Easter Weekend

I have been meaning to post all week, but have had some sickness issues and just haven't felt like it, to be honest. I'm feeling quite a bit better today, so here's the shake-down.

I had a really nice weekend. Kala visiting was just the ticket! She got in on Friday evening and we went to Alamo to see Sunshine Cleaning and have some dinner. I wasn't exactly clear on the premise of the movie, but I knew that I like Emily Blunt and Amy Adams as actresses. So, I thought ... why not?! It was a pretty decent story; I enjoyed it. Lots of good performances.

We woke up fairly early for a Saturday and went all around Austin, shopping in places that Lubbock doesn't have. You know ... South Congress (SoCo), the campus district (Urban Outfitters), 6th & Lamar (Book People, Anthropologie, etc), the mall (Apple Store). By the time we were done with that business, we had time to come back to the apartment, take a nap, and get ready for the concert.

We arrived at about 8. The doors opened at 7, but anyone who has any experience with bands knows that the estimated door time means nothing. The opener didn't even go on until 8:30 or so. We got wrapped up in catching up with our old friend, Alan, standing in line to get Kala a t-shirt, and obtaining adult beverages to really listen properly to them. I hear they were good, though.

Alan had Blue on a lot more promptly than any band I've ever seen, so that was impressive. He must run a tight ship. (Ha!) As I mentioned in an earlier post, I hadn't even heard their new songs. It was interesting to have no previous knowledge of their material, as I have pretty much always had pre-released demos and whatnot from having been going to concerts since the later part of '99 ... or was it 2000? I think it was '99.

Anyway ... it was a really great show ... as it always is ... but something was very strange to me this go 'round. I have been kind of used to seeing them in more intimate settings, with people who know all of their songs and don't go just because they've heard a riff they liked on the radio. Stubbs is a fairly large outdoor venue here in Austin, and the show was very sold out ... so there were A LOT of people there! Some of whom were very annoying and talked through the entire show. Granted, we didn't push our way to the front of the stage. I think those days have passed for me. But ... still ... if you pay money to see a concert, shut the hell up and watch it, for crying out loud! It's a peeve.

But, yeah, they've always been a great performing band. All of them have awesome stage presence, and every time I've seen them they have been just as good (if not totally better) live than recorded. (And, trust me, because of my earlier life "with the band" (although, not the band I'm currently discussing), I have seen them a whole, whole, whole lot.) They played their new stuff (all of it, I think) first, then went into some old-ish stuff. The encore was my favorite because they played "Italian Radio" from the very first, no-label album. Good stuff. The crowd went bananas.

I think because of my history, seeing them always dumps buckets of nostalgia all over me. It's a different feeling every time, really. I blame the music. Music will get you more than anything else. More than pictures, even. This time is a little difficult to describe because I've separated my past from now. Seeing them, though, is a pretty large chunk of my past, so it brings the past into the present ... with new words mixed with a little of the old. The feeling that I experienced almost felt like watching a movie of myself with characters that vaguely resemble me, but aren't really me.

They're one of my favorite bands for sure, but I have no real comparison anymore. I've been watching their shows for years, not really ever having been friends with them, but certainly not strangers at all. The parallel comes through in the words. My past linked with their songs. It's incredibly difficult to describe.

I will say that I have now purchased the new album and I like it quite a bit. It am listening to it exclusively right now, but I find myself stuck on one particular song ("The End"). It's the sickest on the whole cd, but the narrative is immensely captivating. I'm also a pretty big fan of "Should Be Loved" and "Been Down." ("When our colors mixed we couldn't fix the way they wouldn't blend" ... best line, hands down.)

So, yeah, good show. Alan texted afterwards asking Kala and I to meet them out at a bar downtown, but Kala was already in bed (dental issues) and I needed to get her to the airport at about 8 the next morning. It would have been nice to hang out, since I rarely get to see my "old-time" friends who live here very often. Sometime soon, I'm sure.

The next morning, I took her to the airport, came back home and made waffles for Alex and I. I hadn't made them in quite a while and I usually make one, really massive breakfast on the weekends. Plus, it was Easter, so why the heck not?! :)