I was really looking forward to the Manchester Orchestra / Cage the Elephant show because I hadn't been to a show where I could just let loose and rock out in a long, long time.
I needed it. I needed to be surrounded by people who want to be moved by music and are listening to people who care about making music. And I got that last night.
I have pictures, but they are blurry. I have videos, but they are loud. So you just have to take my word for it.
Cage the Elephant was straight up fun. But Manchester Orchestra gave an absolutely memorable performance. One that I will never forget
In 2008, I saw Coldplay live and it was, hands down, the best concert experience I have ever had. It's kind of like the movie Fight Club for me - I don't think anything will be able to top it.
But this concert last night came pretty damn close. I've never done drugs, but I'm pretty sure I was high on the music last night.
And right now, as my ears are still ringing and my legs are somewhat sore and I have to be at work in a couple hours, I am legitimately happy.
It's ironic that the venue we were at used to be a church because last night - I got healed.
Last weekend a friend and I traveled to New Orleans to see Augustana at the House of Blues. The weekend was a memorable one that included nearly 900 miles of driving, about three Monster energy drinks, a 4 a.m. return before going to work at noon and plenty of good times.
And the show was great as well.
The only two bands advertised were The Maine and Augustana, but we couldn't figure out which would go first. Turns out there were two openers - Hugo and Austin Gibbs.
Hugo was a pleasant surprise, as said friend and I were both fans of his cover of Jay Z's 99 Problems. And his set was really fun and everything an opener should be. I barely had any money, but he said his cd was available for $5 and he would be at the merch table, so we went over and got him to sign it.
And apparently take a creepy picture.
Austin Gibbs was someone I had never heard of and didn't know what to expect, all we had read was that he had an epic mustache. And he did. But he also gave one hell of a performance. I just saw his cd is only $7 on iTunes and I think I just might wing it and give it a shot.
And then there was the Maine. I kinda didn't like this band anyway as I put them in a category of bands that are the equivalent of being the NSYNC of Backstreet Boys of the alternative scene. But they were horrible, at least to me. I just felt like they were one of those groups that catered to making teenagers squeal (and there were plenty of them on Sunday) and not really care about making music. Basically, I hated it.
This is what my musical adventure partner was doing instead of watching The Maine (she was playing Snake)
Finally, the wait was over and Augustana took over the stage. They didn't do anything over the top or crazy, but just played some damn good music. Honestly, I think what made it special was its simplicity. The whole crowd was just wrapped up in the songs and it became an experience I will never forget.
The venue was really cool too.
Oh, and for those asking whether they played, "Fire," they did. Though they did it with the full band and it was cool. Here is my small clip of it:
After that show, Augustana propelled into my top ten. A band that is already there, Manchester Orchestra, I will be seeing on Wednesday.
This time it won't be as far as a drive as we are only going to Atlanta, which is a definite plus as that is the band's hometown. Another plus? Cage the Elephant is opening.
Here are two reasons why this show is going to be great:
While this is going up on Sunday, I am actually writing this on Saturday. Because as you are reading this, I will be on my way to New Orleans to see Augustana perform. I really hope I hear this song:
A lot has been going on lately, which will be highlighted in bullet points with each probably getting their own post at some point.
*Hopefully no one takes this the wrong way, but I can't take much more tornado footage after last week. I literally see it the whole time I'm at work and I'm not getting annoyed with it... it's just so sad. I can only imagine that some people woke up that morning wondering what to post on facebook and ended the day wondering where their house went. I think the most scariest thing is that this "season" isn't over yet
*Immediately after I got off work on Saturday a spur-of-the-moment trip happened and I saw Fast Five that night. And enjoyed the hell out of it.
*Finalized a plan to see a show in two weeks... in New Orleans
*Am close to asking for a day off in the middle of the week toward the end of the month... for a different show (in Atlanta)
*This was my thought process to the Bin Laden news: "holy shit, Bin Laden's dead?" - "AMERICA!!!" - "This is crazy, we are all celebrating someone's death" - "How the fuck did this turn into Obama hatred?" (this one is DEFINITELY getting its own future post)
*Saw Paranormal Activity 2. Was intense.
*In one month, I will be landing in LAX. California may as well be called "Heaven" for that week.
*My bfff will be graduating on Friday and welcoming her daughter into the world in two months. I'm excited to be a part of the celebration for both :)
So hopefully that holds you guys over for a bit. Hold me to my word on turning these into separate posts ;)
Working at a newspaper in the capital city of a state, you deal with a lot of state-wide headlines. Today was one of those days.
We had reports of severe weather all throughout the day. At first we saw a tornado touched down in Cullman. Then that a hospital in Cullman was hit. And then the biggest news was that it ripped through Tuscaloosa.
I stayed at work a little late to monitor if it was coming our way and what, if anything, we were going to write about it. So far, all we got in the city of Montgomery was some rain. Though by the time I wake up tomorrow that might change.
3 people have died in a city near us (Eclectic). At least 15 died in Tuscaloosa. And as of the time I'm writing this, 58 have died across the state.
The images I've seen have been unreal. And I don't think I will get them out of my head for quite some time.
