Of Montreal

I was thrilled to discover that of Montreal was playing at Melkweg, my new favorite venue. A few years ago, I had attended their concert in San Francisco but sat at a table on the second level because my friend despised everything about of Montreal and refused to stand in the crowd with me.

Kelsey, Eli (both from SF), Brooke, and Kayli (also studying in Tübingen) met at Melkweg half an hour before the concert began, but we still were able to stand directly in front of the stage. When of Montreal finally came onstage, Kevin Barnes was directly in front of me. During one of the songs, I looked up and he was looking and singing directly at me. I froze, and all lyrics flew out of my head. He grabbed my hand and kept singing, while I stupidly danced around. The next song, he handed the microphone to Eli, who got to sing a few lines.

Overall, amazing concert. Damien and Andrea wanted to meet up at Melkweg after the concert, but Eli and I decided to go to the Waterhole for some cheap drinks. Brooke and Kayli were tired, so Kelsey headed home with them. Eli and I stopped at Maoz to grab falafel as a midnight snack, then headed back to our bikes in hopes of finding a cheaper bar outside of Leidseplein. However, we saw the violinist standing outside of Melkweg, near the tour bus. I walked over with the set list I had grabbed offstage, and asked for him to sign it. He didn't have a pen, so I walked over to Dottie (the keyboardist) and asked if she had a pen and could sign the set list as well. She signed it, handed me the pen, and pointed me towards Kevin (lead singer).

I mentioned to Kevin that Eli and I were from San Francisco State, and Eli added he grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. Apparently half of the band is from Tallahassee, so Kevin introduced them to us. Eli and the band chatted for a bit, reminiscing on their town and discovering they had mutual friends and acquaintances. The band only had an hour or so before they had to head to Berlin, so they headed off to a bar and coffeeshop. As Eli and I turned to leave, Kevin said, "You're coming with, right?"

Eli and I giggled like two little schoolgirls. We got to hang out with Of Montreal! In Amsterdam! We wandered around Leidseplein, discussing 30 Rock and our studies and how we liked Amsterdam. We found a small, quiet bar a few blocks away from Leidseplein, and the drummer (Clayton) hung out with us for a majority of the night. He bought me and Eli a beer, and we discovered a game of Scrabble sitting nearby. Naturally, we had to play. We didn't get to finish the game because the band had to prepare to leave for Berlin. Not before stopping for some Maoz falafel, though. I had to instruct Kevin and Clayton how to make the perfect falafel, making sure the garlic sauce reached the bottom of the pita bread. I still can't believe I stood next to Kevin Barnes, chatting about nothing and joking about falafels.

Me, Kevin Barnes, Eli, and Clayton

Clayton hugged us good bye, and the band boarded the bus. Eli and I turned around and poked one another, squealing like little school girls. God, what a perfect fucking night.