"If you're feeling like I feel
then run your life like it’s a dance floor
And if you need a little heat in your face,
that’s what I’m here for."
~ AWOLNATION, 'Burn it Down'
It's been a hot minute since I've seen live music. For various reasons including work, kids, training and whatnot. Though, I guess if I'm being honest, the main one is that it is borderline impossible for me to stay up past 9:30 these days. As I write this I am literally calling myself out on being a total dork but what can I say? Sleep is life. That said, AWOLNATION, which is the band I was going to see, is one of my all time favorites and I decided I could put on my big girl pants for one night and stay up late for the sake of good music. The show was on Sunday night which for any concert goer, young or old, cool or not, is less than ideal. Fortunately, I had two friends coming with me which kept the temptation to bail at bay. Knowing there were two bands coming on before AWOL I decided to just go straight to the source and ask them what time they'd be starting so I could plan ahead both in regards to dinner as well as my caffeine intake which I would have to time wisely. Thankfully, whoever is behind their Instagram account got right back to me and let me know they weren't starting until 9:30. So, yea. That's three coffees. Minimum. Whoever I chatted with was in the same boat which I could appreciate.
Wendy, Ali and I headed over to
Hojoko for dinner on the early side. All three of us are busy, working moms so dinner out is rare and we wanted to make it count. Hojoko
is written up as
"a rock n roll tavern honoring the pulse of Japanese nightlife." Yes please. It was loud and hopping with all sorts of people including concert goers, college kids and parents with young kids (just....how?). It was a really fun, high- energy vibe which is exactly what I needed, and the food, which was super creative, did not disappoint. We enjoyed dinner while the opening bands played and then settled up and walked over to the
House of Blues around 9:00.
Upon arrival we were promptly carded. Because, you know, they gotta check ID even when they are 100% sure that they do not, in fact, have to check ID. I mean, we weren't complaining about it. But, still, it's funny. I always like to play the "guess how old I am" game which is a risky move as it can reset the tone if they age up. At the same time, I always feel kind of badass to be one of the more seasoned fans in the crowd at a show; still rocking out despite my age.
As promised, lead singer Aaron Bruno walked onstage right at 9:30 and they jumped right in with their recently released single, 'Freaking Me Out'. The crowd seemed to take some time to ease in. I, on the other hand, went straight into 'jump up and down like a little school girl' mode. Had to. I was out late. I was over-caffeinated. And I was seeing a band that I love. I didn't care what the people around me were thinking. I was leaning in. And I was having a freaking blast. They played stuff from all four of their albums and I was that "kid" who was singing along to every, single, song. Sorry. Not sorry. Bruno has such a magnetic personality onstage and his voice, which is an odd combo of both soft and very, very loud is totally mesmerizing. It is so clear that he loves doing what he does and sharing it with the rest of us. I don't know, something just comes over me when I hear them play and, not to sound cheesy, but it's pretty special. It's a unique experience that only live music can provide and I was fully soaking it up. At the end of the night they came back on for an encore and played their original hit single, SAIL, which is the song I heard in my car when I discovered them way back when. "I wrote this song 12 or 13 years ago", Bruno told us, "and at the time I thought the only person who would hear it would be my brother." Thankfully, for us, this was not the case.
As I said, it takes a lot to get me out for live music these days. But, once I'm there, hearing and feeling the music in person, I remember why it's worth it. Go see live music. There is truly nothing like it.
Listen to this:
