So the concert was unfuckingbelievable. (and wedged in the middle of an incredibly hectic week) After the first few songs Chris makes a comment about how great it is to be in Atlanta, then stops and says, no, really, this isn't the typical cheesy crap that you say at every concert and just substitute appropriate references. We really do love coming to Atlanta. Apparently when Coldplay first starting touring in 2000 they were opening for Korn and Limpbiscuit and basically just getting booed and having a terrible time. Until they played the Tabernacle here. Where they were welcomed warmly and generally had a great time. So ever since then when they play a gig in Atlanta they try to do something special. Two years ago they brought out Elton John. Tonight Chris says, what do you do when you play in Atlanta? You bring out the best man ever born in Atlanta, someone you've worshipped since you were little, someone you have posters of on your walls, someone you still worship a little...Mr. Michael Stipe! And then they played Nightswimming, just the two of them, Chris on piano and Stipe singing. Achingly beautiful. Other highlights - big yellow balloons floating down during Yellow, full of gold glitter that exploded over the crowd and stage once Chris started popping them with his guitar. Chris starting Scientist over again after he flubbed the third line. Chris leaping off the stage, running out to the back of the floor section and standing on the sound board stage and talking to the people in the cheap seats. An audience that not only knew most of the words to most of the songs, but who shut the fuck up when the band was talking and telling stories and throughout most of Nightswimming. Listening to Saul Williams in the car with Travers, Andy, and Janette on the way home.

Coldplay (hearts) Atlanta
and I (heart) Coldplay

What could be better than Michael Stipe making a cameo appearance? Michael Stipe singing Nightswimming.

I am happy to report that so far my little experiment is going well. Part of my deal with potentially-messy-friendship-guy is that he admits that sometimes he's an asshole and I tell him when I think he's behaving like an asshole. Which he did, on Saturday night, and I told him he wasn't acting very much like my friend and he apologized and I'm/we're ok. Really. I know, sort of surprised me too.

Like a little old married couple

Travers and I got nice and drunk at a party last night, and Andy, our faithful DD, humored our demand for a late-night Krogers run for cookies. He even laughed good naturedly while Travers pushed me around in a shopping cart, following around a couple of hipsters, while I snatched random items from shelves as we whipped past. He dropped us off at my place before heading home to bed and Travers and I actually managed to successfully make the cookies without setting the kitchen on fire. We stayed up way too late and after we finally rolled out of bed this morning I read the paper and drank coffee while he watched documentaries on the Discovery channel. That's how all mornings should go.

Also, got to take part in interesting dinner table conversation tonight - over a meal break from stuffing envelopes for Doctors for Global Health someone's 11-year old daughter read my t-shirt ("When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.") and asked her dad what communist meant. What followed was several progressive adults attempting to explain communism, socialism, and capitalism in a somewhat objective manner.