(In which our heroine makes new friends and says goodbye to old ones.)
On Saturday 27 October, I went to Dublin for a concert. I was seeing Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls, who has just released a mighty fine solo album. I went alone, not having any friends here that listen to her music. I was a little nervous about this, because I've never been to a concert alone, but I know Dublin pretty well and I was confident that I could find ways to entertain myself. I took the train down to Dublin on Saturday afternoon and booked a hostel near the venue. I hadn't made hostel reservations in advance, so it actually took a couple tries before I found one with vacancies. Citi Hostel had availability, though, and it was only €15 a night! (Most Dublin hostels are at least €25/night.) I'll just say this: you get what you pay for. It was the sketchiest, dirtiest hostel I've ever seen in... but, it had beds and a roof, so really what else do you need for one night.
Anyway, I went down to the venue about an hour before the doors opened, and right away made a friend in the queue! I was standing right behind a nice young (18-year-old) Welsh guy named Dominic, and we struck up conversation almost immediately. He too was there alone-- he had friends who originally were going to come, but then backed out at the last minute. We chatted for the hour before the doors opened, and then we became concert buddies, finding places to stand together-- there were no seats, just open standing room. Dominic, as it turns out, was doing a guest DJ set at a goth club after the show... and that club was right around the corner from my hostel! After we'd been chatting for a while, he invited me to the club. I accepted, figuring that since it was so close to my hostel, if it was boring or he got creepy, I could just leave without a problem. As it happens, it wasn't boring at all and he was a perfect gentleman, so we had a fun time chatting and dancing all evening. And now I have a friend who lives in Waterford!
Anyway, as for the concert itself... holy crap.
It was one of the greatest concerts I have ever seen. She just put out a solo album, called Who Killed Amanda Palmer?, and the whole premise of the show was that Amanda Palmer has been killed and this was a wake. There was an emcee who announced the opening acts, saying things like "We are gathered on this sad occasion to mourn the passing of our dear friend..." There was a table onstage with wine bottles surrounding a framed photo of Amanda, and both openers kept up the wake idea, dedicating songs to Amanda's memory. The first opener was a badass cellist called Zoë Keating, who played beautiful haunting instrumental cello pieces, and the second was a guy called Jason Webley. Jason Webley plays the accordion and sometimes guitar, and reminds me of a cross between Tom Waits in weirdo-mode and a crazy homeless man. (I loved him.) After the openers, the emcee made another speech, eulogizing Amanda Palmer, with a background of eerie violin and cello music, while the backup crew did slow interpretative dancing.
My attention was fixed on the emcee saying "But her spirit will always be with us, and perhaps if we all concentrate she will one day appear among us again..." when I felt hands touching my back and arm. I turned to see a ghostly, ethereal female figure, a gray lace veil covering her to the waist and a gray ruffled skirt trailing behind her. She moved slowly and silently through the crowd, between Dominic and I. We both stared, and then Dom whispered "Hi Amanda!" After she had vanished between the people ahead of us, Dominic and I looked at each other, identical giddy looks on our faces, and shared a moment of fangirly glee, pointing and mouthing "Amanda Palmer touched me!" and suppressing uncontrollable giggles. I would like to reiterate that: Amanda Palmer touched me! She made her way like to the front of the crowd, while the haunting violin-cello music played and her crew did their slow dancing. When she got to the foot of the stage, the crew reached down, pulled her up, lifted her over the piano, and set her on the bench. Then she ripped off the veil, flung it behind her, and began jamming on the piano. Best. Entrance. Ever.
The whole show was wonderful. She is an amazing performer with an absolutely mesmerizing stage presence. She played "I Google You," a song that (my favorite writer) Neil Gaiman wrote for her! The last song she did was "Umbrella"-- yes, the Rhianna song-- and she played a sparkly pink ukulele; then, for the encore, the openers came back on with her and they played Bon Jovi's "Livin' On a Prayer." Hilarious. Someone has kindly put together a youtube video with clips of the performance, so you can see bits of the whole show, including her fantastic entrance.
I returned to Galway the next afternoon, with just enough time to eat dinner before going out again. One of my great friends here, Meg Ryan (no relation) moved back to New York on Tuesday 30 September, so she, Jenn, and I decided to do a pub crawl before she left. We only went to about five or six places, and it was a pretty early night, but I did go to some pubs I'd never seen. The next night, Monday, I went over to Jenn and Meg's apartment (now Jenn and Bri's apartment) for dinner and movies and hanging out one last time. Meg made meatloaf and veggies, then we made caramel popcorn together for desert. The whole evening was full of loud jokes and rather edgy laughter. We were having fun, true, but the whole time we were fully conscious that Meg was leaving the next morning. Sure enough, saying goodbye was very, very sad, and we both were on the verge of tears when I finally left after midnight.
Meg is now back in Rochester, looking for jobs. I'm hoping that I'll be able to visit her sometime in the next year, perhaps next summer. Because when your friends and family get scattered to the winds, it's just an excuse to travel and see them.
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