A Big Day Out (Part 2)

The Fiends were beginning to get drunk, and had begun happily heckling us and asking fun questions- “Hey, man, I’ve got issues, I’m part of the crowd, can you help me, don’t you care? The men were loud, the three girls in the group were worried but with a short hug and a laughing punch we all parted as friends, everyone laughing when I said, “Yeah, but we don’t care that much”

Young kids and good times. Of course a few are going to get a little beer-crazy in the heat, they all just want a hug and a laugh. After seeing me greet a few of my friends; a Goth girl with purple hair, piercings and some of the best tat’s I’ve never seen; a girl with an eight-inch violet Mohawk cargo pants, a boob tube and surface piercings; a Stoned pair of hippies wandering around in a daze; my leader said,
“The really messed up people seem to like you,” I could only nod,
“I speak their language,” I said with pride.

I took longer than I expected watching Kate Nash at the Converse essential pavilion for several reasons. One of our team members had been lost.

We lost a whole human being.

Which I would like to think doesn’t reflect on the consciousness of any individual on the team; people misplace themselves, and she was only little. We couldn’t find her in a big dark shed in her high visibility jacket So I stood and enjoyed Kate Nash, figuring the group knew where I was and if I stayed in one place I could become a focal point, an anchor. A focal point and watch Kate Nash, not a bad strategy.

I’d read an interview with Kate Nash and thought she seemed interesting, with the Respect of Billy Bragg, humility and a keen understanding of the nature of mediums. She writes songs, creates music and writes little stories, claiming she has to expel them, a great credential for any artist.

Artists who are compelled to create constantly mine gold by sheer perseverance and they’ve a tenacity found rarely in a wolverine.

Hearing Kate Nash perform is eerily capturing. She’s something within her music that speaks of a finely tuned ear for story, humor and happy endings, but in everyday terms and realities. She manages the keys in the live show with an aplomb found in jazz and the passion of rock, by turns hammering and caressing them. She had all the right elements; a great stage presence, fantastic music, a fine rock sensibility and endearing sense of self came out between the songs. The one thing that made it all work was the spark of character that ran through everything she touched.

All good things come to an end, and my team found our teammate wandering about on the other side of the crowd and we had to resume our wandering and misdirection. Until my shift was finished. Six hours, a free lunch and my job was done. Free tee shirt, more food and now to set my plan in action.