Who: The Goo Goo Dolls, Matchbox Twenty
When: July 23, 2013
Where: Sleep Train Pavilion/ Concord, CA
With: A Pavilion full of old people gone wild
Of Note: You don't cry at concerts? Just me?
Someday I will stop talking about being homesick. Today is not that day.
So, the Goo Goo Dolls are a BIG DEAL in Buffalo. Seeing them in Buffalo is like seeing the Beatles or something, people go crazy and that's part of the fun. When I got tickets to see them in California, I figured it would be like having a little piece of home in California. I was wrong.
First, though the show was billed co-headlining, it seemed a lot more like the Goos opened. Which, what on earth? They don't open for people! And, as such, they started playing before sundown, which, again, what the heck? Then, there was the crowd. I'm not sure if it was because the show was way out in Concord or because these are big 90s bands or what, but the crowd was really old. This gave me a mild panic attack - am I that old? (I decided I was not and blamed it on being way out in the 'burbs. I can only handle so many freak outs in one night, you know?) (Though, during the set, Johnny said that 'Name' came out 17 years ago which made me feel ancient. So.) Anyway, their set was weird. And I was so thrown off that the crowd wasn't into it. Like, these guys are a big deal? What are you doing? Stand up! Sing along! What's going on?!
The set itself was what you would expect - old favorites, new material. There was a block of Robbie songs in the middle that went on a bit too long and dragged what little energy there was down, which was unfortunate. And then there were the songs that made me cry - 'Better Days' and 'Stay With Me' caused there to be a little bit of dust in my eye. And then I went into one of those crazy thought spirals that doesn't end anywhere good, trying to draw a parallel between the crowd's lackluster reception to the Goos and my inability to make friends. Do I not fit in here like they don't fit in here? Is California just not welcoming? Was I always going to feel as lost and alone as I had since moving? And then, they closed with 'Broadway' and I kind of lost it. And cried. At a concert. Like a crazy person.
('Broadway' is another one of those songs that can take me to a couple different places. It's freshman year of college and weird Ken that we made friends with is singing it while sitting in my dorm room and his voice is amazing. It's post-MBA happy hour during grad school and we're walking past the intersection and a couple of us burst into song. It's the summer before my senior year of high school and I'm listening to 'Dizzy Up the Girl' on repeat.)
Anyway, seeing a band that has such a very special place in my heart play to such a lukewarm crowd didn't really bring a piece of BUF to California. It really just made me feel more like a fish out of water. Also, did I mention I cried like a legitimate psycho? Because I did.
And then, just when I thought hope was lost, Matchbox Twenty came on stage and rocked my face off. I am as surprised as you are.
So, I knew I liked I Rob Thomas. His solo album is one that I played on repeat way too much, at first fueled by my love of 'This is How a Heart Breaks' but then as a result of a deep appreciation for each and every song. Plus, I really like his voice. But here's the thing; going to this concert, if pressed, I probably could have named four or five Matchbox Twenty songs. However, during the concert, I found that I knew every word to every song they played. What? How? I don't...? It seems that Matchbox Twenty has had a whole lot more singles than I realized, each of which have gotten enough airtime that I knew them entirely. It was insane. And all the songs were so good! And the guitar player had an amazing pompadour! And Rob Thomas did this weird thing where he made a crazy eye face when singing that should have been creepy but mostly wasn't. And Rob Thomas also had some moves that were a perfect hybrid of rock star swagger with dorky dad at a wedding dancing, which, again, was amazing. The staging was cool; the music was awesome. Thomas was a charismatic, energetic front-man with a voice of liquid gold. And that set did everything live music is supposed to: it took away all my bullshit and for an hour and a half I was better than okay.
Some highlights of their set included 'Push', mostly because the crowd went insane. Before '3am', there was a huge clock on the screen that ticked down the "time" which I thought was clever. 'How Far We've Come' is a song that I have always loved and it was pretty spectacular live - all high energy and bopping around. They closed with 'Bright Lights' which is another song that I adore so very much. Seriously, it's one of the prettiest, most yearning songs - all exposed piano and intense emotion and a burning desire to know "when all your love is gone, who's going to save me?" It was gorgeous.
It's maybe also worth noting that Matchbox Twenty got the reception from the crowd that I was expecting for the Goos. People were super into it! It was fun to see everyone stand up and sing along and be excited!
So, I went to this show wanting one thing - to close some of the homesickenss chasm by bring a piece of BUF to SFO. That backfired spectacularly. But, I did get something else - I got an escape from my own head for a little while. Well, that plus a new appreciation for Matchbox Twenty.
When: July 23, 2013
Where: Sleep Train Pavilion/ Concord, CA
With: A Pavilion full of old people gone wild
Of Note: You don't cry at concerts? Just me?
Someday I will stop talking about being homesick. Today is not that day.
So, the Goo Goo Dolls are a BIG DEAL in Buffalo. Seeing them in Buffalo is like seeing the Beatles or something, people go crazy and that's part of the fun. When I got tickets to see them in California, I figured it would be like having a little piece of home in California. I was wrong.
First, though the show was billed co-headlining, it seemed a lot more like the Goos opened. Which, what on earth? They don't open for people! And, as such, they started playing before sundown, which, again, what the heck? Then, there was the crowd. I'm not sure if it was because the show was way out in Concord or because these are big 90s bands or what, but the crowd was really old. This gave me a mild panic attack - am I that old? (I decided I was not and blamed it on being way out in the 'burbs. I can only handle so many freak outs in one night, you know?) (Though, during the set, Johnny said that 'Name' came out 17 years ago which made me feel ancient. So.) Anyway, their set was weird. And I was so thrown off that the crowd wasn't into it. Like, these guys are a big deal? What are you doing? Stand up! Sing along! What's going on?!
The set itself was what you would expect - old favorites, new material. There was a block of Robbie songs in the middle that went on a bit too long and dragged what little energy there was down, which was unfortunate. And then there were the songs that made me cry - 'Better Days' and 'Stay With Me' caused there to be a little bit of dust in my eye. And then I went into one of those crazy thought spirals that doesn't end anywhere good, trying to draw a parallel between the crowd's lackluster reception to the Goos and my inability to make friends. Do I not fit in here like they don't fit in here? Is California just not welcoming? Was I always going to feel as lost and alone as I had since moving? And then, they closed with 'Broadway' and I kind of lost it. And cried. At a concert. Like a crazy person.
('Broadway' is another one of those songs that can take me to a couple different places. It's freshman year of college and weird Ken that we made friends with is singing it while sitting in my dorm room and his voice is amazing. It's post-MBA happy hour during grad school and we're walking past the intersection and a couple of us burst into song. It's the summer before my senior year of high school and I'm listening to 'Dizzy Up the Girl' on repeat.)
Anyway, seeing a band that has such a very special place in my heart play to such a lukewarm crowd didn't really bring a piece of BUF to California. It really just made me feel more like a fish out of water. Also, did I mention I cried like a legitimate psycho? Because I did.
And then, just when I thought hope was lost, Matchbox Twenty came on stage and rocked my face off. I am as surprised as you are.
So, I knew I liked I Rob Thomas. His solo album is one that I played on repeat way too much, at first fueled by my love of 'This is How a Heart Breaks' but then as a result of a deep appreciation for each and every song. Plus, I really like his voice. But here's the thing; going to this concert, if pressed, I probably could have named four or five Matchbox Twenty songs. However, during the concert, I found that I knew every word to every song they played. What? How? I don't...? It seems that Matchbox Twenty has had a whole lot more singles than I realized, each of which have gotten enough airtime that I knew them entirely. It was insane. And all the songs were so good! And the guitar player had an amazing pompadour! And Rob Thomas did this weird thing where he made a crazy eye face when singing that should have been creepy but mostly wasn't. And Rob Thomas also had some moves that were a perfect hybrid of rock star swagger with dorky dad at a wedding dancing, which, again, was amazing. The staging was cool; the music was awesome. Thomas was a charismatic, energetic front-man with a voice of liquid gold. And that set did everything live music is supposed to: it took away all my bullshit and for an hour and a half I was better than okay.
Some highlights of their set included 'Push', mostly because the crowd went insane. Before '3am', there was a huge clock on the screen that ticked down the "time" which I thought was clever. 'How Far We've Come' is a song that I have always loved and it was pretty spectacular live - all high energy and bopping around. They closed with 'Bright Lights' which is another song that I adore so very much. Seriously, it's one of the prettiest, most yearning songs - all exposed piano and intense emotion and a burning desire to know "when all your love is gone, who's going to save me?" It was gorgeous.
It's maybe also worth noting that Matchbox Twenty got the reception from the crowd that I was expecting for the Goos. People were super into it! It was fun to see everyone stand up and sing along and be excited!
So, I went to this show wanting one thing - to close some of the homesickenss chasm by bring a piece of BUF to SFO. That backfired spectacularly. But, I did get something else - I got an escape from my own head for a little while. Well, that plus a new appreciation for Matchbox Twenty.
Comments
Post a Comment