2 posts tagged “concert”
I just hit Ticketmaster Online and bought my ticket to see Loreena McKennitt's international Ancient Muse tour that comes here to Washington DC on April 24, DAR Constitution Hall. I found out about it in the Washington City Paper, one of my favorite local publications in the area.
I'm so excited. I've always loved her music ever since she did the song "The Mummers Dance," and that was years ago.
She's kind of obscure to those not interested in this genre, kind of like a New Age, Pagan type of music
Oh I just love living in Washington DC -- finally I'm in the right location for me, a place where I can never get enough culture, art and music! DC totally rocks, IMHO.
I went to the 930 Club in Washington DC last night to see Blue October. I had booked the ticket a month back and thought 'what the hey' since I kind of liked a couple of their songs from radio play and the tickets were only $20 apiece. It's not like I had followed this band's progress and knew a lot about them like some of their hardcore fans. But, having only lived in D.C. for about three months, I wanted to check out this small venue that draws many well known acts.
I was drawn to the band not just for their sound but for their catchy lyrics since I am a lover of words and the ways they can be artfully used. As far as I know, the lead singer of the band, Justin Furstenfeld, writes all of his own stuff. He really has the heart of an intense poet and a rocker combined in one. For example, this excerpt from "Hate Me"'s lyrics:
"I have to block out thoughts of you so I don’t lose my head
They crawl in like a cockroach leaving babies in my bed
Dropping little reels of tape to remind me that I’m alone
Playing movies in my head that make a porno feel like home"
They crawl in like a cockroach leaving babies in my bed
Dropping little reels of tape to remind me that I’m alone
Playing movies in my head that make a porno feel like home"
It turned out this band was even better than I expected in concert. I think that Justin is phenomenal (click on the link above to see those eyes of his), with his wide range of vocal talent, powerful voice belting out in heavy metal fervor one moment and sensitive, slow and heartfelt the next, seemingly unafraid to be emotional in his performances. He has this eclectic style about him in his on-stage presence that really makes him stand out, and he seemed genuinely grateful to his fans for their support. He didn't jump around on the stage as easily as the lanky lead singer of the opening act Army of Me last night, but he used arm movements, eye contact and these kind of jerking motions with his head to perform on stage that were really intriguing. An interesting character, Justin. He wore a trench coat with a scarf wrapped around his neck, kind of in contrast to the other guys in his band who wore tee shirts and jeans. But I think his act, his look - they work well for him. He seemed to sink into and merge with his music, the seriousness intensely visible on his forehead as he either crooned or blasted emotional lyrics upon the audience, depending on the song of the moment. I felt I was in the presence of a star that will continue to shine. Now and then, he ducked down to touch an audience member's hand or make an odd face for the one of many digital cameras held up to capture his presence.
Blue October doesn't sound like a copy of every other group out there, and I am so excited about that. One of the musicians, Ryan Delahoussaye, wearing shades beneath the streaming neon lights, played what appeared to be an electric violin, and I thought it a unique addition to the normally anticipated guitar and drum sounds. It really added something to their sound. You could not listen to Blue October and not feel anything deep down, I don't think. It's not just superficial noise.
There definitely were some dedicated fans there. The place had sold out long before last night's performance, and people beside and around me were singing every word along with Justin verbatim to many of their favorite songs. I almost felt sad that I missed out on them when they came on the scene years before. As hip as I usually am to music, I am surprised I missed it.
Although I was standing there in my sock feet (yes, believe it or not) on the balcony barely able to stand without pain -- the result of having made the idiotic choice to wear high-heeled boots to work all day and having no second pair to change into for comfort -- while holding an empty Stella Artois bottle for four hours, which I could not rid myself of because of the mass of other concertgoers crowding in behind me -- and although I had been dragging myself around from exhaustion this whole week, I stayed until the end of the show, which was sometime around 11:30 or later. I did not want to miss a song. They finished up to resounding rounds of applause with their well known song "Hate Me." I had just enough time to catch the last train from U Street Metrorail station back to Greenbelt, Maryland, and I was tired but didn't regret my decision to see the show. I will definitely see them again, when the opportunity arises.
I was surprised to hear they'd toured with Concrete Blonde back in the '90s, because I thought Blue October was a brand new band. I think I was drawn to them, because their music has the slight tinge of an influence from Robert Smith's band, The Cure. I could be wrong, but that's what I immediately noticed in some of their songs. So, yeah, now I'm showing my age -- I really came of age, musically, during the time of The Cure, Concrete Blonde, KLF, Jesus Jones, The Divinyls and such.
There was a mix of concertgoers there last night -- from the younger crowd to people like a lady to my right, who looked to be in her '50s, sporting a trendy cap and rocking out the entire time, with more energy than I had, until the very last song. I applaud people like that and hope I am never too old to enjoy a concert, to let music stir my soul and rock out -- because when I am, then I am that much closer to death, in my opinion. But that's another story for another day.
