Remembering the Encores

A couple of weeks ago, I met Barb for happy hour at Just Vino.  We made our way to Epic and then to everyone's new favorite Elmwood bar, Vera Pizzaria (where cocktails are made like cocktails should be made and the bartenders all wear mustaches and little vests and you feel like you're being served by Mumford and Sons; it is truly an amazing place).  We were several cocktails (and in my case, several new friends) in when the song 'Bleed American' came on.  I was super pumped - that album rocked my world pretty consistently my sophomore year of college.  Then came 'A Praise Chorus' and I kind of lost my mind because, "OHMYGOODNESS, THEY'RE GOING TO PLAY THIS WHOLE ALBUM!!!"  By the time 'Sweetness' rolled around, I was excited beyond belief and unsuccessfully trying to keep my dance party in check.  I commended the bartender on the excellent music selection, dug out my Jimmy Eat World CD the next day, and having been rocking out it to ...

Who: Indigo Girls When: March 3, 2002 Where: Center for the Arts/ Buffalo, NY With: Ben Of Note: the closer I am to fine One of the great things about going to UB was that you could get inexpensive tickets to shows at the Center for the Arts. I saw a bunch of shows I probably would not have as a result. The Indigo girls was one such show. Spring of sophomore year of undergrad, Ben and I were no longer dating, but not one hundred percent platonic. A clean break probably would have been healthier, but I was bent on being friends. That worked out better some times than others. In any event, Ben had asked me to go see the Indigo Girls with him and, since it was under $10 and I almost never say no to a show, I accepted his invitation. It was a couple of days after my 20th birthday, the party for which had been epic. (If you'll recall, that was the birthday party where Mike D. told me that because it was my birthday, I had to drink the Jack from the bottle...down ...

Definitely worth the wait; this song is so, so beautiful. 

Who: Jason Mraz with B.o.B. and Bruno Mars When: September 15, 2010 Where: University at Buffalo's Baird Point/ Buffalo, NY With: Becky Of Note: holy crap, I am so old Jason Mraz makes up the third arm of the "cute boys with guitars" genre of music that is a rite of passage for all college girls (John Mayer and Dave Matthews being the other two). The first time I heard 'The Remedy', I thought to myself, "No sir, I will not worry my life away!" I was hooked. I'm even a big fan of the largely critically panned 'Mr A-Z'. The song 'Wordplay' was my ringtone for a long time. Anyway, Jason Mraz was coming to UB's FallFest and, though I was clearly not a student anymore, I decided I needed to go. After all, tickets were only $20. It was a gorgeous night in September; there was just a touch of bite in the air and things were just starting to smell crisp, like leaves and apple cider. It was a great night for an outdoor sh...

Who: Vanessa Carlton with Anna Nalick and Ferras When: June 25, 2008 Where: Erie County Botanical Gardens/ Buffalo, NY With: Zak Of Note: Vanessa saves us from the apocalypse; I fall in love Warning: This is pretty long. When I was a sophomore in undergrad, there was a magical Saturday in the spring when, despite the fact that it had been cold and miserable for months, it was a beautiful, 65 degree day. So excited to get out of the dorms, we spent the whole day outside, frolicking on the lawn outside Governor's and just enjoying the beautiful weather. I was bummed when I had to go to work, but was refreshed from the great day outside. I headed to Shoe Hell in khakis, a long sleeved shirt and sandals. A scant six hours later, all hell broke loose. I was trying to close up the store, but security guards came through and said that there was now a safety issue and we needed to evacuate immediately. I learned later that lightening hit some sort of box and there wa...