:: Pedantic Platitudes ::

:: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 ::

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Yesterday was another great day. 'Twas the Fourth of July, so I went downtown to check out the fun. There was a big street fair, and late in the afternoon/early evening, there was a parade! I got there early, so I got to wait on the curb... so Disneyland-esque. It was great hearing the bands march down the street so enthusiastically. Some of the floats were nice, too.

Once it got dark, the free Elton John concert started. It was on the same stage in front of the art museum that the artists of Live 8 performed on (that's part of the reason why Philadelphia was selected for the event; it already had the stage and backup prepared for its July 4th events). The Philly Pops Orchestra performed some patriotic pieces. Then, Bryan Adams took the stage and sang some songs; I'm not too familiar with his songs, so I don't know what they were called, but I did enjoy them. The same with Rufus Wainwright, who took the stage next. I have a friend at school who's a big fan of his, but I felt bad that I didn't know any of his songs. He is a good piano player, though.

Philly native and legend Patti LaBelle was the next artist to perform in the free concert. She sang Lady Marmalade... a great song... it was wonderful to hear the original performer sing it live. Finally, Elton John took the stage, and he performed his classics as "The Bitch is Back," "Rocket Man," and "Tiny Dancer." The finale appropriately was "Philadelphia Freedom." He didn't perform my favorite song of his, "Your Song," but he did perform my second favorite song of his, "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues." It was a great concert, and to see someone with as storied a career as Elton John live and for free really made my Fourth of July.

And to top it off, there was a spectacular fireworks show presented above the Philadelphia Museum of Art. They set the fireworks to music and used a bunch of great songs, including the Rocky theme! Very appropriate, with the iconic steps of the art museum just right there. They also lit up the columns on the front of the museum, and it was very pretty when matched with the fireworks. It was truly a blast. A spectacular ending to a wonderful Fourth of July. With all the events of this past weekend and the city's history as the birthplace of America (after all, this is the city where the Declaration of Independence was adopted and signed in Independence Hall), I couldn't imagine a better place to spend the 4th of July.

Oh, on Sunday night, I saw "War of the Worlds." It was a terrifying but thrilling movie. Truly Spielberg-ian. I enjoyed it very much, and I would recommend it to everyone. The ending does fizzle a bit, but the story's been around for over a hundred years now, so it's not a big surprise. But there are quite a few suspenseful moments; I haven't seen such a scary movie in a while.

Quote of the Day: "You make it sound like I'm training to be a slut."

:: SL 11:04 PM [+] ::
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