goodbye, goodnight

In case you couldn't tell, I like to go to concerts. Being the data geek that I am, I decided I wanted to write down all of the bands I have seen (at least the ones I can remember) and the number of times I have seen them. To complicate matters further, I thought it would be fun to categorized them by my desire to see them in concert again.

Bands I Have Seen in Concert
Would I See Them Again?
Yes
A Silent Film*## 3 Barcelona*##** 5 Civil Twilight*## 3 Collective Soul###### 6 Crash Kings* 1 Foo Fighters O 1 Foster the People# 1 Gold Fields* 1 Imagine Dragons# 1 Locksley* 1 Mae### 3 Mika# 1 Muse# 1 MuteMath# 1 Royal Teeth* 1 Snow Patrol# 1 The Black Keys# 1 U2## 2 Windsor Drive*# 2 Young the Giant# 1
If the Tickets Are Cheap
Andrew McMahon^ 1 Barenaked Ladies O 1 Bon Jovi# 1 Dave Matthews Band# 1 Deas Vail* 1 Kings of Leon# 1 Lifehouse O 1
If the Tickets Are Free and I Don't Have Anything Else to Do
Anberlin^ 1 Arctic Monkies* 1 Blue October^ 1 Ed Sheernan* 1 Grouplove* 1 Lady Danville* 1 Modest Mouse# 1 Mumford and Sons# 1 No Doubt* 1 Relient K# 1 Ryan Shupe## 2 Silversun Pickups* 1 The Format# 1 The Fray#* 2 Train# 1

Nah

Bob Schneider# 1 Chain Gang of 1974* 1 Creed O 1 Fastball* 1 Low Millions* 1 Owl City* 1
Not Even If You Payed Me
He is We* 1

#Headliner
*Opener
^Headliner but I was there for the opener(s)
O 2002 Olympic Medal Plaza because I was a volunteer

Notes:
1. Openers are only included if they were memorable (good or bad) enough that I recall the name
2. There are probably some concerts I have attended that I can't remember

Sources: Effie's Brain, Facebook, iPhoto Library

The last category probably needs a short explanation. The band He is We opened for one of my favorites, Barcelona. Their first strike came when they took 45 mins to get set up, the second was their arrogant attitude, and the third was they were not nearly as talented as they imagined themselves to be.

goodbye

No, I'm not actually going anywhere.  I realized that it has been nearly a year since I posted anything on my blog and thought it was like I had said goodbye to the three people who actually read what I write.  I guess that just goes to show how incredibly dull the past year has been.  Maybe that's not entirely true.  I actually did plenty of fun things during 2011, but I just wasn't motivated enough to write about them.

Well, new year, fresh start.

One of my favorite things in the world is going to concerts, and I have several in the coming months that I'm really excited about.

The first is MuteMath on February 14, yep, Valentine's Day.  This is actually a welcome happenstance, because now I don't have to sit at home watching TV or a movie, pretending I'm ok that I don't have a date on Valentine's Day.  I actually get to go to a concert, something that makes me incredibly happy, with my roommate and two other people who we have coerced into coming with us.  MuteMath is a band I discovered when their song "Typical" came up on my Pandora station and now they are one of my favorites.  This will be my first time seeing them live.  I was planning on seeing them a few years ago when they opened for another band, but my concert buddy (aka my roommate) was sick that night and since I hadn't already bought tickets I missed out.




The next concert is Snow Patrol at the end of April.  I haven't seen them in concert before and I'm extra excited to see them in a small venue.  This is a band that usually plays in arenas or at big outdoor festivals.  I can't wait to hear them live, even if it is true that Gary Lightbody has a potty mouth.




The last concert (well at least the last of the three I currently have tickets for) is The Black Keys.  I started listening the The Black Keys fairly recently.  I had heard "Howlin' for You" and "Tighten Up" on the radio before, but hadn't bothered to look up more of their songs.  When "Lonely Boy" made its way to my ears, I listened up and now I absolutely dig these guys.  I'm a little disappointed that the concert is at the Maverick Center, but I have a feeling I'll enjoy it despite the less than stellar venue.

feel good drag

I like going to concerts. I especially like going to concerts by up-and-coming bands at small venues. I like to concerts best of all when I'm able to get my picture taken with one or more band members. It makes me kind of giddy. This happened a few weeks ago with two bands, Civil Twilight and Crash Kings. Both were the opening acts for Anberlin, and both totally outperformed the headliner. I actually didn't even stay for all of Anberlin's set, I can't stand when bands feel they have to have everything turned up full blast instead of finding the right balance. They were definitely the drag of the night.

The third time was the charm for me to see Civil Twilight. I had attempted to see them two other times, but neither worked out. I was pleased with their set, even if it was a little short, but wish the venue was better. Who ever thought a warehouse with no modification for sound was an idiot.

Crash Kings are amazing live because they play with such energy and enthusiasm. I think I'm a sucker for a three-member band, especially when one of them plays the piano. Who ever created a keyboard with a whammy bar that sounds like a guitar was a genius.

Civil Twilight

Richard Wouters and Steven McKeller from Civil Twilight

Crash Kings

Tony Beliveau from Crash Kings

Mike Beliveau from Crash Kings

and i'm feeling good

It is going to be difficult to top the excitement and exhilaration I felt on Monday night. The anticipation had been building for about five months. The deliverance surpassed the hype. No concert will ever compare. Muse, those rock gods from across the pond, put on one mind-blowing show. Take away the lights, the lasers, the smoke, the hydraulic platforms, the giant screens, and the glass piano and leave just the music and it still would have been the best concert I have ever been to. Matthew Bellamy, Christopher Wolstenholme, and Dominic Howard have truly perfected their art. This was a once in a lifetime type experience that I hope to repeat.

 
Muse--Feeling Good

collection of goods

I really love Collective Soul. When anyone asks me who my favorite bands are, Collective Soul is the first out of my mouth. I know I have liked them since their beginning and I know my older sisters had something to do with it. I distinctly remember my sister's copy of "Hints Allegations & Things Left Unsaid" because of the cover art. I liked "Shine" but really didn't get hooked until I borrowed another sister's copy of "Dosage."

As of Thursday night, I have seen Collective Soul in concert five times and I would go see them tomorrow if I could. Each of the five concerts have been in different venues of varying sizes.

#1 The Huntsman Center--2001
They were promoting the "Blender" album. I went with my younger brother and the place was packed. They did the usual walk off the stage and come back out to perform an encore, but after that the crowd was still cheering and the light came up and they came back out and performed one more song.

# 2 The Canyons--2005
Shortly after the Tsunami, Collective Soul play a "free" concert at the Canyons, but asked for donations. Outdoor concert in February, good but cold.

#3 Grand Junction, Co--2005
About a week after I saw them at the Canyons, I went to Grand Junction to visit my sister and see them perform in an old movie theatre that had been converted into a concert venue. I had already purchased tickets for this event when I saw them at the Canyons. I enjoyed this particular time because we were so close to the stage and I hadn't ever been that close before.

#4 Peppermill Concert Hall, Wendover--2008
This was a second try on this particular venue. The first time we drove the two hours from Salt Lake to Wendover only to pull up the venue in time to see "Collective Soul Has Been CANCELLED due to Illnes" flash on the marquee (yes I did spell illness wrong, but only because they did). I wish I had video of our faces when we read that. So instead of seeing the concert, we ate at a terrible buffet and drove the two hours back home. They did refund the tickets, so we were only out the money for gas and the stomach pain from the food.


Six months later the concert was rescheduled and I checked multiple times before we drove the two hours to Wendover that it was really happening this time. This was the first concert I have attended without an opening band. So while I enjoyed the concert and the venue, it was short.

# 5 The Rail--January 21, 2010
Despite the poorly organized process of getting into the venue, I think this is one of the better places for a concert. It is less than a year old, so everything is clean and shiny. The layout is very open with an 21+ balcony area surrounding the entire space. We were about three people back from the front and I took way too many pictures and lots of video. I'm sure the people behind me were annoyed with the crazy girl and her camera, but I didn't really care because among all the terrible pictures I was able to get some pretty cool ones.





I know I'll see Collective Soul again, so here's to next time.

so good for two reasons

One of my favorite shows recently used one of my favorite bands in an episode and it made me extremely happy.

good to my ears

I'm not a fan of buying single songs, I have always like buying albums. One reason is I often find I like songs on the album more than the singles that are played on the radio. I tend to listen to the same albums over and over. The following are my most recent favorites. I can honestly say I listen to each these albums and enjoy each song.

Absolutes--Barcelona



Are You Nervous?--Rock Kills Kid



Armistice--Mute Math



Collective Soul (Rabbit)--Collective Soul



Don't Make Me Wait--Locksley



Final Straw--Snow Patrol



Once Upon a Time in the West--Hard-Fi



The Resistance--Muse



The Sun and the Moon--The Bravery



Viva La Vida--Coldplay

good (m)orning

Rarely do I attend a concert where I have enjoyed an opening act as much, if not more than the headliner. That happened to me a couple of weeks ago at the Avalon. I went with my brother and a friend to see Mae. Little did I know that I would walk out of there a fan of a band I had previously never heard of. For this particular concert there were actually four opening acts, and since it was general admission and we were buying our tickets at the door, we had to get there on time to ensure we even made it in. Otherwise we probably would have missed at least of few of the openers. Usually I’m not one to fail to buy tickets in advance, but in this case it turned out to be a good thing we were not be prepared.

The first act had already taken the stage when we arrived, so we walked into the dark venue and attempted to find seats. As a result of the combination of our eyes adjusting from the light of day and the stage lights finding empty seats was somewhat difficult, but we managed to find a row that was virtually empty. We settled in and listened to the first two acts, a solo artist called Tokyo and a local group called Larusso. Tokyo was comfortable on stage with his acoustic guitar and was thoroughly enjoying himself as he bantered with the audience between songs. He had a good sound. Larusso, I didn’t like at all so I won’t waste time and space on them, but lets just say, they need a new lead singer, one with a voice that doesn’t crack on the high notes. They also need to learn how to tone it down just a bit so the audience can actually hear the notes being played.

All right, here is where the whole night changed for me. The third group to take the stage was a group called Barcelona. They are a trio from Seattle, with keys, guitar, drums and the occasional xylophone. The moment they took the stage, my friend turned to me and expressed that he thought these guys were going to be good. The moment they started playing I knew he was correct in his assessment. During most of the set, the stage was nearly pitch black with only three colored spots on each guy. After the first song I knew I would be buying their album.

The best word I could come up with at the time to describe their music was chill. I was impressed with their stage presence and control. The drummer was particularly impressive. Also, it takes skills to switch from the guitar to the xylophone mid song. They even brought a bit of nostalgia to stage by showing off their slap bracelets.

Immediately following their set my friend and I made our way to buy their album, a tee shirt, and slap bracelets. I haven’t been that excited about finding a new band in a long time.

After listening to their one and only album, I would have to say that my initial reaction was spot on. Here are a few links and you can decide for yourself what you think.

Lesser Things

It's About Time

To finish up the opening acts was a band called Person L. Not much to say but they were trying way too hard and were way too loud.

Now, even though I don’t have quite as much to say about Mae doesn’t mean I didn’t highly enjoy them. Mae, an acronym for Multisensory Aesthetic Experience, is all about appealing to multiple senses during their performance: sight, sound, and smell. They included visuals and smells to coordinate to each song. For example, a song about fire had the smell of burning wood. One about the ocean smelled of salt water. They even used 3D visuals. Mae is a unique band in that during 2009 they are releasing on song a month and selling it on their website with all proceeds going to build a home for a family in need. Following the regular concert they were selling tickets to an all request acoustic set. I would have loved to attend, but it was already 11:15 when they concluded the three-song encore.

The night was well worth my 20 bucks.