Florence + The Machine: An Ethereal Journey from Bonnaroo to Chicago

I love it when you make arrangements four months prior to the actual event. The event 'sneak' is an added bonus.

So was the case with the Florence + The Machine concert. We had an eclectic crew in tow too, and a nice pre-dinner at Agami. I'll leave it to @phepbu to address that element.

Florence in case you haven't noticed, has been making hay in the music world as of late. She's been at Bonnaroo- the June 10 kick off to her US tour. This lithe and lovely performer, fresh from the rolling fields of TN was truly a pleasure to behold. While she is certainly her own performer- and distinct at that- I'd best describe her as a six corner intersection of Kate Bush, Bjork and Tori Amos. The audience demos reflect that too- suitably alternative yet everyone appeared to have bathed recently. A melange of gays, lesbians who looked like Joan Jet, modish straight girls, contemporary looking more mature women. People watching is one of the added bonuses of live music I think.

I was joined by some of my besties RGO (thanks for organizing!), SG, PH (check out his blog above), CP, and Pauline.  I think they were all as psyched as I, and the show didn't disappoint. It was visual as well as auditory candy. Being held at the Aragon Ballroom- a mish-mash in its own right only enhanced the experience. If you see Florence, you won't soon forget. It is no exaggeration to call her lithe, and the sprite-ish attire (long flowing garment with lots of leg) radiated vertical presence. The cycle of celestial themed scenery bespoke an other-wordly experience. Was this a transformative experience?

Finally, not to turn this into an anti-Ticketmaster screed, but was it necessary for this venue to use them? Ticketmaster is heavy handed with concert goers in the way Stalin was with peasants. Why do they nee to charge to print tickets at home? Really? Because they didn't do that five or so years ago. I mean what does that cost them? Ticketmaster, along with airlines and conspiracy theorists persist in spite of themselves. Ostensibly they shouldn't exist, as common sense would dictate otherwise. But then again, who is worse? Because we all paid to print our tickets at home. Note to Flo- you are talented enough to not need Ticketmaster!

Bottom line, see Flo. If you can feasibly avoid Ticketmaster- bonus for you.