When I passed Thunderbird on my way to work Tuesday morning, there was already a line-up outside its gates, which just goes to show that Radiohead has some pretty dedicated fans. I was considerably less eager, and ended up at the stadium just as Liars were wrapping up. Music bloggers were making a big deal about these guys opening, but I couldn't get into much of their music. And then, just as the stage was being set for the main act, the rain started. It quickly progressed from a drizzle to a shower, and didn't stop until much later in the night. The entirety of the sold-out concert was enjoyed by a really wet but excited crowd. It was the first time I was seeing Radiohead perform live and, on a whole, they put on a beautiful show and didn't disappoint.

They opened with "15 Steps," and during the concert played pretty much every song from In Rainbows. I was most impressed by hearing "House of Cards" live, for which this amazing video was recently made. They also interjected some to-be-expected older stuff ("Just", "Karma Police", "2+2=5") and a few tracks that were surprises ("Bangers n' Mash", "Exit Music [For a Film]", "Planet Telex"). It was great getting to dance along to "Bodysnatchers", and hearing a live version of "Talk Show Host", which is one of my Radiohead favorites.

Somewhere between her graduation and her future, one of my favorite people is visiting Vancouver for a month. Tonight, she invited me to a poetry slam held at Cafe Deux Soleils on the Drive. I had never been to a poetry slam before, and although I had been meaning to check out some of the events Jon wrote about back in April, I never ended up doing so.

We got to the cafe early, and were able to get a table and dinner well before the 8:45 start. I don't want to make this a restaurant review, since the spoken word was far more spectacular than our burritos and chili. But I do want to mention that the food here is delicious and reasonably-priced, so I'll definitely be trying out more of it next time. During the course of dinner, more and more people began filing into the cafe, until finally the host announced that the house was full. He asked groups from the crowd to be judges for the competition, so the four of us agreed to take part. We weren't particularly qualified, and we called ourselves The Eastern Bloc. It was a good start.

Main Street has a million dining establishments that try to be original by way of design.
Habit Lounge is one of those. It's got a narrow space with great decor - simple tables, wood, lots of red, white textured walls, etc. I've always wanted to try their food, since I'd been to the neighboring Cascade (owned by the same people) before and had found it to be decent.

Cycling is growing in Vancouver, and that is excellent. Well, it would be excellent if there was also support in terms of infrastructure and funding to accommodate the growing ridership. There is also a community around biking, and events such as Bike to Work Week and Critical Mass help it grow. While hanging out at Calhoun's the other day, I grabbed my first copy of Momentum, which is North America's self-described "urban cycling culture magazine."

The ladies who run Momentum are putting on an event called Bikeosphere on Friday night, so if you get a chance to drop by the Centre A Gallery, you'll enjoy a whole mishmash of stuff aimed at highlighting city cycling as a lifestyle choice. There will be music, art, a fashion show, refreshments, and valet bike parking! It's only $5, and proceeds will go to the artists and to the magazine. If you can't attend, make sure to look out for Momentum (it's free), or subscribe to it.

While I'm on the bike thing... check out this Vancouver cyclists' map. I just found out about it, and I'm pretty sure that it's going to be my Bible.

With two weeks to go until the much-hyped you-know-what, the Whistler Music Festival has managed to escape under the radar. It's happening next weekend, and with it's stellar line-up and great location, this festival deserves a lot more attention. The full list of artists is up on the website, but highlights include Thievery Corporation, Broken Social Scene, Bedouin Soundclash, Allen Toussaint Band and Mr. Elvis Costello and the Imposters.

One of the things that this festival seems to be doing right is providing you with a manageable number of artists to check out. With ambitious but scattered schedules at festivals such as New Music West, Music Waste, and Sled, great artists were playing to semi-empty venues. At Whistler, where all the action will be happening in two days on the side of Blackcomb Mountain, it will be easier to see everyone you want to. Perhaps the most obvious gap in the line-up is the lack of local talent, but I'm hoping that this will be fixed as soon as more artists are added, as the website promises.

You have until tomorrow to get the cheaper early bird tickets. The easiest way is to call 877-855-4TIX or order online here. Single day passes are at a very reasonable $57 right now, while the two days will run you $100. In terms of accommodations, a lot of hostels seem to be booked, but there are still some camping options. And with exorbitant gas prices affecting tourism, I hear that hotels have lowered their summer rates, so your best bet is to call around and find a deal. In any case, Ami and I will both be there, so we'll have some reviews and photos for you as soon as we can.

With both Duran and I recovering from the weekend/Canada Day, the review for last Friday night's FUSE at the Vancouver Art Gallery is a few days late. Usually, these monthly parties last until midnight, but twice a year an all-nighter is held that lets you stay until 6 a.m. (there's breakfast at the Café in the morning!) I made it until close to 4. Duran left a little earlier, which might have had something to do with liquor service stopping so early.

We arrived at the party around 9, when the line-up was still tolerable. Later, it began to stretch all the way down Homer Hornby Street, and getting in took a while. Once inside, we were given schedules of what shows were on at what time. There was plenty to cover, and there was a ton that I ended up missing over the course of the night. Duran's photos (slide show after the break) alone were full of surprises - I didn't catch a lot of the performances because I spent the first part of my night trying to get all the people I was with in one location. Tip #1: go with one or two friends. If you go with a group, don't count on staying together. You'll end up wasting a lot of time and cell phone minutes.