Remembering the Encores

Who: Kacey Musgraves with the Lone Bellow and Humming House When: April 25, 2015 Where: Fox Theater/ Oakland, CA With: Alex Of Note: HUMMING HOUSE!!! 2015 was a year in which I traveled a lot. Too much, maybe. Anyway, traveling that much is how I ended up waking up after four days in NYC and a full week in Chicago, flying from Chicago to SFO, and heading straight to a restaurant across the street from the Fox. And I still didn't yawn during the concert as much as Alex, despite the fact that I'd been awake since approximately 4am PST. I am a beast. Alex loooooves the Lone Bellow, which is (I think) mostly why we went to this show but, HOLY HELL HUMMING HOUSE. Humming House were the first opener and were the most amazing, high energy, poppy side of bluegrass band ever and they looked like they were having SO MUCH FUN on stage. One highlight was 'Cold Chicago', a foot-stomping ode to getting back to the Windy City that has the most satisfying bum-chick driv...

Who: Beach House When: December 18, 2015 Where: The Filmore/ San Francisco, CA With: Chelsea, Katelyn Of Note: This is not actually about Beach House So, it's January and that means reflecting on the year that has passed, correct? We'll get this out of the way first: I totally did not write enough in 2015. I'm looking to remedy that in 2016 starting now. Anyway, 2015. I feel like 2015 was a year in which I was not very kind to myself. I often felt out of sorts, and was far harder on myself than I needed to be (even for me) and was certainly more emotional than usual. Several times throughout the year, I noted that it was exhausting being me which, while true, is not something I've ever felt as acutely as I did this year. I've spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out why - why was I so much tougher on myself this year? Why did I not treat myself with the care and respect I treat others with? What on earth was I doing? 2015 was a year in w...

Who: Gary Lightbody (of Snow Patrol) When: August 2, 2015 Where: Swedish American Hall/ San Francisco, CA With: A room full of people in varying states of emotion Of Note: This is a story about how I cried in public. Snow Patrol is a band that I have a lot of emotional bullshit tied to. For years, one of their albums (it rotated) was my 'go to sleep' music. And, the first time I saw them (in PARIS) served as kind of an ending for me, the end of a period of mourning from a failed relationship . I can still clearly remember tearing up during 'This Isn't Everything You Are' and feeling so very triumphant during the last chorus because the message that despite all the pain and heartache, that's not all you are provided a tidy end to my, "and now we move on," narrative. So, when I saw that Gary Lightbody, Snow Patrol's lead singer, was doing a solo show in SF, I immediately bought a ticket. That man's voice is magic. The set was a g...

Dear Internet, I have a gift for you.  On Saturday, I decided that I just could not take the city any more.  I needed to get out.  So I took a drive down the coast, did some fantastic outlet shopping, pushed a cart around a giant suburbs Target, etc. - and it was glorious. While I was driving, I found a sandwich baggy of CDs in my car, put there when I drove across the country.  A potpourri of old favorites, unlabeled disks, and some of my mix CDs from college (oh, you sweet summer children who do not understand the joy of getting your first computer with a CD-RW drive and the power it held!).  I blindly grabbed one and put it in. Have you ever wondered to yourself, "I wonder what music Jen listened to when she was 19 and wanted to feel all the things?"  If you knew me in college, have you ever thought, "What were all those terrible songs that made Jen cry her entire sophomore year?" And so, I present to you, "Bastard Little Duck": an eloquently...

Welcome back dear readers!  Would you like to read about my reactions to a television program that aired several weeks ago?  I thought so! Okay, so why on earth is this only one night?  Didn't they sell out the tour last year and so it should have been their month long thing?  Plus, Pentatonix has been at the center of almost every pop culture moment for the last year.  And Pitch Perfect has made a capella even more relevant than normal.  This one night affair is a travesty.  The world needs more a capella, damnit. I hope Shawn Stockman calls someone "big baby".  AND WHY IS THERE NO BEN FOLDS?!?! What a capella judging credentials does Patrick Stump have? Is Ben Folds' lack of availability the real reason it's only one night?  Why are we a full two minutes in and haven't seen Nick Lachey's dreamboat face yet? Okay, opening number... Here we go!  Ew, that girl has purple hair and I don't like it.  Jewel just looked super confu...

Who: Phish When: October 27, 2014 Where: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium/ San Francisco, CA With: Matt, Joe Of Note: Holy crap! There are more words written about Phish than are probably even countable ( some of them by me !). Instead of adding to the discourse, I'd like to offer some letters to my fellow concert goers. Dear Matt & Joe, Thank you for being so baller, getting a great spot in line allowing you to get optimal "old people seeing Phish" seats in the balcony. And, thanks for letting me tag along! Love, Jen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Shirtless Dancing Guys in the Front Row of the Balcony Section 218 (I think), Thank you for being aesthetically pleasing and dancing like crazy. I much enjoyed it. xoxo, Jen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Girl With The Crazy Five L...

Who: One Republic with The Script and American Authors When: June 6, 2014 Where: Lake Shore Amphitheater/ Mountain View, CA With: Alex Of Note: Are we old? My friend Alex from work shot me a note asking if I wanted to go see amdlakdoa and adfjdoiadjf on June 6 (or at least that's what I saw - I was in an airport/hotel/something at the time). I checked my calendar, saw that I was in town and said yes. Later I found out the line up which: totally legit, right? After a post-work drive south and a burrito the size of my head, it was concert time. First up was American Authors. They're having a moment, right? I wonder how many people just went through the same thought process I did which was, "Are these guys liars? Can every single day you hear this on the radio be the best day of your life? Wait! What if that's the point? Every day has the possibility to be the best day of your life!" Anyway, the highlights of the set were 'Luck', which has...