I saw The Shins on Friday. My friends all bailed at the last minute so I was stuck on my own and had to take the bus and the subway out to Amoeba. I arrived, unscathed, about two hours before showtime. A large crowd was already waiting so I picked a spot and waited too. To pass the time I worked on a drawing I'd started in the morning.



Not too long after I finished that The Shins came out. And they were good. I wish I'd had a better view, but I still managed to record most of the show with my new camera. And even though they neglected to play Spilt Needles, they did play Caring is Creepy.



Afterwards they signed stuff, but they had to leave early. I didn't even bother getting in line but opted to wait around instead. As they were starting to make their way out (continuing to sign stuff as people surrounded them) I managed to come face-to-face with James Mercer. I held out the drawing and he expressed some surprise, but I can't remember exactly what he said. He went to sign it, but I said, "No, it's for you." And then I found myself sort of asking if I could get a hug. And I got a hug. From James Mercer. Then I said something about the show being awesome and walked away.

All in all, I'd say that was worth $7.00 in bus fare and getting lost in downtown L.A.