Kurt Vile is definitely one of my modern day heroes. For good reason, his music his complex and yet simply beautiful. And I have had the good fortune to see him quite a few times now as he has become a regular visitor to our shores. But this night didn't work out as planned. Not that any of that was the fault of Kurt.

Firstly when it was announced he was playing at Taronga Zoo as part of their 'Twilight' series I wasn't exactly thrilled. Geographically the Zoo is a little awkward to get to, plus I was a little dubious of the whole outdoor concert idea. But I plunged in and bought a ticket. But the night started badly when I kept missing transport connections and by the time I got there I had missed the first half hour or so of his show, something I never do. Then it was also raining so it was hard to get comfortable. And I had missed the chance to get a really good spot down the front, so I had to stand on the fringes of the crowd. Which meant I was stuck with so many people talking around me it was hard to concentrate on Kurt. My mood was quickly going downhill and I was feeling rather gloomy. Again not the fault of Kurt. This was actually truly Kurt in solo mode. No Violators just a few acoustics and sometimes electric. I arrived just in time to hear 'Pretty Pimpin', followed by 'Wakin On a Pretty Daze'. He sounded great as he applied his considerable skills to his wonderful songs. But I guess I just wasn't in the right mindset to receive what he was giving. I moved around a bit to get a comfortable spot. After about an hour and half set Kurt left the stage before returning to encore with 'Peeping Tomboy'. Then I caught the ferry back across Sydney Harbour with a mixed mind. Feeling sad I wasn't able to fully appreciate the greatness of Kurt Vile but knowing that one day soon I would see him again. Hopefully not in a Zoo.