Top 15 Concert Memories

I've been reading Todd Carey's Ping playlists over the last few weeks and have really enjoyed seeing what he's listening to and why, finding some great new music along the way, and I thought for a moment that I might want to do my own list. And so, thanks to TC's challenge, here we go...

I decided my list needed a theme or I'd just be listing hundreds of songs I think are awesome, and I started thinking about concerts I'd been to and decided to create a playlist of my top 10 (okay 15 because I couldn't narrow it down!) concert memories. They are in order by when I saw the concert...I found the best videos I could...some mine, some the official videos, some from other people...enjoy!

1 - Al Jarreau - Roof Garden - Saw him live at Red Rocks in 1984. It really doesn't get much more awesome than Red Rocks, and his voice...so pure, so perfect. Hearing this song now takes me right back to that moment.

2 - Boyz II Men - Motownphilly - Saw them in Pittsburgh in 1992 open for Jodeci who were the opener for MC Hammer. Yeah. They were brand new. And all kinds of awesome! Their harmonies were spot on and I love that I saw them when they were first starting out.

3 - Luther Vandross - A House Is Not A Home - Saw him in Pittsburgh in 1992 also and he did not disappoint. We lost a great voice when Luther died, and this song live was simply amazing. It can bring me to tears even today.

4 - Public Enemy - Fight the Power - They opened for U2 on the ZooTV tour, and I saw it in Chicago in 1993 (I think...maybe 1992). I probably wouldn't have gone to see them on their own but wow. They could perform! Great lyrics, great presence...still love this song.

5 - Burlap to Cashmere - Basic Instructions - This band only recently came back on the scene, and I am so glad! I saw them tour off their first album in 2000 in San Francisco (The Warfield) and I honestly don't think I've ever seen anyone play guitar like them. Their hands moved so unbelievably fast that I really thought I was seeing things. This song always reminds me of that night, and I've still never seen anyone else play like that.

6 - Third Day - Agnus Dei - I first saw Third Day in 2000 at Marine World in California, and this is the song they ended their show with. It was quite possibly the most moving experience I've ever had at a concert and thinking about it now just gave me chills. One of my all-time favorite bands who I have actually seen more than ten times now, but I will certainly never forget that first show.

7 - Train - When I Look to the Sky - In 2004 Train played 4 or 5 shows at this tiny little club in San Francisco called Cafe du Nord. It might hold 200 people. We were lucky enough to get tix for the Friday night show and wow. It was AMAZING! I could have honestly picked any song from that night, but this is one of my favorites and seeing them perform it live and being so close to them was truly great. However, the best part of the night was being handed a cd of the first two-thirds of the show when we walked out. Yeah. Very few people have that cd. So very cool.

8 - Switchfoot - On Fire - Another band that I have seen more than 10 times, and they play this at every show, but I remember the first time I saw them at The Warfield in San Francisco. Truly amazing showmen and phenomenal musicians. So much energy! This song moves me so deeply...I couldn't even describe it in words if I tried. Switchfoot live is something everyone should experience at least once.

9 - U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name - My memory of this song at a U2 concert is actually from the second time I saw them, which was in San Jose in 2005 on their Vertigo tour. I always loved this song before that show, but something about the way the stage lights moved and the swell of the crowd noise when The Edge starts playing the very famous opening riff...wow. It was spine tingling and it is now one of my absolute favorite U2 songs and the thing I remember most about that show.

10 - Matt Nathanson - Still - If you've never seen Matt in concert, make plans to do so immediately. It's so much more than just a concert. The man is hilarious and can, in one night, make me laugh until my sides hurt and bring me near tears. The performance of Still I'm remembering is from a radio show he played on Halloween at a tiny place in San Francisco called The Slide Lounge. It was about as close to perfect as a person can get. Watching his emotion as he sang the words that I knew by heart made it so much more special for me. Of course, the fact that in the middle of the show we had a 1-2 minute exchange about my phone made the night fairly memorable too...

11 - JJ Heller - Love Me - I've seen JJ perform this many times, and while I can't pinpoint a specific date, I just know that it never ceases to move me. She has since re-recorded this and renamed it What Love Really Means, but I will always know it as Love Me. The words are so pure and so real, and I can't help but think part of it was written just for me. JJ and her husband Dave are longtime friends and I can only smile when I hear their music now...could not be more happy for them.

12 - Kelly Clarkson - Sober - I saw Kelly sing this live in San Jose in late 2009 and wow. The song hadn't done a lot for me on the record but hearing it live changed my attitude completely. Simply amazing. The woman can just flat out sing.

13 - Billy Joel - Scenes from An Italian Restaurant - Hands down my favorite Billy song, and while I've seen him sing it live several times I'm remembering the last time, in San Jose in 2010. Billy is pure rock and roll and this song embodies all of it. Absolutely awesome.

14 - Elton John - Levon - I've seen Elton several times too, but I don't ever remember him performing Levon until the last time I saw him, which was in San Jose in 2010. I only need to hear the introductory notes and I'm completely lost in the song. It's always been a very moving song to me, and I will never forget him doing it live that night.

15 - Todd Carey - Photograph - Since my list was inspired by Todd I certainly couldn't leave him off of it, but believe me, he would have made it either way. In a little less than 6 months in 2010/2011 I saw TC in concert 3 times, but there is nothing I will ever remember more than him playing Photograph - my absolute favorite of his songs - in the green room in this tiny little club in DC called The Red Palace. Truly a night I will never forget.

So, there you have it...maybe I'll do another one of these some day...we'll see...

Today, it's all about the music

...Planning concerts

...Downloading albums and single songs

...Obsessing over certain artists

This is what I've been up to lately. Music. It's all about the music. Here's what my late summer/early fall looks like:

July 19 - Barenaked Ladies

August 15 - Rob Thomas

August 22 - Beauty and The Beast (it's a musical, so it counts)

August 31 - Todd Carey (that's him in the photo)

September 4 - Green Day

October 1 - Train

October 14 - Third Day

And I'm still debating about a July 23 Adam Lambert concert as well as an August 26 date with Switchfoot and the Goo Goo Dolls.

This is why I have a job.

In the last couple of weeks I've downloaded a wide variety of tunes from several genres:

Revive - Blink (whole cd downloaded)

B.o.B - Airplanes (featuring Hayley Williams) and Nothin' on You (featuring Bruno Mars)

Green Day's American Idiot (The Original Broadway Recording) - actual CDs purchased!

Todd Carey - 41 (cover of Dave Matthew's Band) - this one was free! Thanks Todd!

Allison Iraheta - Don't Waste the Pretty (featuring Orianthi)

Aaron Fresh - Spending All My Time

Drake - Find Your Love

Muse - Neutron Star Collison (Love is Forever)

Todd Carey - Gotta be Next to You (featuring Amber Rubarth)

Daughtry - Leave This Town B Sides

Nate Fowler - Hurricane - this one was free too! Thanks Nate!

So let's see...according to iTunes I've covered Christian and Gospel, Rap and Hip-Hop, Soundtrack, Blues, Pop, R and B and Folk. I am ALL over the place!!

Mostly, over the last week or so, I've been obsessing over Todd Carey and can't wait to go see him next month. I've been a fan for a couple of years but haven't seen him live, so that is definitely going to be a highlight for this year's concert tour.

It's funny because at home, I tend to listen to more mellow tunes via iTunes while I drift off to sleep or while I'm doing anything on my laptop. My soundtrack for the last week or so has been Todd Carey, Matt Nathanson, John Mayer and Rob Thomas for the most part. On my iPod, however, which I listen to in the car and in my office, it's all of them plus so many more. I'd list them here but you'd be bored. So here's a snapshot of the middle of my Current Faves iPod playlist.

So, what have YOU been listening to? 

 

The first step is admitting your addiction...

My name is Carrie, and I'm addicted to music...all kinds of music, but especially live music. As many of you know, I'm a concert junkie...an addict, if you will. When each new year begins, I wonder which of my favorite bands will tour and how many will come to the Bay Area so I can see them in person. So many bypass us that I typically start the year as a skeptic thinking that this will be the year I don't get to see anyone in concert. But then...I'm surprised...and excited...and full of concert tickets!! Oh yes. I feed my addiction. And it is JOY!

Here we are in July, and so far, I've seen only 2 concerts. But oh. They were joyous. They were both the same tour...Third Day, with Revive & Brandon Heath. One in Modesto and one in Fresno. But now, the real fun begins...

• July - Matt Nathanson (that's tomorrow!)
• August - Switchfoot, Green Day, Daughtry
• September - Pink
• October - Rob Thomas, U2
• November - Billy Joel/Elton John, Kelly Clarkson

Crazy, right? Yes. I'm completely addicted to concerts!! That's nine concerts in five months. NINE!! But I don't care. There is nothing like live music. Nothing.

I wonder who might be on tour in December...

So, what concerts are YOU attending this year?

Of albums, iTunes, iPods, concerts and U2

In case you missed it, the new U2 album, No Line on the Horizon, came out this week. IT IS YAY!!! It only took 2 or 3 years...I've lost track. But, it was worth the wait. While I'm not sure it's quite as good as the prior album (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb), I really like it's theme and the sound is vintage U2. I can't wait for the tour!

Buying this album got me thinking about the whole art of buying cds vs. downloading music. When it's U2, there's no question I'll buy the cd. I have every other album on actual cd (some on vinyl!)...I can't break the chain now, and I love to have the liner notes/booklet thing. When a friend asked if I was going to download it or buy a hard copy, it really wasn't a question for me.

There are a few other artists I feel this way about (Third Day, Switchfoot, Coldplay...I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones I am thinking of right now...). However, there are many others I have no problem downloading...not because I think any less of the album, but because I started collecting their music via iTunes, and now, it just seems like the right thing to do.

What about you? Are there some artists whose album you actually need to touch, to hold, to feel?

One great thing about the real cd is that when you play it, it plays in order...in the order the artist wished for it to be played in. In this day of digital music, we really lose that concept and many times we lose the theme an artist was going for with their whole album...not just a particular song.

The shuffle in iTunes and on iPods is great...I absolutely LOVE it! But whenever I download/load a new album, I have to turn it off and listen to the album in its delivered order. To me, it really makes a difference in what the songs say and how I feel about them. Once I've listened to the album in this way a number of times, I go back to the shuffle and let the songs show up however the Pod thinks they should. I usually don't think about it again...except this week, after I loaded the new U2 album, I actually listened to the last album in its delivered order too, and it was more awesome than I remembered. I may have to be unshuffled for a while and go old school with my music listening. Am I alone in this? Does anyone else out there feel the same way I do?

One more thing before I go...thinking about the possibility of U2 coming in concert got me thinking about concerts in general and how far I'd travel to see someone...since no one ever comes to play in San Jose - ANNOYING!!! What's the limit on how far you'd travel to see your favorite band? Are some bands worth a longer distance than others?

For me, the list is U2, Third Day and Matt Nathanson - I would drive multiple hours for all of them. I'd go see them on any night, no matter what was happening the next day. Some close seconds would be Switchfoot and Bon Jovi. As luck would have it, those of us in San Jose get to make these kinds of decsions on a regular basis since so few bands come to our land. If i haven't mentioned it before, I'll mention it now...ANNOYING!!!

Well, that's it for now. Happy listening!!

And one more thing: Happy Birthday Robyn-O!

Happy New Year...the sequel

H - Here's to...

A - Arizona State's men's basketball team...may it make us forget the football season.

P - People making new starts.

P - Pucks that go in the net for the Sharks!

Y - YOU!


N - New albums (and hopefully tours!) from U2, Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry and others.

E - Everyone reaching whatever goals they've set.

W - Wii!


Y - (Cy) Young award winner Timmeh!

E - Enjoying time with friends and family.

A - (Tasha) Alexander's next book, Tears of Pearl.

R - Revelation...Third Day's spring tour!


Hope your new year is going well so far. I'd love to tell you that I'll be blogging more frequently in the new year, but that's just an empty promise that I have no need to make. All the best...Happy 2009!

Traffic Lights, Transition and Tour

Today I give you three topics...pretty much unrelated...and without much segue from one to the other...

So, I don't know about you, but I daily bear witness to a strange phenomenon...people standing at intersections...waiting for lights to change. Don't roll your eyes at me. I'm not finished yet. The strange part is, on many occasions, no one pushes the button. And in San Jose, we don't have those fancy infrared buttons like they do at 4th and King in San Francisco. No. You actually have to push the button if you'd like something to happen. Why is this a hard concept? I really don't know, but on many days, I've walked up and watched a group of folks waiting...and waiting...and then, for fun, I go ahead and push the button, and like MAGIC, the light changes. Am I alone in my observation? I do see this primarily around the SJSU campus, so maybe it's a Gen Y thing, and people think they're entitled to have the light change for them without lifting so much as a finger. It is, after all, all about them and of COURSE the light should know they need to cross the street without them taking that ever-so-difficult step of actually DOING something to make it happen. How exactly do these folks get up and out of their houses every day? It must be magic...

And...scene.

So. I'm in my last few weeks at SJSU before moving to my new office at CSU East Bay. I'm not MOVING moving...just changing jobs. I've been all over the place the last couple of weeks starting my transition, so please forgive me if I haven't emailed, called, messaged, carrier pigeoned or Hallmark carded you. I promise to catch up...you know...some time in 2009...you still love me, right?

Next!

In the midst of my transition and watching these random traffic light waiters, I got the great joy of journeying to Wheatland, CA with a friend to see some of our all-time favorite bands at the Music Builds Tour a couple of weeks ago. Can you say awesome? I think you can. Let me just lay it out for you...

1 - Jars of Clay ... have always loved their music; actually met Steve Mason earlier this year; saw them play a number of years ago at The Warfield; really enjoyed seeing them again!

2 - Robert Randolph and The Family Band ... not really my favorite music, but boy could they play! great musicians who had a lot of fun on stage; they definitely impressed.

3 - Switchfoot ... my 8th time seeing them live; yes...big fan...and they did not disappoint; I really do become the 15-year old I always claim to be when I see them live...they just plain ROCK!! and along they way, they always make me think about a lot of interesting things.

4 - Third Day ... my 6th time seeing them, and they were, as usual, pure joy; they rock in a completely different way from Switchfoot and stir my emotions in a way few other musicians do.

At the end, members of all the groups played a few songs together. It's always fun to see collaborations, and these guys were great. I hope some of you had a chance to see this tour...it was truly awesome!

You can check out my photos to the left...click any picture as it scrolls through the slide show and it will open larger...our seats were pretty stinking good...if I do say so myself. And oh yeah, I just did.

Curtain please.

Concerts and Weddings and Travel...oh my...

Apparently this has become a once-a-month thing...me posting an update on my life. I've been watching the blogs of a few friends lately and noticed that they are MUCH better about this than I am. Am I mad? Nah. Good for them I say. You go girls!

As usual, I have a variety of concerts on my calendar...just saw Augustana last Friday night at The Fillmore in San Francisco and am really excited to see George Michael in San Jose tomorrow. Next month it's Coldplay and in the fall, I'm going to an excellent show on the Music Builds tour...featuring Jars of Clay, the Robert Randolph Band, Switchfoot and Third Day. Seriously! Could that BE any better? The answer is NO. No it could not.

In between all of that, I'll be singing at a wedding (second one this summer) and heading to Vegas for a conference. Next month, I'm off to Boston for a meeting, and am hoping to make a quick journey to Chicago as well...that one's for fun.

Nothing else of interest to share...lots of work going on, lots of lounging too...just not much sleeping. Maybe I'll be more interesting in July...

OH! Go Celtics!! Kiss it Kobe.