everyone else picks a target of scorn (justin, ac/dc, la chicane) and then piles it on. it's like they have no conception that the average $20 show involves, um, like two acts, one of which features that kid who sat beside you in high-school drawing pictures of cheese wedges with legs. (now he plays bass.)

that rant complete, i do realize that i just insulted the lineup several paragraphs above. but as i said earlier, i spent this evening feeling stressed, watching Paradise Hotel (and, in my defense, a documentary on Nixon), and then listening to 'angry' songs (don't ask), which, as I'm a big twee wuss, consist of tracks like Elliott Smith's "Needle in the Hay," Weezer's "Undone," Arab Strap's "Love Detective," Bright Eyes' "Pull My Hair," Cake's "Is this Love" and Radiohead's "You and Whose Army." consequently, i'm feeling a little off-kilter. i could use a drink, but i have a feeling it would only make things worse.

but i'm fine, really. i just need to go to sleep, wake up, and listen to Four Tet.