Happy Tuesday, friends!! A couple words here as I sip on my coffee before my day gets started in earnest. Firstly – after writing my poem last week(entry previous), I really am quite in a writing mood of late…so don’t be surprised if I post more random writings here and there. That is the hope and goal! Secondly…had a fun time yesterday at Bingo Night at Karbach with various friends. Good times, even though it was a Monday which is most assuredly not a normal going out night!! Still, much fun was had, much fish and chips was consumed, Peter won the grand prize(a snazzy cooler!) and many good conversations were had. This must become a thing, I so declare. Thirdly…I wasn’t sure if I was going to write about this or not, but I’ve been reminiscing lately – thinking on the fact that three years ago(way back in 2015!) was the summer of Kat. Not sure if I actually wrote about her here in plain terms…veiled allusions most likely. Nonetheless, was thinking about that summer of conversation and friendship we had(indeed – I just looked it up now – and it was actually July 24th, 2015 that was the day I flew up to Maryland to see her!!)…and pondering on the sun-soaked memories and dazzling wonder of those days…and though obviously nothing came from that, to my sorrow, I yet think on what God has given me and I cannot help but rejoice evermore, ever still. Forever and always, remember the love of the Lord. Remember that we are forgiven – everything. I remember that I am a child of God.
Tag: life
Tales from 2AM
Chilling at Starbucks. Yup. Not going to write long, but figured may as well since I’m here!! My day has been relatively(slightly) productive thus far…had a deacons meeting at 730 this morning, then I made my way over here where I’ve been working like a madman…trying to get music playlists in order. Yes, very important business. I admit, it is somewhat hilarious how much I enjoy this. Right now, though I’m struggling mightily as I have four different playlists I’m working on nigh simultaneously. A bit over-ambitious that. A dance mix(sourced from Robbie on our trip last weekend), *another* dance mix(more chill/trance really), a musical mix(Les Mis, Wicked, Rent &…Hamilton!?) and then a more “normal” mix that is a mess and I’ve sort of abandoned for the moment. Anyways – the struggle. And then one of the hardest parts is to come up with a properly epic and just-pretentious-enough album title. OH the joys.
Enough of that though! Planning on seeing Peter pretty soon – going to meet for lunch…somewhere? And then going to hang out with Earnie tonight. It shall be fantastic, that I declare. Last night was beautifully quiet…didn’t really get reading done(well – did read a bit of Owen at EQ – less than 80 pages to go!) but I enjoyed watching Rocky II with my dinner. Forgot how awesome that movie is. Stayed up a bit too late. Alas.
Now though…time to roll. And continue my weird music playlist obsession. I just realised I actually have FIVE playlists I’m working on. Forgot my Anberlin/Owl City/Panic! one I’ve just started. Again – yes, I’m a mess.
Peace, y’all. Peace and love.
Dear Vienna
Hello friends!! It’s been a bit too long since I’ve written a proper update…my apologies! And I can’t even promise that this will be a decent one, seeing as it’s Tuesday morning and I’m sleepy(albeit in possession of peppermint mocha) and eventually need to get started catching up on work. But…we shall see. Anyways! Main purpose of this post is to chronicle this past weekend’s epic adventures…in Colorado! But even better than getting to visit and explore a new state was hanging out with Robbie! I hadn’t seen him since his wedding(yay Natasha!) late last year. And obviously, it being his wedding and all, we didn’t have a ton of time to hang out then either! But this weekend was a wonderful time to actually be with Robbie and also do some pretty awesome things. But right – I should stop rambling and actually describe the vacation a bit. Flew out Saturday morning and landed in Denver…whereupon since I had a few hours to kill before Robbie arrived, I took the train into the city centre and…as one does, I found a sweet book store(Tattered Cover). Because I was a bit exhausted(from long week previous and just waking up early to pack and go to airport…), I decided I needed a triple-shot of espresso…naturally. Drank that and read some of my Wendell Berry book in the book store for an hour or so(speaking of, I really do need to eventually log the last four books I’ve read. Next time). Still had some time before Robbie was set to arrive so I walked around Denver a bit in the scorching heat(96 degrees seriously!?!). Finally – he texted me that he had landed so I walked back to train station to meet him. While waiting, watched a bit of the Russia/Croatia quarterfinal…which is where Robbie found me when he arrived! We greeted each other quickly then decided we needed to find a proper place to watch the game(it had just gone into extra time!). We found a pub nearby, got lunch and then watched the rest of the game(surrounded by many fans of Croatia, evidenced by the yelling!). Croatia did end up victorious on penalties. So the last four of the World Cup is France, Belgium, England & Croatia. Europa invicta! I’m very torn on who to root for…France for Julie’s sake or England for Robbie’s? I really don’t know what I shall do if they meet in finals. Of course with my luck…will probably end up being Belgium v Croatia. Anyways right…watching the World Cup in pub with Robbie…doesn’t get much better than that!! We reminisced about the last time we watched a World Cup game together…in a bar in Boston four years ago!! Guess we shall have to make plans for 2022 as well then…to continue this glorious tradition.
So…this entry is already far too long and I’ve gotten barely a few hours into the trip! I shall have to accelerate and compress. Following the game, me and Robbie made our way to our hotel. We checked in and set out bags down, then explored Denver a bit more! Walked past the capitol building and some park…then discovered the true prize – a sweet used book store! We perused the offerings there for a while, although I held strong and bought no books. I do love used book stores though…just standing in the midst of the stacks…the possibilities are endless and hope is supreme, for one never knows what gem may be sitting on the shelves…
We did eventually tear ourselves away from the books and walked back, through a thunderstorm nonetheless! Dinner was at a delicious ramen place and following…well, we were in a board game mood because Robbie had been talking about this fun game that everyone in his church had been addicted to this past year or so. We looked up board game stores in Denver and made our way to the nearest one, thinking maybe we’d find this game at the store and he would buy it. Well…this “board game store” actually ended up being a place where you play board games! They had a whole wall full of games and then tables strewn throughout so you could play with your friends. I…didn’t even know they had places like this. Well, wonder of wonders, they actually had this epic strategy game Robbie had been talking about! So instead of having to buy it, we were able to sit down and play it right there! The game is called Scythe – and it’s basically a strategy game set in alt-history early 20th century Europe. What does that even mean? Well…you have farms and mines and workers…and you try and complete certain objectives…oh yeah and you also have mechs. Glorious. So I played as Russia and Robbie played as the Norse and even though I had no idea what I was doing, when we called the game half-way through(because it was almost midnight and really it was time to go!) I somehow won?? I still have no idea what I was doing…but playing with Robbie was super fun. Epic strategy gaming – that’s how we holiday.
Got to the hotel super late…but next morning we couldn’t sleep too late as Sunday was our hiking day!! And really I’m running out of time so I shan’t describe the whole day in detail(thank goodness right??), but we drove out west of Denver to…what I think was technically part of Rocky Mountain National Park – or near enough anyway. We had been researching various trails and because we hadn’t exactly had an early start, wouldn’t have time for any of the really challenging ones. But we hiked what is known as “Jim’s Creek Trail” and it was gorgeous. Again…it’s hard to put to words how it felt to just be hiking through the woods and enjoying the beauty of a vigorous hike up hills and over streams and clambering up muddy slopes and through it all being surrounded by the wondrous beauty of God’s creation. Pretty much the whole hike was next to the creek and so we were able to hear the water running and tumbling and singing throughout our walk…and eventually when we decided to eat our prosciutto and cheese sandwiches, we did so upon what I dubbed Picnic Rock, a massive rock that was just perfect for a mid-hike lunch. And so eventually we turned around and hiked back the way we had come…and for some reason, probably due to the clean air and lovely walk, I was more energized than ever as we completed our hike. As we made our way to the exit, Robbie and I had fun singing some of our favourite songs…think we were singing “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” when we broke from the trees at the end! Oh how wonderful it is to have have a dear friend like Robbie.
And…really I must go now. The rest of the trip shall have to go untold…but it involved much more fun adventures, including listening to fun dance music as we drove through the wonderfully mountainous terrain, me introducing Robbie to Torchy’s Tacos…and more walking around Denver and exploring…visiting another bookstore(in which I did succumb to temptation and buy a couple books!) and more of what I have really left out up til now – the best part of this trip was obviously all the many conversations Robbie and I shared…talking about deep things, talking about our lives, talking about the state of the world(global socioeconomics, Canadian & American politics, etc, etc!), talking about the glories of God and what He has been doing in our lives…and then talking about what all guys end up talking about – girls obviously! – Natasha for him and then any “possibilities” for me…as we do eh? So truly I am grateful for the glorious weekend that we shared. It is obviously fun to explore a new city and it is of course beautiful to hike through gorgeous countryside and it is always good and proper to enjoy so much delicious food when you’re on holiday…but the truest and most treasured part of this trip was the many deep talks Robbie and myself had. Even being able to end a night together reading a Psalm. What is better than that? Not much. So if you’ve read all this(*applauds*), thank you, but most of all I hope you get a sense of my gratitude to my Father God for how He has blessed me so. I am deeply loved.
Peace and love, forever and always.
A Matter of Honour
I may or may not have stayed up slightly too late last night. It was worth it though…reading second Narnia book – Prince Caspian – and so obviously had to finish that! Now though…I’m a bit sleepy and it’s going to be interesting to see how this day goes. (Actually, it’s going to be a pretty interesting week in general…and not the good kind. Alas. God is sovereign, thankfully!) Still, I’m looking forward to enjoying the goodness of the Lord this week. It is well with my soul.
Sons of Scotland
About to head out from Starbucks, but Saturday post is deserved! It’s been a nice morning…got to sleep in a bit, and then as I started drinking my coffee, realised there was a World Cup game on! So got to watch the Argentina/Iceland game, which was a beautiful game and in which Iceland shockingly managed a draw!! Go Iceland!! I really don’t have any other country I’m rooting for…no America…no Scotland…no Ireland…so really I’m just hoping for good games and beautiful football. That’s my sports news of the morning! Later today, going to meet up with Julie – going to be fun to hear all about her recent France trip. And will just be good to see her again, since it’s been so long!! Later this afternoon…going over to meet up with Earnie, then we’ll go downtown to see the Scotland/USA rugby match YES. I am honestly slightly torn who to root for(yes, I am a terrible American). It’s probably good I don’t have a Scotland rugby top or I would probably wear it. So that shall be tonight and I’m psyched. Oh right – and last night was fun too…Erica and Meagan came over and we had a lovely time of dinner – Chinese take-out for the easy Friday night dinner win – and chat and laughing and finally movie watching – yay Jumanji which never ceased to make us laugh…haven’t laughed that much in a while!! – and yeah it was just a very fantastic chill Friday night with friends. My favourite kind. Now I should probably get some errands done and then maybe if I feel like it clean my room a bit. We shall see. I’ve also been meaning to write something for a while – these past few months have been shockingly poor in terms of poetry output!! – but I feel super antsy now(probably the espresso..) and so definitely not staying here in Starbucks any longer to write. Sorry not sorry.
Now I’m off, friends. Have a gorgeous day – delight in the Lord! Peace and love.
Always Summer and Never Christmas
Happy Friday, friends!! It has been a most busy and (at times) stressful week…but it is finally rolling to an end, thanks be to God. This day may yet be relaxing(but it is early yet, so no promises). I’m wearing my Aberdeen football top today in honour of first full day of World Cup games!! Alas for the States being inept and not even qualifying…so I’m not even sure who I’m pulling for? Maybe Iceland. I’m not sure if I can stomach going for England, but we’ll see. Any other news? Not really – my life is honestly not that exciting lately! Tonight Erica and Meagan coming over for a chill dinner/movie night with me and John. Tomorrow going to see Scotland v. USA rugby match, which will be phenomenal!! Been quite a few years since I saw a rugby match…would have been back in Aberdeen!
Now, I shall continue enjoying my peppermint mocha(courtesy of Katie, with whom I had a great catch-up chat earlier this morning!) and rejoice in the beauty of the day. Peace and love, dear friends.
Perseverance of the Saints
Morning, friends!! I shan’t stay long on the computer now…but I sit here at Starbucks after having enjoyed my espresso and I realised that I’m a bit behind in sharing my music mixes! So figured I’d catch up (a little bit – still 2 more after this to record!) and share one I made back before Christmas last year. This morning though…it was simply fantastic to sleep in! Then enjoyed my breakfast of coffee and sausages as I watched the French Open final…Simona Halep of Romania won…very deservedly so and I was quite happy to see her win her first Slam!! Tomorrow won’t be able to watch the men’s final since I’ll be at church….but go Rafa! King of Clay. Shooting for French Open title..11 I think? Ridiculous. My fav men’s tennis player of all time, simply for his determination and craft and fiery passion for the game!!
Now…I did mean to share this music mix did I not?? This mix is a bit weird…reflective of me, of course. I’ve long been wanting to do another dance CD – and I’ve been extremely happy with how this one turned out. It’s actually been in my car music rotation ever since I burned it, which is very much indicative of my love for this music. Is it weird crazy discotheque-esqe music? Absolutely yes. And sometimes…it’s fun to just enjoy the beat of some quality dance tunes, despite the quality(or lack thereof!) of the lyrics!! So don’t take this mix as a thing of pure light and purer beauty….but just for the silly fun club music it is. With these many disclaimers aside….let me present…Club West:
1. A+ Superstar – Basslovers United
2. Gonna Paint the Town – Camera X
3. I’m All Yours – Cruise Controllerz
4. I Wanna Dance with Somebody – The Cube Guys, Barbara Tucker
5. No Cover Song – Deep Spirit feat. Kathy
6. The Promiseland – DJ Gollum feat. DJ Cap
7. We Like to Party – Dj Roxx
8. Lost in the Discotheque – Empyre One
9. 21st Century Digital Girl – Groove Coverage
10. Let Me Be Your Girl – Kompulsor
11. Masterpiece – Manuel Lauren
12. Touch the Stars – RaveBass
13. We Got the Beat – Sonictunez
14. Keys in Tokyo – Stepa K
15. Tonight – Tomtrax & Orca
16. Takin’ Me High – Withard & Juve Presents Sonera
17. Gonna Be So Happy – Megastylez
18. Shooting Stars – Tribune
19. You – Special D.
20. Forever – Sunray & Phillerz
Classic. Let’s dance it up, y’all. Such a fun mix, already have two more playlists similar to it that I’m currently building!!
Now…time to step out into the sunshine and further enjoy the lovingkindnesses of the Lord this day that He has made.
Peace and love, dear friends.
Simply Capital
I’m not much in a writing mood this morning…as really – I am quite sleepy!! But thankfully peppermint mocha is in hand and I’m about to dig into my favourite breakfast taco(from Las Locas Fajitas, with the best green sauce EVAH)…and so I can’t help but be thankful for these small happinesses. Speaking of happiness…had a nice little chat with Penelope at Starbucks today – despite my sleepiness! – and I do so appreciate the fact that I’ve made so many friends there…yes, it’s slightly out of the way, but it’s all worth it for the friends I’ve gained. And so now as I really want to eat my taco and don’t really want to continue writing…I shall cease. With one last adddendum. You may ask why I am so sleepy? Well…stayed up late watching the Stanley Cup Finals….in which finally, finally – the Washington Capitals have won the Cup. !!! Their very first Cup and it is glorious!!! They conquered the Lightning in seven games(tragically) and then speedily dispatched the upstart Vegas Golden Knights in five games…watching the last seconds tick down last night as the players began to celebrate. Oh so fun!!! I’ve rooted for the Caps for many years…ever since I lived in Maryland I guess? And although Tampa is my primary team now(next year must be the Lightning’s year!)…my heart still beats with joy to see my Caps finally hoist the Cup. Well done, Washington. Well done indeed. Light up that capitol dome. (My primary task for this weekend – not really – is to procur a Caps championship shirt!!)
Now no more sports. Taco time. Peace and love.
Shudder Before the Beautiful
About time for dinner, yo! But briefly…as busy as today was, so the last hour has been wonderful. Walked down to EQ as the thunder gently rumbled and the sun shone down upon the earth. Enjoyed a beautiful time of reading on the porch. How wonderful is it to read Owen’s work on the Holy Spirit and be encouraged in learning more about sanctification and my progress toward holiness. It is not constant, nay. But it is certain. Oh how beautiful is it to be reminded of the fact that all that is good in me and of me is from Christ Jesus alone. Nothing good have I. And how wonderful is it to be reminded of the sovereignty of God. When I know not my future or even my present…I can rest in the arms of my Father and be assured that I am loved and that my future is written in the book that matters most. Remember this, my friends – if you know the love of God, nothing else matters. True joy comes from God and naught else. There are many lovely things in this world. But their loveliness is meaningless in the absence of the knowledge of the Creator. I think on that and bow in bliss that this Creator knows my name.
The Greatest Show on Earth
Happy Saturday friends!! I’m enjoying my espresso at Starbucks and listening to a potential-next-CD mix(power-metal themed and it shall be glorious if I do say so myself). Interestingly enough as I was thinking on music-themed subjects earlier this morning, I remembered my old last.fm account…and somehow I was able to log back into it! It used my ancient hotmail account but thankfully(terrifingly) I use passwords that are all related and too easily remembered and so I was able to access account after a few tries and reset my account to use the email that I actually have been using for the past…fourteen years. Anyways! It was fascinating to log into this old music logging site and see the statistics for all my music-listening. I obviously used it the most during college, so my “top charts” all reflect my college music tastes. Somewhat hilarious but unsurprisingly some of my tastes have stayed similar as well. Relient K is in first place by almost a staggeringly shocking one thousand plays. John Williams is second! Muse third, Coldplay fourth. Nightwish shows up at eighth, Green Day at ninth. Switchfoot at 17th! Needtobreathe is way down at 34th! T Swift at 40! My top album makes me happy and it actually still fairly represents me – Handel’s Messiah at 1. Excellent. But my top track? This is most definitely college as it is Violet Hill by Coldplay…with 57 plays!! What was I doing. I mean, it’s a great song, but not quite sure why it’s 1 and not quite sure why it has so many plays. 2 is Brand New Colony by Postal Service. A much more fitting song for 1 spot. Ah well. Clearly if this had been tracking my music consistently throughout the past ten years, things would be different. Still – fun to see a time capsule of college days! Ok, enough of music nerdery.
Not really. I’ve for a while (and I’m sure I’ve mentioned it here before!) been wanting to chronicle a few of my favourite concerts I’ve been to. This is quite a difficult task – even though I’m not a prolific concert-goer – for I’ve been to some truly epic shows and I can’t even imagine ranking them, but…well, I shall try. Firstly, some ground rules and acknowledgments. Firstly, I’m limiting myself to only one concert per artist as otherwise my top five would probably be entirely Needtobreathe and Nightwish. Not quite tragic, but not quite truly representative either. Secondly, confession that these rankings are very much influenced the experience of attending the show itself – i.e., who did I go with? How was the crowd energy? What other special circumstances made the night truly special? Hence…it’s not just about the music!! I’m writing this all from memory(some of these shows are near seven years ago now!!)…so….I’m sure my recollections are partly coloured by the passing of time. No matter.
Before we go into the Top Five, a couple of honourable mentions – first goes to Mumford & Sons show in New Orleans a couple years ago. While I do enjoy their music(not as much as I once did, true), I wasn’t really blown away by hearing them live and so I struggle with inserting them into the Top Five. But I must acknowledge this show because I got to go with Maryanne – and being with her there was very special!! Too bad I didn’t enjoy the show quite as much as some others I’ve been to…but being with her made it all worth it. Second – really enjoyed going to a few Josh Garrels shows(will go to my third one of his next weekend!) and quite love his music…but he just barely doesn’t make the Top Five. Music is just a touch too chill. Alas. Still – his music is aces and I shall hopefully discuss him more at a later date! One more note – I’d love to put lots more pictures in this post, but my picture adding ability is a bit…deficient, shall we say. So I’ll try to add at least a few more now and maybe a few more retroactively down the line. We shall see. And last note (for real!) – I took all the photos shown below with the exception of the one at 3 spot. That is credit Karen Watson!
Now…enough of the disclaimers. Here we go. Let’s count it down, shall we?
5. Snow Patrol
January 30th, 2012 – Aberdeen, Scotland
Snow Patrol!! This one makes the top five(barely) for a number of reasons. First of all, their music is simply gorgeous and is music I still enjoy heartily to this day. It warms my heart and hits that sentimental/nostalgic part of me just spot on. But as for this concert? Well it was in Scotland(actually in Aberdeen!) and I have fond memories of that night for multiple reasons. I went with Beth and Chris and Jo and what a wonderful night it was! Beth and I had been good friends for a while by then so obviously I enjoyed her company. But as for Chris and Jo…while we were friends, I would date the beginning of the deepening of our dear and abiding friendship to this night. It was so much fun enjoying the concert with them – but really thinking about this concert now just reminds me of the oh so sweet friendship I have with Chris and Jo and for that reason I am very grateful I decided to go to this show! Oh right, and the music was pretty good too! They played all my favourites – Set The Fire to the Third Bar, Open Your Eyes, etc. It was pretty fantastic hearing some of my fav songs live. It was a good night.
4. Coldplay
December 3rd, 2011 – Glasgow, Scotland
Another great band, albeit one I haven’t quite kept up with or listened to in quite some time! Actually, I suppose the last album I bought and listed to was Mylo Xyloto, the one that came out right before this tour! Regardless of my changing music tastes, what a night. The energy at this show was astounding and the band was on fire! This was the opener show to their world tour and so the band was hyped up and we were hyped up and the atmosphere that night was simply phenomenal!! From jumping up and down to Charlie Brown to enjoying the beautiful chords of Yellow to singing along to Fix You…I mean, obviously – they did all the favourites and it was just a sublime experience. I went with Rosemary and Beth and Bree(Beth’s sister) and we got there extra early and so actually got pretty sweet spots by the stage(as can be seen in pic above!). Chris Martin was jumping around all night and the energy he exhibited was most definitely contagious!! I was buzzing by the end of the night. What a sweet show. Hm, now I really want to listen to some more Coldplay now. What a night in Glasgow. What a beautiful night.
3. Switchfoot
September 17th, 2016 – Houston, Texas
Oh Switchfoot, how I love thee. Switchfoot is one of those funny bands that I was exposed to way back in 2005-timeframe(if not before?) and while I always thought they were good…well, I didn’t love them per se. But the passing of time has made me wise to the beauty in the lyrics that Foreman writes and the truth that is expounded therein. While not all of their songs are explicity from a Christian perspective, enough of them shed light on the longing we have for our true home, for our true Love that I cannot help but deeply enjoy their songs. And hey, they rock out pretty hard too, right? I’d never seen Switchfoot live before until a couple years ago though. Funnily enough, they and Relient K were doing a joint tour. In years past(back in college!) I would have ranked Relient K far above Switchfoot as a band…but just as my love for Switchfoot has waxed over the years, so has my love for Relient waned. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still a fun band! Just not quite as favourite as they once were. So Relient K and Switchfoot both played this night, but obviously it was Switchfoot whose songs I most adored. I went with a bunch of people from church(Peter, Dustin, Karen, et. al…) and we got some pretty sweet spots up near the stage. Friends commented later that they were surprised that I seemed to know every word to every song!!! I used my crowd-fu to manuever extra close…and so while I don’t think you can see it in the above picture, when Jon was crowd-surfing, I had my hand on his back, holding him up!! (Yes, he was quite sweaty) Speaking of Foreman, he was a man on fire that night – he had so much energy!! Jumping around, singing with passion, singing with soul. If I didn’t already respect him enough for his lyrics and musical craftsmanship, seeing his passion on display that night made me love him all the more. What a man of God. And my very favourite moment of this concert(and possibly my favourite moment of any concert, ever) was near the end. They hadn’t yet played my very favourite song – Where I Belong – but then they announced they were playing their last song and then the chords of that song sounded and I was oh so happy and we started singing all together(“…this body’s not my home, this world is not my own…”) and those words near the end that bring an ache to my heart and tears to my eyes – “…and when I reach the other side, I want to look You in the eye and know that I’ve arrived, in a world where I belong” – all of us singing together I couldn’t help but look up to the heavens and praise my Father God to whom all glory is due. Oh what a song. And so as my heart melted in worship, I lifted my arms and pointed them up in worship to the One who knows my name. And the song finished and I left my fingers pointed up in worship and recognition of my God. And as the band walked off the stage to adulation…I saw Jon Foreman walk off, his two hands pointing up to the heavens. What a moment. What a concert. What a night.
2. Needtobreathe
September 23rd, 2017 – Houston, Texas
So somehow I don’t have any photos of this night. Hm. Alas! Actually…of the three times I’ve seen Needtobreathe live, I don’t think I have ANY photos!! Oh well, no matter! Now, Needtobreathe. Number 2. Surely this was the most difficult for me to figure out which concert to choose for this spot. As I said previously, if I had just put all my top shows on this list regardless of repeat artist…Needtobreathe would hold 2 of those top 5 spots, if not 3. They are an absolutely incredible live band. I listen to their studio albums…and they’re good, but definitely take me a while to warm up to. For some reason, their musical craftsmanship doesn’t come across quite as well on the albums…and their sweet rock skills definitely do not translate. But live? Wow, they blow me away. Every. Single. Time. That’s actually how I first discovered them – a few friends invited me to a show of theirs back in 2010. I’d never heard of them, but said yes and went. Why not, right? Well – I knew none of their songs. But…the show was magnificent! Dancing to Girl Named Tennessee and hearing acoustic un-amped Washed By The Water that night? Mindblowing. Honestly, I almost put that 2010 show here purely because of that moment of them pulling out their acoustics and telling us all to huddle in and be quiet before they started Washed by the Water…and me hearing that song for the first time that night and falling in love. But no. I decided also not to put the second show I went to with Daniel back in…2015 I think? Mainly because while the show was magnificent and they were magnificent…this most recent show I went to was even better. This was less than a year ago and honestly I wasn’t even going to go, even though I’d heard they were coming. I’ve already seen them live twice, right? But a few weeks before, Lea texted me and asked if I wanted to go. I was the one that introduced Lea to them, so was quite proud of her! I decided, sure why not. Let’s go. So me and her went…and for once, since it was a last minute decision, I didn’t get GA tickets. Instead we got actual seats way up(shocking!). But it wasn’t that bad once the music started!! Their most recent album – H A R D L O V E – had just come out and it was a phenomenal rocking album. Full of great dance songs and sweet guitar licks and even a little sax at one point! So this show had tons of songs from that album and even though sometimes when a band plays all their newest album songs at a show and you’re annoyed because you want to hear the old ones…well in this case, the new ones were so good, I was super excited every time they started playing one!! The whole crowd was on our feet, dancing and enjoying the show! Thankfully everyone was rocking out, so Lea didn’t have to be too embarrassed by my dancing and singing!! This show was just. So. Fun. I love a good dance party, and this concert was it. Great songs, great musical craftsmanship. Again, live Needtobreathe is an incredible experience…if you’ve just heard them on the radio, trust me – doesn’t do them justice. And actually my favourite CD of theirs to listen to is their Live From the Woods album, a live show they did in Nashville. If you’ve heard other bands’ “live” CDs before, usually they’re not that good, right? You might listen just for the sake of it, but they aren’t as good as studio. This live album is best I’ve ever heard. It’s my favourite way to listen to Needtobreathe now and if they ever put out another live album, you better believe I’ll buy it. Too many words in this paragraph…but again, going to see Needtobreathe with Lea and having a rocking dance party to their incredible music? Quality evening. ‘nough said.
1. Nightwish
May 8th, 2015 – Orlando, Florida
Number One spot – Nightwish. Could it be any other? Truly? Part of the reason Nightwish is number one is purely because of musical style/genre. I mean, sure it’s great to go see an acoustic show live. I’ve seen Andrew Peterson live a few times and it’s great and I love him, absolutely. But…there’s something a little more visceral and a little more emotional and a little more awesome about seeing a metal band in concert. And Nightwish – symphonic metal band extraordinaire – knows how to put on a show. Not my favourite band(but they’re up there!!), but in terms of live performance, they’re the best I’ve ever seen. For Nightwish, I had a couple shows to choose from. I could go with my first time seeing them live – Glasgow back in 2012 with Jackie! – but there’s no way I’d choose that show. As magnificent as it was…Orlando show is and always will be first. Why you may ask? Well, it was a very special night at a very special show with a very special girl. Me and my dear baby sister Laura got to see Nightwish together and it is my very favourite show I have ever been to. I must take partial credit(and blame??) for introducing Laura to Nightwish back in the day…and so she has fallen in love with them almost as much as I have. And so that’s why I chose photo I did to intro this. (Also because I got no decent shot of band in concert since I was just enjoying the show!!) Anyways…for me and Laura…Nightwish’s gorgeous songs, full of power and emotion and beauty and love…have enthralled both our hearts and so for both of us to together get to see Nightwish perform live…perfection. And what a show!! The openers(Delain and Sabaton) were both pretty decent themselves, but Nightwish. Nightwish rules all. We drove up from Tampa earlier that afternoon(listening to their newest album Endless Forms Most Beautiful in preparation!) and I made sure to leave extra early because I wanted to get as close to the stage as we could(Laura’s first metal experience and I wanted it to be an epic one!!). We sat in line for a few hours, but it was fine because the weather was gorgeous and we took silly pictures and talked about our favourite albums to the hardcore fans we were chilling with…and then finally we saw the band walk past us!!….and then soon enough we got to rush into the venue and took our spots. Center stage, pretty much at the front. I got Laura to about second row so she could see properly and I stood behind her to protect her(and because I could see over her head!) and guard our spots. And once Nightwish took the stage…we were rocking out all night long! From the first song(believe it was Shudder Before the Beautiful) to the last, it was a gorgeous night of metal and beauty and song!! And getting to see them with Laura…well…no words. They played so many of our favourite songs…Sleeping Sun, Ghost Love Score, Alpenglow, Shudder Before the Beautiful…Poet and the Pendulum!! I also somehow managed to catch Marco’s pick when he threw it out, so that was pretty cool too, y’know. And being mere feet from the epic awesomeness that is Nightwish…Tuomas and Marco and Floor and Emppu…and witnessing their musical prowess as we sung and rocked out…yeah. Again. Epic. I’ve talked of Nightwish before here, I know – so won’t belabour their greatness anymore. Once again though – being with Laura at a live Nightwish concert…one of my favourite ever memories. God is good in granting me this precious gift. So is there any question this is my number one show? What. A. Night.
