go to at least 10 concerts

Third Day/Michael W. Smith
Creation 2003
Creation 2004
TobyMac/Kirk Franklin
Starfield
Day of Fire/David Crowder Band
Creation 2005
Superchick
Creation 2007
Creation 2008
UpriseFest 2009
Creation 2010
UpriseFest 2010 16 months ago

Sunday, July 8th found yours truly in a unfamiliar situation: on a date! To be fair, I won’t mention him, but a very cute boy and I headed over to Stern Grove and met Carla and Liane for a free show courtesy of the San Francisco Symphony in the park.

The day couldn’t have been nicer. The day before had been overcast and cold (because, you know, it’s July), but that Sunday, the sun was shining, it was bright but not too hot. The perfect day to lay on a blanket, soak in some rays and wine, and listen to mellow music, surrounded by trees.

It wasn’t exactly my ideal line-up, musically, but since I didn’t actually pay for the tickets, I’m certainly not complaining. I also will NOT complain about the assistant conductor, James Gaffigan. I’ve seen him conduct a few times, now, and I think I’m harboring a rather sizable crush on him (just don’t tell my date).

They opened the day with the Overature to La gaza ladra by Rossini, which I think most people are familiar with by way of cartoons or A Clockwork Orange. It’s a nice piece, and short, so it nicely sets the mood for the day.

Next Maestro Gaffigan introduced Jeremy Denk, who was the piano soloist for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major. I’ve always been a fan of this piece, and it was nice to hear it live for the first time. It was also really funny to watch the pianist make faces as he played.

By the time the intermission was over, I had consumed about 2/3 of a bottle of wine, and was feeling pretty damn good. But wine + sun + Beethoven (Symphony #2 in D major, in this case) took its toll, and I found myself nodding off a little during the second movement. Embarrassingly enough, I fell asleep with my forehead against my date’s back. I’m still not sure if he knows it happened. 4 years ago

On Wednesday, June 27th, 2007, I was fortunate enough to take Jenny and Matthew’s extra ticket to see Feist at the Fillmore.

Honestly, I wasn’t that familiar with Feist’s music, though what I had heard, I LOVED. It was a bit of a shot in the dark, but I was itching to go out, and I really like being around J&M. Also, I was a bit nervous that the music would make me sad, as I was introduced to Feist by a friend, and that friendship kind of went sour.

The opening band was Grizzly Bear, and I seemed to be the only one of the three of us that enjoyed them. But we agreed on something: their music was the type you listen to while doing something else. It wasn’t fascinating to watch them make this music, which was in turns kind of pleasant droning and some good drum beats. I’m eager to hear what they sound like recorded; I bought their latest album, mostly because it was only ten dollars.

Feist was cute and charming and personable and wonderful. I adore seeing concerts where it’s obvious that the performers truly enjoy doing what they do. I had an excellent time, and didn’t even think about my former friend (though I did find out later that he was there! And I realized it didn’t bother me. It wouldn’t have even bothered me if I had KNOWN he was there. This is good.).

So, technically, this finishes this ‘thing.’ But I’ve enjoyed doing this so much that I think I’ll keep documenting my shows throughout the rest of the year. Then I’ll have a number to outdo for 2008! 4 years ago

I’m cheating here; this could be separated as two different concerts, hence finishing my goal. But as both concerts were part of the Prokofiev festival, and they were almost back to back, I’m going to lump them as one. I don’t feel particularly bad about this, since I know I have another concert to go to next week, which will put me over my goal.

Prokofiev may be my favorite composer. Weird harmonies, crashing passages, it gives me goosebumps to hear it. I’ve been a fan since I dated the clarinet player in high school. So when I read that the SF Symphony was going to have a Prokofiev FESTIVAL, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I quickly contacted my symphony pal Tyler and figured out we could afford to go to two of the four concerts: one at Davies, and one in my old stomping ground in San Jose.

Saturday, June 16th, found Tyler and I entering Davies in our symphony best. We had managed to snag my favorite seats again, in the left of the choir box, where you can watch the facial expressions of the conductor (MTT in this case), you can see the hands of the pianist, and most importantly, you can see how hard the musicians have to work to produce their sound. Because Prokofiev makes them work. It was exhausting for me just to watch them, and I can only imagine what it’s like to play.

Saturday’s program started with the American Overture, which was pleasant, but hardly note-worthy. I don’t find it to be one of his more memorable or best works. I spent most of it musing on the two (two!) harp players, and thinking about how fun it must be to pluck those strings. After the intermission (and a glass of champagne, how fancy are we!), what we were there to see/hear: Piano Concerto No 2 in G Minor. It is a beautiful piece of music, but it kind of shoots its load (to use a rather crass phrase) in the first movement, the Andantino. That piano solo is so amazing that the other three movements are pretty bland in comparison. But don’t get me wrong; I was enraptured through the entire thing.

Sunday, though. Oh Sunday. Tyler and I hopped in the car and drove down to Flint (which is only a mile from my old house). We had once again managed excellent seats, pretty close and slightly to the left, with again a great view of the solo pianist’s hands. This show was opened with scenes from The Love of Three Oranges, which I hadn’t heard previously. I liked the pieces enough to be curious to hear it in it’s full opera form.

But the 3rd Piano Concerto. Oh. Even remembering it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Tyler had mentioned that it’s one of his favorite pieces of music, and I thought I wasn’t familiar with it, but as soon as the clarinet played the opening solo, I realized that I knew all three movements as well as the back of my hand. When dating that clarinet player in high school, he made me a classical mix tape (how can you not adore that?), and the 3rd Piano Concerto was what I listened to, rewound, and listened to over and over again. Over the last 10+ years, I had forgotten who had written it, but it all came back to me, and it was one of the more spectacular things I have witnessed.

Yefim Bronfman, the soloist, had amazing hands. It’s one thing to listen to a piece of music and enjoy it as much as I enjoy the 3rd. It’s quite another to see what the pianist has to fight to make those sounds. There’s so many runs from one end of the piano to the other, these huge chords that take up half the keyboard, and so many hand crossovers. I totally broke protocol and clapped after the first movement, I was so excited about his playing.

After the intermission, they played pieces from Romeo and Juliet. I thought that THIS was going to be the big ta-da for me, but after the 3rd, everything pales. Romeo and Juliet was great, but I nodded off a little during the balcony scene, and the music didn’t really grab me until we got to the Death of Tybalt, which is textbook Prokofiev and excellent. And the last thing they played.

I’m sad that my goal is nearing its end, but happy that I’ve been to more shows in the last six months than I had the two years before, combined. I have Feist next week, and more scheduled for later in the year. I think even after I hit ten, I’m going to keep chronicling them here. It’s pretty fun! 4 years ago

There are two things my mother loves: Film Festivals, and punk-pop. So when Me First and the Gimme Gimmes played the opening party for the Hole in the Head Film Festival (put on by the SF Indiefest, a group she often volunteers for), she snatched up tickets as fast as she could. My mom, my sister, her coworker, and his friend Gretchen (who I want to be my best friend forever) and I all sauntered down to the DNA for this show on May 31st.

The opening band was a three-person punk outfit called the Rock & Roll Adventure Kids. For some reason, I just wanted to pinch all their cheeks. The music was tight, and they looked like they were having a lot of fun. The lyrics included a little more “woo-hoo”s than I’m accustomed to, but was still totally enjoyable (and loud. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a punk show).

There was a brief performance of the Living Dead Girlz. I’ve seena good amount of burlesque/vaudeville lately, and I wasn’t entirely impressed. But I have the feeling in a different venue, and a different scene, they could be good. It at least went with the theme of the film festival, at least.

The Groovie Ghoulies were supposed to play, but evidently they are no longer together. Which is a shame, because I’ve heard their name for at least ten years, and never got around to hearing them.

One does not go to a Me First concert for amazing, professional music. One goes because it’s insanely fun, the audience produces an insane amount of energy, and the band is wacky. Oh, and you can sing along, because odds are you know the lyrics to ever cover they play. And yes, all they play is covers. Punk covers of non-punk songs. It was a night full of singing at the top of my lungs and hopping around like an idiot. They didn’t stop playing until 1:30am. Which meant that I didn’t get to sleep until close to three. Ugh. 4 years ago

A mass of friends and I parked ourselves on the lawn at Shoreline in Mountain View (even though I swore I’d never do it again) on May 19th to witness the wonder that is Bjork.

There were two opening bands. The first, Ghost Digital, was… well, they were bad. It was prgrammed beats and a screaming man, and it just. kept. going. I have a feeling that could have been well done, and it just wasn’t.

And then Johanna Newsom. When I heard she was opening, that was when I knew I had to go. It was INCREDIBLE. I have yet to buy her new album, so I got to hear a bunch of wonderful (and 16 minute) songs for the first time. She played her harp, and was accompanied by a violin, drummer, and mandolin/banjo player (who I now want to marry. Cute, well dressed, AND plays the banjo? Sigh). My only complaint was that the soundboard had the volume too low. Her songs are quiet and complex, and were easily drowned out by the crowd. However, as the sun set, it was entirely relaxing to lay on a blanket with my friend Tyler (a fellow fan) and enjoy.

When Bjork came on, there was no sitting or relaxing. We couldn’t see the stage from where we were, but we were right in front of one of the screens, so we could see everything that was happening on stage. It was loud, and it was good. Jeremy mocked my dancing, but really, I couldn’t stop. The beats were moving and exciting, and the live programming with what looked like a giant chaos pad on a drum head was extremely interesting. The high point was definitely the transition from Hyperballad to Pluto, which had this great rave-like feel, complete with lasers.

I saw Bjork a few years ago, right after Vespertine came out. She was in a different phase then, much quieter, and that worked well at the Paramount, where I saw her. Her brassy, drum and bass sound worked extremely well at the Shoreline, where her softer songs would have been lost. 4 years ago

Ohgod The Shins.
On Monday, April 16th, after a wonderful homemade dinner of salads, James and I heaced down to the Warfield to see one of my current favorite bands the Shins play. Tickets were a little more than I like to pay, but when one of your favorite bands plays a place as small as the Warfield, you remind yourself why you have a credit card.

And it was totally worth it. We ended up on the second tier, which puts you more or less on the same level as the stage. The sound was great, as was the energy of the crowd. I danced my ass off.

Sadlyl, because we walked across town, I missed most of Viva Voce, the opening band, but what I saw and heard I liked. A two person setup, the woman who sang also shredded the guitar. The drummer also played the theremin, and you can’t beat that.

After this show, part of me was tempted to go again the next night, but my tired knees begged to differ. 4 years ago

Once again, Tyler and I hoofed our way down to Davies Symphony Hall for some hot San Francicso Symphony Action. On Friday, March 16th, we witnessed Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major and selections from Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2.

We had AMAZING seats. Tyler got us tickets in the chorus area, but very near the front of the stage, so we were over the first violins. I’d never been that close to the artists before, and it made the whole experience that much better for me. To watch the concentration on the musician’s faces, the skill in fingering, the facial expressions of the conductor, totally sucked me in more than ever.

The guest conductor was James Gaffigan. He spoke a little before each piece, pointing out recurring themes and having certain musicians play them. He was very charming, though from our extremely close seats Tyler and I could see that his hands were shaking as he spoke.

The Liszt Piano concerto is one of Tyler’s favorite pieces of music, but I was completely blown away by the Ravel pieces. I got so excited I wanted to stand up and shout. I’ve always been a fan of volume, and dissonance, and this didn’t disappoint. Seriously, the hairs on the back of my head stood up and I got goosebumps. Tyler has located a copy of the entire ballet for me, and I’m terribly excited.

Hey! I’m halfway to my goal, and it’s not even April, AND I have at least three more concerts already planned. This is easily the simplest thing on my list to finish! 4 years ago

On Friday, March 9th, 2007, Carly and I trekked up to the Red Devil Lounge in San Francisco, to see Persephone’s Bees, a lovely Bay Area band. There was a bit of a hassle finding parking, but we still managed to get in well before any of the bands started.

First was Griddle, who were very entertaining. Their first two songs were incredibly catchy, and I was very impressed that I could actually hear the words of the songs. So many times at shows, the vocals aren’t balanced well, or distorted, which sometimes works, but when you have funny and clever lyrics, it makes sense to let your audience hear them. The two guys who shared the lead vocals duty were both talented and LOVE the spotlight, I could tell. I think I’d like to see them again, and since they’re local, I think there’s an excellent shot.

The next band up was Elephone. They music was good, but pretty forgettable, sadly. The best thing about them was their uber-cute keyboardist, but even she looked like she didn’t really want to be there. Plus, the lead singer was wearing a shirt of his own band, which is such a faux pas.

Persephone’s Bees were about as great as I could imagine. If possible, they are even better live than on album. They were full of incredible energy, and their music was tight, dynamic and enjoyable. The lead singer was like something out of a Russ Meyer movie, with her heavy black bangs and eyeliner. She was wearing a velvet body suit with a huge belt and pendant, and was completely awesome in her presence, singing, and keyboard playing. (There were a lot of keyboards that night.) I’m excited that these guys are local, because the show was so fun, I’d love to see them again. There was a great 60s pop vibe that just thrilled me. 4 years ago

This seems to be the easiest of my goals to reach, as it’s only Febrary and I’m already on #3, and I have tickets for two more before the end of May. Hooray!

Friday, February 9th, James and I (and two of his friends) went to go see Merle Haggard, with Neko Case opening, at the Paramount in Oakland. We were misinformed of the starting time, so sadly we only caught the last three songs from Neko Case, but I was blown away by what I heard. She has an amazing voice, and I always love a tiny guitar.

Merle Haggard was great, and his band was tight, and they looked like they were having a hell of a time. It’s felt like a long time since I’ve been at a show that put together. I was also totally excited by the audience, and how vocal and appreciative they were. I must go to too many shoegazer shows.

This was a fun and new experience for me. I’ve never been one much for country music, but I had an incredible time. 5 years ago

• Bruch, from Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Viola and Piano, Opus 83
• Thuille, Sextet in B-flat major, Opus 6
• Dvorak, String Quartet #11 in C major, Opus 61

It was very nice, though the rather elderly audience seemed to be suffering from tuberculosis. We had never heard of Thuille, and afterwards completely forgot anything about that piece. The Dvorak was lovely. I’ve always admired his work. At any rate, a very nice way to spend an afternoon. 5 years ago

My friend Kevin and I caught The Tubes at the Independent in SF on January 5th. It was like hanging out with your parents and their friends while they got drunk and high. It was incredibly fun: there were costume changes, and songs I’ve known my whole life, and dancing, and a woman who didn’t put her right arm down for over an hour. All in all a good start to the year. 5 years ago