"Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
Need a little bit more of my tweleve ounce nutrition
One more helpin' of what I've been havin'
I'm takin' my turn on the sin wagon...."
Yep, you guessed it, my Chicks were back in town. Not just any average Chicks, but those fun lovin' Dixie Chicks. You remember them, one of whom made that itsy bitsy comment three years ago about our current President. A comment consisting of twelve words that sparked a country-wide craziness. When they stopped by San Jose in 2003 (shortly after the comment was made), we (my parents and I) were there. You could feel support for Natalie, but nothing as strong as the support she received last Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum.
You had every kind of person in attendance: adults, kids and chicks who loved well other chicks. It was fascinating to watch everyone around us, especially the two gentleman in front of us who how should I put this, let us know that they weren't interested in chicks of any kind.
Before the Chicks hit the stage, the jumbo television showed a two minute trailer for their new "Shut Up and Sing" documentary. People watched, booed that Bush character and cheered on the Chicks. That little two minute trailer pumped up the crowd for a night of entertaining music.
As the lights went out, the anticipation grew. Red lights flashed on the stage as "Hail to the Chief" began to play. The place went nuts with laughter and cheers. The Chicks appeared on stage and went into their fast paced "Lubbock or Leave It" from their new album. From that point on, it was pure joy. As I have stated before, it is so refreshing to go to a concert where the performers are singing and playing their own instruments. It's nice when they aren't dancing around the stage like they've got ants in their pants. The Chicks are there to sing to you and provide you with some pretty powerful, listen-to-me lyrics.
Several favorites were in the show, including the song I had playing during my bouquet toss. This is a little diddy that Natalie dedicated to Britney's soon-to-be ex, Kevin Federline. It was so fitting because the song's title is "White Trash Wedding" and it couldn't have been dedicated to a more fitting person. It's amazing how classy they can pull off white trash anything.
The evening's strongest point came when the Chicks performed "Not Ready to Make Nice", their first single off of their newest album. Considering we are a country where you should be able to say what you feel, the song pretty much says it all. One of my favorite parts of the song is as follows:
I made my bed and I sleep like a baby
With no regrets and I don't mind sayin'
It's a sad sad story when a mother will teach her
Daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger
And how in the world can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they'd write me a letter
Sayin' that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over...
Once the words SHUT UP AND SING were sung, the crowd rose up out of the chairs and applauded with cheers and hollers of agreement. What a beautiful, patriotic moment.
Towards the end of the show, they finished off with a couple of classics, "Wide Open Spaces" and my personal favorite "Sin Wagon", which I never get tired of hearing. It just makes you want to get up and clap along. Their encore consisted of three songs, "Travelin' Soldier", "Mississippi" and "Ready to Run", an ecclectic mix of songs to finish off what was once again a fantastic listening experience.
What can I say that hasn't already been said? Oh yes, it was my husband's first Dixie Chicks concert and what a way to spend our 2 month wedding anniversary. How better to say it than...
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up.
(Above lyric is from "Lullaby" song.)
Monday, November 20, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Boyz II Men, 15 years later...
Let me take you back, back in time. The year was 1991 and I was 17 years old. I'm sitting in a car with my best buddy at the San Mateo Tower records. Anyway, she and I heard a song on the radio called Motownphilly by a new group called Boyz II Men. At the time, the song was ok and not worth much to us. A couple of weeks later, we were impressed. We heard one of their ballads and this was the hook, line and sinker.
Now, 15 years later, the two of us, with our husbands, attended yet another Boyz II Men concert on Friday, October 20, 2006. One big change was the quartet is now down to a trio. Michael, the bass of the group, is no longer able to perform due to an illness. We had seen the quartet perform for the last time as a foursome at the Concord Pavilion when they opened for Luther Vandros. Besides that, they were exactly the same, to which my friend said, well aren't we too?
The performance took place at the Campbell Heritage Theatre, a quaint little theatre with cushy seats. Members of the crowd were from all walks of life, generations and races. At the beginning of the concert, at least 5 elderly couples got up to leave during the first 2 minutes of the opening song. Poor things were sitting by the speakers and probably fried their hearing aids. As for my friend and I, we both had goose bumps of excitement lining our arms.
The Boyz voices were just like we remembered them. You could say they were like ice cream...cool, crisp and refreshing. Older songs were performed and as they did 15 years ago, performed with their same smooth-moving choreography that made us weak in the knees. During oneof their biggest classics, I'll Make Love To You, each member brought out a bouquet of red roses. While they romanced the crowd with their positive, love-making-style lyrics, roses were thrown with care to the ladies (of all ages) who bum rushed the stage.
No matter what changes they have gone through, they still own the "ultimate" love song. Their way of making a woman feel special comes across in each and every song they perform. With respect and equality going down the tubes, Boyz II Men does their best to give that sense of caring in their music. It was a fantastic night and I will never forget it.
Now the question you are all asking is, how did we get our photo with them? Easy. When we arrived, a woman was selling "VIP" passes to meet the group after the show. It was $25. How could we resist? Here is an easy comparison, concert programs usually cost $20. What's another $5 to meet the group you have been following for 15 years? (For you math folks, that is $1.66 per year.) It was money well spent. We scrounged up enough money between us (a $20 bill, three $5's, fourteen $1's and a dollar in quarters) and proceeded to buy our passes. A giddylaughter fell between us as we gripped them tightly. After the concert, we stood backstage with about 50 other people who wanted to share in our joy. We finally made our way to the room where they were sitting. It was our turn. We walked up to them and giddy-ness took over. They signed our tickets, programs and took two stunning photos with us. It was definitely worth the wait and they will always be my number one group.
Here is the playlist from the show and a few other notes:
--Motownphilly (not finished)
--Remedy - new song from their new (double cd) to be released Feb. 14, 2007
--On Bended Knee - and they still got down on them
--The Perfect Love Song - new and worth every new lyric
--Please Don't Go - a personal favorite of mine
--Uhhh, Ahhh--Right On Time - new
--A song was done here, unsure of the name or if it was just a bit of filler. It was tasty anyway!
--You Make Me Feel Brand New
--old school Hall/Oates song I forgot the name, sorry
--old school song, forgot name, sorry again
--Water Runs Dry
--I'll Make Love To You
--Song For Mama - before they had asked folks to get their cell phones out, look at them and dial their mama. Wayna and Nathan actually sang into to phones handed to them.
_____End of show, then encore
--It's So Hard To Say Goodbye - 1st few bars sung acapella by Wayna
--End Of The Road
--Motownphilly - finished it, everyone stood up and danced, including a little senior who bounced up and down with her cane.
We are slowly counting the days until Valentine's day, 2007. I'm ready!
Now, 15 years later, the two of us, with our husbands, attended yet another Boyz II Men concert on Friday, October 20, 2006. One big change was the quartet is now down to a trio. Michael, the bass of the group, is no longer able to perform due to an illness. We had seen the quartet perform for the last time as a foursome at the Concord Pavilion when they opened for Luther Vandros. Besides that, they were exactly the same, to which my friend said, well aren't we too?
The performance took place at the Campbell Heritage Theatre, a quaint little theatre with cushy seats. Members of the crowd were from all walks of life, generations and races. At the beginning of the concert, at least 5 elderly couples got up to leave during the first 2 minutes of the opening song. Poor things were sitting by the speakers and probably fried their hearing aids. As for my friend and I, we both had goose bumps of excitement lining our arms.
The Boyz voices were just like we remembered them. You could say they were like ice cream...cool, crisp and refreshing. Older songs were performed and as they did 15 years ago, performed with their same smooth-moving choreography that made us weak in the knees. During oneof their biggest classics, I'll Make Love To You, each member brought out a bouquet of red roses. While they romanced the crowd with their positive, love-making-style lyrics, roses were thrown with care to the ladies (of all ages) who bum rushed the stage.
No matter what changes they have gone through, they still own the "ultimate" love song. Their way of making a woman feel special comes across in each and every song they perform. With respect and equality going down the tubes, Boyz II Men does their best to give that sense of caring in their music. It was a fantastic night and I will never forget it.
Now the question you are all asking is, how did we get our photo with them? Easy. When we arrived, a woman was selling "VIP" passes to meet the group after the show. It was $25. How could we resist? Here is an easy comparison, concert programs usually cost $20. What's another $5 to meet the group you have been following for 15 years? (For you math folks, that is $1.66 per year.) It was money well spent. We scrounged up enough money between us (a $20 bill, three $5's, fourteen $1's and a dollar in quarters) and proceeded to buy our passes. A giddylaughter fell between us as we gripped them tightly. After the concert, we stood backstage with about 50 other people who wanted to share in our joy. We finally made our way to the room where they were sitting. It was our turn. We walked up to them and giddy-ness took over. They signed our tickets, programs and took two stunning photos with us. It was definitely worth the wait and they will always be my number one group.
Here is the playlist from the show and a few other notes:
--Motownphilly (not finished)
--Remedy - new song from their new (double cd) to be released Feb. 14, 2007
--On Bended Knee - and they still got down on them
--The Perfect Love Song - new and worth every new lyric
--Please Don't Go - a personal favorite of mine
--Uhhh, Ahhh--Right On Time - new
--A song was done here, unsure of the name or if it was just a bit of filler. It was tasty anyway!
--You Make Me Feel Brand New
--old school Hall/Oates song I forgot the name, sorry
--old school song, forgot name, sorry again
--Water Runs Dry
--I'll Make Love To You
--Song For Mama - before they had asked folks to get their cell phones out, look at them and dial their mama. Wayna and Nathan actually sang into to phones handed to them.
_____End of show, then encore
--It's So Hard To Say Goodbye - 1st few bars sung acapella by Wayna
--End Of The Road
--Motownphilly - finished it, everyone stood up and danced, including a little senior who bounced up and down with her cane.
We are slowly counting the days until Valentine's day, 2007. I'm ready!
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