From Here to Burma

Have rental car, will travel... to Philadelphia to see a reunited Mission of Burma dazzle us all with ear-achingly good noise and melody, tape loops and unbridled glee courtesy of Miller, Conley, Prescott (and Weston at the sound board). At show #18 of the extended reunion lap of a few shows here, a few there in the past year-plus, it was clear that the group has gotten into an eminently comfortable, and unequivocally joyful groove. The sound of puzzle pieces flying together at high speed and snapping into place. And as I much as I needed my earplugs (thanks Douglas!) to provide a slight buffer for my poor ol' eardrums, I found myself inching them out ever so slightly as the night wore on, like dipping a toe in the water before finally saying "to hell with it" and sliding all the way in.

And boy, did I need a good soak in feedback and distortion after the car trip down. I may know Boston<-->New York like the back of my hand, but myself and my travel companion were simply baffled by driving through New Jersey. And Delaware. (Don't ask.) Let's just say I was happy to have brought a few CDs which with to whistle away my worry en route.

Once we did make it to Philly, all was well after drinks and dinner and running into friends at a crowded (yet not exceedingly-so) TLA, where we were able to find ourselves prime spots front and center. Two hours (minus a 20-min break) of music was simply not enough. Bring on numbers 19, 20, 21...