WTF?!!?

Damn it all.

This news just makes me that much happier that I went to their show at Irving Plaza (I think? Or maybe it was Bowery Ballroom) last summer. I was proud of myself at the time for going to a show alone, and now I'm happy that I at least got to see them once. I'll never get over the fact that I didn't get to see Rage Against the Machine in concert (I had plans to buy tickets when they were touring with the Beastie Boys, but then someone broke an ankle and then RATM broke up and then I cried), so I'm happy that I at least got to see Sleater-Kinney in concert.

They were quite good, too. I don't go to that many concerts, mostly because I'm broke (and also possibly cheap), but when I do make it to a show, I appreciate bands that put on a high-energy show. I don't remember the opening bands that much; mostly I remember sitting on the floor in the back of the room, waiting for Sleater-Kinney to come out and feeling ridiculously awkward. But then they started playing, and they played songs that I had just started listening to (I swear, I'm at least five years behind every musical trend) but already loved, and I forgot my awkwardness and just enjoyed the show. I know they played "Combat Rock" and I think they played "Words and Guitar" during the encore and of course the entirety of "The Woods," which had just been released. That was one of the first CDs I had bought in months if not years (mostly because I've been broke for months if not years). I was so proud of myself for actually buying a CD just because I thought it would be cool and going to a show alone, just because I thought the band was cool. I tried desperately to get someone to go with me, and when I failed utterly to convince anyway, I considered not going. Determination to try new things won out, and I had a lot of fun. That show is one of my favorite memories from last summer, and Sleater-Kinney will always remind me of that feeling of independence. I'm sad they won't be around anymore, but I can understand why they'd need a break after eleven years together. I hope this hiatus will end someday, but if it doesn't, I'll still have those memories of independence and self-reliance. Plus, I don't think I've even heard every Sleater-Kinney album, so I probably have at least another year of discovering their music.

Anyway. I will miss Sleater-Kinney and always remember them when I'm trying to decide whether to go to a show alone, or do anything alone. Grrrl power or whatever.