Having been a fan since 1997 ever since seeing their "Bruise Pristine" video on MuchMusic, I first saw Placebo live on 7th May, 2001, from second row at a small nightclub called The Palace here in Calgary, Canada, which held around 900 or so people. Being stuck behind tall people, and being visually impaired under even the best conditions, I didn't catch much of what transpired onstage but what I do remember was how great they sounded live & instantly wanting to experience more. While the venue no longer exists (at least not under that name anyway), my love for Placebo has never died, despite having no one local to share that love with & being very much out of "the loop", so to speak. Up until more recently, I tended to stay away from online forums due to all the flame wars back in the day. And I seem to recall years ago their website leaving much to be desired, so I eventually lost touch with that, too. However, I never forgot about their music and would faithfully check Amazon every few years in search of the latest Placebo album! I also added Placebo on my Ticketmaster favourites list, in hopes they would one day return to my part of the world, but alas this was to no avail.
Fast-forward 13 years later to March, 2014, where I was reminded to once again check Amazon, after Placebo came up during my phone's random shuffle one day. I discovered that their album "Loud Like Love" had just been released six months earlier. Eager to sample the new material prior to the weekend, when I'd have the chance to picket it up from the local record store, I headed over to YouTube, where I stumbled across "Loud Like Love TV", in which the band performed much of the album for a live audience online around the world, as well as for a select few inside YouTube's studios.
Many Placebo fans speak of a moment that transforms them from being a mere fan to being a complete & utter Placebo devotee or even Placebo addict! This was that defining moment for me! I had always loved their music, but something about their performance & interviews on "Loud Like Love TV" made me take a closer look at their songs & the band itself. Suddenly, the music I'd already loved for years reached me on a much deeper level than it ever had before, and so thus was born my all encompassing passion for the band, their message & their music. To say that I was enthralled would be an understatement!
A month later, I came across the PFWW (Placebo Fans Worldwide) forum, which to my surprise was extremely well run with no flame wars like those of days gone by. Soon after that, I found a fellow Canadian, who not only shared a love of Placebo but also Boy George. We decided to meet in person later that month, since I was flying to her part of the country to finally see Boy George after 31 long years & the heartbreak of four cancelled shows. Before I knew it, she had somehow managed to convince me to travel to Europe with her to see Placebo that summer! As they say, the rest is history!
After waiting 13 long years for my next live Placebo fix, my wait was finally over, plus I found a great friend & travel buddy in the process! Having since seen the band numerous times in four different countries, I guess you could say I've made up for lost time! Hell, who am I kidding?! I am completely addicted to the band & their music & have loved every moment of it! I've even been lucky enough to meet them on a few occasions, and have met many wonderful people & seen many great places I'd have never otherwise visited had it not been for this amazing band.
The rest of this blog is devoted to my adventures, "riding in the rocket to a planet of sound" to see the band I not only adore but who with one note, would eventually change my life, and eventually many years later, help get me through one of the most difficult times of my life. For this, my dear Placebo, I think you from the bottom of my heart! Please don't ever stop doing what you do!
Much love from western Canada,
Tammy
(SonicBliss on PFWW)
PS - The afore mentioned difficult journey is still ongoing as of the time of writing (04/14/15). Two months ago, I was diagnosed with a tumour in my leg, and exactly one week ago today, I received the news it is cancer. While I don't know what plans the universe has in store for me over the coming months (aside from chemo & radiotherapy but let's not think about that!), I have made it my mission to make it to Placebo's 20th anniversary tour in 2016, so I'm crossing every appendage possible I'll get my wish for this...and for Brian to finally sign my copy of his book (LOL, don't ask, long story, which I'll get to later in my reviews!)! But in the meantime, I shall share the adventures I've had so far. Originally, I posted my reviews in PFWW but decided to compile them all here as well, so that I could look back on them in one place later down the road.
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