I Love The Night, Flying Over These City Lights

Happy black Friday everyone. I still don't see how you could eat so much the night before and get up super early in the morning to shop. Shopping is already the most annoying thing to do on the planet but then to have to do it in the morning? No thanks. I've done it once and it was a god awful experience. No discount is better than me sleeping. The fact it gets completely dark by 5:30pm is pretty depressing. I hate fixed do. It's a lot more challenging than I anticipated and it's been really screwing with me. But time is key. I made a decision the other day that I simply can not do the Brouwer Sonata next semester. The piece is so beastly and to have to learn it, perfect it, and understand that music within a semester is simply asking too much of me. So I'm pushing it back to the summer and am going to learn Brouwers arrangement of La Muerte Del Angel by Astor Piazzolla like I had originally planned. I don't see it as being a wuss or anything. I have tons of challenging pieces that aren't even close to being perfected. So I can't just go nuts learning super hard pieces. I'm no superman...

So with money being tight, I was in a heavy debate whether or not I should see Thrice and Polar Bear Club for $20. After looking at how much money I have spent/have left and talking to my mommy about it, I decided it was ok, financially, to go. It was at the Regency Ballroom which is a HUGE venue. I pay for my ticket and can already here Polar Bear Club playing. All I can think is "I'm gunna run through those doors and just run for the pit." And so I get my ticket, burst through the double doors, and immediately stop in my tracks. A) because the venue was fucking huge and B) because it was like I walked into a room full of zombies. NO ONE was moving. I made my way up close and pissed off a bunch of people in the process. I don't get why people get pissy if they are just standing around. I saw so many guys right behind their girlfriends getting pissed if anyone came near them which is probably my biggest pet peeve at shows. If your clingy girlfriend can't hack getting hit at shows, then don't bring her. No one was moving. I heard comments like "ugh, this sucks. It's so loud." It was kind of a reminder of how not really popular Polar Bear Club is and how not only fans of punk rock enjoy Thrice. The next band, Dear Hunter came on and my jaw dropped because of how bad they were. I looked around and people were actually enjoying it. I looked up to the upper deck on the venue and people were SITTING. Fucking mothers and fathers were sitting/waiting for the show to end cause they had kids attending. I heard comments like "DUDE THIS IS SO EPIC" "MAN THEY ARE AMAZING!" I hated the feeling. I have never felt so out of place. Thrice was setting up and I heard so many "I'm guna yell Deadbolt!" "DUDE WHAT IF THEY PLAY T&C?!" "What's that album before artist??" comments that made me want to throw up. Really, San Francisco? Are you kids really this lame at shows?

This was the first time seeing Thrice alone. So I had no one to talk to about how stoked I was which was kinda shitty. But fuck, once they got on stage my heart started racing with excitement. Teppei wasn't there though. Which was a true disappointment because he is the heart of the band. But the guitarist from Dear Hunter filled in well. The set was going so smoothly. A very nice mix of Artist, Vheissu, Alchemy and Beggars. Of course, they played Deadbolt and the crowd went fucking nuts. The pits were outstanding. I got tossed around like a rag doll just as I usually do. Being in a pit is such an intense experience. Everything moves so fast. In the matter of 3 seconds, you get hit in from so many different angles. They got to their slower part of the set and I saw this couple singing Beggars, the song, to each other. I mean, I hate to sound like a wuss or something, but I WANT THAT SO BAD. I want to have a girlfriend I can sing my favorite songs with too! That would rule! But then that would involve getting a girlfriend and that wouldn't rule. So Beggars is playing and of course I'm super into it. I was super stoked they were playing it because it's such a great song. I'm obviously loving it as they are playing, but when they got to the outro, I think my life changed. And I know if my brother Randy is reading this, he'll say I'm stupid for loving a band this much, but I take music into such high regard. Anyway, in the album version, it's just an isntrumental outro. But live, Dustin was screaming his lungs out and it just floored me. I was in shock as to what I was witnessing. It was hands down the most intense experience I've ever had while being at a show. Nearly brought me to tears. No words can describe as lame as that sounds. But wow, I was just absolutely mind blown. The rest of the show after that was almost pointless because there was no way they'd top Beggars. Again, I'm not over-exaggerating, but that was one of the most intense/emotional/SPIRITUAL experience I've have EVER had at a show. The song went like this

Thrice-Beggars

Tell me what can you claim? Not a thing - not your name!
Tell me if you can recall just one thing,
That’s not a gift in this life?