my hearing was fuzzy for a day, but the overwhelming drones and head bopping grooves of stereolab were worth it (i will most likely disagree with this statement at a later point in life, such as when i can no longer hear).

the show itself was great, with the band looking like they may have been having something resembling a calm sort of fun. laetitia's vocals were lovely (as was her trombone playing and knob-twiddling), and she seemed a lot more into it than she was last time they played vancouver. while the band members were sorting out a fritzed keyboard, she noted "we went to sears today. it was very nice." i'm convinced that she could read a menu or the newspaper and it would sound dazzling.

they played heavily from their margerine eclipse album, but also did a smattering of classics. the treat was the walls of sound segments that made me feel physically zorked. it is impressive to feel what that intensity of sound can do to your body.

highlights:
a tall guy dressed in a black turtleneck, full-length black leather jacket, black gloves and a black beret. he was the stereotypical french villain.

my biggest highlight was an evening of blissed out bopping around.

opening act:
the sparrows, a local group, opened the show. while they have an interesting sound that will grow with time, they need to learn how to either cut their songs significantly or introduce more variation. the drummer kerthumped the rest of the group off the stage at times and i could have used a little more trumpet. more trumpet!

summed up, the sparrows resembled ben folds five mixed with green day and some string instruments. some harmonising with the ladies in the band would have added a complimentary layer to their sound.

show at commodore ballroom, vancouver, april 1, 2004