sigur ros

ok
well
i want to say..... sigur ros was better............. they were different. so different. and both so incredible. but because i am just as happy as i was after radiohead. and it is fresh in my mind, and i was able to see them walking distance here in florence, i will say as of today, right this second.

sigur ros was better.
they were just well amazing.
absolutely amazing.

from the beginning...
2 nights ago our school took us out to the opera.... the Barber of Seville. it was sooo incredible. it was great to see something we are all familiar with live for once.. i didnt even realize that i was familiar with it until just before.. figaro figaro figarroooooooooo... babaduhdum... babaduhdum....babaduhdumbabaduhdumbabaduhdumbabaduhdum.. yea that one. lol... but yes that was great... slow and very long at times.. but great non the less. that evening i just came back and went to sleep because we were waking up very early to go to Ravenna with my Dante class.

7am. train station. so tired. dante class. ugh.
ravenna was very very nice.
and i mean very nice.
it is on the coast and much more relaxed than florence.
much quieter, cleaner, and peacefull. i was very relaxed and could see why Dante chose to spend his last years in exile there.
churches churches churches. as usual.
the highlight of the trip was going into il Centro Dantesca ... this was the place.. where scholars all over the world come to study Dante.
a Franciscan monk from the attached monastery showed us in and absolutely floored us when he pulled from the shelf original handwritten copies of the Divina Commedia from the 14th century dated just shortly after Dante's death. he also showed us a first edition printed copy as well as a volume illustrated by Botticelli. i wanted to leave early. to make the concert, but that would mean buying my own ticket back... and disappointing Dr. Contino who is always so ridiculously enthusiastic about Dante. He assured me we would be back at 8:01



nope.
train is delayed.... train gets stopped... train breaks..... hour behind schedule i am getting stressed... i CANNOT MISS THIS SHOW!

pull in at around 9 and book it to Giardino di Boboli (Boboli Gardens) about 20 minutes away...

...i am walking very fast.. and as i approach i hear music... oh no!
i take off my hat and begin to sprint. i start freaking out too...
i have my tickets right?
i did this all right ... right??
everyone at will call has a printed out sheet....

dammit! i dont have that oh no... im totally freaking out. i do NOT want to get denied and walk back home. my turn. ID . credit card... she looks at her list .. i pray...

ah. De La Rosa. qui! .. hands me my tickets. i am ecstatic. SO HAPPY
i run to my seat and to my overwhelming joy find that the music was an opening act and he has just finished! perfect. perfect timing. i was the only american it felt like which was surprising because the night before at the opera(same venue) there were many. it didn't matter and i actually enjoyed that fact. in my broken italian i tried to express my excitement to the strangers sitting around me.
the crowd was interesting... 20somethings like me. younger teenagers, mid 30s, older people. OLD people. couples. friends. families... even one couple sitting in the grass area with their toddler. GREAT PARENTS.
a giant difference between this and radiohead was that i had a seat. a very good one actually. and more the first half everyone sat. in awe. as if witnessing a miracle of music. i am ashamed to say i do not know the band members name... i could have looked them up now but instead i will be honest and well i dont feel like looking them up..
the band consisted of well the lead singer. basist, string quartet, drummer, horn section, and 2 others on either keyboards, pianos, xylophones, and organs. the singer.. ok ....... his name iss............Jonsi Birgisson. Ok Jonsi, played most his guitar most of the night with a bow. i knew he did but witnessing it was insane... the sounds.. icannot describe. so beautiful... somewhere between a humpback whales song, a cello, and well of course a distorted guitar. literally pulling the sound out of the machine. i have never heard a voice like that either.. hitting ridiculous notes and holding them for near 10 seconds at a time.. at times it didnt even sound like a voice but another instrument.. in a way it was.. figuring that no one... not just me but no one understood their language. which was a nice thing to think about.. it was just beautiful noises. my favorite songs would have to be Gobbledigook.. and of course... Hoppipolla.. and Saeglopur. hearing the opening notes of the second two.. my God. the most intense chills engulfed my body. so much emotion ran through me. hearing these songs around me... witnessing it with the orbs of light behind them and the silent crowd.. brought me back home and well Lord... heaven for a second? anyways.... i could go on forever.... the second half of the show everyone finally decided to stand up as they encouraged us to dance and clap with them.... here are pictures i have........ yes my camera died in Ravenna i was PISSED but oh well...........





.... pictures i have found from last night on Flickr and my cell..... video from the opera... and other cell pics of Radiohead. oh and youtubes of last night as well...







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cell now:
random florence


more radiohead









what a great way to end this trip