New Obsession

So yesterday I grumbled and today I once again have faith. It is periodically worth it to go out of my comfort zone physically (and not just cerebrally or in my writing) and I can come away from the experience with unexpected treats.

Cargo Clutch

This venue, in Pontiac, Michigan, is a PERFECT venue for a parent to take a young teen and some friends to a concert. It used to be a church, so there is a large open atrium with a stage at the front, and then a balcony in horse shoe form, from which said parent can see child and band. The child does not have style cramped by parental hovering, or the embarrassment that said parent is dancing (you heard me). The parent has full supervision ability, a better distance from the music for old ears, and a very clear view of the band without all the jostling. (Okay, I man have jostled one or two).

Behind said horse shoe, is a quiet bar area where I met a lovely 'big sister' kindly escorting her younger sister and a friend, so I didn't feel so old and out of it (after all, said 23 year old sat down even more than I did).

The Concert

There were five bands: Meet me at Six, The Secret Handshake, [insert band I forgot here], The Assembly Is..., and Mayday Parade. Each band played for forty-five minutes, then there was fifteen minutes to move around equipment. It started at six, and because of hell traffic, we missed the first half hour of band #1. We heard enough to know they weren't bad, but they were first band for a reason—local and not quite developed.

(I got EXCELLENT descriptions for badly dressed characters!)

My first Treat

The Secret Handshake went on next and they were delightful! The lead singer was adorable and bounced straight up and down through most of the set. (You know how I love bouncing!) And the drummer was every hot stereotype this old Tart has of what a rocker should look like... very nice. My daughter was surprised I liked it because they do more techno stuff than I am into, and as I seek an example this morning I realize I probably liked them better in person for that reason—only a little voice distortion. Anyway, I enjoyed them.

Tickle me Pink!

I have a new obsession... The Assembly Is... (their ellipse, not mine)--fabulous music with a lead vocalist even an old lady can fantasize about. The pic to the left if clearly a little older--haircuts all different, and I really swear the lead looks AT LEAST 22 now... Picture Leonardo DiCaprio, only taller and lankier, with a little more naughtiness to his facial expressions and black hair instead of brown... And could he MOVE... It was the leaping about thing, not the gymnastics of a David Lee Roth (the most impressive band I saw at my daughter's age being Van Halen), but also not that staged sissy crap—just the kind of moving that let you know the man might have some other skills. (Did I really say that about a man who is probably half my age?) He also had a tart-worthy androgeny—I've always preferred someone with more fluid movements and just a little elegance.

But I made a list of things I loved about them because I KNEW you'd want to know:

* The ellipse. Not many bands could pull it off... it is a heavy weight to bear as part of a name I think, but they proved themselves worthy.
* The crowd calisthenics. They had the crowd, en masse, hop three or four times one way, then three or four the other—wild to watch from above. And they had crown surfing with three big burly guys at the front to catch people as they reached the front.
* But probably it was the naked drummer (here in blue). He may not have ACTUALLY been completely naked, but the drums certainly hid any clothes he wore.

Yup... they're my new favorite band.

Mayday Parade

Though this wasn't my favorite music of the night (it was obviously the crowds), it WAS my favorite part. After the concert, several band members hung out outside Cargo Clutch and graciously, kindly, and encouragingly signed autographs, posed for pictures with fans, and were generally fabulous. I had bought my daughter a CD and the lead singer signed the actual disc. Four of five band members posed with the girls for pictures (need to get those from my daughter's friend, then will share). I think to a fourteen-year-old, THAT is the real highlight of this kind of night. And I was very glad I had conceded to 'hang out' for a little while afterward.

Lesson Learned

Sometimes inertia puts me in a rut and ANYTHING that throws off my routine sounds painful before I step out and do it, but often those things hold unexpected surprises, so I need to keep a little open to those treats.