Back to the Grind(erman)

I guess things are already back to normal around here because I'm back to going to shows. I saw Nick Cave's stripped down (but still very loud) band Grinderman on Wednesday (review up soon). Tonight I see Portland's awesome the Thermals (whose last album was a concept disc about a future Christian-Fascist state that may as well be set in., oh, 2008)and also Bat for Lashes, the latest UK hip thing. Next weekend is Lollapalooza, which is packed with all the usual (boring) suspects and a couple of ringers, most notably the better-with-age French sci-fi house duo Daft Punk, the only dance act that deserves and earns a crowd of thousands.