I’m on the road for the rest of the week, attending an NCSC National Team meeting in Dallas, Texas. This is my first extended time in Dallas, so it’ll definitely be interesting. Coming up: four days of meetings and activities! I have a lot of random thoughts I want to add, I’ll look for opportunities to do so.
Archive for September, 2006
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DMB #13 & #14 are in the books!
It really did a good job of sneaking up on me, but Dave Matthews Band finally came to Denver on the last leg of their 2006 tour. After Matt and I went to Kansas City, I remembered the anticipation that we had about waiting until September to see DMB. Months later, these concerts really snuck up on me. With all of the activity going on these last few weeks, the fact I was going to see my favorite band didn’t hit me until I actually saw them get on stage. It goes to show just how out-of-it I’ve been these last few weeks. Crazy…
So as I mentioned in my title September 12 & 13th’s shows were my 13th & 14th Dave Matthews Band concerts. Neither number is a significant milestone, but seeing a band 14 times still seems like an accomplishment.
Tuesday’s concert touted one of the best set-lists I’ve ever heard. The diversity and obscurity of their selections really lent to the overall flow of the concert. There was a really good energy there, and I was extremely excited about the songs. During the concert Matt and I were emailing back & forth on our phones, and at one point he asked me "What’s left for the encore? He’s playing everything!"I wrote back a two-word email: Two Step
They didn’t play it, but it was still a great show. There was definitely a high-bar set for Wednesday night.
Show #14 was a blast. Bethany and I had awesome seats. We were two sections away from the stage and technically in the stands, but our second-row seats were only about 1-2 feet higher than the floor seats. We basically had the "floor seat" experience but with the luxury of being taller than everyone. It was an awesome view that produced some great pictures.
The set list for Wednesday had a pretty hard time meeting up to Tuesday’s stature, but the band made up for it in stage presence, solos and by playing a lot of new material. The energy was definitely there. However, it greatly surprises me to write what are likely my first critical words about a DMB concert.
The show simply lasted too late. On Tuesday night Carrie and I were out of there at 11pm. However here we were at 11:15 and they had just finished the regular set, with the encore still to come. We ended up leaving – the only time I’ve left a DMB concert before it was over (I’m not counting the times I broke out of the arena during the last song to beat the traffic home). I was shocked!
Maybe it was due to the 3 hours of work I had waiting for me at home, or my level of fatigue, but Wednesday night’s concert went 2 songs too long. Towards the end of the regular setlist you could see the crowd around us beginning to glance at their watches and looking nervously at their friends. Many of us were thinking the same thing, "Um, we have to work tomorrow." It’s important to note that the show didn’t necessarily last too long, as much as it was too late into the evening. If they actually took the stage at a decent time (as opposed to past 8:30 for a 7pm concert + 1 opening band), the show would have ended around 11 and I would have been happy. However I felt like it was a tough position and I made the decision I needed to make in order to get to bed at a decent time.I just hope I haven’t hit the point of diminishing returns for Dave Matthews Band concerts (WHAT AM I SAYING?!?) Don’t get me wrong, the concerts still were great and I look forward to #’s 15-20!
Camera Update – The Casio Exilim ultra-thin camera has really paid off. I’m now 3 for 3 in sneaking the camera into the concert, and I’m starting to get pretty good with the shots. It would be nice to have an optical zoom, but for something that fits in my wallet – this is great! Check out all of the pictures on my Flickr account
My Statistical Top 10 DMB Songs
Curiosity combined with a bit of free time led me to compile the set lists from every show I’ve attended, the count the number of times I’ve heard each song . I dumped the results into an Excel spreadsheet, but here are the top 11 songs I’ve most-often heard at DMB concerts
Song # of Times Grey Street 7 Louisiana Bayou 7 When the World Ends 7 Ants Marching 6 Crash Into Me 6 Hunger for the Great Light 6 One Sweet World 6 Too Much 6 Warehouse 6 What Would You Say 6 Where Are You Going 6 (11 because that was the easiest cutoff point – #12 was 5 times)
Some meaningless, yet intriguing statistics…
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12 on the 12th for September
Despite my blogging sabbatical I did manage to remember 12 on the 12th, and logged them in for September. This month’s edition included a Dave Matthews concert, as well as some time at school! I apologize for taking a few days to get them posted:
I started my day working from home, ready to tackle a busy day at work!
Hours on the phone later, I’m still working away.. This is my glazed look towards the end of the day.
I gathered my stuff to head out for the afternoon. First I had class, then the Dave Matthews Band concert. Here are my school books, concert tickets and of course ear-plugs.
Heading out from school at the end of the day.
I turned around and took a picture of the sun-set over the mountsin. It was a pretty one!
My friend Carrie and I got to Pepsi Center, just in time for DMB to take the stage. I managed to sneak in my camera and get some great concert shots!
They had a really awesome back-drop setup, with three huge screens. Typically they had three different angles on the screen, but this one of the times all three screens had the same picture. It’s a bummer that our angle blocked the third screen.
Carrie and I at the concert.
I really liked this shot as the lights shined towards the crowd.
One more shot of the stage…
This is the outside of the Pepsi Center, where the concert was held.
After the concert I had to end my day with work. We started to experience some big problems and this is my "timidly scared" look. -
Back from vacation (don’t I wish)
I wish I could say that my blogging hiatus was due to a sabbatical, sat on a beach for three weeks and enjoyed the end-of-summer weather. Unfortunately my disappearance is nothing that glamorous or exciting, but simply due to an extremely stressful month. To answer the question, "Where the heck have you been?"
School started on the August 21st. When I posted the short "Hey Ya" entry, little did I realize that my time would essentially evaporate. After consecutively unsuccessful semesters taking classes on-line, I’m back in the class room for the fall semester. I’m determined to get my academic butt back in gear. Little did I know how much my time would evaporate.
Work has been a perennial nightmare for the last few weeks. Things began inexplicably breaking, and we are still struggling to get a permanent solution in place. On top of that, rumors of layoffs have everyone on edge. Now is not the time to be lax at work.
I joined a band. After my well-publicized search for drumming opportunities, I found one that was worth the wait! I am the new drummer of Greenfoot, a rock/blues/rockabilly band. I am especially excited for this opportunity to join two talented musicians. I believe that my musical gifts can help take this music to an awesome new level. Originally the blues/rockabilly genre wasn’t one I ever initially considered, but I’m definitely growing into the music. These guys have a really unique sound, and I am challenged by the genre. I’m used to being able to easily crank out some grooves and lay a solid foundation. With this new genre, I find myself taking a step back and reflecting on my true place in the genre. How can I apply my signature to this style? It’s neat to actually sit down and "wood shed" my parts, deliberately planning each song. We actually have a few gigs lined up in October. I am looking forward to playing live again!
Matt and I are hard at work, starting a new business. We’ve been inspired to create a unique seldom-done service, that will be greatly needed by many people. As we’re finalizing the planning stages, I’ll be sharing more on my blog. In the meantime, you can say that we’re working to "Preseve Memories". This has definitely been time-consuming, especially since we’re looking to launch on October 1.
Many other new things are beginning. I’m now a Knight of Columbus. I’m dusting off my Broncos jersey for another exciting season. I’m still biking and finding ways to get back in shape. I am scaling a mountain of NCSC work, and will be heading to Dallas in about a week.
These are definitely crazy times, but I still have many random thoughts. I hope that this inaugural school-year post will remove the psychological barrier I have from finding time to post. Thanks for sticking with me, wish me luck!
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