4 concerts in 4 weeks

Tall Dark and Nerdy just got home from a five week trip, so I had a LOT of time on my hands for the last 5 weeks.  I stumbled into several wonderful opportunities with friends to see fantastic live music and made it to 4 concerts in 4 weeks!

Week 1 Jen invited me to see Metric with her and a roommate in Oakland at the Fox Theater.  I am not a Metric super-fan by any means, but had so much fun at the show.  And who doesn't like a female lead singer killing it on stage?

They ended the show in a really fun and unexpected way for an electronic band - the lead singer and guitarist sang an acoustic version of a song and the rest of the band joined them onstage for the last chorus.  The whole audience was singing and clapping along and totally present.  Super cool.


Concert number two was a totally different type of show.  I drug my roommate MB with me to a tiny music venue in San Francisco that neither of us had been to before to hear an artist I have followed for years, thanks to the TV show "One Tree Hill."  The character Grubbs on the show is played by Michael Grubbs, who goes by the band name Wakey! Wakey!  I was so excited to finally see him live!  We got a table reservation at Café du Nord (the venue) and made an evening of it.

 This was the view from our table.  We had the front table, right in front of the stage on the side with the piano.  There were a few rows of chairs lined up next to us, making for a very intimate show.

Most of the show was just this guy playing the piano and singing with everything he has.  And telling jokes and stories.  So many stories.  For a while there, I wasn't sure if I was at a concert or a comedy show.  I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.

The opener was less than impressive - actually, she was bad - so MB was worried that I had drug her out to a show that was going to be painful to sit through.  She had me worried for a second, too, but as soon as Grubbs took the stage and played the first few notes, messed it up, laughed it off, started again and sang his first song, we both knew we were in for a fantastic night.

In the middle of the set, he played a few songs on guitar.  As he grabbed his guitar and moved to the center of the stage, he told us that he got this really cool guitar with a jack in the back that makes it work through the sound system...but, unfortunately, it was broken.  Then he said "luckily, my career is going in such a way that there aren't that many people here tonight," so he told the sound guy to take a break.  He sat on a stool at the front of the stage with just an acoustic guitar and his voice and sang a few songs totally unplugged, including "Dance So Good," one of my favorites.

I will definitely see him any time he comes to town, and will try to get as many of my friends who appreciate good music to learn to love his music and performance as much as I do!

Number three was yet another totally different type of show.  This time Margo and I saw Jon Pardi at The Rodeo Club.  Jon is an up-and-coming country singer who has written songs performed by several popular artists, and now has his second single on the radio.  He was the first opener when I saw Justin Moore on his arena tour back home in South Dakota about a month and a half ago, and thought his music was fun.  When Margo invited me to see him in his own show - granted, at a MUCH smaller venue - I couldn't resist!  He has a little bit of a rockabilly feel, which was a lot of fun.  We also got to meet him before the show, and that boy is tall!

We also just about fell over laughing when, midway through the set, his drummer made a crazy facial expression that reminded me of my friend Brian.  I told her, she realized how uncanny the resemblance was, and we both about died.  We tried so hard to get a good picture of him, but stage lighting is never right for getting pictures of drummers, so we tried repeatedly - and he noticed...and laughed at us...a lot.

Week 4 had another concert with Jen in San Francisco at another intimate venue, Slim's.  I had been to a show here three years ago and had a great experience.  This time we were seeing Sara Bareilles, and the show was SOLD OUT.  Our spot was not ideal for, you know, being able to see, but it was fun to be in a place with so many people so excited to see a girl and her piano.

 This girl has some pipes.  What a fantastic performer, too!  She is a very talented songwriter, singer, pianist, performer, etc.  I had no idea what to expect from this show, but I was absolutely blown away by how incredible she is.

I was supposed to see a fifth show the day TDN was scheduled to be arriving home, but he got home a day early, and after my morning at TEDx Santa Clara, I couldn't resist cuddles and a nap with my boo.