just close your eyes and sing for me

I guess the Yellowcard concert is as good a place to begin as any.

The show was amazing. I expected to enjoy it, of course, but all three bands were a lot better than I'd anticipated. Go Radio (the new band of one of the former singers of Mayday Parade) surprised me. I hadn't been too impressed by the clips of songs I'd heard before, and I'd seen Mayday Parade live only a couple weeks before, so I thought the performance wouldn't be anything special. I'm glad to say I was totally wrong; Go Radio really impressed me, especially with their sweet pop-punk take on Adele's "Rolling in the Deep." I'll definitely pick up the deluxe edition of their debut when it hits stores later this month.

Every Avenue's set was about as I had expected. I saw them a couple years ago, and I'm a huge fan of their first album. They've come out with two others in the last two years, and I haven't had a chance to hear them; I knew only a couple songs that they played. The lead singer's mic didn't seem to work quite right; the sound was patchy at times, and the volume was unstable. Still, the rest of the band almost made up for that flaw - I loved the interplay between the guitarists, and it made me excited to listen to the albums I haven't heard yet.

Yellowcard. What can I say about such an impressive band? I saw them in '07 at Warped Tour, and it was one of my favorite shows - which makes sense, given how much I love the band. At the Warped Tour, they presented a then-new song, "Fighting," and introduced the idea of a tornado (or circle) mosh pit, the idea being that you run around in a big circle as fast as you can and bounce off everyone else and try not to get trampled. Josh and Kevin and I participated and had a blast (though Josh lost his shoe). This time around, lead singer Ryan Key told the story of that first tornado pit, and how it had caught the attention of a bunch of people at the Warped Tour that year; he suggested we try it again. I had been hanging around outside the crowd a bit, but knew I had to join in - who could pass up that opportunity? The circle wasn't as intense as the first time - we ran slower and not too many people fell or lost shoes - but still way fun and worth it. Afterward, I ended up about 15 feet from the state, dead center, and remained there the rest of the show, jumping into mosh pits and singing along and loving it. By the end, I was pretty worn out, but it was an absolutely incredible experience. I'm especially loving Yellowcard's newest release, When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes, and I recommend it highly.

The concert was a success.

quiet

I suppose a little introduction is in order.

The title of this blog comes from a song that I really enjoy - "Quiet" by Lights. I've been a fan of her dreamy electronic pop for years, and this song is a particular favorite. Her voice seems to match the mood and music seamlessly.

I guess for this first post I'll include a couple of quotes.

First, from another Lights song, "Face Up":

I just want to feel alive

The times you don't want to wake up
'Cause in your sleep it's never over when you give up
The sun is always going to rise up
You need to get up, gotta keep your head up
Look at the people all around you
The way you feel is something everybody goes through
Dark out, but you still gotta light up
You need to wake up, gotta keep your face up

Seems like the more you grow, the more time you spend alone
Before you know it you end up perfectly on your own
The city's shining bright, but you don't see the light
How come you concentrate on things that don't make you feel right

Next, from Napoleon Bonaparte:

"This soldier, I realized, must have had friends at home and in his regiment; yet he lay there deserted by all except his dog. I looked on, unmoved, at battles which decided the future of nations. Tearless, I had given orders which brought death to thousands. Yet here I was stirred, profoundly stirred, stirred to tears. And by what? By the grief of one dog."

And finally:

"The best way you convince people you're not lying to them is to tell them you are." - Shawn Spencer