Arts

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Sunday November 22
HSBC Arena (Buffalo, N.Y.)

5/5 Stars

Immersed in the magic of the moment, this night was bound to be special.

“Growin’ Up,” a track off of Bruce Springsteen’s debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., was no regular version of the song.

Fantastic Mr. Fox
Wes Anderson
20th Century Fox

Boggis and Bunce and Bean/One fat, one short, one lean/These horrible crooks, so different in looks/Were nonetheless equally mean.

So begins Wes Anderson’s latest film, an adaptation of the cherished Roald Dahl children’s book, continuing a recent trend of children’s films written with an adult audience in mind — see Pixar’s Wall-E and Up, Focus Features’ Coraline and Warner Bros.’ recent Where the Wild Things Are.

While the Christmas season is associated with lots of food, too many people are still in need, especially during the recession.

But the some local musicians are trying to change that.

On Nov. 25, the fifth annual Feed the Homeless benefit concert was held at Zaphod Beeblebrox.

It featured performances by Arms of a Girl, Huntley Slim, Jill Zmud, DJ’s Kerri and Arun.

The first time I heard Bridge and Tunnel was on a free CD that The Fest put out in 2007.

When I saw an acoustic performance of the band online, I knew I'd have to check them out if they came by Ottawa, which they did.

I convinced my friend to come with me, so I locked my bike by her house in Vanier and we walked over. I got the set times wrong so we showed up two hours early.

Normally heading over to a stranger’s house is not encouraged.

But as I recently discovered, there are exceptions to the rule.

After wandering around Ottawa’s suburbia in vain, I finally, albeit with some help, entered the warm confines of a home to the sound of a piano playing.

That evening, through Westboro House Concerts, Nicole Colbeck was hosting a gig by Toronto folk artist Jory Nash.

Wait a second. . . . A formal, paid concert in a living room?