Walk Journal ~ Finally

Finally! A truly beautiful day.  The thermometer in my car read 84 degrees ('way above average for this time of year) as I headed home from the tax filer's office. Having completed that odious chore for another year, I gave myself the gift of a couple of hours to get outside and walk some @CharityMiles for Nothing But Nets, a charity that provides bed nets to people living in Africa to protect against malaria-carrying mosquitos.  I braced my knee which seems to be keeping it aligned (as opposed to the crazy popping that's been happening a bit) and headed out and over the highway to the lake.  The 84 degrees felt absolutely like I was being wrapped in spring with a gentle breeze swirling all around.

Concert Diaries Chapter Nine ~ Oh Hell No ...

Am I tired of this setlist yet?

Oh hell no!

Am I tired of any of the setlists for this tour?

Oh hell no!

Okay, well maybe a little Script goes a long way for me ... I definitely would have preferred seeing Michael Franti at every performance rather than The Script.

If it's Saturday, it must be Boston, or what Ticketmaster calls Boston in order to make people believe they're going to a concert in Boston.  I fell for it.  But no, (oh hell no?), make that over an hour south of Boston in the woods of Mansfield. The Comcast Center.  Loud Chick had issues with getting us out of the city so we had a scenic tour of Roxbury and definitely a most circuitous route to spice up our ride.

My daughter lives just outside of Boston and I'm on vacation this week to visit her.  We're off to the Mermaids of Alcatraz tour tonight because as her mother, I feel duty-bound to expose her to my impeccable taste in music.  I meant that as a joke but as I think about it, it's pretty true.  She's seen a lot of Broadway, had piano and flute lessons, sang for years with the Girls' Choir at St. Peter's and had some fantastic performance and touring opportunities with that group.  She marched in her high school marching band and played concert band as well so she's been exposed to a wide range music from Bach to Bruce, from Gilbert and Sullivan to Aida performed live amongst ruins in Rome and to her favorite classic rock bands like Pink Floyd and my favorite whom we will see tonight (my twelfth time, her second).  It's Gavin DeGraw time, once again.

We're pretty far back but this venue has a very nice incline to it so the sight lines are okay.  They're okay for someone who can see.  My eyesight is in the middle-aged not-so-great stage.  But that's okay, somehow I'm able to focus just fine when those first chords strike and the guys in the band (I can't call them boys like he does--they're all grown men and one is older than him) take the stage.  Gavin had posted earlier in tweets and vines that he was on vocal rest for a horribly sore throat.  I wondered earlier if he would have to cancel his scheduled meet and greets in order to stay rested.  Like the true professional he is, however, he made those fans happy by keeping the appointments, although, according to one friend's tweet, he whispered his way through them. 

You would not have known he was under the weather from the performance he gave last night.  Yes, the same set list as I'd heard twice this summer already but I cannot grow tired of it.  Oh hell no.  It is a joy to watch him perform in person, moving easily through the crowd and gaining many fans, I'm sure, with every song he sings.  The people around us are fans too so there are no issues this time with standing and singing.  Thank goodness--it was a beautiful night and I needed to be on my feet.  The couple in front of us were on their feet too--but they were not too steady.  I'm not sure what it is but both Boston-area concerts we've been to, we've had to deal with drunken people in front of us.  Both of us found this person rather amusing but her loud screams were pretty wearing on the nerves after a while.

Since I'd missed the first few songs from The Script on Tuesday night, I made sure I was in my seat for the start of their set.  It started with an animated opening projected on screens much like the opening of Train's set on opening night.  It was hard to hear but I imagine if you were a Script fan and knew their music, it made sense.  To me it looked like an eye test but I'm sure it had something to do with the album title, Science and Faith.  They are a band with a lot of energy and there are a couple of songs that I do truly enjoy.  I find though, that their songs all sound somewhat alike and one song in particular, which is apparently a huge hit judging from the crowd reaction, really grates on my nerves.  They also chugged beer on stage and used a fair amount of the "f" word.  Since this tour has attracted so many families (lots of families enjoy Train together), I thought that they should have been more cognizant of who was in the audience.  There were a fair number of children and they had to have known that.  Language doesn't bother me at all; I'm just saying I think a band that is so revered by teens and preteens ought not to be glorifying drinking to excess with cursing.  "If you're not fucking drunk, you're not fucking drinking enough," was the line that really bothered me.  This is not to say I didn't enjoy them; they were okay.

The set change for Train took a while as I knew it would.  The couple in front of us were enjoying themselves enormously even screaming for the recorded music that plays between sets.  We could tell that some of the people around us were getting more than a little annoyed. 


Finally, the San Francisco fog began to blow across the stage, the whistle bellowed and Train began their show.  I have to admit having now seen them three times this summer:  they've got me.  I'm a fan.  The music is easy to understand even with all the complicated words in some of the lyrics.  You can't help but get involved.  Pat Monahan is a generous performer taking photos of himself with the cameras of fans while singing, pitching t-shirts into the audience and walking out into the crowd to sing "Marry Me."  Marry Me makes me sad every time I hear it.  Every couple in the crowd becomes obviously "coupled" and it has the effect of making a single person feel quite alone--at least this single person.  Tonight, a couple in the front row became engaged while Pat was singing "Mary Me." 


I want to tweet to Pat Monahan.  When you go to the same concert a few times you hear the same "banter" over and over.  Out on Long Island on Tuesday he told the New York crowd that he expected big participation on the song, Save Me San Francisco, because New York invented the term "Oh hell no," which is part of the lyric.  At the time I thought that was kind of neat, recognizing the tough New Yorker crowd.  Except that Saturday night he's said the same thing to the Boston folks.  I expect if I'd made it to the Sunday show in New Jersey, I'd have heard that New Jersey invented "oh hell no."  So who came up with that phrase?  Don't ask Pat ... he's not sure ...

At some point someone must have complained about the loud gyrating woman and her husband because some venue security came and escorted them away. We felt kind of bad for them--they weren't as bad as the guy in front of us last year--but after they left I had a really clear shot of the stage so I was able to take a lot of pictures.

Pat came out for the encore performances with a Boston t-shirt on.  It's clear that people are still very much tuned in to the Marathon tragedy which is completely understandable.  An event of that magnitude will hover just below the surface of the consciousness of a community for a long time--maybe forever.  I can't see the New York skyline without thinking of September 11--every single time.  The crowd appreciated Pat's gesture.  After singing Drops of Jupiter, the song he wrote following his mom's death, he asks Ashley Monroe, Gavin and Danny to join him for The Weight again.  Gavin was wearing a grey sweater over a yellow shirt.  At first I thought the sweater was due to his not feeling well but he unzipped it to reveal a Boston Strong t-shirt with the now familiar blue and yellow logo.  There was a huge roar of appreciation for him.

I wish I could tell if my daughter really enjoys these forays into my music world or if she's just indulging her mom.  We bought Gavin and Train shirts tonight (for both of us).  I think that's a good sign.  She wouldn't wear a shirt she didn't like.  We've seen Bruce together--it was easy to tell she was excited to be there.  (Although, I fail to see how anyone could not be excited at a Springsteen show.  It's an event unto itself.)  I can't expect everyone I love to be the die-hard Gavin DeGraw fan that I've become.  Can I?  Oh hell no.  Except that I do...

~

Post script ... Sunday night found me hanging with family instead of at the concert in Holmdel.  Some things take precedence. 

Concert Diaries Chapter Eight ~ Jones Beach

Yesterday, July 22, marked one year since seeing Gavin DeGraw in concert for the first time.  It was an odd little outdoor venue in a place called Big Flats.  I went alone on the 4-hour drive to the panhandle of New York State.  I don't mind doing things alone.  If I didn't, I'd never go anywhere; when you're single, you learn to go out alone.  It was also the first time I sat in the rain for this guy.

The following day I got up early drove home, picked up a friend and went to Gavin's concert at Rye Playland, just outside of New York City.  You know the place--it was the setting for some of the scenes in the Tom Hanks film, Big.  Remember the creepy fortune teller machine?  Yeah, there.  It's also the scene of the first time I met and spoke to Gavin.  It was the second time I sat in the rain.  A year ago today.

Since then I've been to 8 additional shows (one of those was in rain ...) and chatted with him on other occasions.

Tonight I'm in Jones Beach on Long Island (New York).  Rain is predicted and the sky was grey when I woke up.  I just know I'm getting wet tonight.  At least it's 86 degrees. I have a meet and greet tonight.  That's a paid-for (in this case) opportunity to meet the artist and say hello.  This time it also comes with "stuff" (t-shirt, poster, other miscellaneous things that I'm far too old to care about).  I just want to tell him thanks for changing my life and that the new music is amazing.  Because, as you know, he changed my life ... restoring health, hope and joy where there had been a sort of steadfast lethargy and general sense that this was all there was.

Jones Beach at low tide with Nikon Theater
under blue skies.  Gavin DeGraw under the stars and
not one drop of rain.

I'm always worried about driving in New York.  Even with my ever-present Loud Chick (GPS), I still make mistakes, the exits come up so quickly there and the construction and rearrangement of roads is continual.  So I left really early.  And made record time.  No traffic.  No driving snafus.  So I find myself in a near-empty parking lot three hours before the venue gates open.  Having thought this place was in a beach town (like New Jersey beaches) I'd thought I'd get lunch and hang out for a bit.  But Jones Beach is a public park with a concession stand.  And there's no where to go.  Diet coke on the beach it is then.  And The Script is sound checking over in the arena so it's not all bad.  And Gavin is making "vines" and generally entertaining people.  In other words, I found ways to fritter away that time.  And I got some sun.

At 5:00 I got into line for the meet and greet.  It was early but there were already folks there.  We had fun chatting together while we waited for "his people" to come collect us.  I met Hayley from the "message board."  She lives in Australia and this is her first trip to the U.S.  I knew from the board she was coming to the concert but didn't expect to run into her in the massive crowd.  There was another family waiting who had come from Israel.  There weren't all that many of us altogether.  A lovely young lady (I want her job) came for us around 6:00 and back to the buses we went.  Gavin's parents were standing backstage with a group of people who I presume were family or friends.  Since he's from upstate New York it's not surprising that they'd make the drive to Long Island.  His new tour manager was there to keep things moving along and someone else was taking pictures with each person's own camera.  (This is much nicer than waiting for a radio station to upload their pictures which is often how these things go when the meet and greet is being sponsored.)

I love Gavin--he's such a pro. I'm not sure he remembered me but he acted as if he did.  We talked about the tour and the new music.  He autographed my copy of Sweeter.  His "people" took several pictures of us chatting.  I didn't get to say all that I wanted because the "people" really kept an eye on the clock. Besides, I'd need a half hour in an empty Starbucks with him to really thank him for rescuing me.

My seats were only okay.  Despite getting on line the minute tickets became available, I don't have great seats at any of these shows.  That's a discussion--or a rant--for another time.  But my new camera is wonderful and the lens brings the far-away stage closer and in focus.  Of course, the user isn't steady or proficient so the pictures and video still leave a lot to be desired, as I found out afterwards.  Something to work on ...

Since Gavin is the opener, people are still arriving and it's still light out when he starts.  I want to stand up so badly but I'm there alone with no one to be my reinforcement and there are really old people behind me who asked if I was going to stand the entire time.  Why, of course, I wanted to say.  I'll be dancing too.  And singing ... but not loudly.  But I didn't.  I dutifully slunk into my seat where I could not contain my bouncing.  Finally about half way through when he sang Chariot, a song everyone recognized, people got to their feet.  Liberated from the chair, I felt much better.  And I'm sorry to say old people ... you're going to have to stand up too ... 'cause this is the way it's going to go all night.  He moved throughout the audience, winning over The Script and Train fans and left everyone wanting more.  I think we call that Mission Accomplished.

During the swap out of band equipment, I visited the concourse where I ran into Hayley who was elated at having had the meet and greet and wonderful performance.  We were excitedly comparing impressions and shoving not-completely-awful venue food into our mouths.  She suffers from the same thing many of us do:  an inability to eat on concert day.  We visited the "merch" table together but small sizes of everything were already sold out.  (Side note:  size small in tour t-shirts is now too big for me; I need XS.  Mind blowing to me still.)

The Script started while Hayley and I were hanging out but we didn't care.  We'd gotten what we came for.  Eventually though, we went back to our seats.  Danny of The Script is a really good singer and emotional but in a different way from Gavin. The crowd was thrilled.  It was clear there were a lot of Script fans in the stadium which was now packed (the show had sold out--no upgrades).  Actually, one of my Girl Scouts, a huge Script fan, was sitting in an upper deck with her mom--a birthday present from her parents and her first concert ever.  After their performance I texted them, "Is she okay or do I need to come up there and do a little CPR ..."  She's been beyond excited for weeks now.  The reply:  All she can say is "Oh my god.  Oh my god."

The change of equipment takes longer for Train so the second intermission is kind of long.  I'm anticipating that 6-minute animated introduction that you can now find on YouTube which I found so unnecessary in Virginia Beach but am happily surprised when the train whistle blows, the set chugs itself forward and the lights turn up on Pat Monahan.  All are on their feet again.  There is no "new" music since this album--California 37--has been out for well over a year.  They perform many songs from it and lots of prior hits, probably getting around to everyone's favorites.  The highlight of the Train set for me is Pat's duet with country singer Ashley Monroe:  Bruises.  Following that song she sings one of her own and tonight she keeps Pat onstage to sing Weed Instead of Roses--a really truthful song about a marriage in a rut.  Perhaps I like it so much because I recognize the subject matter and am acutely aware of how devastating ruts can be to a marriage.  But for the umpteenth time, I wonder how one so young, who is just engaged herself, can be so cognizant of old married pitfalls.  Songwriters have keen powers of observation.

At the third show on this tour, in Toronto, a special encore was added.  Pat invites Gavin, Ashley Monroe and Danny to come back out and they all perform The Weight by The Band.  It's clear from all the videos already online from performances in Toronto, Cleveland and Indianapolis that they love closing the show this way.  I cannot help but notice on these videos that the roar from the crowd when Gavin steps up for his solo verse is enormous in each venue.  Danny did not come back on stage as he was actually not well, although, you'd never have known it during their set.  The song was wonderful--the perfect way to close the night.

I met my Twitter/Facebook friend Matty after the show.  He introduced me to a couple of friends and we talked for a bit, took pictures and got excited for the next show we have together (September in Yonkers at the Casino).  My world has been so enriched with these meetings--virtual friendships that quickly become very real.

One odd thing that happened was that the high tide came in extra high last night due to the full moon (or nearly full).  The water actually rose to within the first few rows and those people were actually sort of sitting in the ocean for the latter part of the show.  It was the first time I can think of that I was happy to not be in the front row.

Driving back home I think Loud Chick made a mistake--I was following her instructions explicitly, not wanting to get lost in New York after midnight--and I found myself driving around side streets in The Bronx for a few minutes.  Eventually she figured it out and as I drifted back over the George Washington Bridge I was already getting ready for Saturday's show in Massachusetts.

A Sweeter day.

Concert Diaries Chapter Seven: Opening Night

Wet, but happy.

After the show at the radio station, we grabbed a quick dinner and then drove off to the venue. And that's when it started to rain. Pour, actually. I saw Gavin in the rain three times last year. Needless to say, we were soaked to the skin by the time we found our seats under the covering of the Farm Bureau's roof after paying a visit to the "merch table."  Apparently, this is how I roll when it comes to seeing Gavin DeGraw at outdoor venues. And yes, there is a new t-shirt in my suitcase.

Gavin DeGraw

It's opening night of the band Train's summer tour--Mermaids of Alcatraz. Gavin is the opening act.  We're all a little sad about this. We want him to play for us all night--not just the 40-45 minutes allotted to an opening act. But we also understand. This helps expand the fan base.  It's all good though; seeing Gavin DeGraw perform for a short time is better than not seeing him at all.  And anticipating this tour has made me a huge Michael Franti fan as well.  I like Train well enough although I'm not sure I'd buy tickets were it not for Gavin's participation.  The concert fund is not unlimited ...

The venue is only partially filled when Gavin and the band (Billy Norris, Ian O'Neill, Eric Kinney and James Cruz) take the stage.  I feel badly about that.  It must be a little hard to be giving it your all (which he does 100% of the time) when there are so many empty seats.  But as we jump to our feet (it's impossible to stay seated) and begin to dance and sing with him, all other thoughts fade immediately away.  There is only the singer and the songs and us. 

There are eight songs on the set list tonight.  Five are hits from previous years and three are new, including the current single being played on radio now.  The new arrangements of the old tunes are incredible.  It's interesting to hear them in a slightly new way and it's impressive how fresh Gavin and the guys can make them sound.  The new music is beautiful, emotional and fun.  Best I Ever Had, the new single is being played more and more by radio in the last week as the tour gets under way and the band visits local stations.  It's not a typical Gavin DeGraw song but a fun new sound with "lots of words" and an infectious melody. Who's Gonna Save is going to be my favorite off the new album (due out in September) and the emotional rendition he gave us was truly moving.  Make a Move, the next single, is going to be a huge hit--I'm sure of it.  

It wasn't long enough.  Not by a long shot.  We're all so hoping for a solo tour after this one when the album comes out.  I'm saving vacation days for just that possibility. (I know that will come as no surprise to those who know me.)

Michael Franti sings
to the "lawn people."

Michael Franti's set was pure joy and alive with his special ability to make people feel the love that he freely sends out into the world.  He spent a lot of time in the huge crowd singing directly to excited fans.  His band and back up singers are fantastic and his show did not disappoint.  I would (and will) see him again as soon as possible.  

After long set changes and a Pink Floyd-esque animated and fully narrated introduction featuring Mermaids, Alcatraz and escaped prisoners, Train took the stage for their highly produced show.  I'd seen them last year (again because Gavin DeGraw was also there) and don't remember all the bells and whistles that they included for this show.  They sang all their past and present hits and have Ashley Monroe touring with them to sing the current single, Bruises, a duet with Pat Monahan.  Always one to do my homework, I'd investigated Ashley Monroe and she's now on my list of favorite female singers.  Her first album is recently out and is really good.

Train

It was a truly wonderful evening of great music.  The musicians were clearly fired up for opening night and the three bands were very complementary and have similar fans so it felt to me as though all who were there were happy and upbeat with the 4-hour event.

Back at N's house, we stayed up all night reliving Gavin's performance through pictures and videos, Facebook postings and Tweets.  That's what happens ... the post-concert high that can last hours, certainly, and days, sometimes.  It's 5 AM before we turn in, exhausted in a weirdly energetic way.

The following day was spent similarly: surfing the internet for pictures and videos although N's videos are the only ones we see and they're great.  Writing down lyrics to the new songs from the performance videos was like forensic wordsmithing. Performance videos aren't professional recordings so capturing every word is unlikely.  You are reduced to straining for some of the lyrics.  This activity combined with post-concert euphoria and lack of sleep produced an abundance of hilarity.

Three special days filled with the music I love, enjoyed in the company of like-minded friends.  I can't imagine anything better.  Truly.



Many, many thanks to my friend for hosting me for this trip south.  I've not had such a good time since, well, since the last time I saw her in November at our Long Island concert.  I hope I can return the favor one day.

I've mentioned several times in this space how social media, Twitter particularly, has enhanced my life.  I can't thank my friends enough for sharing this real-time experience and look forward to more shenanigans together and apart-but-together on the web.

Thanks for the pictures too you guys!

Concert Diaries Chapter Five: Trust the Directions and Sister Hazel

From the road...

I used to really envy people in movies who yelled "road trip!" and instantly were on their way somewhere cool and fun. I've had my share of family road trips--that's an altogether different animal. 

So hitting the road today for Virginia Beach to meet up with friends and see Gavin DeGraw (and Michael Franti, Ashley Monroe and Train) seems like a real "road trip!" to me. 

I set out early and right away my GPS sent me In a different path than what I expected. I wasn't sure what to do. Follow Loud Chick's (that's what I call the voice) instructions or go the way I knew. After all, I was still in north Jersey and I know it well.   And then I remembered some wise words from a wise man that have served me well many times over the years. 

He was the first priest I ever worked for but he said this to me before I joined his staff. He'd been out to visit my husband and I for the first time close to thirty years ago. He didn't know the town where we lived but I'd told him "as long as you keep the lake on your left, you'll find us."  

When he arrived he said the way didn't feel right but he learned long ago to always trust the directions. I've always remembered that. Trust the directions. It works for so many things... from putting together the dreaded desk from the big box store to finding your way out of New Jersey to Virginia Beach. 

It turned out that Loud Chick sent me out of my way to avoid a traffic snafu and huge accident. Trust the directions. 

And now I'm sitting on Virginia Beach with friends and their adorable kids listening to Sister Hazel (a new-to-me band). Great music, a little southern rock which I love. Beautiful night that wants to rain but is holding off so we can relax and enjoy the music. 

Trust the directions. Good times are ahead. 

Sister Hazel in Virginia Beach