A day of exceeded expectations

As it goes playing through my head, the soundtrack of the night:

My Morning Jacket was simply amazing. Gushing to happen in 5...4...3...

1) Matt & Kim

Ok, so we're still going in order of shows seen. Another show I was looking forward to very much. I've enjoyed their music, rather tongue in cheek as it is, for awhile. Something about hearing their album made me think they would be a fun live band. And that instinct was dead on. They mixed some very interesting pop rip offs with their outstanding music. Such as Biz Markie's Just A Friend (and the video is hilarious; highly recommend watching it and wondering how it ever became popular) or Europe's Final Countdown. But definitely worth checking out are their own songs such as Northeast and Daylight.

2) The Decemberists

This is the third time I've seen The Decemberists live, #2 being back in April of this year. I always enjoy their shows because I love their music. Unfortunately, they were sans their normal keyboardist and accordionist, Jenny Conlee, who is fighting breast cancer. Special thoughts for a wonderful musician as she fights this. But they were still wonderful. I'm a particularly big fan of The Hazards Of Love album, especially when they get to rocking out. The Rake's Song and The Queen's Rebuke have a special place for me. The Queen's Rebuke is awesome to me, especially live, when song sultry vixen starts vocalizing that blues-y sauciness. On a separate note, Shara Worden is the singer on the album version of The Hazards Of Love, and her band, My Brightest Diamond is solid as well.

3) My Morning Jacket

I've been a fan, but they were honestly not on my "must-see" list. By the end of the first song, I was completely dumbfounded as to why they were not at the very top of the list. Victory Dance was amazing (and this video link is actually from probably just about 20 feet in front of where I was standing). Amazing is the word. There are few others to describe how outstanding their set was. Jim James is a true rock star. Hopefully you can see the white fur Ugg boots he's wearing. This was another show where I periodically turned to my friends and was simply speechless as to how amazing it was. They played some stuff I'd never heard before, as well as some of my favorites, such as Off The Record. My favorite moment was definitely when the Preservation Hall Jazz Band came on stage for a couple licks, including the phenomenal rendition of Highly Suspicious. I was ecstatic. This was by far, without comparison, incomparably, without a doubt, decidedly the best live show I've ever seen in my life. Period.

4) Arcade Fire (the must-see for DAY TWO)

So there was only about one band that in my mind could have followed My Morning Jacket effectively. And that band was my "must-see" for DAY TWO, Arcade Fire. This was yet another show I had been anticipating with baited breath. They did not disappoint. They are outstanding live. The band obviously just flat-out has fun playing their music. There's no sense of pretension or haughtiness to their performance and they are there to entertain and provide a wonderful concert experience, something they definitely deliver. I've thoroughly enjoyed all their albums, but hearing some favorites live was just icing on a delicious musical cake. Rococo and Intervention were great to hear. And then they ended the set with Rebellion (Lies), which meant death and heaven. That is, until the encore of Wake Up and Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains). Fork stuck in me. Done.

5) Ratatat

One of the few bands I was willing to stay up late to see. They went on at 2:30 and did a 90-minute set. And it was so worth it. It was my late night show, but truly outstanding. They put up rear projectors to shine onto fiberglass sheets and projected videos to accompany their music. Thoroughly enjoyed such great ones as Wildcat and Gettysburg. But the awesome part was when they returned for the encore, hearing those first strains of Seventeen Years come in. "I've been rapping for about seventeen years..." and the tent goes straight-up berserk at 3:50 am.

Tomorrow, I'll sleep. Today, we rock.

A day of unknown expectations

Perhaps it's time to blog about Bonnaroo. Don't worry. I took copious notes, so even though it's over two weeks removed, it'll be like I was just there. Praise be for car phone chargers so that you can carry around your iPhone and take said notes on said phone. So, an event that needs no introduction, DAY ONE of Bonnaroo:

The blogging soundtrack:

Freelance Whales. Best surprise of DAY ONE. More on that in a bit.

Arrival and campsite set-up went a bit smoother than expected. A friend had told us that we could expect to spend upwards of 7 hours trying to get to the campsite and getting set up.  And it took all of 2 hours. So the good thing was that we set out to get to Centeroo, where all the music is, and stake out some spots for the sweet shows. And so it begins:

1) Futurebirds

I was unaware of this band. They came well-recommended, and I thoroughly enjoyed their set. I don't see them as a new favorite, but a fun show for sure. They were quite the decent alt country band, but with plenty of rockin'. They're from Athens, Georgia, which isn't too surprising for indie rockdom. We saw a 45 minute set from them, but my personal highlight was a cover of Stevie Nicks' "Wild Heart", which is apparently a staple of their live set, and definitely should be.

2) Freelance Whales

Another new-to-me-band. One of my fellow Bonnaroovians that made the trek from Omaha is a fan, so I had a good feeling about that one. They were outstanding, in my humble opinion. They had several quite versatile members, all of whom are quality musicians with range playing some interesting instrumentation. I couldn't even tell you what they were playing at times. Two songs particularly stood out from their set. Generator 2nd Floor and Hannah were definitely memorable. We also listened to the entire album, Weathervanes, on the ride home, and it is quite good throughout. Freelance Whales are on my list of bands to listen to from now on. So there's that.

3) School Of Seven Bells

I was looking forward very much to this show. Windstorm has been a favorite of mine for some time, and hearing a favorite song live is truly one of my favorite things. After hearing Windstorm, I was torn. Either I could sit around for the rest of this show or I could not starve. Food won out, so I only saw about half of their set before heading back to the campsite for peanut butter sandwiches and recuperation for the evening.

4) Sleigh Bells

For me, Sleigh Bells was the must-see of DAY ONE. The only problem was that there were way too many people who agreed with me. We were a long ways from the stage and seeing much of anything was out of the question. Hearing wasn't all that much better. Carving a path towards the tent, I got decently close to hear/rock out well. But by that point, they had played my favorites and I was ready to not be scrunched in a sea of humanity, so we headed out of the crowd. They only played one new song, which I dug, but I wanted more new stuff. It's a shame that the must-see of DAY ONE was the only bust. But everything else was outstanding. DAY ONE was already a raving success even with this set back.

5) Deerhunter

This was a band I was somewhat familiar with before walking in, but one of those bands I wanted to know better. And they rocked from the start. Their first song, Wash Off, was killer. They destroyed in the best way possible. Words do not describe with any degree of accuracy. After this song, I turned to my friend and we were too blown away to say how awesome it was. Don't Cry was also amazing. The only problem here was shear exhaustion. We had driven from Omaha to Nashville the day before and then set up tents and a canopy in heat and humidity, and now it was past midnight. We were flat-out exhausted. It was time for bed before Deerhunter was done, which was sad.

I dipped in and out of a handful of shows over the course of the weekend, and of all the sets I did not see all of, Deerhunter's was by far the biggest regret on that list.

DAY ONE was in the books. DAY TWO tomorrow...

A place where this world and the next meet

To say that today was tough is beyond an understatement.

Chelsey Horne was a young woman of incomparable strength and immeasurable resilience. For over four years, she fought melanoma. I had a front row seat for much of her struggle as her boyfriend, but I know that the most difficult part of her journey occurred in the time since we parted ways. To say that her last year, medically speaking, was hard would be a diservice to the will and determination that she and her family showed to defeating a formidable opponent.

At 1:26 am, on June 13, 2011, Chelsey Horne departed this world.

She left behind a monumental trail of inspiration, hope, and love. Her friends and family are an undying testament to her fight and her strength. She was universally adored by everyone she came into contact with, and I can speak volumes personally to the positive impact she had on my life, as well as the lives of those around her.

Chelsey was a stellar camp counselor to fellow diabetics in the mountains of California. She could tell you what wedding colors would be best when you walked into the Marina Paper Source. She was a sounding board, a confidant, and a treasured ally, a loyal friend to the end. She was a young woman of incomparable talents that could never be boiled down to a few sentences to describe her legacy.

Since the news broke, I have been on a roller coaster. My friends and family have commiserated and sent their condolences and I wish so much to send those along to the people that truly deserve them. Those who were with Chelsey to the end, her friends and family that she cherished SO much, deserve every ounce of sympathy, kind thoughts, and respect that I have gotten. I don't want any of it because it all belongs to them. I deserve none.

I surrounded myself with friends tonight to keep my mind distracted, to talk to people I haven't talked to in awhile, to see how they are doing. All of it in order to not focus on the task at hand. To belay the mourning. To leave it for a day when I can handle it. When I'm not tired, run down, exhausted, and unable to handle the emotions. And that was a fool's errand.

While it is hard to see the positives on such a heart-breaking day, I know that Chelsey's positive energy and indomitable spirit will always be with those she touched, and I know it will always be with me.

I went to hang out with friends tonight, to distract myself and focus on something besides the forefront. And amongst my friends, one of them pulled me aside and related a story about a friend from his past who had also lost a struggle with cancer and the impact this had on his life. He told me that this is the reason we do what we do. As doctors-in-training, we will one day fight this "good fight" and be able to take these negative experiences in our life and use them to do the most benefit. That these moments, as horrible as they are at the time, will one day serve the common good.

While it is hard to see the forest for the trees, so to speak, I stood outside my apartment for some time after I got home tonight. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts and memories. And as I stood outside with no discernable direction or agenda, my friend's words came back to me. I thought about the truth in them and the strength with which Chelsey and all other cancer patients fight day in and day out.

I didn't know what I was doing, particularly. I didn't know what I was waiting for, or if I was even waiting for something. But something happened.

As I stood there, deep in contemplation, a strong wind began to blow through the trees. It was impossible to think of it any other way than I did. I felt her presence in that wind. It was a cool breeze. A breath of fresh air and rejuvenation. As I stood there, I was engulfed in this gentle air. I considered my friend's eyes on the future while being ensnared by the true emotions of the present. And in that moment, I couldn't help but smile. It was the first true smile since...

I smiled because I knew that my friend was right, and Chelsey was agreeing. To me, that wind was Chelsey's approval. It was her telling me that everything was going to be all right, even if it takes a long time. That my future was set and that some day, I would be able to use this pain to help others. And above all, Chelsey would want that. Perhaps this is self-indulgent, even selfish. But I know one thing. That wind was truth, a truth that can never be replicated, never imitated, never bettered.

In a word, that wind was:

REBIRTH

Live from Chicago

Sweet soulful sounds of the day: Seven Swans by Sufjan Stevens

Listening to Sister and In The Devil's Territory whilst romping around the Field Museum in Chicago makes for a wonderful afternoon.

1) 100% baseball 75% of the time

I made it to 3 baseball games in 4 days recently. Game at Wrigley, game at Busch, back to Wrigley. The best part, of course, was Andres Torres hitting a grand slam en route to a Giants domination session at Busch on Memorial Day. Had the Giants shirt on and everything. Great day.

2) Trivial Domination

The team of Shannon, Mark, Beth, Pat, Laura, and me totally dominated the Trivia Night at some place I totally can't remember the name of. And then John Michael and Connie showed up and more awesome happened. Caught up with friends I hadn't seen in awhile and that's always awesome.

3) Day o' Chicago

Threadless has a retail store in Chicago. Prize #1. Which is why I now have this shirt. I mean, a platypus is awesome, no matter what. This shirt just speaks to me. The Field Museum was truly spectacular. The "Evolving Planet" exhibition was amazing, as was the one of "Whales: Giants of the Deep." And then walking all up through Grant Park and Millennium Park towards downtown Chicago on my way to the taping of 

Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

Highlight of my summer so far, by far. If you're not familiar with the NPR news quiz show featuring the dulcet sounds of Carl Kasell, the wit of Peter Sagal, and the hilarity of a celebrity panel (Paula Poundstone, Alonzo Bodden, and Amy Dickinson), you should be. Kevin Bacon was the guest for Not My Job. Apparently the show ran longer than it ever really has before and they just let it go. It took over 2 hours to tape the 45 minutes show but it was all amazing in every way. And afterwards, I got their signatures pictures with all of them. So you could say that my Thursday evening rocked the socks off yours. Not to gloat, but yeah. It was amazing.