Concert Diaries Chapter Three ~ WPLJ Summer Blast Off

I'm a short person.  In this crowd, I can see the security guy's buff forearm and the hair of the girl directly in front of me.  Thank goodness for monitors.  But all of this matters not ... I am in the same room as Gavin DeGraw.  And there will soon be music.

It's a different sort of concert.  Scott and Todd, the morning DJ's are live on the radio--and essentially so are we.  Their banter and schtick are pretty well known in the New York area and they're at it this morning like any other morning.  And there is business to be done, commercials to air and weather reports.  The crowd is restless with this and there are piercing shrieks for an appearance from Ed Sheeran way too close to my ears.  The pushing has not stopped either.  You really have to plant yourself in order not to land on the floor.  

iPhone pictures are not the greatest and I was pretty far away
but happy to be there nonetheless.

And then ... that familiar musical intro into Sweeter.  One by one the band members appear on stage ... James Cruz on bass, Ian O'Neill on drums, Eric Kinney the new keyboard player and Billy Norris on guitar.  The musical buildup increases until finally Gavin DeGraw takes the stage and the performance is well and truly launched.  This is so familiar to me now  ... bang, angel, devil, take your body to the other side ... I can do it all ... I know it all and yet I'm not tired of any of it.  I love it -- every note, lyric and gesture, every bit of banter.  Not much "banter" at this show, though, because of the live radio aspect.

After Sweeter, comes, of course, In Love With a Girl and I think, this is just like a real show.  I was expecting only a few songs since there are others performing too.  I wasn't expecting Gavin to go first so I'm a little disappointed about that.  The third selection is one of my favorites, Soldier.  It's one of his too and so appropriate for Memorial Day Weekend.

And then he and the band are gone.  Courtney and I look at each other.  That's it?  The thought crosses my mind for the umpteenth time that I've lost my mind.  Sitting in the cold dark night for three songs that I've experienced many times before.  But wait, Scott and Todd are saying Gavin will be back.  Relief!  It's not over.  

Mark Ballas of Dancing With the Stars is next.  He comes from a musical family and plays guitar and sings.  He has a strong flamenco influence from his dad.  He plays an original song and a couple of covers and I don't remember them ... probably not a good sign for his breakthrough into the music business.  It was his birthday.

More radio business and more Scott and Todd.  We hear that Sara Bareilles is running late and taking a helicopter out of the City.   Sound check and then it's Ed Sheeran's turn.  It's just Ed and his guitar.  He starts with Lego House.  I like Ed Sheeran.  I think he's a good songwriter although so many of his songs seem melancholy and I wonder why a man so young is writing so much sad music.  I can't name the other two songs he did.  Ed's talking in his charming English accent but the crowd is loud ("I love you Ed" and "Marry Me Ed" throughout the room) so I can't hear him.  But I hear two words:  Gavin DeGraw.  It seems he's said he grew up listening to Gavin DeGraw.  I do like Ed Sheeran after all!  And then Scott and Todd are saying they should do a song together.  Gavin comes on stage and there's some consulting done and Gavin does his charming thing and they banter about what to sing.  Ed starts it off: "I don't want to be anything other than what I've been trying to do lately ..."  Wait--they're singing a Gavin DeGraw song?  Together.  And here comes Billy Norris to help them on guitar.  Well, this is exciting.  It's a little bit of a laid-back rendition compared to how I'm used to hearing it live but it's wonderful.  And they transition right into Ed's big hit The A-Team.  Billy keeps going over to Gavin, I think to feed him lines.  I'm not sure Gavin really knows this song.  But again, it's wonderful.  After mutually complimenting each other, Gavin leaves the stage and so does Ed.

The Sheerios begin leaving.  Really?  Didn't you hear that Gavin is coming back?  Don't you want to hear Sara Bareilles sing her new song?  Well, apparently not.  Courtney grabs my arm.  People leaving can mean only one thing:  we're moving on up.  She's good at this.  We're not the only ones with this idea so there's a strategy involved.  Pretty soon, though, we're in a much better position.  

Scott and Todd remind everyone of the reason for Memorial Day.  They invite a corporal from South Jersey to read a letter that either he or someone else had written.  It was hard to hear but the gist was pretty moving.  Then they played Bruce's Born in the USA.  Stand on a pier at the shore, the restored shore, in a crowd that knew how much New Jersey has been through in the last couple of years and play Bruce to them--watch what happens!  I'm sure I wasn't the only teary one.  

We have moved up!

More radio business, thanking the sponsors and then time for Gavin again.  Candy.  I love that song.  I wonder why it wasn't released as a single.  Then the familiar introducing of the band members while singing Thank You which isn't really a song.  It's a giant thank you note to whomever needs to be thanked but always, always the fans and the crowd.  Clearly because it was already on the set list, we got I Don't Want to Be again--but Gavin's live version of it.  Rocking, loud, exciting, emotional, raw.  That was followed by Chariot and finally Not Over You, the current closer.  It was so much like a real show.  He thanked New Jersey and New York, the radio station and the other artists with his ever-ready charm.  Seventh heaven.

Sara Bareilles performed (I have to point out she was in her signature fedora as well) Love Song, another song I wasn't familiar with, a gorgeous, gorgeous cover of Sitting on the Dock of the Bay and then her new single, Brave.  I love this song.  It's really almost an anthem.  She wrote it to encourage a friend who was having trouble coming out but it really applies to anyone who needs to be encouraged to be who they're meant to be, to say what they need to say and live the way that makes sense for them.  I play it a lot.  It's been helping me lately to stay the course of this weight-loss journey.  Now that I'm within sight of my goal (107 off, 10 - 15 more to go), things have slowed down substantially and it's easy to become discouraged.  She tells me to get my brave on and I feel empowered to keep making the right choices:  Exercise, eat right, dance as much as possible.

And then it was over.  9:30 last night until 10 AM this morning; I wished it could go on forever.  But I know I'll relive much of the morning on YouTube.  The videos will be up before I get home.  I'm certain of it.  Courtney left to drive home and pack for her family's vacation.  I walked to the motel to check out of a room I never stayed in.  I brought my bags to the car parked at the boardwalk but I didn't want to go home.  Not yet.  I needed to stay in that cocoon of sheer bliss that I experience after a live encounter with Gavin DeGraw.  It's some sort of high.  And it lasts for days and days in my case.

Walking up Ocean Avenue to the parking lot, I'm surprised to see Justin Schiada walking toward me.  Not nervous this time, I say hello and am incredulous when he responds to me with my twitter name (@GSKath).  That's pretty amazing to me.  We talk about his music for a couple of minutes but he's got a plane to catch back to the west coast.  I appreciate his taking the time to chat so much.

I walked the beach.  Cold and wet, it's still beautiful.  The surf was pounding.  The boardwalk was filled but not crowded and I decided to take myself out to lunch at one of my favorite spots.  But no--Governor Christie was there being interviewed by every media outlet in this state and New York as well.  The shore is open for business and he was promoting it.  Good--it's what we pay him for.  I walked on, taking pictures and musing at how much the Governor gets in my way.  So back to Jenkinson's for fish tacos and then it was time to drive home.  

Because there was another adventure to be had today ... a quick dash to New York for the night.  A fun night, but a little disappointing as the band I was told might play did not.  But the best burger in New York was still the best burger in New York. And the company was great.  Barely making the 1 AM bus, I was home around 2:30.

And I had not slept in 45 hours.

Gavin DeGraw and Ed Sheeran performing I Don't Want to Be and The A-Team

Gavin DeGraw, Not Over You, WPLJ Summer Blast Off, May 24, 2013

Daily Record Coverage - Local paper with ties to the Shore has a nice article, pictures and video.

Concert Diaries Chapter Two ~ Crowd Encounters of a Close Kind

The Pier at Jenkinson's.

After an unbelievably rainy ride down, I find myself on the Boardwalk at Point Pleasant.  Evidence of Hurricane Sandy is everywhere.  Houses in various stages of repair.  Houses up on jacks that are being raised against future storms. Huge sections of boardwalk entirely replaced.  And new things.  I see homes with completed repairs and facelifts.  Spruced up businesses.  It's still the same, though.  Point Pleasant--wide beach, churning surf, family fun, the sea lions and Stingrays in the Aquarium, food everywhere.  I love it here.

I've checked into my motel:  Amethyst's Beach Hotel.  A fifties' throwback, it's U shaped with the rooms opening onto the pool courtyard and the second story balcony.  The kind you see in the movies.  I always need to check things out in advance so off to the boardwalk I go.  I can't believe it but people are lining up for tomorrow's concert already.  It's only 4:30.  There are only about 25 people there though so I'm not worried.  Inside Jenkinson's I order a slice and a diet and ask about the concert.  It turns out it's inside in the bar/club which surprises me--I don't think it's that big.  But no, I'm assured it holds 2000 people.  I'm glad; it's windy and chilly down here with the potential for more rain.

I have to buy a sweatshirt--actually two--because I've realized I did not pack the right clothes for waiting up all night in the cold and damp.  A beach towel too in case I need to sit on the boardwalk.  Also fudge.  Boardwalk fudge is the best.  I may not be prepared in my packing but my midnight snack is taken care of.

Back to the motel to charge electonics and pack a tote bag for the wait.  When I arrive back around 9 PM, there are more people in line and tents.  People have brought tents!  The Sheerios (Ed Sheeran fans) are serious!  (I think I called them sherious in a tweet.)  There's a bench in front of Martels that looks like a good spot and I won't have to sit on the boards.  Soon I'm joined by three young girls dressed not warmly enough in garbage bags.  They are here, of course, for Ed.  Are you? they ask.  No, I reply with an indulgent smile, thinking, isn't it obvious?  Soon they are curled up together, huddled for warmth, like puppies.  They were very sweet.  Not all the Sheerios are so polite.  Lots are running up and down and are loud, attention-seeking girls on a mission:  to be at the front of the venue.

I pass the time reading and scribbling notes on a napkin so I can better remember the things I want to say here.  The surf is really loud and even though the beach is wide and far from where I'm sitting the strong breeze carries sprays of the ocean in my direction once in a while.  I'm a sight ... two hoodies and my camping jacket with the beach towel wrapped around my legs.  The cute dress and sandals I'd packed are out of the question under these circumstances.  Around midnight I break out the fudge:  chocolate caramel with sea salt.  There is no way to calculate weight watchers points for this.

Interns from WPLJ come out from time to time with freebies for the crowd.  Sun glasses and posters and the like.  And they are filming the activity on the boardwalk for their web site.  Lots of the young fans are interviewed.

Lots of people are going in and out of the Tiki Bar at Martels, where I'm sitting.  They go in asking questions of the people camped all around.  They come out loud and boisterous.  I especially enjoyed the guy who gave us a decent rendition of Gavin DeGraw's I Don't Want to Be.  At one point I think I see Justin Schiada, a technician with Gavin's band, go in but I don't have the nerve to say hello.  No nerve to say hello but enough nerve to sit outside in the cold, wet night amongst people forty years younger than me.  I am my own study in contrasts.

I want to conserve my phone battery but I can't resist checking facebook and twitter from time to time.  I felt a little thrill reading DJ Ralphie Aversa's tweet about Gavin's new single.  If the label (RCA) is releasing it to radio stations to preview, that means the actual release is coming soon.  Relatively soon.  After the single drops, the album release will be imminent.  Relatively imminent.  According to "Gavin time." And Ralphie retweets my Sheerios are sherious tweet.  Geez, I'm easily amused.

Around 2 AM the bright lights start going out. The bars are closing and our colorful night lights are extinguished.  Except for the leering neon clown at the Fun House games place.  He and I have been staring at each other all night.  Creepy dude.  There are no stars tonight as it's been overcast all day and night.  It's not raining though, so I'm grateful.  People are sleeping.  Some brought chaise lounges; some are in their tents; on benches and under benches.  The girls behind me are under a tarp on a bench.

Gavin has tweeted a little.  He's at the Ranger game.  I'm on a bench in the cold and he's at the Ranger game.  I should be in therapy.  Wait--this is my therapy.  Around 3:15 or so he tweets Ralphie that he's still in New York.  Really?  You're going on in less than three hours, I think.  And I'm still on this bench!

Courtney arrives around 3:30 so I'm no longer alone nor the only non- tween-to twenty-something on the boardwalk.  Well, I wasn't the only one.  Lots of the Sheerios had parents hanging out.  They sit apart from their kids so as not to embarrass them.

Around 4:00 we hear a thundering noise on the boardwalk.  It's Ed Sheeran fans from the end of the long line (the line had extended past the carnival rides) charging up to the front.  Apparently they are completely unconcerned by the common concert courtesies like respecting the line.  Annoyed, we all join the line and it starts to rain.  I wonder if Ed knows a lot of his young fans are rude.  He seems like a nice guy so I'm sure he'd rather that they behave better.

Every so often the crowd surges forward.  The line gets wider and wider and there is pushing and I think, seriously, you are totally too old for this.  Where I had been about the 105th person in line (the garbage bag girls had counted), there were now hundreds of people in front of us.  The pushing gets a little serious and the thought of being trampled by the Sheerios enters my mind.  Clearly I'm too old for this.

Around 5:30, the doors open and we're in.  No where near the front.  The stay-up-all-night plan is a fail.  

Concert Diaries Chapter One ~ Anticipation, Planning and Packing

Late Spring.  It's the start of concert season.  Sure there've been the odd ones here and there over the winter but now that the outdoor venues are opening, the schedule is getting packed again.  Well packed for this concert newbie.

But I don't just mean my schedule either.  I don't have to physically be at a show to enjoy it.  I can count on my fellow fangirl friends to post, tweet and share comments, pictures and videos every time someone I like is playing somewhere ... anywhere.  This is a service I appreciate more than they know.

And by "someone I like," I, of course, mostly mean Gavin DeGraw.  But not exclusively.  There are lots of others I enjoy and who move me either emotionally or to dance (or both).  But in all likelihood, my concert diaries will mostly focus on seeing Gavin this summer.

That's the plan.  Tickets are in my phone for four shows in July.  But we're kicking it off this Friday at a free concert early in the morning on my favorite beach.  The New York radio station WPLJ is sponsoring a concert on the beach at Jenkinson's on the boardwalk in Point Pleasant.  It's being hosted by the morning DJ's Scott and Todd hence the early start time of 6 AM.  Yes--6 AM.  Until 10 AM.  Morning drive time.  I'm told people start lining up for spots at midnight.  I'm hoping I have it in me to stand in line through the night with teenagers and people who will have surely spent too many hours in the Tiki Bar.

For you see, Gavin DeGraw will be there.  My favorite singer on my favorite beach--"I can't imagine anything better."*  I can't imagine not being there.

I've been shamelessly tweeting the radio station all week in the hopes of being able to meet him on Friday.  (I apologize to those twitter followers who aren't understanding of my incessant gavinizing.)  I have a cheesy motel room near the beach so I can maybe sleep a little before staking out the venue.  I'm planning concert beach attire.

I'm excited that Sara Bareilles is also playing on Friday.  Her new song, Brave, is wonderful.  It's almost like she was in my head this year when she wrote it.  I've been lucky enough to see her live twice recently so I'm thrilled to have this chance to hear her sing Brave live too.

Mark Ballas will be performing too.  Singing--not dancing.  You may know him from Dancing With the Stars but what you may not know is that he sings, plays guitar and writes music too.  I didn't know it either until Gavin tweeted about it last week.  It will be interesting to see him get started with this second layer to his career.

I'm most scared about Ed Sheeran appearing at this show.  That undoubtedly means young teens and 'tweens.  Scary bunch of people.  They scream and sing along badly and boldly.  It's really, really bad.  And they push a lot, speak at unheard of decibels, especially during acts that they're not particularly interested in.  I'm anticipating trying to find a spot not near anyone under age 21 but I doubt that will be possible.  I'm hoping that they all have school and parents who won't let them skip but I know that's unlikely too.

I will be beyond thrilled if Gavin sings music from his new album due out sometime in the early part of the summer.  It's not a perfect venue for putting out something new though.  Outside, early, screaming teens ...

Memorial Day Weekend represents the start of summer around here.  Starting my summer at Jenkinson's with Gavin DeGraw seems pretty perfect to me.  And it's only going to get better.  Who's got that countdown clock for Virginia Beach?

PS Thanks 95.5 WPLJ for starting off the tri-state's summer in style!


Sara Bareilles ~ Brave 

*Dancing Shoes (Gavin DeGraw)

It's so nice to see you
Can we sit and talk for a while?
I have searched forever
I can't imagine anythin' better

Kids up on the stairway
Couples on the sidewalk squares
If I get to your heart soon
I'll call a perfect afternoon

Won't you call my number?
Don't push, but don't hesitate
Wake me from this slumber
Rush me, but leave time to wake

Checkmate on my shoulder
I'm tired of this win or lose
Well, I'm no knight in shinnin' armor
But I'm no pair of dancin' shoes
I'm no pair of dancin' shoes

My patience ran away, take me with you
You keep me holdin' on
Nothin's understood, you're so confusin'
Tell it to me straight

Won't you call my number?
Don't push, but don't hesitate
Wake me from this slumber
Rush me, but leave time to wake
Rush me, but leave time to wake

I got nothin' left to lose
But I'm no pair of dancin' shoes
I got nothin' left to lose
But I'm no pair of dancin' shoes

I got nothin' left to lose
But I'm no pair of dancin' shoes
I got nothin' left to lose
But I'm no pair of dancin' shoes

Malaria No More

Social media has revolutionized the way I think and learn.  As someone who resisted Facebook for the longest time and initially couldn't fathom the point to Twitter, no one is more surprised than I am to find out that there is a wealth of good happening in these forums.  I've discovered many friends, new ones as well as old, kept abreast of news, my volunteer community, my wider church and learned so much about issues that I care about.

Twitter has pointed me in the direction of people and organizations that believe in the causes that are important to me and that are working towards solutions to some of the world's biggest problems.  Most of these have to do with poverty and all the accompanying issues that result from living without many of the most basic necessities.  One of these is the issue of malaria that is still prevalent in some of the poorest areas of the world.  Malaria claims the life of a child every minute.  91% of malaria cases occur in Africa, primarily affecting women and children under the age of 5.*

When I worked at St. Peter's Church (Morristown, NJ), we spent one Lenten season raising money for the bed nets that help to prevent malaria.  Together the children, their teachers and I learned about how devastating yet highly preventable this disease is.  Bed nets protect people from the deadly bites of malaria-infected mosquitos.  We raised over $1000 that year which was donated to Episcopal Relief and Development's Nets for Life program.

Recently I've been walking miles for my own health using an app called Charity Miles.  Charity Miles is an innovative organization that uses money from several funding sources to donate twenty-five cents per mile walked (or run) to the charity of the walker's choice from within their list of very worthwhile, responsible and effective organizations.  The group I've been walking on behalf of over the last several months is NothingButNets.net.  This international organization is working hard to provide more life-saving nets in refugee camps and villages throughout Africa.

Last week I discovered a fantastic website: Global Citizen.  It was a tweet that lead me to investigate and I have visited the site every day since.  Here's how they define themselves:

Global Citizen is a tool to amplify and unite a generation’s call for justice. It’s a place for you to learn, and act, to bring an end to extreme poverty.

Global Citizens know that a world that deprives 1.3 billion people of their basic rights and opportunities is unjust and unacceptable. We celebrate the efforts made to cut extreme poverty by half, but recognise more still needs to be done. We know that people living in extreme poverty are working hard themselves, and that we need to learn and take action to change the rules that trap them in broken systems.

Global Citizen is using the internet to spread the word about the issues collected under the umbrella of the United Nation's Millenium Development Goals.  Preventing malaria is tied to five of these goals:  Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDs, malaria and other diseases; and global partnership for development.  I've explored just some of the pages on Global Citizen's website that relate to the problem of malaria and have already learned so much.  There are facts and figures and many videos that talk about the progress that is being currently being made even though the need is still very great.  I'm looking forward to learning more and sharing what I discover by advocating whenever I can.

I know I have a lot of fun on the internet in the social media communities that I frequent and connecting with my new and old friends is important to me--I can't imagine not having these vehicles to stay in touch and maintain relationships. But joining with communities of people who care about concerns that resonate with me is perhaps one of the most rewarding uses of my time in cyberspace.  Check out Charity Miles and Global Citizen and see what good you can do learning about and advocating for those causes that are important to you.

*Find more statistics and lots more information at Global Citizen, Diseases.

Here are two videos from Global Citizen:
Malaria No More
Celebrities on Malaria No More


You can find both Global Citizen and Charity Miles on Facebook.  
Follow them on Twitter: @CharityMiles; @GlobalCitizen