The Pop Culture Addict’s Blog

I’ve been going to concerts here, there and everywhere, “coast to coast, LA to Chicago… across the north and south, to Key Largo.” Well, maybe I didn’t make it to Key Largo this year but I feel very satisfied in my efforts to attend outdoor summer shows. I don’t have too many mosquito bites to show for it. It’s all about citronella. I also have to share my excitement about seeing Keane in concert next month. I’ll consider it an end of summer event even though it will be September.

I just watched the Beastie Boys concert film Awesome I … Shot That. It was really energizing. I wasn’t sure if I’d like it but I really enjoyed it from beginning to end. It is a true love letter to the fans. I liked the extra featuring fans from around the world.

I must say it is taking me forever to finish this post. I keep starting to write and then having to run off to another concert before finishing a thought. Let me say that I’ve surprised even myself with the music I’ve heard live this summer – everything from jazz (at the Fillmore fest and also the New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band), country (Willie Nelson), classical (Midori, Gil Shaham) and all sorts of rock and pop (old school and new school). And remember I saw Rufus Wainwright performing Judy Garland classics so I think that would fall under chanteur/chanteuse cabaret (maybe I just made up this category but you know what I mean).

I went to an interesting (and free) event at Barnes and Noble last month featuring the adorably adorable Sondre Lerche. You can listen to the entire recording of the event at the Barnes and Noble site. It was a joint interview/performance/reading hosted by journalist Katherine Lanpher featuring Sondre Lerche, promoting Duper Sessions, and author Gary Shteyngart promoting Absurdistan. I went really early to save decent seats for me and my fellow PCA. There were already many people there. Then at one point, they asked everyone to give up seats if their friends weren’t there yet because it was standing room only. So it was a totally packed event. I tried to catch the songs on video but the results were embarrassingly horrendous. So I converted them to mp3s instead which I am happy to share with anyone interested. See the links below:

Open the link, scroll down and select free download.

[Edit 3/09: Wanted to share these links and found they had expired so deleting old links and adding latest Rapidshare links.]

1. Everyone’s Rooting for You

2. Minor Detail

3. (I Wanna) Call It Love

If you just want to listen to the mp3s, you can click below:

Everyone’s Rooting For You

Minor Detail

(I Wanna) Call It Love

That same week on 7/21/06, I went to the Jason Mraz show at Irving Plaza. He was all by his lonesome, no back up musicians in sight. It was packed. The line to get in wrapped around the block. We were hoping to nab barstools but in the end we stood up on the bleachers. The sound was excellent and the view was decent. There were video monitors on the sides as well although at times the footage was a tad on the overly produced, schmaltzy side. Still, everyone felt like they were in a living room with Jason Mraz singing and playing his little heart out. He opened up with a song I didn’t know and just kept playing and playing. He kept doing these 3, 4 song marathons without breaking in between. He barely spoke but when he did, it was to say, “Let’s get together like this every year!” It was really cool.

I noticed too late that Foo Fighters are in town this month. It is sold out. But I’m too excited about seeing Keane next month to mind. When I saw Willie Nelson, John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival performed too. When he came onstage, he said,”I remember you guys from Woodstock,” and a large part of the audience responded, “Whoo! Woodstock!” It made me wonder if in 30 years or so, when was Woodstock…1969, so in 37 years or so, I’ll be at a Keane, Jason Mraz or Sondre Lerche show reuniting with fellow fans and reliving my youth. Probably!

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