Time for a Show!

Going to see one of my favorite musicians, Bruce Springsteen, turned out to be an all-day adventure. We had to get wristbands early in the day with our GA tickets; then, in the afternoon, we had to line up according to those numbers. They then drew a number, and the first few hundred people in line behind that number got to go in first, and get the best front-row seats. I was near the front of the secondary group of GA admissions, so I still got to see Bruce close up when he came through the crowd. This is right after he held my hand and we sang "Hungry Heart" at each other.

I first saw Glass Animals at Summer Camp 2015, and managed to snag a set list for my memorabilia wall. I got to see them on their own last year, with local boy Manatee Commune opening. At one point, they brought out a pineapple, and threw it into the audience after singing at it for a minute. Unfortunately, I didn't come away with that souvenir. But then, I also don't like pineapple, so maybe that's for the best.

La Femme is a French psych-punk outfit. I thought they were just wearing ridiculous costumes--Western wear, long pink wigs, sailor outfits, and this particular onesie + tiara combo among others--because it was right before Halloween; but watching their instagram now, I think this is pretty normal for them. The whole show was a non-stop dance party--that's why my photos were all terrible. I don't think I've ever been that tired leaving a concert, and it was amazing!

Twenty-One Pilots was an artist I knew, and liked, but didn't love until I saw their live show. The lead singer was running up and down the aisles of the stadium, climbing on railings and freaking out the security guards who were trying to keep up. And then they laid a platform across the GA audience for them to hold up--then set up a drum kit on top of it. The drummer played right on top of us!

July Talk is one of my favorite bands: they're super feminist, they have wonderful moody music, and the contrast between Leah's breathy pop voice and Peter's Tom-Waits-eating-sandpaper one is amazing. Also, they're super nice (and Canadian!) and hung out with fans after the show, where I picked up this photo.

Nick Cave puts on the best live show I've seen yet. At one point he was on his knees in front of me, serenading me with "Mermaids"; for much of the show, he was leaning out over the audience until we were all having to hold him up. And if that weren't an amazing enough experience, he later published a book of poems he wrote while on that tour--including one that talks about smoking on the balcony of the Paramount while watching the crowd stream out. I was part of that crowd!

In the Valley Below really plays up their rapport on stage, with the two singers often twining around or leaning into each other while never missing a beat of the lyrics or the music. But my claim to fame here is that they were the first artist to repost a photo of mine--this photo!-- on twitter and instagram. I couldn't believe it!

I love falling in love with extraordinary opening acts, and Sons of an Illustrious Father is one of them. Also, if the drummer looks familiar, that's because he's one of the main characters from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I only found this out hours later, after I'd talked to the band post-show--they're super nice and down to earth!

I first saw Icelandic band Kaleo open for Vance Joy at the Showbox in Seattle, and I knew right then they were something special. In the years since then, the headliner of that show has faded away, and Kaleo themselves have blown up: they're always on the radio here, and they just sold out two shows at the Showbox last week. I was front row, of course.