© theotherpress e continued from page 15 Broadway Bagels for an affordable and remarkably tasty snack. I have a flavour-intensive roasted red pepper, cheese, and pesto beauty, while my companion sticks with a hot little classic cream-cheese-and-sourdough number. We then head outside to one of the many espresso shacks that line the city streets and purchase two 80z Americanos. Total cost: $6.75 lpm: After a couple of hours in the shops (these purchases don’t count towards our total because we put them on Visa, and everybody knows that’s not like spending real money) we decide to leave the area to find someplace for lunch. We encounter a surplus of Mexican restaurants, ranging from the sketchy to the tacky to the costly, and the seed is officially planted. But being the experienced budget travelers we are, we don’t get sucked in by the garish allure of the restaurants we pass. Rather, we head to the nearest 7-11 where we load up on_ nachos. drowned in free cheese, chili, and jalapenos. Just add two Big Gulps, and ole!...an instant fiesta. Total cost: $7.27 3pm: Swearing to never consume 7-11 nachos ever again, we drag ourselves over to the Experience Music Project, fully prepared to sacrifice a ridiculous amount of money to the Culture a admission and gift shop employees. | Ce It i Cc Fest Unfortunately it turns out this is the one day of the week that the famed rock museum is closed. Total cost: $0 Spm: : Tired, broke, and suffering the wrath of 7-11’s so-called “cheese,” we take one last photo of the Space Needle, tear the tags off our newly purchased clothing, and prepare to return to Our True North Strong and Free. Of course, it ain’t over till the fat lady sings, and what better place to find a fat lady than at Krispy Kreme? We stop en route for a dozen classic glazed from the leg- endary doughnut pushers before our Seattle getaway is officially pro- nounced dead. Total cost: $5.99 So there you have it—a two-per- son excursion to Seattle in style fora mere $192.53, including accommo- dations and taxes. Just imagine how cheap it would be for all you nerds...er, I mean responsible people out there, who don’t drink. Oh, and for my final and most important | budget-travel tip—be sure to write | an article about it when you get back and then submit your receipts to the Other Press accountant. Sure, it might look like she is laughing in your face, but I just know that reim- bursement cheque will be arriving any day. Right Alyona? NEED A BETTER WAY TO SPENU YOUR TIME? _THE OTHER PRESS |S HIRING!!! aie = Page 16 http://www.-otherpress.ca Amanda Aikman Culture Editor Music, dancing, a parade, and beer tasting—what more could you ask for in a festival? The third annual CelticFest comes to town March 12, and this year it’s all grown up and moving from Vancouver's west side to Granville Street downtown. The six-day event highlights the culture, arts, and traditions of the Celtic community, with activities suitable for the whole family. Participating venues and outdoor stages along Granville Street will showcase Irish storytelling, Irish and Scottish step dances, Celtic fid- dling, children’s entertainment, music performances and work- shops, and Scottish Highlands’ Caber Toss sports demonstrations. An amazing array of Celtic music will be presented all week long, with performances from the likes of Stomp, Town Pants, Halifax Wharf Rats, and Island Girls. And once youve had an earful of rousing music, why not take in an interac- tive poetry reading or a limerick slam? The festival culminates in a Celtic showcase at the Commodore March 3, 2004 Ballroom on March 17 featuring the legendary Irish Descendants, but the most anticipated event will likely be the St. Patrick’s Day street parade on Saturday, March 13. The parade, which begins at 11am at the Granville Bridge, is the first of its kind in Vancouver. So dig out the green face paint and come be a part of BC history. Playful and Political Show Marks Super Furry Animals’ Return to Vancouver 5 Jeff Dhillon OP Contributor Following the release of their latest album, Phantom Power, the Super Furry Animals (SFA) have been touring and entertaining all over the | world. Packed snugly between shows in Denver and Seattle, SFA performed at Richard’s on Richards on February 27. The band played to a couple hundred enthusiastic fans in the dimly lit, and tightly packed club—the same club where this five-piece band from Wales played a spectacular show about two years ago. The set started at 10:30 as they launched right into their new song Slow Life. SFA obviously decided to open with their well-documented playfulness. During the extended bridge, Gruff Rhys, the lead singer and guitarist, knelt behind a speak- er and put on a giant-sized, red Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ helmet. He then finished the song | with a microphone pressed to the right eyepiece of the helmet. After a quick greeting to the crowd, the band broke into some of its rockier songs, like Rings Around the World and The Golden Retriever. SFA even paid thrash metal homage during Receptacle for the Respectable by headbanging their long shaggy hair and crossing the necks of their guitars like medieval “axes” during the final crashing licks of the song. The band balanced their antics with some poignant political com- mentary. They introduced Juxtaposed for You as a song about peace, emphasizing lyrics like “You've got to tolerate all those peo- ple that you hate/I’m not in love with you but I won't hold that against you.” During the song Out of Control the big screen behind the group splashed green and black images of war. While spouting lines like “suck my oil” and “Holy wars, phantom power, and phantom lies every hour,” footage made famous by Desert Storm silhouetted the frame of the band. Songs like Run, Christian, Run and Bleed Forever also added to the meaningful nature of the concert. But the most politi- cal points came during a filler between songs and during the last song of the night. The filler, over a techno background, played an almost recognizable voice clip pro- claiming “All governments are liars and murderers,” while flashing those words and the images of George Bush and Tony Blair on the oversized monitor. During the last song, The Man Dont Give a Fuck (About Anybody Else) they flashed images of older dictators like Hitler and Stalin. SFA are well known for relaying these types of messages and have ended almost every concert they've ever done with this song and set of images. This otherwise great show was spoiled by what I can only describe as a misunderstanding. Not to start debating whether or not encores are mandatory, but SFA really didn’t give us one. While the last song played, the group walked off stage to strong applause and the song broke down into a techno dance number. This lasted at least ten minutes, after which the band came back wearing furs and fake long hair. It seemed to me to be the per- fect getup for one of their classic songs “We are the Mountain People.” But they came back and played the end of the song that they had started almost fifteen minutes ago. Once they finished the song, they were finished. They walked off stage to loud applause. Moments later the big screen displayed a hand writing “Thank you Vancouver, The End,” in a very unexpected finish. | will not pretend to know why their encore was cut short. I can’t imagine why they would want to put on new costumes only to play two minutes. They played a regular sort of encore the last time they were here. Perhaps there was some technical problem, or a tight schedule that demanded an abrupt finish. Despite the ending though, SFA did put on a really good show for their fans. But it couldn't be a “great” show simply because there was no great finish.