35 before 35: #23

#23: Go to a country concert

This goal isn't one I would have had five years ago ... or even last year, for that matter! I have rather recently become a fan of country music. So when I heard The Band Perry was coming to the Nebraska State Fair, I decided to go. And I knew exactly who to take with me--my friend Joanna. Jo is at least partially responsible for my conversion to country (though most of the credit goes to former roomie Melissa). One night, Jo and I watched country music videos for hours after I confessed that I kind of enjoyed them. Anyway, Jo and I decided to go together. The problem? Jo is a senior in high school, and she has volleyball practice after school. So we didn't get on the road to Grand Island until 6:45, and the concert started at 7:30.

Once we arrived at the state fairgrounds, we hightailed it over to the Events Center. We weren't even sure if we'd be able to get in, as the concert was free with gate admission, but you had to have a wristband to get in--and those were given out at the box office on a first come-first served basis. We arrived at 7:35, and a nice lady handed us our wristbands. When we walked in, the band was already playing, and the arena looked full. Jo has good eyes, though, and she found us seats ... pretty much as far away from the stage as you could get!

Going in, I knew two of The Band Perry's songs--"If I Die Young" and "You Lie." Going out, I still only knew those two songs, but I heard several others that I really liked! If I didn't have Spotify (which I talked about here), I totally would have bought their album by now.

My favorite part of the concert was when they started singing the Eminem/Rihanna song "Love the Way You Lie." At first, Jo and I just looked at each other ... and then we got it! They used it as a very effective lead-in to "The Way You Lie."

Here we are at the concert ... sort of. I took about 10 pictures of us, and one of us always looked bad--so I spliced together two pictures. Notice that I've never claimed to be a Photoshop whiz!

Overall, it was a great way to get my feet wet in the country music scene! Next stop, Carrie Underwood???

k max is the only one left

It's official: I've now seen 2/3 of dc Talk.

On Wednesday I got a text from one of my friends asking if I wanted to go to the Newsboys concert. Sounds great, right? Well, the catch is that the concert was Thursday in a town nearly two hours away. Here was the deciding factor for me: Michael Tait, formerly of dc Talk, is now the Newsboys' lead singer. Sold.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I would pay big money to see dc Talk live. And while I've heard a few rumors, I don't think there are any real plans for a reunion tour. So until then, I'll have to content myself with whichever band member comes this way.

So, immediately after work on Thursday, Justin, Adair, and I piled into Adair's car and headed for Norfolk. It was totally worth it.

The show was actually Newsong's Christmas tour, which featured the Newsboys and Kerrie Roberts, a singer I'd never heard of before. It also featured a surprise performer, but I'll get to that later.

They started off with several Christmas songs. Honestly, I was more fascinated (or appalled) by the giant blow-up Santa and penguin on stage than I was by the songs. 

My least favorite number was "Little Drummer Boy," which too loud and cacophonous. All the groups were involved in the song, and it was just too much happening at once. (Perhaps the reason I hated it so much has to do with the fact that the Jars of Clay version, which is much more understated, is one of my favorite Christmas songs!) But then I saw him ... playing the violin (I couldn't hear him playing the violin because everything else was too loud) ... and I thought, Could it be? Is it he?

Sure enough--David Klinkenberg! When the guy from Newsong came out and introduced him, I think I may have stopped breathing. I grinned like a ninny through his whole song ("Toss the Feathers"). When he finished, a bunch of women stood up and cheered. Adair said, "Look at all his girl fans." And I thought, If I didn't have you on one side and Justin on the other, I'd totally be up cheering with them!

(And here's the point where I need to explain about Klinkenberg. I was just going to link to my other blogs about him, but they're on MySpace. In an attempt to get at them for you, I had to reset my MySpace password--it's been so long since I've been on that I couldn't even remember what it was! I guess that speaks to MySpace's irrelevancy in the age of Facebook. Anyway, I finally found the posts, but I can't figure out how to change my settings to make the blog public. If you happen to be MySpace friends with me, the posts are here and here. Basically, David Klinkenberg is my music crush. An excerpt from the blog:

In the evening we (Melissa and I) went to Norfolk for the Mark Schultz/Big Daddy Weave/David Klinkenberg concert. Two more Bible study people, Kevin and Melissa, joined us for the concert. It was amazing! I was a tad disappointed with how little David played (after all, he was the one I really wanted to see!), but overall, I can't complain. Mark Schultz is much less annoying in person than he is on the radio (sometimes, his slower songs just make me want to hurl), and parts of the concert were really like a worship service. It was wonderful.

We waited in the auditorium for about 10 minutes while people cleared out, then we headed to the vending area. Molly bought two of David's cd's, and she had just rejoined us right by the auditorium doors when she tapped me, looked off to her right, and said, "Should I ask for his autograph?" I followed her gaze . . . to David Kinkenberg, who was standing about 5 feet away! At this point, my brain pretty much turned to mush. I whirled back around to find Melissa. "Look behind you!" I hissed. She turned around and saw nothing special. "No, I mean look behind me!" Then he started walking toward us! It became obvious he was going to keep going, so Molly stopped him and asked if he would sign her cd. He said he would be back in a minute and walked away. I still couldn't even think. A little later, he came back to sign the cd. Then he thanked us for coming and walked away. Melissa said the whole time she was thinking, "Becky, SAY SOMETHING!" But I couldn't. It wasn't until we were back in the parking lot that it hit me--CAMERA! I'd had at least 3 minutes to get my camera out and then get a picture with him . . . and it never once crossed my mind! What's wrong with me???

I have to admit, he looks very young up close. Kevin said he looked 12, but it's not quite that bad . . . maybe 18 or 20. I'm not sure how old he really is, but I think he must be older than that. Anyway, it appears that my celeb crush is still intact . . .)

I briefly thought about trying to get a picture this time. Then I realized I didn't have my camera. Then I realized I had my phone, which has a camera. Then I realized I didn't want to act like a crazed fangirl when my only companions were boys. Had Melissa been there, though, she totally would have given me the courage!

As for the rest of the concert, I really enjoyed the Newsboys ... especially when they weren't doing Christmas music! They played "Something Beautiful" and "He Reigns" from previous albums and "Way Beyond Myself" and "Born Again" from the new album (which you know I love!). "He Reigns" wasn't that great. I wouldn't have believed you if you'd told me, since I completely prefer Tait to Peter Furler, but "He Reigns" wasn't as good without Furler's distinctive voice. "Born Again," though, was awesome!

Overall, it was a fun concert, and I'm glad I got to go! (Now, if we could just work on that dc Talk reunion tour ...)

lazy blogger

I've been an incredibly lazy blogger recently. The reasons for this are many, but basically I feel I don't have enough of interest to say to create an entire blog post. So, I offer you yet another bulleted list of randomness.

• I saw a commercial the other day illustrating how much food we throw out each year. I think the average was $500-worth. While I'm sure I don't throw that much out, I could certainly identify with the commercial. I can identify with it even more after cleaning out my refrigerator. Spoiled milk? Check. Old lunchmeat? Check. Moldy cheese? Check. Hard-as-a-rock bread? Check.
• In case you hadn't noticed, Lost is back! Tonight is the third installment of the final season. So many questions, so little time for answers!
• My dearly beloved desktop computer, which one of my brother's college friends built for me, exploded the other day. Maybe "exploded" isn't quite right ... I heard two loud pops, smoke shot out of the back, and it died. I'm so glad I decided to buy my laptop last summer! My brother thinks the data on the hard drive should be salvageable ... I sure hope so!
• I love the Olympics! The "inspirational" stories they run between/during competition always make me cry. And the actual competition is so fun to watch! Back in junior high/high school/college I was absolutely obsessed with figure skating. Funny, I'm not even sure I watched it at all during the Torino Olympics. I recognize the names of the American male skaters and one pair of ice dancers, but I don't know much about them. I think I've just found a new favorite skater, though: Takahiko Kozuka of Japan. He skated his short program to Jimi Hendrix, and he was so fun to watch!
• How is it that I went 28 years without realizing how wonderful cayenne pepper is? It's my new favorite spice. Just a little goes a long way, and it flavors without adding fat, which is excellent for my diet. Yum!
• Val and I are contemplating a trip to see Lifehouse and Daughtry in May. Really, Daughtry is the headliner, but Lifehouse is more important to me :-) We could see them in Wichita or Kansas City ... either would require a 4-5 hour car trip, but I've already proven I don't mind traveling to see my favorite artists!
• My next Blogging for Books review is due sometime next week. I have two books to read this time, and I'm about halfway through the first. The problem? It's a sequel, and I didn't read the first book. I was incredibly lost for at least the first 60 pages. I finally decided I didn't need to understand what was happening; I just needed to make it through. And now I think I've sort of figured out what's what ... and I really need to start speed reading!

speak before the silence

NaNoWriMo begins tomorrow. During the month of November, you probably won't be hearing from me too much--unless I'm procrastinating. Then you might be hearing from me a lot!

Some things to say before I go silent:

• My incredible cousin Nate, who joined us on our awesome road trip to Oregon, has been selected to the All State band for the second year in a row. Last year he played 3rd trumpet; this year he's playing 1st! I gave him a check for my concert ticket the other day (so Aunty M, if you're reading this and haven't seen a check, go shake your boy down!)--I'm excited for November 20!

• I've been doing so much reading lately! (I'm sure that's about to stop, what with NaNoWriMo and all ... ) A few books I highly recommend (and may review at a later date): Coming Attractions (Katie Weldon Series) by Robin Jones Gunn, Get Married: What Women Can Do to Help It Happen by Candice Watters, Anathema by Colleen Coble, and Shades of Blue by Karen Kingsbury. I'm pretty sure I'll be writing about Coming Attractions and Get Married sometime ... maybe after November 30!

• I made the best hot fudge sauce the other day. It's my great-grandma's recipe. I have fond memories of eating this sauce on vanilla ice cream at her house. Muy delicioso!

• I'm beginning to seriously think about church membership. I grew up in a church where membership wasn't stressed, and I'd honestly never really thought about officially joining a church before. Some of you will remember that just over a year ago, I decided to switch churches. I wouldn't say that membership is pushed in my new church, but it's definitely encouraged. I'll be writing more about this later, I'm sure!

• I had the greatest thought last week as I was watching the tail end of an episode of LOST on some cable channel late at night: When LOST comes back in January, I won't have to watch it alone and then bore/confuse my mom with the details at work the next morning. Why? Because Val and her roommate will be able to watch it with me!

• Watch this video. (Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to embed it here, so you'll have to click through to the website.) Now be jealous of me and my mom--we're going to a Straight No Chaser concert in December!!! Merry Christmas, Mom!

want to waste some time? just click all the links in this post . . .

WARNING: This post is about to be very long and random.

I went to a Josh Wilson/Big Daddy Weave concert last night. The concert was at the Hastings City Auditorium, and as we sat there waiting for the concert to start (we got there about an hour early), I took a little stroll down memory lane. The first concert I remember attending there was Acappella. I was in 6th or 7th grade at the time, and it was one of my first concerts. (My first? Steve Green. It sounds silly now, but he was my favorite singer when I was in lower elementary school!) I remember loving Acappella's music, but more than that, it was a date with my mommy. Just the two of us . . . and she even bought me a sweetarts sucker from the concession stand! I saw Acappella there again with my youth group about a year later. Next up was Twila Paris with a friend and her family. And finally, the last concert I saw there prior to last night: Psalty, Jungle Jam, and Church of Rhythm! My family and my cousins' family went together. I think it may have been my idea for my family to go, but Psalty was pure torture! At 14 or 15, I was way past the target demographic. Jungle Jam was more entertaining--their radio program was always quite witty (I even saw one episode, "The Great Coconut-Clunking Debate," adapted into an OID by a really good speech team)--but Church of Rhythm was definitely the best part!

Now on to the concert I attended last night. Josh Wilson was up first. I had no idea who he was, but when he walked onstage by himself with just his guitar, I knew there was a pretty good chance I'd like him. I could have listened to him for hours. I don't know all the technical terms, but he had this machine that would record whatever he was doing and then play it in a loop. So he'd bang on his guitar to create the beat, then strum a bass line, then add some chords, etc. It was pretty cool, and his style reminded me of August Rush. His song "Savior, Please" is pretty popular right now--but I had no idea before last night that he was that song's artist. My favorite song of his was "Turn Around." According to Wilson, it's a song from God's perspective to His people. But I could see it playing on Delilah or some other love songs radio show--check out the first verse and chorus:

I'm ready to fall in love
So what are you running from
I'm what you're looking for, quit looking for yourself
I'm right behind you, while you're looking somewhere else

Would you turn, would you turn, would you turn around
Would it be that hard to do
If you turned, if you turned, if you turned around
I'd be right in front of you

Who hasn't felt like that about someone?

When Big Daddy Weave came out, I was slightly distracted--their electric guitarist could be David Boreanaz's brother (best known for Bones and Angel). I can't believe I didn't think to take a picture! Once I got over the shock of seeing Booth on stage, I really enjoyed the concert. (OK, so I'm known for thinking people look like famous people, and often no one else can see the resemblance. But this wasn't just a mild resemblance--they could have been twins!)

Partway through the concert, Big Daddy Weave paused to talk about child sponsorship through World Vision. Until that moment, I'd forgotten that I signed up for my sponsored child at a Big Daddy Weave concert a couple years ago. (Really, I was there for David Klinkenberg, and Mark Schultz was the headliner, so when I think of the concert, Big Daddy Weave isn't the first name that comes to mind!) If you've never sponsored a child, I'd recommend you do it. I love getting pictures of and from Argenis, my little boy from Guatemala. It's amazing to think that my $30/month can make such a difference!

OK, back to the concert. One thing I love about Big Daddy Weave is that their concerts are all about worshiping God, not about drawing attention to themselves. They put all their lyrics on a PowerPoint to make it easy for the audience to sing along. Unfortunately, their projector bulb went out during the third or fourth song. Fortunately, I knew all the songs they played! The last song was "Beautiful One," and I can't even begin to describe the emotions I felt as I belted it out along with hundreds of other believers. My heart was just so full . . .

A couple other things that didn't fit anywhere else:

• The lead singer of Big Daddy Weave is obsessed with the word "man." It was so bad that I got the giggles every time he said it. It was like my obsession with "dude" a few years ago, only times ten.
• I saw the singles group from my church there. Why didn't I go with them? Because they're all like 60.
• We went to Valentino's before the concert. My opinion of Valentino's definitely didn't improve following that visit, though I did enjoy their dessert breadsticks.
• I had the new Dairy Queen Midnight Truffle Blizzard after the concert; it tastes exactly like the discontinued Brownie Batter Blizzard.
• BDW didn't sing "Audience of One" . . . which was OK with me because I've never liked it all that much--but isn't it their biggest hit?
• I greatly appreciated that they didn't do an encore. I know I've written about this before, and I'd link to it if only I could remember when. Just play your songs--ALL your songs--and then be done. Don't make us cheer for you to come back . . . that's just ego-stroking. No thanks.
• Have I ever written something so packed with links? You could spend hours visiting all the websites I linked to!