Saw the ‘Black Crowes’ in Montreal this past weekend, and here is my review: if you like big time jammin’, this is a band you wanna see. Every time they launched into a song that I knew, oh, let’s say, ‘Remedy’ or ‘Hard to Handle’...the song would then morph into a 20 minute jam, with big guitar solo’s and even the odd drum solo. Lead singer Chris Robinson was fun to watch, but I didn’t get enough of him. He would kinda sway and groove in the background while his guitarist brother Rich and the rest of the band would play and play and play, and by the time Chris grabbed the mike to sing again, I’d pretty well forgotten which song it was to begin with. I think the musicians in the crowd probably loved the show. Since the only musical instrument I ever mastered was the ‘triangle’, and there was no ‘triangle’ player in the Black Crowes, I kinda left wanting more in the singing department. But maybe thats just me. And any other triangle players in the crowd.
Controversy is rearing its head once again in the byward market. One of the restaurant owners is complaining about the horse and carriage rides that pick up tourists outside his establishment. Says the smell of the horses is not appetizing, and that customers are driven away. To that I say ‘neigh’! The horses and carriages add color and fun to the market, and the tourists love it. Besides, I watch these guys all the time and they make the horses wear some kind of horsey ‘Depends’, which I’m sure is embarrassing for the horse, but it definitely minimizes the you-know-what. Lets keep the horses in the market! Now, the mime artists, thats another story.
Speaking of adding color to our city, how do you feel about the giant spider sculpture outside the National Gallery? I think its fantastic. People who don’t like spiders are not crazy about it, which I guess is understandable. A few years back, I started to see spiders in a whole new light, thanks to ‘Far Side’ cartoons. Far Side creator Gary Larsen’s take on spiders was always hysterical. If you’re afraid of spiders, get a Far Side cartoon book. Then go down to the National Gallery and get your picture taken beside the mother of them all. No more spider phobia! Now if I could just take care of my ‘clown’ phobia.
One final note, I’d like to pass along best wishes to all you Star Wars fans. With the new movie out this week, it must be like Christmas! Remember, you are being counted on to save the lagging movie industry. Try to see Revenge of the Sith eight or nine times, instead of the usual three or four. That way movie producers will still have money to make movies with Will Ferrell and Ben Stiller.
Bye for now!
