Now What?

Hmmm. What's a runner to do the day after a marathon?  The schedule is all the sudden wide open and one can only sit and chat over coffee at Starbucks for so many hours.  Seems like a perfect time to go see some good live music.  Here's how I looked at it.  Yes, I was having a hard time getting up and down from a chair and I was taking the stairs backwards due to the soreness in my quads, but as long as I stood in one place with limited movement I would be fine, right?  Both AWOLNATION and Neon Trees happened to be in town on Monday, the day after my race, and I decided it was worth going, blisters and all.  I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to see a couple bands I love just because I was sore from head to toe.  So, despite my physical state and a wave of last minute exhaustion, I picked up my friends and off we went to the Paradise.  The house was packed and the crowd was buzzing.  AWOL threw out one of their finest performances and reminded me why I enjoy them so much.  Somehow they manage to fuse angst and alternative pop in a way that no other band has mastered.  As always, lead singer Aaron Bruuno's presence was intense and his energy visibly trickled down to all the other band members as they played.  It was impossible not to dance around to the music (if only a little).  I was sad to have only caught part of their show but Neon Trees made up for it in spades.  Lead singer,  Tyler Glenn, came out decked in full eighties attire including skinny jeans, leather jacket and vest (with no shirt under it) along with a multi-colored mohawk.  He jumped right in and took us all with him on a crazy adventure through time.  He's a modern day Simon LeBon with a permanent grin in lieu of the typical 80s angst.  He was loud and unbelievably wild and his dance moves, including high kicks and knee slides, were incredible.  My friends and I wiggled our way up to the front, much to the crowd's dismay, because we wanted to FEEL it.  And that we did.  The biggest treat during their performance was drummer Elaine Bradley who played like it was nobody's business while singing along with a voice as sweet as honey.  The only downside of their show was that we didn't to hear more from her.  Overall, this was a fantastic way to celebrate our race and a solid reminder that there is, in fact, life beyond running.

Listen to this:
People - AWOLNATION   
&
Everybody Talks - Neon Trees  

Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees