Thursday, September 22, 2011

Realization

I don't drink enough water. I know. It's one of those "duh" things. But seriously. The last two nights, just as I've been almost totally asleep--you know, that space between awake and asleep--I've jolted awake with my heart racing and sweat streaming from each pore. Too many carbs and not enough water. I get up and eat some cheese and down 16 ounces of cold water, sit up for about 15 minutes, and then I'm fine and can finally relax enough to sleep.

Water is a freakin' life saver.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

I want Hanson for my birthday every year.

I'll let you in on a little secret. Every time I see Hanson live, I turn into my 16-year-old self who saw them live at the Hollywood Bowl thirteen years ago, back in their "MMMBop" days. I saw them two years ago at the Kern County Fair, last year at the Depot, and again on Thursday night. The last three years, it's been a birthday present to me. I think they know.

(I'm going to post some videos, but be warned--my camera doesn't record sound very well.)

They started the show with "Musical Ride," which is fitting since the tour is called the Musical Ride Tour. This song was stuck in my head all during work the next day.

They started playing "Where's the Love" and I thought, "It's in Lindsle's shoe!!" I almost texted her. Maybe I should have.

They played "Go," which, if I'm not mistaken, is Julia's favorite. I thought of her.



They played "MMMBop," and I thought of all of you lovely people who, as amazing as you are, don't know any other song by Hanson. As much as I wish people would get over it, I still found myself singing and dancing along with a grin on my face.

They also played "A Minute Without You," and the look on Zac's face at one point was priceless. I could almost hear the internal dialogue: "Are these people really that excited to hear this song again?! I'll throw in my 'oh! yeah!' right now... Yep, made the crowd happy... my gosh, this is stupid... and really, really fun. So glad this is my job."

They played "Something Going Round," which is one of my favorites off of the Walk.



They played "If Only," and again, I thought of my Lindsey friend. She would have loved it. All of the jumping Taylor encouraged us to do during that song has left me with stiff legs and sore knees. Yes, I'm serious. But it was fun!

And my personal favorite off the Shout It Out album, "Give a Little."



I mean, can it get any better than lyrics like, "Make her blush when you put your hand on her hips..." "When you move in close, take your time..." "Leave an empty shoulder, let her move in closer..." "She loves to keep you in suspense..." "Wrap your arms around her body, tell her all she needs to know..." Pair that with fun melodies, a good hook, and some brass, and you've got yourself a really great song. It makes me dance every time I hear it.

When they came out for the encore (By the way, what's the point in leaving the stage if you know you're gonna be back out in less than five minutes? I mean, really... the encore thing is just dumb to me), they played "Madeline" because some guy was apparently holding up a sign during the whole show that said something about it being his girlfriend's birthday, and her name is Madeline, and will you please play it. So they did. Made me think of Jana, because Jana likes playing this song, too.



Then they played "Penny and Me" and "Tearing It Down," during which I think I finally lost my hearing and my voice, because we were encouraged by the band to sing and dance it out. Zac said, "This is it, guys, so make it count!"

The audience was surprising. Fake plastic barbie dolls with too much make up and too much hair. Dude-bros. Tattooed, pierced, and drunk chicks and guys. Hipster kids (boys and girls alike) singing along to every song. And, of course, the typical "I love you Hanson," kind of girls. I probably fall in the later category. Look. Like them or hate them, I don't care. I love them and I always will.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

I can't sleep...

I hate when this happens. It's annoying. I lay in bed and my mind just won't shut off. Grr...

So I was thinking about stuff, and I realized that Thursday is tomorrow. Yeah, big surprise. But what I also remembered when I realized that Thursday is tomorrow is this: Hanson's playing at the Depot in Salt Lake on Thursday. Yes, tomorrow. Guess who's going to see Hanson for the fourth time, and for the third year in a row... for her birthday? Yes. I'm excited.

They did this thing with this tour where the concert goers got to vote for the album they wanted to hear the most songs from (yes, Hanson has recorded and release more than one album). They picked three out of their five studio albums for each show and let the fans vote. I was sad to see that Salt Lake wanted to hear "The Walk" more than "Shout it Out" but I'm happy "The Walk" won over "Middle of Nowhere." I wonder what the other cities voted for. It would be interesting to know if any of the cities picked "Middle of Nowhere." I hope we've all gotten over "MMMBop" by now. But probably not.

That got me to thinking, wouldn't it be awesome if more bands reached out to their fans like this? I'm not saying Hanson's the only one that does, because I know that's not true. But it would be super cool if more of them did. I mean, I'd love to be able to vote for which Sting album I'd like to hear, beginning to end ("Ten Summoner's Tales," hands down, followed closely by "Mercury Falling").

And that made me think about how much Sting tickets cost. That man has money coming out his ears, but his concert tickets are always so freakin' expensive. Why does he have to charge so much? Why can't artists be happy just to play for their fans? I mean, I get that there are tour expenses, but keep it low budget. Yes, I want a show, but you don't have to make it all flashy. And Sting rarely makes things flashy anyway. He usually makes it all low-key and jazzy. So, he has to pay his musicians and roadies, etc. Fine. But anything over $50 for a concert ticket is just ridiculous.

And that gets me to thinking about how so many things are way overpriced, and how the price of some things rises and falls on an almost daily basis. Like a plane ticket. Are you kidding me? Pick a price and keep it there. Gas? Don't even get me started, and I don't even own a car! It's just asinine.

Yes, I'm babbling. But it's my blog and I'm allowed.

And I can't sleep.... 

Monday, September 12, 2011

I did a dumb thing.

Not a REALLY dumb thing, just a little dumb thing.

Next Sunday is my birthday. But I wore my birthday dress (the one mom and dad got me while I was at home) yesterday. Dumb.


Also, I'm excited to eat manicotti for my birthday dinner and cheesecake for my birthday dessert.

Yes, I'm 29-years-old, and yes, I still look forward to my birthday as if I were turning ten. Don't ask me why. I never know what I want to do or what I want to eat or what I want to receive, but I'm always excited for whatever happens.


YAY for birthdays!