Concert Diaries Chapter 13 ~ Mixfest 2013, At Which I Make My Radio Debut

Saturday, September 14.  It's MixFest 2013.  The annual free event put together for listeners of Mix 104.1 in Boston takes place this weekend every year.  It's my second time here.  It's the third visit to the MixFest stage from Gavin DeGraw.  I drove up for the concert yesterday and have met up with some special friends I've met through Twitter--yes, more friends through Twitter!  It's still astounding to me that I've done a complete social media about-face but I have and I wouldn't trade these new relationships for anything.  I mean that sincerely.  

So we're here at the Hatch Bandshell set in the Esplanade, three and a half miles of park set along the Charles River.  There are sail boats on the water and people packed in tightly from one end of the park to the other.  The bandshell is the outdoor home of the Boston Symphony and the Boston Pops hence the names of classical composers affixed to the levels of stage at the venue.  It's a beautiful setting and the day is pretty nice, more overcast and chilly than I'd thought it would be but the body heat from the crowd is making up for my lack of proper packing.

I got in line to be admitted to the park at noon.  My friends were all scattered in other lines; there were several places of admission.  I was at the corner of Arlington and Beacon Streets at the bottom of a footbridge that takes pedestrians over the busy Storrow Drive.  When we finally began to move, I saw the extraordinary security precautions the organizers and law enforcement were taking to keep everyone safe.  We were searched with wands and I had the most thorough bag check I've ever been subjected to.  In the wake of the Marathon day bombing, these are changes which were inevitable. 


I quickly find my friends near the front of the park, quite close to the stage but not front row.  We're next to the fence that separates the regular crowd from those who won VIP seats--they have chairs.  We are standing.  It's about 1:00 and we'll be standing here until the concert starts at 4:25.  After that we'll be dancing.  We pass the time catching up.  I've not seen one of these ladies in nearly a year.  Two others had come down from Boston to Yonkers a couple of weeks ago.  Two of us were together at Virginia Beach too.  We get around!  There may have also been a moment when four grown women hollered at drummer Ian O'Neill while he was out on stage during soundcheck.  It was some pretty loud yelling which attracted attention from everyone but the one whose attention was being sought.

Karen Blake is part of the weekend DJ staff and is a writer for the station.  She was out trolling the crowd for enthusiastic fans to chat with during live radio segments between the songs that are spinning at 104.1 this afternoon.  And this is how I came to make my radio debut--my three seconds of air time enthusiastically proclaiming I'd come to see Gavin DeGraw (not the Back Street Boys or Of Monsters and Men, the other two acts).  We all declare our unabashed adoration of the object of our musical affection and thank the station for the free event.  Karen hung out with for quite a long time while waiting for the cue to go live.  We chatted about the radio business and she was full of advice for my friend who dreams of a career in radio.

The station had run a contest for a local musician or group to open the show.  Alex Preston of New Hampshire was the winner.  He offered two selections that he'd written and they were pretty nice songs.  He has a good voice and I imagine if he can stick with it in this tough-to-get-ahead business, he'll have a career ahead of him.  It's not easy though, and he'll have to be pretty single-minded about chasing down his future.

Following Alex's performance, an interview that radio personality Erin O'Malley had done with Gavin backstage was aired on the jumbotron near the stage.  She's apparently a huge fan and was the first to play his first single, Follow Through, 10 years ago.  Gavin was charming as ever and Erin asked good questions that elicited hilarious answers about his recent performance in the air on a Southwest Airlines flight and singing in the shower from him.


A few more minutes of waiting, radio people thanking the sponsors, and last-minute soundchecking and then it was time.  Gavin took the stage and opened with In Love With A Girl, one of my favorites.  It's been the opening number lately and it's high energy gets the crowd in the right place for the rest of the set.  Radiation, another upbeat and truly sexy song quickly followed and we were all singing and dancing and typically enthralled.  The next song is a new one and is title of the new album (out October 15) as well.  Make a Move.  I love this and all the new material a lot.  I imagine that the new album will be my favorite.  Well, actually, I don't have a favorite record or even a favorite song.  There are records and songs for every mood and feeling I have.  Any day will find me playing one CD over and over or just one song or a playlist I've made to fit my mood.  James Cruz, the bassist, is one of the back-up singers for Make a Move.  I'm happy he's singing more this year.  He's got a fine voice and I enjoy hearing him blend with Gavin and Billy.

Gavin talks to us about the 10th anniversary this past July of his first album, Chariot and then sits at the piano to sing it for us.  It's a beautiful arrangement they're playing this year and I think to myself that his music director, Billy Norris who also plays guitar and sings back-up, has enormous talent and really good taste.  He balances the music and performances really well.  The band--Ian, Billy, James and Eric Kinney on keyboards--is as tight as ever today and each member contributes equally to the magic that is a Gavin DeGraw performance.  

We are beyond excited when Gavin announces that's he's premiering another song from the new album today for us.  It's called Everything Will Change and was utterly spellbinding--at least for me.  As I listened to the lyrics which seemed to me to be about growing up, making conscious decisions about your life and accepting that change is inevitable but how you handle it is what counts, I reached over and grabbed my friend's hand.  I've been through my share of "stuff" and I know she's been through more.  It seemed to me that he'd written that song for us.  It was a privilege to hear the first public performance.

A few more songs followed including the single available this week on iTunes, Who's Gonna Save, a beautiful song that I suspect was written with someone specific in mind.  It's another song that really speaks to something inside me and although I've probably played it nearly a hundred times this week, it sounds like the first time every time.  In fact, hearing it brings me back to the first emotional performance of it I'd heard in Virginia Beach.  There are no encores at this "Fest" and so after a rousing rendition of Not Over Year and his customary thanks, Gavin's set is over.

As we had no interest in hearing the retooled Back Street Boys who'd curiously brought out thousands of very young ladies (I thought it was curious since many of them appeared to not have been old enough for BSB the first time they were popular).  I'd never heard of the headlining act, Of Monsters and Men (or as I mistakenly kept referring to them ... Of Mice and Men ...  what can I say?  It was the literary part of my brain taking over.)  Later on, a friend whom we couldn't find in the huge crowd reported that the Back Street Boys didn't sing long and she thought the pieces Of Monsters and Men offered all sounded similar so she'd left as well.  Clearly, we think, the station had the line-up backwards ...

Crowds on Storrow Drive

We began to find our way out of the park to grab a drink and talk over the concert but it was hard.  The crowd had grown to the point where they'd had to close the park and the overflow crowd lined the other side of Storrow Drive, a major parkway on the river edge of the city.  They were on the other side of the lagoon too.  All the exits were closed so we strolled up a sidewalk hoping to find a way to cross Storrow.  We were stopped at a driveway while a large black van began to back into the busy roadway.  I said to my friends, "That's Gavin and the guys; they're leaving now."  And sure enough, it was them, making a quick getaway.  We waved and got a little excited (okay we were pretty excited) and Gavin and Ian O'Neill waved back.  We just happened to be there at the right time.  And we were the only ones there.  Probably the only ones not interested in the Back Street Boys because when we finally found our way out the State Trooper at the barricade seemed amazed we were leaving.  

Four friends relaxing at Tico (222 Berkeley Street)

Eventually we headed over the closed footbridge and made our way to, of all places, Tico, the restaurant my daughter had worked at until very recently.  It was great to sit down (really, it was about 6:00 and we'd been standing since noon) and have drinks and some food.  The talk centered on Gavin, the man, the musician, the instigator of new and rewarding friendships.  Our gratitude for our having found each other through his music and modern communication tools continues to grow within each of us.  It was another magical day spent with people I love, making memories and hearing music I love from the musician I love.

~

Everything Will Change

Concert Diaries Chapter Twelve - Yonkers (And It Didn't Even Rain)

 This post is for Ulla, who I will meet one day 

either on this side of the Atlantic or hers!

Thanks for encouraging me!

Yonkers, New York.  Every time I hear the name I think of Barbra Streisand in Hello Dolly expounding on her relationship with Horace Vandergelder ... I just do.  And I always think of what a big deal it was for the other characters in that story to go into the Big City--New York--from out in the country--Yonkers--when in reality, Yonkers is like 20 minutes from uptown.

I drove to Yonkers on Sunday.  It's not that far from me.  I went by way of Manhattan to pick up my concert friend, KC.  Not having driven in the City in decades since my dad, my son or my ex had been doing that drive for me, I was somewhat nervous but there was no need.  It was a good drive, not much traffic, only one roadblock in New York and a quick ride to the Raceway from uptown.  Empire Casino at Yonkers Raceway was the setting for my latest Gavin DeGraw concert adventure.  We had great seats in the fifth row, dead center.  The concert was outside near the track and terrible weather was predicted.  My bag was stuffed with a rain jacket and umbrella.  Because ... as you know, if it's Gavin and it's outside, I'm bound to be wet.  I'm bad luck for Gavin fans outdoors.  I'm sure it has something to do with my concert karma.

However, by the time we found our seats, blue skies were just beginning to be visible between the wispy clouds and there was some sunlight peeking through.  It was going to be a lovely night.

Contributing to the overall loveliness was the large number of twitter friends who'd come from all over to see Gavin.  Just as though we were the chorus of his current single, Best I Ever Had, we drove from Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, all over New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.  More about that later.

Collin Smith

Warming up the sold-out crowd for Gavin was singer/song-writer Colin Smith from Dublin, Ireland.  Later Gavin explained that they'd been friends and mutual admirers of each other for quite a while, having been signed to J Records around the same time.  His songs were genuine and lovely and heartfelt.  He is definitely someone worth seeking out and seeing again.  I love this consequence of being a Gavin fan ... he has led me to Michael Franti, Andy Grammer (from him to Chris Wallace), Colbie Caillat, Hillary Williams, Butch Walker, Train (from Train to Ashley Monroe).  From other Gavin fans I've learned about Tyler Hilton, (from Tyler, Dion Roy), Ernie Halter, Jamie McLean and others.  It's like throwing a pebble in a musical pool with the ripplings of other artists coming back to you on waves.  I'm sure this is not a unique phenomenon, the expanding of one's musical library because of one particular artist, but it's one of my favorite by-products of my fascination with this particular singer.  It probably helps that I lived under a rock for 20 years so catching up makes everything and everyone very new and exciting.  I hope I'll find Colin Smith singing somewhere near me again.  I'd love the chance to hear a longer set.

It's hard to explain the electric anticipation that flows through a crowd of Gavin DeGraw fans before he comes out on stage.  When he's headlining, it's like a huge surge that grows and grows until at last you release all that energy with the elation that comes when he appears, lately through a haze of smoke.  Earlier this summer, when we Gavin fans were scattered around huge venues in pockets between Train and The Script's fans, it was a different sort of feeling.  It was as though the electricity was bouncing from fan to fan willing our enthusiasm on those around us--willing them to see what we see and feel what we feel.  By the end of those opening sets, the uninitiated were made aware of his talent, great humor and ability to bring people together.

Tonight, although the venue is small compared to the other places I'd seen him this year, that familiar electricity is in the air.  And although I'm there with KC and with other friends scattered all around me, when Gavin DeGraw takes that stage, I am all alone.  Just me and the music and the bliss of feeling filled with an overwhelming sense of happiness.  I know they understand this and take no offense to my mentally shutting myself off from all else.

It was a fabulous long concert with old favorites plus the three new songs he's playing in advance of the new record dropping in October.  The old songs are reworked and sound fresh and amazing.  The new songs are some of his best work, especially Who's Gonna Save Us, which has taken my breath away every time I've heard it.  He brought back Crush (must have done that for me) and I Need a Dollar/Chermical Party (that was for my friend in Michigan I think) and sent all the younger girls over the edge with his cover of Justin Timberlake's Mirrors while meandering through the crowd.  He finally wound up his tour of the venue right in front of us, standing on someone's seat to sing right in our midst.  I know he (and his summer tour mates) had done that over the course of the entire tour but it's pretty amazing to have that voice within four feet of you.  The new quiet introduction into Chariot is stunning in its initial simplicity.  He sang Run Every Time and Soldier and Candy.  I still smile at the stories, most of which I can now recite along with him, which are woven between the songs, slightly tweaked and tonight with full-on "acting"--sort of ... well, not full-on, but hilarious nonetheless.  And charming.  Have I mentioned charming?

The band was in outrageous form as always.  Billy Norris, so young and talented moving easily between his differing guitars and singing flawless harmonies, James Cruz with his understated mastery of the bass sang more backup tonight than I've noticed before, Ian O'Neill going into his "zone" with the perfection on drums that we know him for and Eric Kinney who's as serious a keyboard player as any I've known (and basically, all the musicians I know play keyboards of one type or another).  Together with Gavin they make an amazing combination.  A lot of us are missing Jimmy Wallace on keyboards too but I think Eric is as good and understands Gavin's brand as well as Jimmy did and does.

The first encore for this evening was just Gavin singing a solo rendition of Belief, a song from his first record that obviously, even ten years later, touches a chord in him as well as his audience.  I would love to know how he came to write this anthem to love and loyalty.  I wonder if whomever inspired it knows that it was she and if she's heard it live ...  And then his huge hit, Not Over You, a musical representation of a universal feeling.  There were a couple of guys sitting almost in front of us singing at the top of their lungs--I loved seeing that.  Gavin's audiences are full of women of every age and the men they drag with them.  These guys were clearly there because they wanted to be and they had such a good time.

And then it was over.  With many thanks and humble appreciation, he left the stage to return to the buses that had been rented (by him or the venue, hard to tell) for the occasion.  We hung around near the stage hoping he'd come out as he often does but since we were within driving distance of his home town there were friends and family in the audience and I think he spent some time catching up with them.

United

We took big group shots and pictures of smaller groups and finally made our way inside to chat, relive our favorite highlights and reconnect (or in some cases, connect for the first time) with friends from near and far.  It's such a pleasure to have this network of friends to indulge our obsessions with--people who require no explanation, who in many cases can finish your sentence or voice your unspoken thoughts.  We're all connected by our common love of this singular performer and are also bound by our common wish for all good things and success to come his way.  We criticize his PR people and label for not putting in enough effort on his behalf (although most of us have no clue how this business really works from the inside); we analyze lyrics and discuss his enormously gifted band while scrolling through the dozens and  dozens of photos taken that night.  From where we were sitting in the restaurant, we watched the buses pull away finally.  I wondered which airport ... EWR?  LAG?  Who would spend some time in New York?  Who was going right back to Nashville?  Time and twitter would tell ....

We all have the same problem: can't eat before a show so
make up for it afterwards.

I was thrilled to get caught up with people I'd met from my first big meet-up at last November's show at the Paramount on Long Island, people I now connect with on Facebook and Twitter.  Other special women I'd met more recently in Virginia Beach.  One person, a retired teacher from New Jersey, approached me and reminded me we'd connected somewhere, either on Twitter or one of the concert platforms (BandsInTown, maybe?)  I went alone to my first (and many other) Gavin shows but at this one I touched base with 15 people that I've found so much in common with because Gavin brings us together ... and then it's we who form and nurture these friendships.

Oh ... and it didn't even rain!

~

Colin Smith ~ Love
Gavin DeGraw ~ Who's Gonna Save Us*

*Or Save Us (waiting for the album so we know for sure). So amazed that T could take this video while I was standing beside her with my heart in my throat.

~

The next day Billy Norris held a fun twitter fest and answered four of my questions which was a first for me.  He'd earlier tweeted out his airport frustrations which he often does when passing through New Jersey so I asked if he'd been through EWR that morning.  But no ... it was LAG.

~

Playlist - 9/1/13:

In Love With a Girl / Radiation / Make a Move / Crush / Run Every Time / Soldier / Candy / "Thank You" / Sweeter / I Need a Dollar-Chemical Party / Chariot / Follow Through / Save Us / Mirrors-I Don't Want to Be / Best I Ever Had
Encores:  Belief, solo / Not Over You 

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!