another fourth of july... this year i'm in a very different place than i was last year.

last 4th of july, i literally WAS just getting home. lynn, andy, and i had driven to the pacific northwest to see the indigo girls. we met up with cornfusion, crazycatdoglady, and several others. together, we did all three pacific northwest shows (the oregon zoo, the seattle zoo (ick), and veneta, which is my favorite west coast outdoor venue). on the night of the 3rd/morning of the 4th, we were driving back to the bay area (overnight) after saying goodbye to our friends. if i remember correctly, there was a world cup soccer match that i wanted to watch, so i really wanted to get home in time for that. but it was a tour to remember. the girls were debuting many of their new songs. it was the first time i heard songs like "lay my head down," "pendulum swinger," (and the pendulum swinger was created shortly after we arrived home on the 4th...) "run," and "little perennials" in full. amy was also debuting "three county highway" with emily, but i was lucky enough to hear it in its rawest rawest rawest form (which i kind of prefer) in napa in 2005. but the significance of that lyric, "it's 4th of july and i'm just now getting home, on the horizon i can see 'em all unfold" is pretty substantial for me.

i really thought i could see everything unfold in front of me. i was on tour, having the time of my life with my bestest friends. everything was so perfect. i never imagined what the rest of 2006 and 2007 would have in store for me. i never guessed that i'd come home from the last show of that indigo girls tour (mohegan) and that everything would change for me overnight. i never imagined that i'd fall so ill, somewhat recover, and then have to face some demons of my past all over again. i never imagined that i'd be out of work for almost the rest of the year, on disability. i never imagined that i'd be in physical therapy learning how to balence and walk without falling again. it's scary how much i thought i knew and how little i really knew.

right now it's 4th of july again. west coast tour for this year is already over (though i have reno this weekend, atlanta later this month, and east coast tour in august). this 4th of july is very different than last 4th of july. i'm not taking anything for granted this year, but at the same time i hope that what i can see on the horizon for me really holds true.

so i went to a bunch of live shows in 2006. not much to say in terms of diversity, but i had a damn good time. shall we recap?

january:
19 - indigo girls in san luis obispo, ca (w/ three5human). seriously, in terms of crowd and venue, one of the lamest ever!
20 - indigo girls in santa cruz, ca (w/ three5human). that rio theater was COLD AS HELL inside. but i unknowingly took an amazing photo of the marquee.
21 - indigo girls in chico, ca (w/ three5human). great setlist... and of course "silly man" is "dirt and dead ends."
22 - indigo girls in arcata, ca (w/ three5human). mmmm... a show in humboldt county. mmmmm....
24 - indigo girls in redding, ca (w/ three5human). i sat next to the world's biggest bitches in the front row. seriously. (oh, and speaking of front row, unless otherwise noted, i was in the front row for all of the indigo girls shows)
25 - indigo girls in medford, or (w/ three5human). good times at that show with some really good friends.
26 - indigo girls in portland, oregon (w/ three5human). the batteries in my camera decided to die the night that amy was wearing her worst best outfit of the tour. luckily i was able to shoot one photo before my camera lost all power.
27 - indigo girls in san francisco, ca (w/ three5human). that was the night that my car was broken into and all of my shit was stolen. such a depressing thing to happen at my hometown show.
28 - indigo girls in san francisco, ca (w/ three5human). despite losing just about everything the night before (my laptop being the major loss), amy and emily put on an amazing show and completely blew me away. amy saved "world falls" for the last show on tour, and it was the most amazing live version to date.

february:
13 - indigo girls in princeton, nj (w/ three5human). i traveled through the worst snow storm of the year to get there. it took over 24 hours of traveling on planes, trains, and yes, automobiles, with cancellations and delays to get to princeton. but i braved the snow and the PRIZE really *was* worth the rocky ride!

march:
14 - shawn mullins in san francisco, ca (w/ clay cook). it was nice to have a piece of the south here in san francisco.
15 - girlyman in berkeley, ca (w/ some horrible opener from russia). i don't remember much about this show except that i really hate the freight and salvage in berkeley.
17 - athens boys choir in san francisco, ca. aka the only spoken word that i enjoy. katz is on fire.
18 - girlyman in santa cruz, ca. perhaps the best gman show i have ever been to!
19 - girlyman in los angeles, ca. dillard and i took a little impromptu road trip. it was more about getting away and less about girlyman, but gman was great and they played "fall stories" for me.

april:
nothing.

may:
nada.

june:
zilch. really, us on the west coast aren't as lucky as you bastards in more musically inclined places.

july:
1 - indigo girls in portland, or (w/ danielle howle). the first show after a drought. the Chain landed in portland and i was very happy! we heard a lot of the (then unreleased) songs from despite our differences for the first time,
2 - indigo girls in seattle, wa (w/ danielle howle). this was the show where cornfusion and i almost got into a fight with the fucker with the big blanket next to us.
3 - indigo girls in veneta, or (w/ danielle howle). the first time we heard "pendulum swinger." within 24 hours of the show, the pendulum swinger was created by LD and i.
5 - indigo girls in saratoga, ca (w/ alix olson). the shittiest show on tour was my "hometown" show. but amy did an amazing version of "dirt and dead ends," and it left me speechless.
6 - indigo girls in santa monica, ca (w/ michelle malone). this is the show that prooved how much the girls really do care about their FANS.
7 - indigo girls in san diego, ca (w/ michelle malone). historically, the venue has been shitty. but this year was different. humphreys redeemed itself.
9 - indigo girls in salt lake city, ut (w/ michelle malone). horrible day in line. and to top it off, i was grumpy because italy beat france in the world cup final.
10 - indigo girls in boulder, co (w/ the ditty bops). i fucking hated the ditty bops. but the show was fun. i brought my aunt, who had a blast. and after the show, i taught emily the pendulum swinger.
16 - pearl jam in san francisco, ca. i got in for free and didn't stay for the whole show.
20 - indigo girls in lowell, ma (w/ three5human). i finally got to meet pipdreamer21! but the show was cut short due to rain and venue greed. oh, and pat and i danced on stage with three5human!
21 - indigo girls in hyannis, ma (w/ three5human). i was so not down with the rotating stage. amy played "world falls" for me, but her back was facing us at the time.
23 - indigo girls in hampton beach, nh (w/ three5human). interesting people watching in hampton fleach!
24 - indigo girls in uncasville, ct. really, what can i say about IG at MOHEGAN SUN CASINO?!? nice version of "world falls" was a great addition to an excellent setlist!
25 - indigo girls in uncasville, ct. night two of mohegan sun... where the pendulum swinger became a hit!

august:
let's list concerts i was *supposed* to go to...
2 - amy ray solo in olympia, wa. too bad i was in the hospital when i was supposed to be at her ONLY SOLO SHOW IN 2006!
?? (date?) - team dresch in san francisco, ca. again, i was too sick to go. no team dresch for me. :(
31 - indigo girls in decatur, ga. i missed the eddie's attic shows because of stupid ramsay hunt syndrome!

september:
1 - indigo girls in decatur, ga. see the comments for 31 august. yeah. it sucked.

october:
finally, somewhat healthy enough to travel again and out of the hospital...
7 - indigo girls in charleston, sc (w/ the weepies). our mood was somewhat dampered when our front row seats turned into second row seats, but thanks to a stage rush i ended up in my happy place.
9 - indigo girls in baltimore, md (w/ roman candle). bad acoustics at the meyerhoff. really bad.
10 - indigo girls in philadelphia, pa (w/ arizona). the pendulum swinger reunion show!
14 - indigo girls in northampton, ma (w/ arizona). cornfusion and i had the best (reserved) seats in the house!
16 - indigo girls in boston, ma (w/ roman candle). the ticket drama all worked out in the end, and this one turned out to be one of the most amazing shows on tour. and of course this was taken!
23 - indigo girls in indianapolis, in (w/ three5human). i danced on stage with three5human again! icky venue staff. but my friends and i all had reserved seats in the front row, so it was all good.
27 - indigo girls in chicago, il (w/ three5human). my father came to this show with us. good times.
28 - indigo girls in chicago, il (w/ three5human). my mother came to this one with us. tanner showed up and the party began. complete high energy show. i got two photos with some of my all time favorite women.

november:
5 - indigo girls in seattle, wa (w/ bitch). crazycatdoglady, juliana, and i were some of the only people in a very empty pit.
6 - indigo girls in portland, or (w/ bitch). this was the first show that they did their fucking awesome jam fest ending in "money made you mean."
8 - indigo girls in sacramento, ca (w/ bitch). three words: dillard, do something!
9 - indigo girls in san francisco, ca (w/ bitch). a fucking amazing show in my hometown. trina and tomi of three5human flew in to sit in and blew everyone away. i took one of my favorite photos ever.
10 - indigo girls in san francisco, ca (w/ bitch). not as good as the show on the 9th, but amy kept her promise to play "world falls" for me in my hometown.
11 - indigo girls in ventura, ca (w/ bitch). high energy show with perfect lighting for photos. it was being filmed for some independent video project, and we got to hear "rock and roll heaven's gate" twice! quote of the evening: bon jovi don't write back.
13 - indigo girls in ventura, ca (w/ bitch). a bunch of guests showed up (lisa loeb, vonda shepard, etc). one of the best LA shows i've ever seen, i got my request for "dirt and dead ends." quote of the day: get on the bus, you little hooker!
14 - indigo girls in pala, ca (w/ bitch). by far the weirdest indigo girls show ever. the majority of the audience were not IG fans, they were high rollers who got free tickets. luckily dillard and i were in the front row (as always), so it all worked out. kind of a buzzkill way to end a tour. but we did get "bury my heart at wounded knee" and "cordova." and i got the biggest smile from emily ever while i was doing the PSer.
16 - girlyman in berkeley, ca (w/ lis harvey). i was so not into it after the indigo girls tour (you can't top that). and again, i hate that venue.
17 - girlyman in santa cruz, ca. a much better show than the previous night, but still a real buzzkill after IG.
28 - the coup in san francisco, ca. i wish we knew more people there. that's all

december:
nothing, and nothing planned.

so that was my year in terms of live music. good times. good music. 2007 is already promising to be amazing with the indigo girls UK tour. dillard and i are going international!

here i am. at home. again. the indigo girls tour's over. it's still very much in my memory, though. i am feeling a mixture of sadness, relief, lonliness (i miss the pendulum swingers!), exhaustion, and withdrawl. lots and lots of withdrawl.

this is my official post tour wrap up. but i can't gurantee i won't have more to say in a week, tomorrow, or even in a few hours. anything public and related to this tour will be tagged "ig 2006." to keep it simple, i will probably use that tag for the amy ray solo show next week as well.

where to even begin? i know that i often say "that was like the best show ever," but those two mohegan shows at the end of the tour knocked two other shows out of my top five of all time. i am so glad that the tour ended on such a high note, but in some ways, it would have been easier if the final two shows had sucked. i wouldn't be itching for more so much. and that's what i'm doing right now, itching for more. i am back to fruitlessly searching for dates. fall is just around the corner, and i am hoping to plan most of my fall weekends around indigo girls shows (in addition to everything in california). i'll just have to wait and see. as i said in an earlier post, i am going to be a bit more discriminating when it comes to venues. since they're with a band in the fall, there's no need to do it all. besides, for me, it's all about summer tour. summer tour has been a grand tradition of mine for many years. 2007 isn't going to be any different.

i am incoherent and i am tired. sorry for the scatteredness of this.

one of the other highlights of this tour has been keeping a public blog. despite some of the immature emails/comments i received, i had a blast doing this. i got SO much positive feedback about this project that i will most likely keep some sort of public blog (perhaps not as extensive as this one) for every future tour. committing myself to write almost everyday forced me not just to live it, but to PROCESS it. that made a huge difference in my experience as well. in the past, i'd just jot a few notes down and process it in my head. but actually sitting down to type it all up added so much to this experience for me. touring has many facets - it's not always fun. i think that pouring my heart out in this blog made me really realize what makes me tick while on tour and what i can live without. and of course, i am happy to have the memories so available to me. i foresee myself sitting in my office one day in the not so distant future feeling the indigo withdrawl bad. all i have to do to somewhat relive it is open my blog and read. in fact, i did that throughout the tour so i'd place every new experience into context.

i really really really enjoyed taking on this project. and i am so flattered that so many people read this and commented to my face or in this blog. i want to thank everyone of you who took the time to read this and live the tour with me. it means the world to me. y'all kept me going when i wasn't in the mood to write. knowing that people cared what i had to say encouraged me to fire up the laptop, find some inspiration, and write write write!

like every indigo girls tour, this one has changed me too. i saw some excellent, top tier shows (mohegan). i also saw some not so excellent shows (saratoga). i met some of the most amazing people (here is where i send my very special shout out to the pendulum swingers crew: MOHEGAN 06, BABY! y'all were amazing and i value all of the time we spent together under the fabulous mohegan sun!). amy and emily played their hearts out everynight. and for that i am thankful. i am also thankful that i can do this every year. contrary to popular belief, i do make many sacrifices to do this every july (and to be able to hop on a plane to see them during other months). anyone who's been to my apartment in california knows that it's not the nicest place i could live. i use virtually ALL of my vacation time for this every year. but in the end, every sacrifice i make is worth it to see the indigo girls up on stage for those 90 minutes in different cities and different venues. those 90 minutes are always pure bliss, and they trigger so many emotions.

so what was the best show? mohegan #1 for me (though mohegan #2 is a very very close second). worst show? i hate to admit this, but that would be my "hometown" show in saratoga. the energy in there was so lacking, and the venue blew (for indigo girls, at least). best setlist? well, considering that mohegan #1 was pretty much my dream setlist, yes. best venue? mohegan. veneta. they're just so different. best line experience? in terms of people, it was mohegan. there was an instant bond that i've never felt before anywhere with everyone in the front of the line. in terms of ease and drama free, i'm going to say lowell or veneta. best night of indigo on stage chatter? mohegan #2. weirdest venue? hyannis. best opener? that's hard. i love malone, danielle howle, and three5human SO much. but i am going to say three5human because i got to dance on stage with them in lowell. worst opener? alix olson. sorry, but yeah, totally not my style. best setlist surprise? "cordova" from night two at mohegan. or maybe "world falls" from that first night there since i was so not expecting it then. worst setlist surprise? when they got so carried away that they forgot to play "power of two" during the regular set (mohegan #1) and added it to the encore. funniest memories? the "pendulum swinger" dance (mohegan #2), "i spent the whole night touching my crotch" (boulder), amy and her fleas (mohegan #2), when the tour bus hit my car (san diego), humberto's "chickenman" debut (santa monica), driving into vegas listening to rap music as the sun was coming up (in between san diego and salt lake city), betting with amy on the world cup (san diego) suckiest moment? when the lowell show got rained out halfway through. most infuriating moment? the damn usher in hyannis. best interview with amy and emily? troy's on krcl (salt lake city). best spike and emily/amy interaction? ummm, mohegan #2 maybe? or boulder. or lowell. i'm not sure. best clothing? the Chain. and emily's new jeans (yum!). worst outfit? amy's highwaters.

what a month july has been. i traveled by car and plane all over the country, following those indigo girls. i met so many new friends and got to see so many old friends. amy and emily played 13 shows that i got to see. i had great seats/spots at 95% of them. i saw some beautiful scenery. i had some long, yet amazing, drives. my lungs got their annual workout. i basked in the indigo glow since 1 july.

but now it's all over. i have the memories, the blog, the boots, and the pictures. i know it won't be long until it happens again, but nothing can really compare to the summer tour. nothing. winter, spring, and fall, they're different. there's something about summertime and the indigo girls that goes so well together. it's in the air.

i am leaving for washington in just a few days to see amy solo. i am psyched beyond belief for that. amy solo makes me tick as much as amy and emily together. i just wish there was more than one show of that. soon this will ALL be over and real life will resume. damn, i hate real life sometimes.

so here i am at the boston airport getting ready for my flight home. i am going to write a tour wrap-up midflight (if i'm awake - if not i'll write it at home later).

but lately i have been doing a lot of thinking. especially since they're touring with a band in the fall, and i prefer acoustic duo, i am going to be more discriminating about which shows i'm willing to get on an airplane for. i'm not going to fly across country for any single show reserved seat worse than front row or second row fairly center (or on a center aisle). i won't be attending any shows at venues like radio city music hall (unless there are a few shows on the east coast around then that look good) because the sound in the pit is horrible, and i've been so spoiled, i wouldn't enjoy being further back where the sound is good. generally speaking, i'll be seeking out club shows, which are pretty much all general admission.

unlike many indigo girls fans, i prefer general admission. sure, there are sacrifices to be had. getting up early while on vacation kind of sucks. but the rewards are so great (great enough that i don't even mind that i'm sleep deprived right now). first of all, for 99% of general admission shows, if you get there early, you get a great spot. sometimes you get thrown for a loop with vip bullshit (which you usually know about in advance and can somehow score vip passes), and venue staff letting their friends in first (whish is so wrong on so many levels), but usually if you're there early, you're up front. since i am a fast runner, when i'm first or second in line, i can usually out run anyone at shows at parks, gardens, and zoos which require being fast. i feel that at general admission shows i have more control over getting to my "happy place."

and of course, after spending a long day in line with fellow indigo girls fans, by showtime, everyone up front is usually friends with everyone else up front. a perfect example of this is the east coast general admission shows from this past week. when i arrived on the east coast, i only knew a handful of people. there were a lot of people i knew OF or had met very briefly before at east coast shows throughout the years, but aside from the usual suspects, i wasn't really friends with that many people. since all five shows (lowell, hyannis (which was the only non-GA one), hampton beach, and the two mohegan shows) were all within a few hours drive, many of the same people did all five of these shows. and it was always the same people at the front of the line: me, bon, dillard (once she joined us), sandy, becca, michelle, deb, deb (yes, two debs), pat, lynn, snoop, mindy, skeeter, jerr, dee, sandy (two sandys too), margaret, rebecca, jo, amber, irby, etc... by the second night of mohegan (last show) we were pretty much inseperable. it was awesome, enjoying these shows, up front, with all of my friends (some new, and some old). and since mohegan was technically a sit down show, and since we were all up front and were all friends, we were able to stand since EVERYONE stood. AND the dillard's and my now famous "pendulum swinger" dance would not have been possible (when EVERYONE did it on cue) during the second night of mohegan if we all didn't spend HOURS in line together over the week. it also wouldn't have been possible (and it wouldn't have had the same impact) if we were all scattered throughout a reserved seating show. i love being up front, and i love being up front with my new (and old) friends from line who are REAL fans.

general admission is the way to go. it just is. yeah, one day i may be too old for this, but i am enjoying it while i can. i love nothing more than a general admission show where everyone gets along and there is no line drama. both mohegan shows, especially the final night, turned out to be pretty much the perfect general admission scenerios. that's another reason that mohegan were the perfect shows. :)

mohegan night two... where to even begin? i don't want this to turn into an indigo girls tour wrap up (i'll do that tomorrow), so i am really going to just try to focus on the second show at mohegan and not the fact that the tour is over (kind of - i still have homo-a-gogo next week, but that's different).

to sum it up the two nights at mohegan were the most amazing shows on this tour, and not only that, but some of the most amazing shows i've ever seen. that's a sweeping statement. as anyone who regularly reads my blog knows, i've been to many shows. in 29 states, two countries, and in every type of venue (from small nasty clubs to places like radio city music hall). i never imagined that two indigo girls shows at some indian casino in connecticut would blow me away as they did. some of the shows on this tour had lame setlists, and i was, at some points, starting to wonder if their live shows were fading. mohegan gave me all my indigo faith back, plus more. that's pretty awesome considering that pretty much my whole life centers around amy and emily. so yeah, the double header at mohegan will go down as one of my best indigo memories ever.

what made these shows so awesome? the setlists for one. the acoustics were fabulous. the girls were happy, chatty, and ON. and the venue was so intimate. i was in my "happy place" both nights (front row amy side). the crowd was great, and so many of my friends were at these shows. that all combined makes for the PERFECT show, and that's what both mohegan shows were - perfect. napa's setlist was just as amazing as night one of mohegan, but the crowd sucked, and that took away from how awesome the show could have been. the thing about mohegan was that it had all of the components of what makes a show wonderful, and with all of that combined, everything was just so right. i'm still on cloud nine (although i have a bit of indigo withdrawl).

let's start with the setlist alone. hello! last night we got "welcome me" and "cordova." those songs are so rarely played live these days. and although i had heard everything else before, i LOVE the majority of the songs that they played last night ("ozilline," "heartache for everyone," "lay my head down," "three county highway," "the wood song," "land of canaan," "pendulum swinger," "let it be me," etc...) yes, there was the usual "power of two" and "galileo," but those were so drowned out by everything else. the acoustics were amazing, so everything sounded SO great. everything. i've never heard "lay my head down" sound better. and the first night's "world falls" has to be my favorite version of my all time favorite song yet.

the crowd (at least up front) was awesome. dillard and i made up this dance for "pendulum swinger" in between veneta and saratoga. i showed it to emily in boulder after the show. she told me to get everyone on the east coast to do it at the shows. last night that happened. on cue, for the chorus of "pendulum swinger," we all stood up, at least 30 of us right up front, and did the dance that dillard and i made up right there in my apartment in oakland! it was so awesome to see everyone doing OUR dance. amy and emily LOVED it. they were both cracking up during the chorus each time. we had done it the night before, but only five of us had done it. it was easy for emily to just look the other way to avoid cracking up. not last night! she couldn't look away because it was everywhere! after the song, they asked about it. emily remembered it, but i had to explain it to amy. thank god someone booted last night's show. me, explaining the dance to amy (and emily) was priceless. that was the highlight of the show for me.

other memorable moments were when amy was talking about the hike that she had done during the day. she spent a lot of the show shaking her hair out and scratching her head (see icon). at one point, i scribbled a note to my friends that said "i think amy has fleas." not sure if she heard us cracking up, but she told us that she was out hiking that day and she thinks she got bugs in her hair and her mouth. i was concerned that she might have acquired west nile virus. got deet? again, thank goodness someone booted. priceless. emily professed her undying love for mary j. blige again. i swear, she's such the hip hop star. oh, and the funniest emily moment was during "cordova." as y'all porbably (hopefully) know, emily has a tiny part on "cordova." it's mostly an amy solo song, but during the last verse, she's supposed to come in and sing the chorus. well, emily was nowhere to be found then! she forgot to come out on to stage to sing with amy. instead, she was backstage checking the WNBA score (the connecticut suns were playing at the mohegan sun arena, just a few feet away from the cabaret theater). ha ha ha - emily totally left amy hanging. so last night "cordova" was indeed an amy solo song.

so as always, the girls ended their tour on such a high note (the last show of any tour is usually one of the best. both mohegan shows were lifetime bests, in my opinion). they went out with a bang and impressed, amazed, and amused me. every moment, including "galileo," of both mohegan shows was heavenly. out of my 130+ indigo girls shows, BOTH of those mohegan gigs are in my top five (not ten! FIVE!). that's how perfect they were.

i'm sad it's over, but i have my sights set on homo-a-gogo and the fall tour. i know that it won't be too long until i get to do another indigo vacation. will anything beyond ever live up to the two nights at mohegan? perhaps not. but i'm sure that one day, there will be another show that will blow me away as much as mohegan. there just has to be. no matter what, the indigo girls just keep on getting better.

here's the setlist. i'll post thoughts, a review, and some photos tomorrow.

IG at mohegan sun, uncasville, ct 25 july 06

closer to fine
ozilline
fill it up again
heartache for everyone
it's alright
little perennials
pendulum swinger
welcome me
power of two
shame on you
let it be me
three county highway
lay my head down
land of canaan
the wood song
cordova (amy solo because emily forgot to join her on stage for that last verse!)
cold beer and remote control
chickenroot
get out the map

(encore)
moment of forgiveness
galileo

yup yup yup.... the two mohegan shows were the BEST on tour!!!

i'll also post a tour wrap up soon. what a time i had: indigo girls 2006 summer tour!

i can not believe i forgot to post this.

true story: yesterday, we were all waiting in line (what else is new?) in the middle of the mohegan sun casino. for those of you who haven't been here, this place is a bit tacky. it's kind of like "hello! we want to be vegas, but we're really connecticut!" anyway, i believe the majority of the mohegan sun casino-goers have never heard of the indigo girls (like most people). people were very curious as to why there was a corral of lesbians sitting on the floor near some slot machines. some people asked.

an old man strolled up to the line and asked someone else near the front what we were waiting for. the person in line answered, "indigo girls show." the old man (like the 75+ crowd) had not heard of amy and emily, of course. he looked at the marquee ( photo of the marquee under the cut ) and said, "do they strip?"

yes. you read that correctly. the old man looked at the marquee and thought that amy and emily are strippers.

you just can't make this shit up. you just can't.

i am completely high on life right now. i'm not really coherent at the moment.

if you are within 3000 miles of connecticut and you were NOT at the indigo girls show tonight, please go kick yourself in the shins. hard. you missed quite a show.

i've been to a LOT of IG shows. 130+ to be exact. once in a while, there is a show that blows everything you know about amy emily out of the water. then, once in a lifetime is there a show that contains a) your favorite song ever, which was played because it was your request ("world falls") b) your favorite emily song ever that is rarely played ("soon be to nothing") c) your second favorite IG song that is played often, but is always a treat ("devotion") d) a rare amy solo treat ("rodeo") and you hear this all within two feet of amy.

yes, pretty fucking amazing. the setlist has already been posted, of course. i can't even comprehend what i saw and heard tonight, beacuse it was so amazing. even though it was mostly a sit down show, mohegan sun #1 is perhaps my FAVORITE indigo girls show ever. out of 130. it blew some of my previous favorites, the fillmore #2 2006, baltimore 2003, and napa 2005 (amazing setlist) out of the water. seriously. i am still on cloud nine. my head's up in the clouds. tonight will be a night to remember.

we did the "pendulum swinger" dance that dillard and i made up. the Chain landed at mohegan. the girls were in amazing moods. and the setlist blows every other setlist out of the water and into another universe. oh, and i got to hear the most beautiful live version ever of my favorite song.

i could gush and gush all night, but i won't. instead, i am going to focus on that "world falls" moment. it was fabulous. so unexpected. such a surprise. all the sudden the black martin came out and i heard the open chords of my most favorite song ever. amy smiled at me - it is always my request and she understands this. i am so connected to that song on so many levels. to me, it is religion, faith, a higher power. hearing it at mohegan tonight was the antithesis of the last time i heard it, a few nights ago, in hyannis (amy doesn't normally play "world falls" that much. she played it again because i told her i was so disconnected with it in hyannis). this time she was FACING me (no rotating stage). and i was in the front row, right in front of her. the acoustics in the venue were amazing, and it sounded aboslutly perfect (unlike in hyannis). the venue was intimate, and i felt such a strong connection to amy and to that song. right there. tonight.

i can't explain, and my ramblings aren't doing that moment justice. but for me, it was one of those things i'll never forget.

i did manage to sit still for a few seconds to take a short video clip to remember this forever. i don't usually upload these things publicly, but i am choosing to share this one. this was it, my moment (and my favorite part of the song). watch the video here. i don't expect anyone to understand or comprehend what this meant to me, but that's part of the beauty of that moment. it was mine, and it will always be mine.

wow.

still kind of speechless.

photos are already up on flickr and are tagged "mohegan" (amongst other things).

tomorrow's the last show of the tour. i'm not expecting it to be as special as tonight was, but now that i've been in that venue, i am expecting a lot!

i'm sitting in the midst of this casino. but i'm not in nevada. i'm in uncasville, connecticut, and this is far tackier than anything in vegas. maybe even reno. anyway, the constant loopy "music" from the slot machines is quite inspiring, so i have been talked into blogging about hampton beach by my fellow linemates (who read my blog! hey y'all!). so, since i'm inspired by the faux sky, waterfalls, and the sound of loads of money being tossed away, i am going to do just that.

anyway, hampton beach was one of my all time favorite indigo girls shows. it wasn't necessarily the setlist (good, but not great), but it was the energy of the place. amy and emily were in fantastic moods, and that set a precedent for the entire show. plus, it really helped that it was a STANDING show, for once. my ass didn't sit all night. that was a relief. it was just so nice to be up anbd dancing again. three5human was excellent as always. so much positive energy.

anyway, cornfusion, dillard, and i were front row DEAD center. usually i go for FRAS (front row amy side), but being front row center was pretty nice too. from our vantage, we could see (and hear) everything perfectly. amy did some unique, to say the least, dance moves. emily was on some serious caffein or something like that. she was all over the place too.

after the show we all wanted to collapse. so tired. but it was so worth it. it was a long day in line, and even once we got in, it was a long wait for three5huamn to start.

i'm starting to get end-of-touritis. that means i'm tired, cranky, and achy. but it ain't over until that last note of "galileo" on the last night, so i just need to keep my head up. or something like that.

cornfusion just noted that someone brought a newborn infant into this casnio. nice and appropriate. and on that note, i'm going to go waste some quarters on a slot machine. time to "bet lucky sevens (i don't know what to believe i just show up and breathe...)" (did y'all get that?).

wish me luck.

we are so at mohegan! this place is insane. i can not even describe it. it's just a hugeass casino plucked down in the middle of nowhere, connecticut.

last night's show was amazing. i love the hampton beach venue even though it's quite trashy. i'm sure i'll write more about that later. one of my top indigo girls shows of all time for sure. the photos are up.

there's even one random MOHEGAN photo in that set.

off to play in uncasville. YEE HAW!

hello from fabulous new hampshire. hampton beach, to be exact.

there's wifi out here and i'm blogging right from line. it's kind of raining out, but we're under this cover thing.

last night we picked dillard up from the airport. west coast crew goes east is complete. horray for that. tomorrow we'll be at mohegan which, as i've said before, just might be the pinnacle of my life.

i'm staring at the atlantic ocean - it's right across the street. unlike when i'm looking at the pacific, this is NOT a "world falls" moment. the atlantic is grey. there are no cliffs. the coastline is far from dramatic. hampton beach, like much of the atlantic coastline, is littered with cheap motels, shops, public bathrooms, and an old fashioned boardwalk. it's hardly the rural coastline of big sur, oregon, or california's lost coast. though i like a good beachtown, i prefer nature to tourism. i'm not judging my entire outlook of the atlantic ocean on hampton beach alone. i've been to many beaches on this side, from maine to florida. it's just not the same.

whatever, it's not like i have to live on the east coast.

before i start in on the great rotating stage of the melody tent, i need to properly send emily saliers some happy birthday vibes. so happy birthday, emily. despite what some of my friends think, i heart you too! how could i not? emily is 1/2 of my all time favorite band. and she's my pronounciation correction goddess. really, what's there not to love? when i turn 43, i hope to look that good. i'll just continue playing soccer, running, and doing pilates, and hopefully something good will come of it. so happy birthday, emily! may your day be filled with lots of good wine, good friends, and some drunken fun!

onto hyannis.

three5human rocked the house last night. bon (cornfusion) and i eronously had these perfect seats for their set. we (along with sandy, becca, and pat) danced the entire time. amy came out to sing backup vocals on one of their new songs (and oh yes, the Chain has landed in hyannis). then, due to the way the stage was set up, the indigo girls did their "encore" with three5human during t5h's set. that was rockin.' i am so excited that they're still doing "compromise." that's good news. and i am also glad that t5h is coming to mohegan.

during intermission, these girls came along with tickets for our seats. yes, the usher had brought us to the wrong seats. then, the bitch (sorry for lack of better term) threatened to throw bon and i out if we didn't sit in our assigned seats. i was furious, i reminded her that SHE had BROUGHT us to those seats. i will NOT be spoken to in that manner, nor will i be threatened. i am NOT a troublemaker, and i will NOT be treated as such. unsatisfied with the response that the usher (the original one, who had brought us to the wrong seats and then threatened to throw us out) gave me, i went straight to the head usher, her boss.

the head usher took a liking to me right away. (i'm soooo charming ;) ). i explained what had just gone down in section c, and how i will not, after being TAKEN to the wrong seat, be blamed and then be threatened. the head usher agreed with me and went over to the original fuckface to have a "chat." i just glared and scowled at the original fucker. after the head usher finished telling her employee that she can not treat people like that, the head usher and i started shooting the shit. she told me about some dude who follows (hee hee hee) tom jones around the country like bon and i follow the indigo girls. she was truly impressed that we came from the west coast, joined the hyannis club in order to get better seats, and will probably never use our membership again. we are true fans. as i was walking back to my real seat, i passed the original usher. not quite over it yet, i just smirked at her. she got the point and stayed far the fuck away from bonnie and i for the rest of the night. she didn't dare come over to me when i was dancing in the aisle to tell me to stop (she told others to stop, but she left us alone).

after that drama, i sat down for the rest of the intermission (only about five more minutes). the girls came out with trina and opened with "closer to fine." the stage really was rotating. half the night we had a primo view of their asses. i felt like i was violating them or something (unlike many of their fans, i'd so rather look at their FACES than their asses.) amy played "world falls" for me, but it was shitty because she wasn't even facing me. the people behind me tried to get me to sit down. i finally turned to them and said, "i'll sit down AFTER this song. this is my request, and it's pretty much my song." it just wasn't the same. i didn't feel any sort of connection to amy while she was playing it since i was looking at her butt. i'm hoping that was just practice for mohegan or hampton beach, and that i'll get to hear it again, when i can look at her face.

poor bon, she had issues with the people behind us. they wanted us to sit down. and we did. after "world falls." (because we're not disrespectful). but by then the damage was done, they had grabbed poor bonnie and yanked on her. and then they preceded to talk LOUDLY throughout EVERY song that they didn't know (95% of them) including the quieter songs like "three county highway." bonnie finally turned around and told them something like "look, i'll sit, but you have to shutup so i can HEAR. if you talk, i'm standing." finally during "shame on you," i couldn't take it anymore. i screamed "we want to dance!" sadly, amy and emily were NOT facing us at that point, but the message got across. i danced my ass off from "shame on you" on. everyone stood (except for the people behind bonnie), but by then there was NO way i'd be sitting down.

the unlukiest moment was having amy and emily's butts toward us for "world falls." BUT the luckiest moment was having amy facing us during "romeo and juliet." that was pure luck. poor emily, at one part of the show, they started rotating the stage while they were playing. em looked like she was about to vomit (last time they played at melody tent, emily requested that they don't rotate the stage while they're playing since she gets motion sickness).

after the fiasco of the rotating stage ended, bonnie, sandy, becca, pat, skeeter, and i headed over to the bar at the hotel across the street. i downed a screwdriver, and we ordered some pizza for delivery. the pizza place screwed up and ended up making all this extra food for us. we didn't have to pay for it since it was their fault, but between all of us we had way too much free food. for some reason they sent four orders of cheese sticks. i was a bit confued as to why they did that, but whatever, it was free. we had some good times in that bar. i've been talking to sandy online now for years, and i FINALLY got to meet her this tour. i think we might have been seperated at birth.

after we were sober enough to drive (or bonnie was), we all took off. bon and i headed back to boston and crashed. luckily today is our day off. dillard is midair now, and we will be picking her up from the airport in a few hours. yes, the dill-ard will be attending the last three shows with us. hampton beach tomorrow. then it's off to..... ( guess... )

tomorrow's show is at a club. no chance of rain. no rotating stage. it will be good.

i promise to write about the rotating stage, the fucked up ushers, the hotel bar, and the "interesting" people tomorrow. but for now, here's the setlist from hyannis:

They did the "encore" with Three5Human first due to the way the stage was set up:
Trouble
Compromise
Midnight Train To Georgia

Closer to Fine (with Trina)
World Falls
Hammer and a Nail
Yield
Fill It Up Again
Devotion
Power of Two
Three County Highway
Lay My Head Down
Romeo and Juliet (Amy solo)
It's Alright
Dairy Queen
Run
Shame On You
The Wood Song
Kid Fears (with Trina)
Get Out The Map

(encore)
Ghost
Little Perennials
Galileo

photos are up already. some interesting angles due to the rotating stage.

right now, cornfusion and i are going to have a few cocktails. tomorrow's our day off, and we can sleep in! wheeee!

more about hyannis coming tomorrow. i promise!

ps- it's officially the 22nd! happy brithday, emily! i want to look like that when i turn 43!

what's up with me and the east coast? everytime i come here for indigo girls shows, the weather goes insane. let's think back: president's day snow storm, the great snow storm of 2006 (february), and now a tropical storm! what the fuck?!?

yes, tonight's show was very short. yes, it was cancelled 11 songs into the set due to weather. but cornfusion and i decided that we had a blast regardless. the weather just threw a minor kink in our plans (and if anyone had actually saw the setlist for the rest of the show, it would be understood why we weren't TOO upset. no surprises. nothing special.) let me start from the beginning, though.

bon and i arrived at the lowell venue early. very early. too early. some people had already put their blankets out the night before. they just abandoned them until show time. yeah, it was a little weird, but we were still able to get our favorite spot, front row amy's side (and my happy place). so whatever.

the day was long. luckily we were in the company of friends who entertained us. i got sunburnt. we went to friendly's for lunch. we had dunkin donuts (for me, ms. west coast, dunkin donuts is a real treat!). by showtime i was pretty tired.

three5human opened. i heart them. during "they say," trina (the lead singer) grabbed me, and took me up onto stage to dance and sing along. a few seconds later, i begged trina to let one of my friends come up on stage too (as i hated being "alone."). pat joined me and we danced and sang along with "they say" in front of thousands of people. it was really fun. bon has video footage of this spectacular event.

when it was IG time, the sky began to darken. amy and emily played a pretty low key set. the crowd was pretty low energy. we stood for a few songs, but after a few requests from people behind us, we sat down. we figured we'd be back up again soon. i took a bunch of photos, most of which didn't come out. during "shame on you" it started pouring. after the song, amy said that they need to take a weather break (too dangerous to play in the rain at that venue) but that they'd be back.

for a while, things looked good. but then someone realized that all of the indigo girls guitars got wet and the show couldn't go on. no one believed it at first. and no one moved. not even when they turned the house lights back on. i kind of blame the venue for this. rain was in the forecast. and there was a rain location (at a high school across the street). but the rain location held fewer people, and the venue wanted to sell more tickets. i kind of feel that they ignored the weather forecast in the interest of having the show outdoors and selling more tickets. the rain location would have been sold out. but instead, on the 17th (three days before the show), they decided to release more tickets and hold the show outdoors. i feel had they really waited and held off on ticket sales, the show would have been moved indoors, and it would not have ended after just 45 minutes. but that's all speculation (by myself and many others). the fact is, the rains came, very heavy, and fucked up amy's and emily's instrumnents. the show had to be cancelled halfway through.

when people finally began to file out of the park, my friends and i went straight to the tour bus. since the show was so short, we were determined to talk to amy and emily. luckily, amy and emily were both in very good moods (or maybe they thought that after the disappointment of cancelling a show 1/2 way through, that it would be nice to talk to their fans). i complemented emily on her shoes (blue crocs). she was like, "spike, you can get these everywhere." i told here that i knew that and that i was about to buy a pair, but then i realized i had more indigo girls tickets to buy instead (true story). she found that funny. oh, and bad news regarding the san francisco show (according to emily). appearantly they were slated to play michael franti's power to the peaceful fest, but there was a shceduling conflict. so she's pretty sure they won't be playing it anymore. :( BUT the good news is that they WILL be back on the west coast for a proper tour sometime in october or november. yah! amy was equally as friendly. bon and i took a photo with her. then i reminded her which shows i'll be at (all of them from here on out), so she knows to play "world falls." she was adorable, she told me that everytime she sees me, she remembers that she does have to play it, but then she procrastinates (i think she likes dangling it in front of me). my guess is that shes going to hold off until the last show, the second night of mohegan. whatever. i told her (she knows this) how special the song is to me. i even included the fact that the title of my blog is a lyric from that song. she knows it's *my* song. and she knows she still needs to play it. she is so dangling it in front of me. yes, second night of mohegan it will be.

anyway, despite the ultra short show, bonnie and i had a blast. dancing on stage with three5human. good friends in line all day. talking to amy and emily. all in all it was a great day. let's hope this stupid tropical storm doesn't ruin tomorrow night's show (in hyannis). keep your fingers crossed.

here's tonight's short setlist:

closer to fine (w/ trina meade from three5human)
devotion
fill it up again
yield
power of two
little perennials
pendulum swinger
go
ghost
ozilline
run
shame on you

no encore. no "galileo." no rock out session with three5human. some of the songs on the setlist that they were supposed to play were "kid fears," "let it be me," "chickenroot," "three county highway," and "lay my head down." nothing special that i hadn't heard before or anything like that.

as i said i took a bunch of photos. only a few came out. theyve been added to my flickr and are all tagged "lowell."

i am beyond exhausted. i have a free day in boston tomorrow (bon has to work and tomorrow's show is NOT general admission). i'm excited to take advantage of that.

i honestly have to say that i really think the venue's greed won out in the end (they could sell more tickets for the outdoor show at the last minute), and that's what majorly sucks.

... written on the airplane.

i’m presently on the united airlines flight to boston. it’s weird, actually. i have a window seat, and it’s a pretty clear day, so i can see what we’re flying over. the flight’s long for a domestic flight – about six hours. at this juncture, we’re barely two hours into it. the airplane is still over the wild wild west. looking out the window, i can see the mountains, the desert, lake tahoe, and soon, the great salt lake. the landscape looks so familiar even from “above 30,000 feet.” it’s the same scenery i spent long hours driving through just last week. it’s weird to think that when i was in colorado last week that i was already 1/3 of the way to boston. part of me wishes that i had just kept on driving, continued east. there’s nothing quite like a cross country road trip. and right now, i’d much rather be in my purple honda civic instead of crammed into premium economy class (fuck, at least it’s not full-on economy) with a bunch of strangers, fighting for room to move. i’d much rather be looking at the open american landscape, driving through cities and rural areas, making my own way east, than looking at the top of the person’s head in 11a. next year i am going to remember how amazing the drive was, and hopefully do the whole thing by car. i fly too often already, it was so liberating being in my car, setting my own schedule, and checking the scenery out.

if i had done this whole thing, including the east coast, by car, packing would have been a whole lot easier. i could have had as many bags as i desired. all i would have needed to do was throw a bunch of stuff in my car, including essentials that i couldn’t take on the plane like a sleeping bag, cooler, and camping chair. instead i was forced to pack to meet the strict requirements of airline baggage and weight limits. even though the east coast tour is going to be cake compared to the west, packing was a hell of a lot harder for this leg. i can’t understand how people use the airlines when they’re setting off on camping trips. the luggage restrictions are just too tight.

i’m sure i forgot *something*. thankfully, boston’s not the third world. i’ll be able to buy anything that i forgot, but it would be nice to avoid that.

my ass is falling asleep. right now i’m really wishing that i had used one of my united upgrades. even though this is domestic, this flight seems to be damn long. at least when you’re on an international flight stuck in economy, they take care of you with more comfortable seats, better entertainment options (the only movie on this flight is some animated crap), and FREE alcohol. i could really use an “adult beverage” right about now, but i’m not shelling out five bucks for some bottom shelf shit.

regardless, i do know that tomorrow night, i’ll be back under the stars, in a park, with one of my best friends, who i don’t see often enough, enjoying the sweet harmonies of the indigo girls. that alone makes the nightmare that has become flying since 9/11 very worth it.

we’ve hit the eastern foothills of the rockies. soon we’ll be over the flatness of the american midwest. just three and a half hours to go before we touch down in boston. three and a half more hours until i can really move around. as soon as i exit this plane, i am doing some pilates, right there, in logan international airport. at this point, the 18 hour drive from colorado to reno seems so much shorter. amy and emily WILL make it worth this. they always will, and they will do so again all this week on the east coast. they have never disappointed me since 1989, and i’m sure they’re not about to start now. t minus 27 hours until i see them again.

to boston i go! this time there's no rocky mountains, no vast desert, no long car rides (2 hours is the longest), and no rocky pacific coast. but there will be good friends, good times, and indigo girls. lots of indigo girls. oh, and a grand casino in the middle of nowhere with a fake waterfall. that's getting in touch with nature. ;)

indigo girls show tomorrow in lowell. where the hell is lowell anyway? and more importantly, what's the correct way to pronounce the name?

i'll be in touch from the other coast.

if you only read the "ig 2006" filter, there's been nothing here for a few days. my life, for the past four days, has been pretty normal. i went to work, i did laundry, i slept in my own bed, i played with my cats, i drove around the bay area, i went grocery shopping. very normal indeed. tomorrow, that normalcy is about to cease. i'm getting on a plane to boston for round two of the indigo girls summer of 2006 tour.

it's another five show whirlwind. from lowell to hyannis to hampton beach (in new hampshire), and finally two nights at the FABULOUS mohegan sun casino in uncasville, connecticut. then it's back to the bay area for a few days before the final shebang: flying up to the pacific northwest for that amy ray solo show at homo-a-gogo.

i am rested and ready for round two! my eyes, which were so fucked up a week ago, are pretty much all healed. my sunburn is turning into an "interesting" tan. my clothes are all clean, and ready to be packed. and of course, i am ready to see amy and emily again. it hasn't been a long time, but i have been so impatient because i know that there's more to come.

tomorrow cornfusion is going to meet me at the way outdated boston logan international airport. we're going to hit the first two shows as a duo (hehehe), but then, the night before hampton beach, our rock, dillard, arrives from san francisco! the three muskateers will be reunited for three shows, including both mohegan sun shows. we're going to rip up mohegan sun! mohegan will NEVER be the same. y'all can find my brokeass at the nickel slots, hoping to win big (yeah right...). mohegan might just be the pinnacle of my existance (HA HA HA).

so east coast, get ready... the indigo girls are coming to town, and you know what that means. i just hope i can survive the heat and humidity. oh, and i hope not to fall victim to west nile virus - the mossies are pretty bad this year, i hear. ;)

right now i'm in that time in between the first and second leg of the indigo girls tour.

this time always feels akward to me. one one hand, it's good to have a few days "off" at home while i relax (and yes, compared to IG touring, going to work is very relaxing) and regroup. but on the other hand, that time in between is always weird. i feel like i should still be on that tour. although it wasn't really painful to miss the shows, it seems weird that i wasn't at minneapolis and ravinia, and won't be at detroit and wolf trap. it's like i'm on vacation, but i'm not and i still have to go through the "normal" motions of my everyday life (work, feed the cats, drive around the bay area, sleep in my own bed). but at the same time, my life is far from normal right now. i'm still in the midst of an indigo girls tour. and indigo girls touring is more like a fantasy than normalcy. i have about five days at home before i need to embark on the next leg of the journey.

part of me is sad that the first leg is over. the girls are always better in the west. there's something about the parts of this country from colorado to california. the mountains, the ocean, the desert, the climate, i don't know what it is, but it's super conducive to hearing indigo girls music. some of those shows (veneta, salt lake city, santa monica, and even san diego) were magical. a lot of those drives from show to show were drop dead gorgeous. this one, especially, was one of the most peaceful, most amazing experiences of my life. it just felt so right. just me, in my small honda civic indigo mobile, crossing the nevada desert, watching the sun set over the mountains. the east coast is going to be different. on one hand, it's good that the longest drive is just a little over two hours. on the other hand, part of me longs for those beautiful desert and mountain drives again. i know i'll have to wait until next summer for those. there's no way i'm crossing those mountain passes during the winter.

of course, part of me is relieved that the longest drives (and the solo drives) are over. my eyes need some time to heal. my car needs some time off too - she did so well this time around. NO problems! i no longer need to look at the long ride across the 80 through wyoming with dread (i hate the 80 from iowa to the utah/wyoming border!). i don't need to worry about overheating in the desert or driving 500+ miles over night. the hardest part is over. the east coast is going to be so much easier. child's play, i tell you.

but there's still that part of me that is going to miss the west, the desert, the mountains, the ocean (and by that, i mean the pacific, not the atlantic), the long solo drives through the lonliest stretches of road in the country, seeing amy and emily play with beautiful natural backdrops (i don't think the fake waterfall at mohegan could ever equate seeing them out in the mountains, near real waterfalls). i don't know, right now i'm feeling kind of uneasy that those shows are over.

i think back to what i was doing on wednesday at this time - crossing the nevada desert by myself, listening to the most amazing music, and taking in the scenery. those kind of moments define "world falls" for me. that's *my* song, and those types of situations are what makes it so special to me. i'm just glad that i got to experience such beauty.

right now, i'm stuck in the very urban east bay. in a few days, i will board a plane to go to the very urban east coast for round two of the indigo girls summer tour. although amy and emily are what bring it all together, and are constant, the east coast tour is goibg to be very different from the west coast tour. i'm still super excited, but part of me longs to see them in the mountains again.

i'm home.

my toilet's broken.

the building manager's supposidly coming to fix it.

then i'm crashing.

i need to get my energy levels back up. the east coast leg of my indigo girls tour starts soon. i can't be half asleep. especially since i'll be 2500 miles from home during round two.

i just drove from colorado to reno in one sitting (with a few quick pit stops for food; not to sleep). according to yahoo maps, that's 969 miles. i did it alone. i left colorado at 545am west coast time. it's now 1220am. that's like 19 hours of driving. wow. i covered quite a lot of ground today. i'm in reno at a hotel right now about to crash hard until tomorrow morning. then tomorrow i'll spend about an hour in reno (hee hee) and then head back home to my kitties in the bay area. i should be home by 4pm at the latest.

i am exhausted. i'm so glad that none of the east coast drives are going to be anywhere near as long.

check this out, i feel so accomplished...