Monster Ballads and the Stations of the Cross

As expected, the Josh Ritter concert was nothing less than phenominal.
It was my first time attending a folk/rock concert in a church.  The McDougall United Church was a lovely venue, but the next time I go see a show in a church I'm bringing a pillow for my bum (which was numb after about 30 minutes).  He played 99% of the songs that I was wanting to hear, which is always a nice thing. Highlights for me included: Monster Ballads, The Temptation of Adam, Harrisburg, and Other Side.

One thing that always seems to make Josh's shows stand out from other live acts is how incredibly gracious he is to his band, and how grateful he is to the crowd for attending.  He's continually saying thank you, and pointing out band members to ensure that they're applauded as well (with good reason as they're amazing musicians).  At the end of the show, which was a solid 2 hours with no breaks, he put his arms around his band-mates and they bowed.  I haven't seen that in a long long time. 

Also delightful is just how random the show actually is.  During "Wolves" he got down on his knees and started baying at the moon ... during another song, he insisted that everyone in the church stand and slow dance with the person next to them (boy or girl, it all works) for 30 seconds.  It's so random and amusing.  He danced with his guitar, goofy, silly and amazingly amusing fun.

He left with promises of returning in the summer ... I'm guessing that means the Folk Festival ... I'm hoping he plays both Edmonton and Calgary, so I can go to both!

DDDY Challenge Update:

I am still on plan!  Coming in very close to 1200 calories a day.  Drinking a minimum of 2L of water a day... though now that I'm consistently drinking 2L I've found that it's not always enough, and am getting closer to 3L a day. 

I'm nervous about tomorrow's weigh in, I had a spike in my weight today, but I'm 99% sure it's due to some extra sodium yesterday.  Let's hope it just falls off again.

"It's nice to start the day with a nature video.  It makes things seem really good no matter how bad things are.  At least you're not a gazelle ... those guys have it rough."
            -Josh Ritter

K-I-C-K-A-S-S

Last night was a treat. It's been a long time since I've seen a concert in the Jubilee Auditorium, and it is as great a venue as I remember. What I especially like about the Jubilee is the announcement of how long the wait is until the show is starting. Excellent.

It's been years since Matthew Good has toured with a band, and my anticipation level was at an all time high. Don't get me wrong, I loved the acoustic tours, but there's something truly spectacular about watching Matthew Good perform with a band.

As the lights dimmed and the first chords of Champions of Nothing were played a huge grin spread across my face... then in true concert spirit, he forgot the lyrics. One of the great moments of the night was the ending of A Single Explosion, which I found to be incredibly delightful.

A personal favorite, Avalanche, was played, but it didn't seem as tightly played as the last time I saw it in full band. Odette and Giant were really wonderful to see played again. And to my extreme joy, Girl In the War was played last. It was a great cover and truth be told, I shed a couple tears during it.

After the show I finally completed my collection of autographs getting In A Coma, White Light Digipack signed, courtesy of Gina. And I got Lo-Fi B-Sides and Loser Anthems signed. Yay! Maybe I'll take a picture.

Overall, a very memorable Matthew Good Rockgasm.

★ ★ ★

On another note, I spent the whole morning in a medi-clinic. After spending 4 months of this year with pink eye, after seeing a specialist to finally get rid of it, one month later it's back. And it's worse than ever. I took along the drops the specialist gave me and requested a refill, which resulted in the doctor telling me that he didn't think I had pink eye. But I had spent a long time in that sitting room and I was pissed off. Four months my eyes looked exactly like this, yes it is pink eye.

In the end I got my drops and am looking forward to white eyes on the horizon.

What My Dreams Are Made Up Of

Just like the image says, "The iPhone You've Been Waiting For". Yes, Yes I have been waiting, and waiting and waiting. And now with less than a month to go my heart is starting to swell with anticipatory joy.

Oh Apple, you are my drug addiction. Once you start you just cannot stop. iPod, MacBook Pro, new iPod.... iPhone! Huzzah!

It's possible my now unstoppable drool response is also due to the upcoming concert season. Oh summer, you have not failed me this year. Except for the sunburns I have already acquired; I'm not so happy about that.