Great Big Sea
a concert for Friday the 13th. What's the opposite of triskadecaphobia?
I LOVE going to a Great Big Sea concert. I think I've seen them a half dozen times. Each concert has their own charm, each has their own highlights. This was no different.
For those unfamiliar with Great Big Sea: they're HUGE in Canada, but somehow rarely known here in the US. Every concert I go to gets bigger, so hopefully that means they're gaining more traction. They should. They've got a great sound, and they put on a great show. The main members of the band, Alan, Sean and Bob, are from Newfoundland, Canada. Their upbringing gives them a unique traditional, folk-ish, rock-ish sound that makes you want to stomp your feet, dance and sing along.
Their interactions on stage are one of the best parts of the show. Between Alan and Sean's back and forth banter, Alan's storytelling and Bob's avoidance of the mic, I'm always entertained between songs (there must be something about "Bob"'s in bands that don't like to talk on stage. Bob from Downtown Harvest is the same way).
Tonight's show was at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood. The auditorium has a very interesting feel to it... Kind of like an updated gothic church... I think Jay described it best when he said it could have been used in a scene from 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. It had an intimate feel and great sound (except for the electric guitar in When I am King, it was way out of balance). More than any of that though, it was quite convenient. I wonder what other shows will play there.
But enough of all that, back to the music: My favorite songs are those that they sing a capella. Their harmonies are beautiful and haunting and lovely. The second encore was amazing. They sang Old Brown's Daughter, no mics, no music, no clapping. Just a silent audience and them. It was the perfect end to a concert I didn't want to end. I hope they come out with another live album that includes that rendition.
30 in Thirty - not quite
Last month I read about a kind of blogging challenge. The challenge was to write thirty blog entries in 30 days. I first wrote about it last month.
I think the final tally was 22 entries in 30 days (or 25 in 36 days if you extend it a bit). For the most part I'm happy with what I wrote, there are only a few "fluff entries" (like the Peep Fight). Disappointingly, there was only one entry about knitting. Maybe if I didn't spend so much time writing, I'd have had more time to knit. Although the Yoga mat bag I'm crocheting is taking longer than expected. But I'm being a good girl and am working on it a few times a week (I'm done with 3 rows of elephants, just 2 more to go). I don't want to start a new project until I finish it (although I really want to make myself a Sheldon, isn't he cute??).
I'm really happy with all that I wrote about the Strength Series. Its been good to reflect on my climbing, analyze it for myself and see how much my yoga practice influences it.
All in all, I think I'll probably write more often than I did before this little challenge, but certainly not daily. More knitting time!