A Decade of Concerts

So tonight I joined my cousin Mendy, her boyfriend Alex, and some of their friends at the Del Mar racetrack to celebrate his birthday by betting on a few races and (once the last race was finished) watching the... wait for it... WEEZER CONCERT!!!

Weezer is fun, catchy, and they are great live performers, and as we stood there in front of the stage waiting for the show to begin, it dawned on me... they were my very first concert, back in 2001... ten years ago! Which of course got my mind going on this whole "decade of song" tangent and how I would have to write about it when I got home. 

[insert that hazy music you hear on a sitcom when a character goes into "flashback" mode]

It was November 2001... I was a young freshman at UCSD who was just starting to diversify his music tastes beyond pop radio stations, and getting into the whole mp3 thing / downloading thing too, and in doing so discovered a band called Jimmy Eat World. This was before they hit it big, as I got into their (at the time) newest CD called "Bleed American" prior to the events of 9/11, which prompted a name change to the disc. Anyways, I *loved* them, so when I found out they were touring as one of the opening bands for Weezer (who I had also just recently heard and started to enjoy as well), I *had* to go. 

So I went with my dad (as I had no concert-loving friends), who had no idea who these bands were, but went to keep me company... though thinking on it now, I think it was mainly because my parents didn't want their 17-year-old alone at a concert. But it was a great time over at Cox Arena - I remember the excitement, the singing along to all my favorite songs, the rocking out with my head and shoulders, taking in all the lights and staging, and the big light-up =w= logo for Weezer. It was a blast, and it started my whole concert fanaticism. I still have the ticket somewhere, boxed-up as a keepsake, along with almost all the concert tickets I've acquired over the last ten years. 

There's over 100, of this I am sure. 

But I'm glad I got my first taste of live music back in the day, and that it moved me to keep going. When I first started, I would just go by myself, and I'm glad that I did as I would've missed out on some killer shows if I'd been too dependent on having someone with me to do these things. And not just the big artist/band shows too, but the smaller coffeehouse / local music scene artists as well. 

One of my friends posted a picture of a crowd from a concert she recently attended, and her caption was something like "How can we be strangers when we're all here singing the same words?" And I loved that. It's very true and it's pretty rad to experience those moments where everyone is united in music and lyrics and enjoying every second of the song. 

Weezer had plenty of those moments tonight, especially with the crowd singing the chorus to "Undone (The Sweater Song)", or the "woot woot" sounds in "Buddy Holly", or screaming out "Say It Ain't Soooooooo-oh-whoa-whoaaaaa" for "Say It Ain't So"... 

So here's to the last ten years of concerts! Let's see what the next ten years bring... (*cough*Adeleplease*cough*)

Live Music Archive

I received the following email today.

Dear Live Music Archive uploaders,

Thanks to your efforts the Live Music Archive is approaching a couple of major milestones. By October 2011 there should be 100,000 shows on the archive from 5,000 bands. There are already over 1.5 million tracks in the LMA.

We'd like to thank you and celebrate these achievements with a bit of swag!

Everyone receiving this email has uploaded at least 10 shows to the LMA, and we'd like to say thanks by sending you an official Internet Archive baseball hat (see the attached photo below) and maybe some other goodies.

If you'd like an Internet Archive hat, rsvp to swag@archive.org with your name and mailing address and we'll send one to you. 




Thanks for your support and your contributions to the Live Music Archive and archive.org.


To which my reaction was, "whoa, I've uploaded 10 different live recordings to the Archive?!?!"

I guess I should rewind a little bit. Back in the days of 2004-2007 (ish), I was going to a lot of local concerts, which introduced me to the taper community. Certain bands and artists gave their explicit permission to have their live concerts recorded (audio) and uploaded to the Live Music Archive so that fans around the world could get to experience shows they wouldn't otherwise be able to attend, or for those fans who were at the concert the ability to relive those good times.

I met a few tapers and became friendly with a few of them - they were known for taping live shows of Jason Mraz and John Mayer, both of whom were taper friendly, and being a fan of both, I wanted in on the action. Which led to me investing in the equipment, wiring myself up before heading to a concert, and stealthily recording these shows. And I say stealthily, because while the artists themselves might be cool with it, the venues and their security wouldn't always be quite so friendly.

I'd recorded a few local musician friends of mine, like Pete Thurston and Saba, but I'd also recorded sets from Switchfoot, John Mayer Trio, Tristan Prettyman, Future of Forestry... but I wouldn't necessarily upload them. The whole process was kinda long, because you'd have to go back and edit the recordings, and I'd get all perfectionist about the sound and not want it out there. So I haven't taped in a long time... I'm not opposed to trying again though, if there's new equipment I can get my hands on that would pair well with my iPhone, for example...

Anyways, I was taken by surprise when I got that email with an offer for a hat... because I don't think I'd uploaded that many shows (and when I search for myself, I only see 4 shows that I officially uploaded)... but it was a neat reminder of fun days in my early 20s.

(Oh - and here's a link to the shows I did upload... http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=taper%3A%22Ryan+Prades%22 )

TOW The Cowbell

Back in the days of 2005, I frequented Lestat's Coffee House for concerts on a pretty regular basis. A musician friend of mine, Pete, played a monthly show there and eventually I started getting called out from the stage. Whether that was to bring my camcorder up to him so he can play around with it, or to sing backup to Little Red Corvette ("whooo hooo hoooo!"), I was always extremely nervous to get up there, yet always game. (Such is me - always nervous, but always game. Maybe that should be my motto.) Anyways, on one of his monthly shows, a group of us got called up. Actually, I forget the setup, but we knew we were going up there to join him, which is why I brought my cowbell (which I still have, thankyouverymuch) and Tyler brought a toy trumpet. Luckily, Chris brought his camera and managed to tape this "faceoff" performance of cowbell vs. trumpet during Little Red Corvette.

Thought I'd share this here. :)

You think I'm pretty without any makeup on.

Song of the Blog: "Teenage Dream", by... ok, technically this song is by Katy Perry. I knew this song has been out there for awhile, I just never heard it because I don't listen to the radio and I don't really seek out the music of Katy Perry. And I was content living in a world where I didn't know all the words to it... but that ship has sailed. On this week's upcoming episode of "Glee", there will be a performance of the song - and I managed to download it early and now it's my new favorite thing. It's acapella, and hella catchy and fun. It's not even New Directions singing it - it's a rival guys academy glee club, and they're pretty fantastic.



I'm swooning a little bit. Just a little. I mean, the song is no "Awake My Soul" from Mumford and Sons, for example. It's definite fluff, but I love it. And dang, I really wish I'd joined an acapella group and/or glee club back in college! I was in the gospel choir for two quarters, but we never did fun contemporary numbers. I want to sing and sway - to quote Rachel Berry, "swaying in background can.be.fun!" :P

Anyways.

Saturday (11/6) was a good day. Got to spend the afternoon hanging with Chris, joining him on some errands, but then we grabbed an early dinner at Hooleys. I don't go to Hooleys too often, but I think I need to... good food, good drinks, good atmosphere. I had this Guinness BBQ chicken "pizza" that was on a potato pancake - it sounded interesting on the menu, so I went for it. Very delicious! Where can I get this Guinness BBQ sauce too?!? It paired up well with my Guinness pint, and based off a tip I read, we ordered the Guinness ice cream.... super delicious! Add some Heath toffee bits in there and I would be in bliss. Highly recommend trying these items if you visit Hooleys.

In the evening, I went solo to Lestat's to see my friend Saba perform a solo acoustic set. Haven't seen her perform a show in a few years. She's moved to LA and I haven't been as into the scene as I was back in 2004-2006, so it was rad to see her on stage again. She was the first one up, so after she was done, I met up with her and my other friends Pete and Cass at the Ould Sod down the block for drinks (Happy!Ry was out) and some fun hanging. Pete and Cass always make me smile, and it was just fun being out and chilling with friends, catching up, taking pics, and getting dating advice, haha...

Anyways, here's a show (full band set) of Saba's (from 2005!!!) that I recorded and uploaded to the Live Music Archive, if anyone wants to check out a live recording. I like her solo (softer) acoustic sets better, personally, but this is the set that I recorded with the help of Chris.

http://www.archive.org/details/saba2005-08-12.at831.shnf

Oh. Also, last night was Daylight Savings Time. I witnessed it! Well I was awake for it anyways, haha. We had been hanging at the Ould Sod for awhile, and when we left there was a truck making street tacos. Normally I don't stop by these trucks, but I guess the post-drinking munchies hit us. But these tacos? AMAZING. And only a dollar! Seriously, I would drive out there at night again just to get them. But it was almost 2am when we were eating out there. And then I got home and it was just after 1. Gotta love getting an hour back!

I'm not falling in love with ya...

You know how cheezy characters on TV sometimes hear a song and they say something like, "awww that's my JAM!" An example of this would be in Glee this season, where Will is sitting in his new car with Emma and then he turns on the radio and hears that Christopher Cross song, "Sailing"... and gets all excited because it's his "jam"...

Well, this is my jam (for the foreseeable future): Maroon 5's new song, "Give A Little More"... it's got a little bit of disco flavor to it, is hella fun to sing in the car, and makes me wanna dress up in a 70s outfit and go to the roller rink.

Was in Hollywood last night to see the band perform at the Greek Theater, and it was a blast. Drove up with my good friend Jess. We even had fake LA names too. So if I ever go out, my name is Riley Adam Davidson (I'm adopted). She was Hailey (didn't decide on a full name for herself). 

Maroon 5 played a fun set, with most of their songs coming from their first CD actually. My "jam" from the first CD was "She Will Be Loved" and they did that in a lovely stripped down version and got the audience to harmonize at the end. Rocked out to "Give A Little More", complete with disco ball dropping down from the middle of the stage. Wish they'd played more from their new disc, since I love it, and they only did three, but the CD did just come out so the audience wasn't as loud for the new songs (not as familiar yet) as they were for the old hits. Next tour, maybe. 

Two other highlights from the show:

During One Republic's set (who I now love a lot more - really good live) - they did a medley of Bill Withers' "Stand By Me", The White Stripes "Seven Nation Army", and Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack"... it was pretty rad. 

And then right before Maroon 5 came out, special guest Jason Segel (of How I Met Your Mother!!!) came on and sang while on the piano. He did the song from "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (where his character wrote a musical about Dracula), and an original song about hooking up with Maroon 5 fans after the show, even providing a "his" phone number. That song was kinda dirty, actually. Haha. I'm sure you can YouTube that if curious... 

Free Concert!

So I haven't been to many concerts this year, and it's already mid-April. It's a little sad... I feel like by this point last year, I'd been to at least 8. This year, I've been to one, and that was for my bro-date with Chris to see Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. And I probably would've missed out on that one if it weren't for the fact that it was part of his Christmas present to me.

But I was at a free radio station concert this past Monday. I guess I don't consider it a "real" concert since it was a non-ticketed event put on by Sophie 103.7 in a (nice) bar/lounge at the Hard Rock Hotel. I found out a few days before the event that Kris Allen was having a free show, and that Sara Bareilles was opening.

Two artists I already really like, and it's free? Heck yes, I'm there! I was bummed to miss out on my Monday night hill run, but it was worth it. I went with Weezy -- and just so that any readers are clear, Weezy = Brittany, but I always tend to refer to her as Weezy. (And I'm KD. But that's another story.) We took the trolley down, expecting downtown to be crazy because it was opening day at Petco Park (the Padres won), but it was an afternoon game, and the concert was at 8. So we would've been better off driving ourselves. Lesson learned: check the time if there's a game.

Sara went on first, and she played a short four song set. I've seen her before though, and I really think she's incredible. Great vocals, catchy tunes, good stage presence and banter with the audience. But it was nothing new, I'd heard all those songs before. (But don't get me wrong - if she comes back and it's relatively inexpensive, I'm there.)

But I was positively blown away by Kris. I was a fan of his on American Idol last year, and you betcha I was voting for him. Not just because I was turned off by Adam's theatricality/vocals and didn't want him to win, but because Kris' style appealed to me. Since I started getting into music/concerts in 2004, I've been a fan of the acoustic singer/songwriter types. And I loved his song choices and arrangements on the show, and he seemed like a genuinely good guy on stage (humble and having fun).

Kris hasn't blown up on the radio though, and while I have his CD downloaded, I hadn't listened to it yet, save for the one single. So I really wasn't sure what to expect. But he got on stage for an acoustic set with one of friends accompanying him, and he had us with him the entire time. They may not have been shredding on electric guitars or had a drummer, but they rocked out plenty to some of his originals and some fun covers too.

Here's a video clip of him singing MJ's classic (with a good message at that), "Man in the Mirror"...

And here's one of his originals from his self-titled CD, called "The Truth"...

Not exactly rocking out songs that I chose to share here, but these were two of my faves... and I'll admit, I was man-crushing a little bit throughout the show. No wonder girls fall for guys with guitars! I should pick mine up again... anyways, I do have another "official" concert in the works though. I've got another bro-date with the OSF around the end of the month - heading up to LA to see a band he introduced me to called Sleeping at Last. Very stoked about getting to see them (as they're not coming down to SD), and it'll be cool to have a mini-road trip with one of my best friends since he's getting all hitched soon. (You take care of my man, TGO!)

11 Weeks Later

I think I'm going to be doing a little "Lost" like story-telling with this here blog, as over the next few entries I think I wanna go over some of the happenings over the last 11 weeks... since it's been 11 weeks since my last blog. Quite a long time. I'm a bad busy little blogger, but there has been some awesome things since I last updated that I feel should be discussed/ranted/raved, etc... and much like "Lost", I'll probably be jumping back and forth in the timeline.

WEDNESDAY - NOVEMBER 4, 2009

I see a lot of concerts, but this night was definitely one of my favorites. I went down to the House of Blues to see Boyz II Men! Kinda old school, right? I was only 7 years old when they first came on the scene with that fun song "Motown Philly", so I mean it's not like I was their target demographic in those days. By the time "I'll Make Love to You" was released when I was 10, I was old enough to enjoy the music of it, and yet feel slightly uncomfortable hearing it on the radio with my parents in the car. But songs like "Water Runs Dry", "On Bended Knee", "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday", those were the ones where I knew all the words.

When I heard they were still touring last year, I was pretty surprised, considering they aren't really popular anymore. And they're old - I mean, imagine if NSync were out on tour in 2017. Strange idea, right? But some friends and I were excited to go see them, since they were part of our childhood.

I was initially supposed to go with Kasey, Tiff, and Sarah... and all three couldn't go for different reasons. So I debated not going, until I found out Colleen was going and she could rally three of her friends to go... so I went down with them, and they were all big fans too, so it was awesome. They sang all their hits, and we were singing along, watching them do all the Motown-style dance moves.

At one point during the show, I wondered if they would sing "One Sweet Day", which was their hit collaboration with Mariah Carey. Considering it was really her song and she wasn't there, I quickly brought myself back down to earth. But when the show was finally over and the house lights came on, the house started playing the song over the sound system. And as the audience started to slowly filter out, you could hear people singing along to the very first lyric - "Sorry I never told you..." And then more people started singing it, until soon it felt like everyone was singing along. Our group kept was about to head up the stairs to exit the concert hall, but then we turned back and saw that people were back on the dance floor, slow dancing! So we went back and joined them... definitely a fantastic experience.

Catching Up

Currently listening to: "Wild Wild Horses", from Atmosphere's new CD: When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Sh*t Gold. I'm not a big rap guy, but I wanted to check this one out after hearing his name for the past few years... I dig.

I haven't kept up well with writing on here this month... between work and going out to various things (mostly concerts) and there being no more real coffeehouse outings, there just hasn't been a good time to sit and write my thoughts out.

But guess where I am... a coffeehouse! On a chill Wednesday evening. Initially I was supposed to hit up Flood's bonfire with Mindy, but I wanted some time to myself. Us introverts need that time to relax. So here I sit at The Living Room, and perhaps heading for a drink later with Weez.

July is about over, and it's been a good one.

The final tally of concerts/shows:

• Incubus
• Dirty Sweet / Get Back Loretta
• 311 / Ziggy Marley
• Ray LaMontagne
• Coldplay
• StayClassy Tailgate (w/ Cage the Elephant)
• William Fitzsimmons
• Demetri Martin
• The Fray / Jack's Mannequin
• Bedouin Soundclash

And now to plan ahead for more concerts this year... seeing The Fray live last night solidified my love of going to all these concerts. It can be tiring, for sure. But it is so exhilarating to see a band/artist that you love perform songs that you love with music/lyrics that resonate with you. To be in that audience, to bask in all the lights and the staging and all the cellphones swaying in the air with certain songs... for me it's a rush. And I'm glad to be getting my highs from all of that than from other sources. And I'll be sure to keep enjoying them while I still can.

Halftime

Current status: Sitting at the dining table, having just finished the dishes, while that infectious song of Beyonce's plays on my laptop. Darn you, Beyonce, and your catchy tune ("Halo") that make me sing along. (Although, I kinda feel that I like this song more since it's going to be featured on "Glee" this fall... can't wait!)

It's a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and I'm in total relaxation mode right now. I'm currently in the middle of Summer Concert Fun, the 2009 Edition. Here's a quick recap of the first two concerts of the weekend...

Thursday night

Chris, Jordan, Johannah and I were supposed to go another of those free Hornblower concert cruise events (courtesy of KPRI) to see Andrew Bird (an amazing artist that blew Chris and I saw perform earlier this year). Then a short series of unfortunate events happened that led to none of us going on the boat, and I ended up taking a coworker's offer for cheap tickets to see Incubus, who I've never seen but always wanted... so I took my friend Ria and met up with Ann (coworker) and her friends down at Cricket Wireless Ampitheatre in Chula Vista. My cousin also happened to be there with her boyfriend, so we chatted with them for a bit. Incubus put on a good show - not much in terms of stage intricacies, but they sounded fantastic and opened with some of my favorite songs. Two personal highlights: the audience all singing along to their uber-hit, "Drive", and then once Incubus left the stage and the PA system started playing Journey's "Don't Stop Believing", the audience started singing along as we all left the ampitheatre. Good times.

Friday night

After visiting my parents and then my cousins for the evening, I journeyed out to rock the Casbah and see Dirty Sweet. I went by myself to this one, and almost didn't go because I'd be flying solo and I was already tired and this was going to be a late show (as it always goes at the Casbah). But I'm so glad I came out! I was initially disappointed that Get Back Loretta (another local SD band) was opening, because I've seen them before and have never been impressed. But they completely won me over tonight with their energy and melodies. They've really polished up their live show and looked like they were having fun. During their set, there was this trio of cute blondes right in front of me, drinking their Pabst Blue Ribbon and posing for plenty of pictures. I laughed to myself thinking, "I'm sure Andy would've made some new friends tonight." LOL.

I almost left after GBL's set, because it was already 11 and my feet hurt and I just wanted to go to bed. Just can't hack it like I used to! But I was resolved to see the band that I came out for, even though I really didn't know a single lick of their music. I thought I'd seen them before (way back in 2004), but it must not have been the same band because the frontman I remember seeing was a pretty-boy blonde. When this band came out, I thought "hmmm, definitely not the same guy." Long brown hair, tattoos, and kinda grunge-y. But once they started rocking out, I was like everyone else in the small crowded room - banging my head with the music and having a good time. I almost had beer spilled on me, as the guy next to me was dancing along with a 3/4 full pint glass in his hand that was held up too high for my liking, but thankfully I was spared. Another drunk guy bumped into me a few times - I didn't drink anything there and was getting annoyed but kept my cool the whole time - and towards the end, when he bumped into me again, he put his arm around me and slurred something about how he was sorry for everything but that I was such a good sport. He said quite a bit more than that, but it was really loud and dark, so I just tried to smile and nod along and say "yeah it's all good, man." I did catch that he claimed to have been on the road with the band before and has known them for four years, and he was excited for them and thought that they're on the verge of blowing up. I hope they do - and now I'm glad to be able to say that I saw them "way back when." The concert finally finished up at 1am. Tired as I was, they were just so great that I didn't want to miss a single moment of it - and I think that's the mark of a truly great concert.

Song of the Moment

"Let It Be Me", by Ray LaMontagne

Recently, I was looking at upcoming concert listings and noticed that Ray LaMontagne is playing at the Hollywood Bowl in July. [A concert that I'm currently trying to figure out plans to go. Haven't seen him perform in so long!]

I've loved Ray since his first CD came out in 2004. I remember hearing that he was playing at this tiny little joint in Hollywood called the Hotel Cafe (which has since blown up, even though it's still a tiny venue). And when I got out of class on the day of the show (this was during my time at UCSD), I decided to make what ended up being my first of a few random spontaneous trips to LA for a concert. I went there all by my lonesome, managed to find a spot in the back (as the place was packed), and just stood there and soaked it all in. He was a scraggly looking fella (someone once described him as looking kinda homeless), but he projected this beautiful rich voice and lyrics that made my heart melt.

So when I heard about his upcoming concert, I started listening to his music again. The song "Let It Be Me" is off his third/latest album, Gossip in the Grain. And I just find it so sweet. I'm in love with the lyrics; I think everyone at some point can relate to the sentiment of the song, where life's starting to break you and you can use a shoulder to lean on, an ear that will listen... someone who honestly says "I want to be there for you, if you'll just let me." So in a non-gay way, I just want him to sing this song to me. Just to let me know that he's got my back. LSTM.

(LSTM = Laugh Silently to Myself)

Anyways, here's the audio on YouTube, if you have not heard it but would like to listen and enjoy. I know I will. :P

There may come a time
A time in everyones life
Where nothin seems to go your way
Where nothing seems to turn out right

There may come a time,
You just can't seem to find your place
For every door open
Seems like you get two slammed in your face

That's when you need someone

Someone that you can call
When all your faith is gone
It feels like you can't go on
Let it be me
Let it be me
If it's a friend that you need
Let it be me
Let it be me

Feels like you're always coming up last
Pockets full of nothin, ain't got no cash
No matter where you turn you ain't got no place to stand
You reach out for something and they slap your hand

Now I remember all too well
Just how it feels to be all alone
You feel like you'd give anything
For just a little place you can call your own

That's when you need someone

Someone that you can call
And when all your faith is gone
Feels like you can't go on
Let it be me
Let it be me
If it's a friend you need
Let it be me
Let it be me

Show me what I'm looking for...

Last week, during Coffeeshop Tuesday, I was sitting at the Starbucks as per usual and checking my email on my phone, when I noticed another email from radio station KPRI. And as soon as I saw the headline, I think I may have "squeeed" like a fanboy just a little bit... because Carolina Liar was having a show on the Hornblower!

I can't remember exactly how I got into this band... but I'm pretty sure Kasey told me to check them out a few months ago. And I was sucked in, thought they were rad. They're the type of rock music I'd normally like. So when the chance came to see them for free, I jumped out of my seat and drove like a maniac to try to score my free tickets.

And I did. Made it in the nick of time before the store closed!

I told Kasey about the concert the next day, since I figured both he and Tiff would be down to see them. We went on our lunch break to score more passes. I checked with Janice to see if she was going to get her passes too, and she did. Each pass covers two people to get on the boat.

I've been on these radio station boat concerts plenty of times before, but I don't think I've ever been so stoked. It ended up being Melodi and me, Kasey and Tiff, and the OSF heading down there. When we got to the boat, we were almost pushed away when the bodyguard was trying to say that there was no more room on the boat. We almost walked off but decided to wait a little bit longer, and then he let those of us waiting on the side onto the boat. It was crowded, and full of people who didn't really know the band but were just there for the free boat ride. But we found a nice spot where could still see the band and could sing along.

Only two of the band members were there - the lead singer, and another guitarist - so it was more of an acoustic set. They came across as really friendly and it was cool to hear them talk about the songs before playing them. They didn't play many of their songs, but they did play my two faves ("I'm Not Over" and "Show Me What I'm Looking For").

Tiff really wanted to meet them, and really so did I, so as the boat kept cruising around, we eventually found them signing pics and taking pictures on the 2nd level of the boat. Tiff pushed her way up there and I took a pic, and she had a little poster signed. We walked away, thinking we were content with that, and then Kasey and I caved in and made our way back up to the guys. Talked to the guitarist for a bit and he was very cool. I guess the band has played at the House of Blues down here before, so I'm bummed that I didn't get into them sooner. But they might go back on a full band tour later this summer. If so, I'm there!

"Can you still feel the butterflies?"

Imagine a time before Melchi... before Wendla... before Moritz and Ilse... before tracks 4 and 15...

Before all things "Spring Awakening" had captured my attention, there was Jimmy Eat World's "Clarity".

It was a CD that came out in 1999, but I never knew of it's sheer awesomeness until 2001, when I was a freshman in college. It was a time when I was just finding out about music beyond what I heard in church and from the pop radio that you couldn't escape. Much like my love for "Spring Awakening", I didn't immediately fall in love with this CD. I already really enjoyed their 2001 CD "Bleed American" (which the musical snob in me wants to add that I was diggin' before "The Middle" became popular). I browsed the band's message boards and everyone there was raving about their previous CD, "Clarity". So I bought it, gave it a spin, and sadly didn't fastly appreciate this gem that I had bought.

But I'd walk around campus from class to class with my Sony discman (a time before the prevalence of iPods) and I'd pop this CD inside. And pretty soon, I'd start to notice little things. I don't speak in musical terms, but I'd come across an arrangement that would make me go "ooooooh, niiiiiice". Or I'd suddenly hear an instrument that I hadn't noticed before in one of the songs. And I'd nod my head in agreement, thinking "Wow, Jimmy Eat World - that was a rad moment in that song right there." Until I realized that every freaking moment in that CD was amazing.

And just like my favorite musical, I was wanting to quote the album in my every day life. I'd find new meaning in a lyric, and there were so many that I loved... in fact, I feel like quoting something from each song...

"Not asking of me anything, saying nothing about what it means, without anybody telling me what I should feel."

"You're not bigger than this, not better, why can't you learn?"

"I'll miss you when you're just like them."

"What you ignore is priceless to me."

"What you wish for won't come true - live with that."

"Didn't mean to leave you hanging on."

"I can't bring myself to say it; it's my own advice I need." / "Could you look in my eyes and blame no one?"

"If I don't let myself be happy now, then when?" / "You can lose yourself in your courage." / "Can you still feel the butterflies?"

"When the world caves in, what are you gonna do for me?"

"Wait for something better, will I know when it can be us?"

"So full of faith yet full of doubt, I ask again... I shall ask you this once again, he said 'I am but one small instrument', do you remember that?"

Yup. I'm a lyric lover. This was the CD that once I was head over heels for, I listened to at least some portion of it every day. I sang in the car at the top of my lungs, it cheered me up when I was having a bad day and it my good times even better... I even had to buy the album on vinyl from eBay even though I didn't have a record player... "Clarity" had become my favorite CD, hands-down.

Fast forward to 2009, when Jimmy Eat World went on tour to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the CD. As soon as it was announced on their blog, I knew there was no way I could miss this concert. They were going to play the entire CD, from start to finish. I'd seen them many times before already and was never disappointed... but this time - to hear freaking "Table for Glasses" live?!?!? (That's track one, btw.) I was going.

So after walking with the No on Prop 8 march for about 8 seconds just to get to the box office, Chris and I bought our tickets, and then we marched back up against the same rally for another 8 seconds. (I've always found this story amusing.) Months passed (because the tickets went on sale in November, right after the election) and we kept our tickets securely until the day finally came to break them out... March 6, 2009.

My friend Kasey was going to go, but since his family was in town, he was unable. So at the last minute, I was able to find a replacement in another friend, Suzy, and we drove down to the HOB and met up with Chris and Cody. Ate some dinner, had some drinks, sat in the lounge for a bit, and then the show began. No Knife came out as the opener, and I've loved them since '01 as well. They broke up in 2005, and reunited for the tour because they're good friends with JEW. So I was super stoked to hear them play again.

But once it came time for JEW to take the stage, and I could see Tom walk out... it was on. And to me, it was legendary. Just like they promised, they performed the entire CD. And I was proudly geeking out the whole time: singing along, tapping my feet and bopping my head... I miss innocent things like that. Getting lost in something you love and not giving a rat's ass about what anyone else thinks.

When it came down to the album's last song, which is normally 16 minutes long, the band played a slightly different arrangement from how they've done it live in the past. Previously they would cut it down to about 5 minutes live. Tonight's rendition was definitely longer than that, but not quite 16... but still fantastic. Having completely played their masterpiece, the band left the stage for a few moments. Then they came back out to the crowd's roaring approval and played some of their other great songs - and not necessarily the hits either, which was great. Hearing "What I Would Say To You Now" was my personal fave of the encore set, definitely... the encore was pretty lengthy, about 6 songs, I think... they finally closed out the show with two of their biggest hits, "The Middle" (of course) and "Sweetness". Then sadly, it was all over.

We may not have walked away with pictures or signed album covers, 'cause that would've been [Barney voice]awwwwwwesooooooome![/Barney voice]... But it was still a night I will always remember. "Clarity", you are still my favorite CD.

:)

Offline Blogging

...but to be posted online soon. I'm at Starbucks, per our usual Coffee Tuesday outings, and currently unable to go online because Wi-Fi isn't really free at Starbucks. They want you to buy something at least once a month using a Starbucks card, and doing so grants you two free hours of Wi-Fi access.

It's been more than a month since my last purchase, apparently.

But it's okay. I can still type this out on my word processor and upload it whenever I get the chance. That'll work just fine, I feel. And I need to take my mind off work and this "how to" book for Microsoft Access...

Random musings:

1. Three amazing concerts last week: (a) Loney Dear and Andrew Bird, (b) Duncan Sheik and Lauren Pritchard, (c) Tonic and Gin Blossoms. "B" of course being the most legendary, if you didn't know... I haven't had a week like that in awhile, when I used to go to shows with a greater frequency. I even found my old list from 2004, when I kept track of every show I saw, even the small coffeehouse ones.

2. I wish I had the keen eye that Jordan and Brit have when it comes to photography. Our photo outing last Saturday at the Mission San Diego de Alcala produced some pretty great shots. Picture days are some of my favorite days in recent memory - Old Town/Seaport Village, Gap Day, Julian... I really want to start taking pictures on my own, but (a) need a good camera and (b) don't know if I have that skill to find a good shot in any given environment.

3. I keep listening to this one song called "Lead Me to the Cross". It's originally by Hillsong United, but I have a (stealthily taped) live recording of The Gate Called Beautiful performing it at Flood last year. They choose songs that fit with Matt's message, and the combination of her voice, their music, and the song's lyrics... it's often very moving (to me). I was at The Rock this last Sunday, and worship has been an important part of church for me and theirs just wasn't working (among a few other reasons that have nothing to do with this point). I really do need to be more consistent with where I'm going though.

4. I'm ready for March 9 to get here already. Come on, March 9...