Even though Xpatloop gave me a feee VIP ticket to the Bob Geldof concert, I was feeling decidedly anti-social Friday night and did not feel like going. Luckily Bottlehugger Ben convinced me to go, and I had a great time. The concert took place at PECSA (Petofi Csarnok) where I have seen a few concerts over the years including Jethro Tull and The Dubliners. The annual Csango Ball is also often held there. While the abysmal single bar for several hundred people is still in effect, at least one positive thing has happened. When you buy your first beer you pay a one-time 250 huf deposit-return fee on the reusable plastic mug with handle. A pint costs 350 huf - very reasonable, especially considering the venue. You get your deposit back when you return the cup. I think I first heard Geldof and the Boomtown Rats' "I Don't Like Mondays" as a freshman in high school, but it is just one of many great lesser-known songs. My personal favorite is "Hole to Fill" off his The Happy Club album (US release only). I had a copy of this on cassette but the mice or the stone-marten at the house knocked my boombox off the shelf in the stables and it crashed with the tape in it? Anyone have a copy? Geldof has a new album out, and the first video features a large fishnet wife-beater-wearing fiddle player, who also shared the stage Friday night. We loved this character, and I believe he might have gotten more of an ovation than Geldof himself. Geldof was charming and funny, and made light of the fact that the Hungarian press seems to think he is a member of Pink Floyd (he starred in the movie The Wall). While we partied hard and proved we are not too old to rock and roll, we did find ourselves looking for chairs half-way through ;-) It is amazing that it is 25 years since he and Midge Ure organised Live Aid to help relieve the Ethiopian famine. And while many have forgotten, and many other disasters have come and gone in the collective consciousness of the world (which seems to last maximum 2 weeks per issue), and the African famine continues unabated, he is still fighting the good fight campaigning for famine and poverty relief.