I'm going to a concert...

My friends hear this response from me a lot when they ask me what I'm doing on a certain weekend or even weekday night. I'm what you might call a concert junkie, and I'm incredibly blessed to be able to see so many of my favorite artists live. Someone mentioned to me last weekend, while we were waiting for a concert to start ironically (I think it was a concert...maybe it was a Sharks game...I don't know...I've lost track!), why I hadn't been blogging about concerts I'd been to this year or what concerts I was planning to see. I had no real reason for it other than I've been busy...I guess...but since I'm sitting here awake at 3:35 in the morning I figured it was as good a time as any to fill you in on what's been happening and what's on the radar. So here we go...

January
I started my concert season early and unexpectedly this year when I took a quick weekend trip to Chicago. It wasn't planned ahead of time but turned out to be a great weekend, especially since I got to see Todd Carey in concert for the third time in about six months. I was thrilled to share the experience at Schuba's with my friends Tasha and Beth. As usual, TC did not disappoint.

I was supposed to have a second concert in January but it got rescheduled to April...more on that later.

February
Almost a full month later came concert number two with my friend Shawn at The Fillmore in San Francisco. The main act was Plain White T's but I was also entertained by the two openers, MIGGS and Parachute. I'd seen both of them before and they were great, and I absolutely loved Plain White T's! I would definitely see all of these bands again.

March
I had no concert plans in March but did have tickets to see Rock of Ages and that was sort of like a concert since it's a musical of all rock music from the 80s, and believe me, it completely rocked! My friend Jill and I saw it in San Francisco and I recommend it to anyone who loves music and loves the 80s.

If my concert in January came out of the blue then the one I actually went to in March came out of the wild blue. I literally decided at noon to go to a concert that night in San Francisco. I flew solo...okay, took the train solo...to a little place called The Hotel Utah to see Chris Gelbuda live and he was great! I also got introduced to a new artist, Chi McClean, that I am really liking. I wasn't able to stay for the main act due to the train schedule but my main mission was Chris so it was a good night.

April
As mentioned above a concert from January was rescheduled to April so my friends Jill and Veronnica and I started the month with 30 Seconds to Mars at the San Jose State Event Center. I'd wanted to see them for a long time and they put on a great show. We were definitely entertained by the music but possibly even more so by the guy dressed in a cat costume prancing around throughout the show. TSTM has some, um, interesting fans.

I closed out the month with my friend Travis by seeing The Boxer Rebellion at Slim's in San Francisco. We actually had tickets to see them last fall but decided not to go when we learned they wouldn't be taking the stage until sometime around 11 on a school night. I was very happy to finally get to see them and they put on a great show - this time on a Friday night.

May
I'm pretty sure seeing Hugh Jackman perform a one-man show counts as a concert since he sang for nearly two straight hours in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. Jill, Veronnica and Janice and I enjoyed his loveliness immensely and I would go see his show again in a second!

As for the concert I saw this last weekend, well, it was another artist I'd been wanting to see for years. Prince. Yes. His royal purpleness threw it down in the HP Pavilion and my friend Stephanie and I absolutely loved it. I'm thrilled I finally got to see him in concert.









So, what's next?

May
Well, depending on the hockey I may or may not be going to see The Script at The Warfield in San Francisco on Thursday. If the Sharks win tonight then I'll be skipping The Script and going to Game 6. If they lose, then I'll be drowning my sorrows to The Script's Irish lullabies.

June
The month will start with another rescheduled concert from a year ago, U2 in Oakland. I'm heading to this one by myself too and am really excited to see them again. Later in the month I'll be checking out Augustana at The Fillmore in San Francisco. I'm looking forward to seeing them again too.

July
So far, there are no concerts on the July agenda. I'm sure something will come up though because it would be wrong if I had a month without live music!

August
My friend Shawn and I will be doing some old school rocking to The Beach Boys at The Mountain Winery in Saratoga at the beginning of the month. I've never seen them live and I think it will be a fun show. Later in the month I'm heading back to The Winery to see The Goo Goo Dolls along with opening acts Michelle Branch and Parachute. Really excited to see that last band again and I can never get enough of The Goo.

September
Shawn and Travis and I will be heading back to The Winery in September to see Hall & Oates and I have to say I'm totally jazzed about this one. I was a huge fan of theirs in the 80s but have never seen them live and am certain the show will be a lot of fun. A couple of weeks after that Shawn and I are heading to The Concord Pavilion to see Matt Nathanson, Train and Maroon 5. That looks to be a great show. I just wish Matt was doing a solo tour so we could see more of him. A week after that Shawn and I are seeing Smokey Robinson at The Winery and I know that will be great.

After that it's anyone's guess...no other plans, but with David Cook and Matt Nathanson's new albums dropping in June, and Todd Carey promising to come back to California to play, I am certain some other dates will fall into place on my calendar.

So there you have it...if you ever wonder what I'm doing with my nights, chances are I'm at a concert.