That’s Stella

Here’s reason # 8298 why I love New York…

Last week I was walking to work. It was a gorgeous day. The sun was out. It was a slightly chilly morning. I was walking the back streets to work, going along Washington Street.

Who do I see walking his dog but my music idol - Lou Reed! LOU REED!
Velvet Underground is my favorite band and I am such a huge fan of the man. I wanted to scream. Instead I laughed because I thought it was such a typically ridiculous thing that could only happen in this city. Walking to work and bumping into a music legend. Love it.

When I moved to NY last year, I saw him at this small show for $30. I went on my own and had a “NY moment”. I stayed after the show hoping to get a record signed. I stayed for a good hour after the show, only to see him get ushered away quickly into a town car. I was gutted.

I went to a party earlier this year and he was there with his partner Laurie. I was so intimidated by the crowd I couldn’t approach him.

And now here I was. Just me and Lou and his dog. My perfect opportunity. And did I say anything? No. I didn’t need to. I walked to work with an extra spring in my step and boasted about my encounter to colleagues.

And of course… I fell in love with NY all over again.

When I moved to New York last year, I wrote a top five list of musicians I wanted to see whilst I was here (because the chances of catching them in Perth are often limited or if that, you’re forced to see them at festivals like the Big Day Out, where you don’t really get to fully experience/appreciate).

Here’s my list:
1. Lou Reed
2. Broken Social Scene
3. Explosions in the Sky
4. Sufjan Stevens
5. Radiohead

So far I have crossed from the list Lou Reed, Explosions in the Sky (who I’ve seen twice now) and Radiohead (one of the best experiences in my life). I was super excited to hear Sufjan Stevens was playing four shows in the next 2 months. Considering how much I want to see him, I can’t believe I went online 4 hours after tickets went on sale, only to find they were sold out. SOLD OUT. I kid you not!! I was devastated. DEVASTATED. I also recently missed out on tickets for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Phoenix. I’m kinda confident I can score YYY and Phoenix tickets from scalpers, but Sufjan promoters have made it impossible for people to sell tickets. Firstly there was only a 2 ticket limit per person and everyone has to go to the venue to pick up their tickets on the night of the show. Super bummed I won’t be crossing that one off the list.