It happens to everyone, and there is no call to be embarrassed. Sometimes, you’re playing a hit song from your new album to a crowd of adoring tattoed hipsters when the drum machine conspires to throw off the beat of the song in the first few bars. There is a moment of confusion (Is this really happening?), then dawning acceptance (Yes, this is happening, but did anyone notice?), then of course, apology (Yes, they all noticed, but they love us anyway). Address what is happening, apologize, then quickly move on to what’s next.

It is always best to accept what is happening and move on. Whether you are the Arcade Fire and The Well and The Lighthouse gets substituted by Half Light II due to percussion issues, or you’re Comcast and you have to come back from general customer dissatisfaction and this. Or maybe you just did something completely stupid, the cause of which is still a mystery even to you (especially to you). Don’t dwell! Accept and move on!

Phew.

Anyway, besides teaching me about the importance of owning your mistakes and moving past them, the Arcade Fire played an amazing show at Merriweather Post Pavillion (the perfect outdoor venue). Their new album, The Suburbs, is fantastic–it cleaves to itself, making the entire album and not just one single the memorable unit. I can’t wait to listen to it in the car. Hopefully I’ll be driving through Clarendon when I do.