***stardust

Ok so concerts are awesome and I need to go to more. ^____^
(Yes I'll still write up Hanson shows.. no, really, I will, but this is immediate and I need to post at least something on this before it fades. I'm not worried about writing up Hanson on here so much cos I have it all in my sketchbook already.)

So, Erica and Britty left a bit after 7 cos Nickel Creek was playing, with Nada Surf opening. Yes, this is a very bizarre combination, at least at a glance, but it actually worked, at least to me. I was hanging out here, cos while I'd wanted to go, I definitely didn't have the money to, and it wasn't like a major major deal to me.
Then Erin came back and had an extra ticket.
^____^
So, I went, we got there probably 2/3 the way through Nada Surf's set.. and I could hear them and catch a glimpse, and they were gooood... only Erin had her camera, but they weren't allowed in, so rather'n having everyone waste like 15 minutes to walk back to the dorms to get it back there, I offered to just run it back. Which I did, literally, running like a moron. *laughs* Got back, went in, I poked around the crowd of about fifty or so on the floor 'til I found Britt and Erica, and stood with them, just behind the first row of people (so we were like ten feet from the stage, it was good). (There were more people than that up on the bleachers, the show was at a gym over in one of those buildings we never go into. *g*)
And Nada Surf was goooood. Like, I'd heard *of* them, I knew they were one of the many early-mid 90s alternative-grunge-whatever sorts of bands, but I didn't know them really. I was impressed, as was Britt. (And the singer was kinda pretty. *g*) Sadly, I was only up front there for about two songs.. one of which was them covering Joy Division, which made me happy. ^_^ (Was it "Love Will Tear Us Apart"? I think it was, either that or like the one other Joy Division song with a U2-connection..)
Waited a bit, learned that both Britt and Erica had cameras - Erica had had hers under her poofy vest-thing, while Britt had just *walked* in with hers and they apparently didn't notice/care. But they were too chicken to take any shots.. I looked about, the only security (such as they were..spectrum people hanging about really) was like, one or two people off at the corner of the stage, and there were enough people between me and them so that I couldn't see them - thus they couldn't see me. So Britt gave me her camera and I took a few shots here and there, I guess 6 or 7 total, cos I was trying to be discreet (not knowing the the no-cameras thing was the school's rule or the band's..and I don't want to piss off a band I really like...that, and Britt's camera was fecking LOUD), but I think they came out fairly. 'Least I hope so.
Anyway, dude, Nickel Creek in concert are *awesome*, really. Yes, it's like bluegrass, yes, there are mandolins and fiddles and things. But the attitude was really no different from Nada Surf's, the band poured as much into it and had the same stage presence as a rock group. I'd thought they were a little older, but they're like, maybe a couple of years older than me, which blew my mind cos from a technical standpoint? holy freaking *crap* are they good! (Yes, the time they took to stop and tune felt a little much.. but if you haven't anyone to tune things offstage, and if you're really concerned about things sounding right, there's nothing wrong with that. I'd *hate* to be onstage tuning in front of a crowd at a music school like that, though, cos like, they'll *know* just how off you are.)
And the one guy, Chris, is definitely like, insane. *laughs* He *should* have been in a rock band, watching the way he lunged about all over the stage, it was funny. Plus he has the voice for it - it works *very* well for what they do, but also could for other things.. as we discovered during this one song.. it wasn't one that I knew, so I don't know the title of it, but it started very soft, and grew, and was sweet and angsty and wonderful, then faded back down again, almost to silence but holding there, violin and cello holding a sustained interval carefully between them... then the singer BELTED out the lyrics again and the four of them *exploded* back into the song, louder and stronger'n I think they were at any other point.
We *literally* all jumped. *laughs* It was, it came outta *nowhere*, and then he's screaming, actually *screaming*, with as much anguish as any emo band you wanna name, and bluegrass? no, this is rock, with all the power therein, the instruments are different but the sheer emotional power is just the same...
Absolutely incredible.
...there were..I got *that* feeling a number of times, just, that rush and swell that there are honestly no words at all for, that you get in midst of a great song, usually (though not always) live, just... *that*.
Britt and I were talking just now, she interviewed me for a paper for her musics of the world class, then we wandered into talking about the show and music in general and just.. *that* is what we live for, as Britt said, "*Music* is the true high"..and it really is.
After about an hour and a half, they closed with an amazing extended version of "The Lighthouse" (it completely blew me away, the way they performed it tonight).. the lights-people teased us and we kept yelling and clapping for a good couple of minutes, then the band came back on...and said they'd do a few acoustic songs, so we might want to gather up close cos it'd be really quiet. (which it wasn't really, but..) And they did, what, three or four songs, and it was the coolest sweetest thing, really, the four of them gathered at the front of the stage and just played and sang, no mics or anything, and it was just perfect.. they did a song they wrote that hadn't been performed or anything yet that was absolutely *gorgeous*.. a few other ones, chatting and joking a little casually in between.. it was just really, really great.
Afterwards, we're heading out, Britt *tackle-glomped* me for taking pictures for her (and nearly killed me in the process..*laughs* but it was an awesome show so I completely understand her over-enthusiasm ^_^).. Britt wanted to get a Nada Surf cd, so we headed over to their merch tables. (I reeeaaally really wanted one too, and Britt offered to loan me the money.. and maybe I should've, but I may end up borrowing from someone to go to Darien next weekend already, and I don't want to keep borrowing money..)
And the singer from Nada Surf was sitting at the table, along with someone from campus.
^____________^
So we go over, there's a few other people, the guy ahead of us is deciding which cd to get, the singer's telling him what's on what one, just chatting, and it was cool.. Britt goes up to buy a cd, gives him the money, he's riffling through this big wad for change, laughed and said he felt silly going through all this money.. Britt gets the cd, asks if he'll sign it, he says sure.. ('Nanda kicks herself for not getting a cd so it could be signed..but I barely know this band so I'm ok. *g*) Erica like, I don't even know, is devistated and flipping out cos she can't find a pen, mutters something about it, the singer says he's got it covered, picks up a Sharpie that's been *laying on the table the whole time*... *laughs* Britt struggles with the plastic around the cd, makes some comment about how it'd be a start if she could get it open, I walk over to her, starting to tell her to hand it over and I'll get it, but the singer beat me to it and offered first. ^___^ So he gets it open, opens the booklet, asks Britt what her name is. "Brittany." "Like, Britney, or Brit-TANY." ('a' like 'apple' in the second. *g*) "Brit-TANY." "Two ts?" "Yeah." And I *knew* Britt was flipping at this cos people *always* spell her name wrong and it pisses her off, and he asked, and he guessed right, and--- yay. ^__^ So he writes hi brittany or something and signs his name, and hands it to her, shaking her hand. And he looks over at me and Erica, offers *me* his hand and asks my name, I tell him, he says it, shaking my hand, then repeats with Erica.
*_______*
So we thank him and one of us says what a great set it was and all and we leave and Britt was like, ready to *explode*, we got out of the gym and she was like, quivering and needing to scream or at least squeal or *something*. *laughs* We got outta there and we're all like, *spazzing*, swearing we'll never wash our hands. *laughs*
Had far too much energy, Britt and I ran up and climbed over the giant pile of snow-like ice scrapings from the ice rink (Earlier tonight Erin had provided the answer to my year+ old question as to why/how there was this constant pile of snow in front of the building.. *laughs*), came back here, found Erin, related our tales, were flipping out, talked for like ever, got asked to quiet down.. *laughs* And yeah.
I need to switch my desktop to the Nickel Creek one.. and I think make a Nada Surf one (already set some stuff downloading in KaZaA *G*). Cos I downloaded maaaad tons of new brushes today, and I think I don't have my first class tomorrow. S'aaaalllllll goooooood. ^______^

*ok note from two seconds later... Nada Surf did "Popular", which I've known for like ever, I just didn't know it was them. So that's what band this is for anyone wondering. *g*

*Ananda Daydream * 12:56 AM * *

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