my "ability" is apparently causing my heroes to take awful pictures

Last night did not disappoint.

I'll write a full entry tomorrow, but I'll say it now that Kevin Devine and Jesse Lacey are two of the most brilliant song writers and lyricists alive and if I had the money and the ability to do it, I would not go back to work on Monday and I'd just follow them around the U.S. on the rest of their tour, and then to Europe and then to everywhere, because they are that freaking good and . . . just wow.

I only wish that this picture of Kevin Devine was just a little bit better . . . I'm starting to think it's just me. Between this picture of the two of us from last night and the 2005 "John Nolan the Pirate" picture from Hofstra, I am really convinced that I do have some sort of super power or "ability" (depending on which show I'm more obsessed with at the moment, Heroes or The 4400 - right now the nod goes to The 4400 but I am so totally digressing) and that ability is to cause my heroes to look awful in pictures. At least John got one eye open. (See Exhibit "B"). Maybe it's a good thing I didn't get to meet Jesse Lacey last night. At least he can remain photogenic a little longer.

Full Jesse Lacey / Kevin Devine / Grace Read at Valentines update coming in a few days; for now it's bed, MPRE review course tomorrow, and then Guster @ The Starland Ballroom tomorrow night. The concert calendar has (absurdly enough) become even more full for the rest of the summer:

July 29 - Guster @ the Starland Ballroom
August 1 - They Might Be Giants @ Bowery (if Craig can get tickets)
August 3- O.A.R. / Stephen Kellogg / Augustana @ Jones Beach
August 4 - Warped Tour
August 14 - Kevin Devine's concert cruise thingamajig
August 19 - Live/Collective Soul @ Brookhaven Amphitheater (possibly going to have to cancel this one . . . we'll see)

At least I'm not bored, right?

my favorite band is cooler than yours

I woke up this morning and saw that I had this e-mail in my inbox. Once I got over the initial confusion thinking that it was from Shauna and wondering what she was referencing in that little "e-mail preview" that I get in my inbox, I became so much more excited. (Not that I don't LOVE getting e-mails from Shauna . . . but c'mon . . . Shaun Cooper!)

Hey Kerri,

That's funny about you and your roomate getting mail from the Visitors Bureau in college. I actually hate getting mail, especially because my box just gets filled with bills and stupid supermarket circulars while I'm out on tour. Total bummer! I do enjoy getting mail from friends, and I especially love it when I buy stuff online and get that too. LIke Christmas or something ya know?!

My girlfriend is actually doing post grad at Hofstra as well. She finishes up this fall semester with her masters in teaching. She likes the classes well enough but since she has to go to school at nights she gets frustrated with some of the older slower people in the class. Seems like those old dogs don't like learning new tricks. Do you ever have to deal with that kind of thing?

I remember that show with Rooney well. If memory serves correctly it was the first show of that tour. I'm glad you were there at that show and we won you over. That's awesome to hear. It is so rewarding and flattering to know that we can effect people on some kind of emotional level. I remember the bands that helped me through hard times. I never really imagined I would ever be in a band that could effect people in that way.

Anyway, I hope we do well at Nassau Coliseum. I just worry we won't be able to top the show we played at Irving last month. That crowd reaction was just off the hook. Such a terrific time. Fingers crossed though, I have hope.

Thanks for the tips on TV and that website. I'll look into both.

See you in a couple weeks at Nassau for Warped!

-Shaun

i speak to you through this radio

This was supposed to be the less exciting musical weekend in July, but as it turned out, the shows I saw on Saturday night and last night were two of the best I've seen.

First up, Saturday Night - Travis @ "The Fillmore" (I like saying that better than Irving Plaza)

The show started when the house lights went down and the 20th Century Fox music started playing. The the Rocky theme came on and a spot light hit the rear right corner of the venue. The band came walking out from the back of the room to enter the stage and it was probably the best entrance I'd ever seen a band do. And I've been to a lot of concerts. A lot. Mary did a half high five/hand shake with Fran Healy and I think it filled that void in her heart that had formed the day we found out John Nolan got married. (I don't think that really affected Mary nearly as much as it affected me, but I digress).

I remembered from when I saw them with Mary six years ago that Travis basically defines "feel good music". It was impossible to not keep smiling through the whole show. I've never been to a concert where there was literally an encore - despite opening with "Selfish Jean", the band came out after a minute or two offstage, played an awesome acoustic version of "Flowers in the Window" with the five of them gathered around Fran and his guitar

(I took this picture from this guy's blog. I found it during a google search for the set list - wanted to give credit where credit's due!)

and then they brought out Demetri Martin and did "Selfish Jean" again! where he re-enacted this video:

So great. They ended with "Why Does It Always Rain On Me" and Fran made the whole crowd pogo and I swear as Mary and I walked back to Penn Station afterwards, my legs hurt, I really felt like I'd gotten a work out. I was all depressed that I was going to Dispatch the next night and that I wouldn't get to go with Mary to the second Travis show until . . .

holy crap, Dispatch last night was honestly one of the best concerts I've ever been to. Ever. Easily top five. Probably top three. I'm too lazy to stop and think about it and to scan through that list up there right now to figure out what the best ones were. (Note to self: future blog topic.)

Seriously, I can't even fathom the fact that Chad Urmston played hockey for NYU a few years before I was there and that his band sold out MSG three nights in a row. Liz KNOWS him. We invite him to the frickin alumni game every year! Ha!

Craig and I were a little concerned about the crowd when we first got there (young and wasted) but it was a great time. It's been a while since I last listened to Dispatch regularly but I forgot how many truly amazingly brilliant songs they have. And they just kept pulling them out. An hour went by. Two hours went by. Two and a half hours went by. When 11:10 came around and they hadn't even left the stage pre-encore yet, I almost cried realizing that I'd have to get the 11:17 or be stuck waiting around until 1:04 (and have to be at work at 8 this morning). I took off, making Craig stay so he could call me when they played "Out Loud" and "The General" (I will never forgive myself for leaving before hearing two of my three favorite Dispatch songs performed live, probably for the last time ever, but I would not have made it to work this morning if I hadn't, and taking off for the Jesse Lacey/Kevin Devine show, the MPRE, and Kate's wedding all sadly had to take precedence) and they went on to play for another forty minutes. 27 songs in all, three and a half hours:

1. Here We Go
2. Open Up
3. Bang Bang
4. Riddle
5. Ride a Tear
6. Lightning
7. Mission
8. Prince of Spades
9. Carnival
10. Cover This
11. Passerby
12. Fallin'
13. Bridges
14. Steeples
15. Walk With You
16. Flying Horses
17. Time Served
18. Even
    
19. Mayday
20. Past the Falls
21. Customs
22. Elias
23. Two Coins
24. Cut It Match It
25. Bats in the Belfry
26. Out Loud
27. The General

Music is simply the greatest thing ever. Ever.

In completely unrelated news, I got a library card today. I feel good about life.

oh my god, i can't wait until july 27

seriously.