Now THAT's a Proper Birthday - 2015 Amy Grant - Michael W Smith Concert

I was a pretty lame husband this last week.

I know my wife and I say we'd rather not succumb to the shallow, "Gimme a great birthday experience" as a measurement of each others's love...

But...

We both feel pretty blue if the other doesn't put some effort into our birthday days.

Well, I didn't do a thing. Although we both knew we had tickets to a great concert the next night, it still didn't help her actual day...not to mention that other events made my wife's birthday pretty darned awful!

So I had a chance to offer her a "Birthday Do-over".

• Drove to Minnetonka to see her old pottery teacher (who happens to be a world-famous potter) and buy some pot(tery)
• Went to Outback Steakhouse for early appetizers
• Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith concert
• After-show drinks and dessert at Loon cafe
• Night in hotel with FREE breakfast after a sleep-in morning
• Meandering walk around Mall of America

It was quite a fantastic evening. The only glitch was the crazy security screening at Target Center...45 minutes of endless lines to get through metal detectors...horrible organization...and ended up missing 2 opening songs.

But as we rushed in, and it was as if Mike and Amy were looking our way, saying "Welcome. Glad you made it! You're going to love this"

They traded singing favorite Christmas songs, they sang and played together on songs they co-wrote or played on "back then". They both seemed quite emotional as the songs they played brought memories, possible regrets, thoughts of family who are no longer here, and their relationship to their Savior was very much present.

What a fantastic night.

...and it was with a full orchestra!

From what Amy said, the front of stage was the touring band, and the back of stage were local musicians. That was pretty cool, too.

A highlight: When they both sang Christmas carols and had us sing along. We all got out our LED phone flashlights...and it was a magical site...hearing the audience sing along, feeling the love and community...wonderful.

After, we ended up at The Loon Cafe...to continue the great night, and to let the parking traffic die down...and to have a really awesome nachos with top shelf margarita and whisky manhattan. While this is the least in-focus photo, it might be my favorite of the night...a happy wife...

...with a grateful husband.

Here's to life!

Weekend of Extremes

Every once in a while a cosmic singularity occurs in our marriage...

...a series of events that make a single weekend a blessed encounter where nothing else exists except us...me and her...together exploring the world's awesomeness...

A few weekends ago (November 13th) was one of them:

• Our groupie band, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers was playing in St Paul
• My work travel stopped and provided points for a fancy-dancy hotel
• Our kids were away at camp (the three littles at a weekend church camp, and the oldest at a 20 week Military Police camp)
• The dog was at grammas
• The weather ... November! ... was warm enough for our Miata 

...and when it was all over, it was one of the best weekends ever for us, but I couldn't help but think about the extremes that surrounded this weekend...for some reason we were in the middle of this cosmic singularity protecting us and providing us this glorious weekend, while extremes could have meant the exact opposite...like...

Roger Clyne vs. the opening 'band'
While I always enjoy hearing RCPM, the band was extra-awesome this weekend.

...which was completely opposite of the opening band. I won't even write their name in the off chance that the Google will link this blog to their internet presence. They were beyond bad...disgusting? vile? I've actually never been embarrassed for a band before. Sure I've heard angry bands who make a statement...but this duo was just sickening.

Maybe once Roger and crew took the stage the difference between the bands was why I was so impressed with RCPM, but I think there was more to it. They were recording every show so that may have pushed them, but to me, it was like they met earlier in August and said, "We're sounding pretty darn good...lets see how good we can actually get". Each song had nuances I hadn't heard before...syncopated hits, guitar riffs, the bass and kick drum were more in sync than ever, and vocals were great!

We left overflowing with happiness...and happened to find their bus and thought it would be cool to measure the extreme difference of our traveling vehicles :-)

Flowers vs. Dormant Grasses
We went to the Como Zoo conservatory. Inside was lush, flower, beautiful...whereas outside was approaching winter. Everything inside was colorful, alive, vibrant, whereas everything outside was brown, dormant.

Weather
Normally, November can be brutally cold...not really in temps, but in combination of damp, cold, windy...yuk.  But THIS November weekend was superb!! 55-60, sunny, calm, no need for jacket, simply delightful!

Safety Vs. Danger
We were always safe. St. Paul is a great city, and the RCPM fans, us 'Peacemakers', are kind, supportive and awesome. We all gathered for a concert to listen to our favorite band and rock out with a bit of tequila and amazing musicians.

This was in stark contrast to fans in Paris who on that SAME NIGHT also went to a concert to listen to their favorite band and rock out...only to be attacked and many killed. This was awful on so many levels, but to me it was especially bad since it was during something I love so much...listening to awesome, live music with a community of like-minded fans.


Commitment Vs. Slumps
We saw Bonsai trees that have been in training for many, many years, and have been living for even longer. The level of commitment is stunning to me...and I should know.

I used to own around 30 Bonsai trees at various levels of training. Over time some of them died due to mysteries, and others died due to my mistakes. But last year I had a down period and I just gave up on my last two. One I had for 20 years and it was alive for probably 30 years. My hard-heartedness still surprises me that I'd just give up on it and let it freeze.

But for a moment I was able to stand in the presence of wonderful Bonsai that have been lovingly cared for...and it inspired me, and reminded me that anything truly remarkable takes time, takes commitment, and takes grit to push through low times because the result can be awe-inspiring.

Superstition vs. Reality
I didn't even think that it was Friday the 13th. While I'm not superstitious, it still impressed me how the reality of the weekend was so outstanding...that it completely wiped out any thought that it could have been a weekend of disaster, dread, or 'bad things gonna happen'.

But then again, that was our reality...and the reality of others was, in fact, filled with disaster, dread, and countless bad things.

I guess in the end, all I can be thankful for is our reality. That our weekend was filled with extreme love, music, beauty, craftsmanship, outstanding service, food, and above all, the weekend was with an amazing wife that I get to spend all my days (and nights) with.

Here's to life!

The Secret At A Taylor Swift Concert

I haven’t blogged in a long time, which is weird because SO MUCH has happened in my life, our family's lives, that I should be posting a couple times a week.

The problem is I start to second guess myself. I think, “Uh, oh. It's been a while. The next entry has to be awesome”…after all, all the people in the world that read this will expect an amazingly thoughtful piece of work after so many months of inactivity.

Which made me start thinking, "Why am I even doing this?".

It's not for the money, it shouldn't be for vanity.

I had to remind myself that it's for my future family: My future self in 5, 10, 35 years, my wife, my kids, grandkids...anyone who is interested. If others enjoy it? Great. But There some pretty interesting things they may want to experience through my eyes that if I can capture a glimpse of what I thought as these experiences whizzed on by, and they can learn/grow from it, then that's all I hope.

So what better time than a weird moment I'm experiencing at this second to start blogging right now!

This is my view right now after dropping my girlies off to the Taylor Swift Concert. I thought I’d try to find myself an “extra” ticket by wandering the streets. You know what I found? Tons of others wanting a ticket, and 15 professional scalpers who are giddy that scalping is now legal.

I did hover (Stalk? Leer?) around the will-call window in hopes someone would shout, “Dang, I can’t believe Sally couldn’t come…what ever are we going to  do with this ticket!?!”

I never heard that.

What I did hear is, “Fraud!?!”  “Decoy” “Fake!?!” Several folks bought craigs-list or street corner (just outside of the arena) tickets, walked in, and they couldn’t enter. They were out hundreds of dollars (the sad part was a little girl was usually next to them crushed I'm sure).

That got me to the point to not even ask, “you have an extra ticket” because the only thing worse than not getting a ticket to a show I’m marginally interested in is to get a ticket that is FAKE and be out $50-$100.

I’m sure you’re thinking, “Wow, you got 26^th row on the floor near the catwalk you must have purchased them months ago”.

Well, you’d be wrong.

I bought them yesterday.

Turns out, thanks to a chance AC/DC concert, I learned a secret from a wise “yeah I been to 87 concerts and never bought a ticket more than a day before” concert-yoda-meister.        

The day of that AC/DC concert, I decided I wanted to go. I called ticketmaster and they said, “Heck ya, we’ve got section 102, 12^th row”. I looked and it was just off the stage…so close I could almost touch Angus’ AC/DC labeled boxers (if you haven't been...don't ask).

Once I sat down I commented how crazy-unique it was to get a ticket the day of, and concert-yoda leaned over and said, “I’ve been to 87 concerts, and buy all of them between 3 and 4pm the day before the show. The radio/contest tickets get released, and you can pick up REALLY GREAT seats…far better than anything you’d get buying them the day they go on sale…and you’ll know your schedule works for the concert!"

So, yesterday at 3:30pm I look up tickets and found 2 great seats on the floor next to the runway where she walks down the center of the floor. Since I didn't have much time I chose 2 tickets only since 3 together would have been a long shot.

I got them at face-value, no risk of scalpers, and now they’re enjoying a fantastic concert.

I love providing my kids concert experiences. My oldest I took to several hard-rock concerts, and the girls I bought tix for Miley Cyrus, Lindsey Sterling, and now Taylor Swift.

My next goal is to find something that my youngest wants to see. He’s unique in that he’s a GREAT drummer (at still 11), but he hasn’t found a band he can really sink into yet. We do play along with some classics, and we jam to blues and other songs to increase his chops. In fact I had him learn a “You’re a drummer? Prove it” riff.  Now he can rip off a really cool intro, beat, interlude groove, and ending that will summarize his skills. Awesome.

There ya go. soul searching, history, tricks, and fathering all in one post. Phew! 

PS: Now that I’m at the nearby pub, I see all kinds of people who were looking for tickets along with me. Reinforces I made a good decision to mellow and type my thoughts (with a Surley on the side). Turns out this is a focal point for all the scalpers! So interesting to hear them talk about the night…who they scammed, how much they made with each ticket, I wonder who they know that gets them these great seats? Unless they're all fakes.

Ah well...back to my Surley.

2012-05-19: Van Halen

05-19-2012: Van Halen

Where: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN

Went with: Myself

I knew it would be a good night when I pulled into the parking ramp and saw this:

The dedication and delight that a Van Halen fan showed with this custom tape job mimicking the coolest guitar design ever was a good sign.

I walked picked up my will-call ticket, and found my seat. I had just purchased my ticket the day before and it's become the BEST way to get tickets. For various reasons, Ticketmaster releases awesome seats after 4pm the day before the show. My seat was just 5 rows back from the stage, and 4 rows up...perfect viewing.

Now, there was a glitch: Ticketmaster online only gave me 'best available', and that was section 118...nice seats on stage right...but Eddie stood on stage left (I knew that by looking at tour photos and videos...confirming the side I wanted to be on). I called ticketmaster, learned I could order by section over the phone, and got section 102...right in front of Eddie!

The lights lowered, and the concert started with...

Kool and the Gang!

They were awesome! They had 11 guys on stage, and 3 were original members. They all played and sang great. At the end, when "Celebrate!" started, it was so fun to see all the rockers in the audience devil-horn saluting to a dance song :-)

And then Van Halen started.

Wow! Eddie and Alex (guitar, drums), were in top performing shape. Wolfgang (bass) was impressive as well. He did some bass tapping that was pretty cool. Part of me wished Michael Anthony was there, but I have a soft-spot watching Eddie and Wolfgang's father-son interaction. Very sweet.

Both Eddie and Wolfgang did some impressive backup vocals as well.

Diamond Dave?

He was a great ringleader. Did he sing great? No. Did he keep the audience entertained? Yup. He even did a few kicks and Karate jumps.

A most memorable moment was about 1/2 way through the show. They played "Dance the Night Away", and during the simmery interlude, Dave sang softly then they all came in to produce a fantastic 3-part harmony! 

Take a look at this video, and start at timestamp 2:04

Van Halen "Dance The Night Away" St.Paul, Mn

Wonderful! It proved he could sing when he wanted (or maybe when softer tones were needed), so I honestly don't know why he didn't sing more during the show. Maybe he just wanted to peacock around the stage...which he did a lot :-)

They played all the great songs: Ice Cream Man, Jump, Panama, and even a couple new songs that were really rockin.

Eddie's guitar solo was simply fantastic.

At the end of the show, it was almost like they wanted to pack as many songs into the show...but still get to bed at a reasonable hour :-)...

...David Lee Roth said "Here's our last song..." and sang it...then as they finished, he yelled "You want an encore!?!"...without leaving the stage or anything...very efficient! They then played "Jump!", and he clarified this was, in fact, the encore, by carrying around a 20 ft. "Finish Line" flag while confetti filled the air. No doubt they were done :-)

Jump! Video

I'm so glad I went. I don't think the music could have sounded any better, and while Diamond Dave was not at his singing prime, it was a joyous night.

Van Halen and Me...A Life-long Journey

My first encounter with Van Halen was in 1980 when my big brother came home with a cassette he borrowed from a friend. He flipped it into his boom box, and...from the opening lick, I was never the same.

That cassette was also the source of my first real conflict with my dad :-)   Back then, I knew nothing about audio so I copied the cassette by putting two boom boxes nose to nose, hitting play on one and record on the other.

...and turned it up!

Of course, as is the story of my life, my dad walked in during the worst part...the middle of "Everybody Wants Some"...with Diamond Dave talking about how he likes it how the lines run up the back of their stockings. It didn't occur to me to just stop the recording and re-record it later...it's not like wasting 20 minutes of my youth was worth the lecture on what how I need to feed my brain with pure and wholesome things. 

Once released from solitary confinement, I proceeded to explore their other albums and quickly created a mix tape (mixed with AC/DC) that would pound my ears while mowing. One time my dad even came running out thinking I was hurt...when I was just trying to mimic a Roth-worthy scream (he then lectured me on how mower acoustics don't drown out screaming/singing).

I also bought a VH necklace...just like the one Eddie wore in the guitar magazines. Thinking back on it, that seemed so primitive...cutting out an order form from the back of a magazine, having my mom write a check, mailing it in...and waiting 4 to 6 WEEKS for it to arrive...never knowing if the company even got the check, and if they did, if they'd ever send me anything. But soon enough, after checking the mail daily, I got my gold necklace and proceeded to wear it as I dressed up as Eddie during 9th grade costume day:

When I first picked up a guitar at 16, the first lick I learned was "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love". Fairly basic, but I could finally say I could play a Van Halen song. I got the tablature for "Eruption", but could never figure it out. I say publicly that I'm more of a blues player, but the truth is I just don't practice enough.

The album "1984" was the first album that I anticipated and bought the day it was released. I couldn't wait!!!

I was so excited! I unwrapped it, placed it on my dad's turntable, and promptly stated:

"What's with all that synthesizer %$*#!   I hate #&$*# keyboard stuff!"

(Couple notes here, 1: Yes, I had a mouth back then. 2: Remember big statements you make as a kid. I said I hated keyboard stuff, and just a few years later at 16 I started taking piano lessons and have been playing and composing ever since...which ranks right up there with me getting a C in music in 9th grade and failing the "Oklahoma" test...then in 12th grade I sang the role of Curly in the fall musical production)

Of course, now I love that song (Jump) and I kinda forgave them as soon as I heard the pure rock of "Panama". Wow, what a song.

Then they broke up.

I honestly don't even remember that news, so I might have already been introduced to the music of Prince...yes, again, by my big brother...while driving home from my grandpa's lake home in Deerwood. We were passing by Lake Millacs and he puts in a cassette...Purple Rain...Let's Go Crazy...cool guitars but with a funky beat...and WOW did that corrupt my brain. If my dad lectured me on the PG+ nature of Van Halen songs, his response to the R (or worse) nature of Prince songs would have included putting me on a slow canoe down the river Styx to meet my maker.

A few years later, I heard Van Hagar...and thought that was pretty cool, but missed David Lee Roth. After that I moved to Christian music, other 'light rock' and pop...and basically left Van Halen behind. Sure I listened to 5150 songs, but it didn't impact me the same way.

Years later, at 38, I was feeling blue...blah...like my life lacked the fire it used to. I felt stuck, and uninspired. I read an article on how certain music becomes the soundtrack for a person's life, and something triggered. I bought an iPod...and my passion for rockin' music reignited. Songs like "Ice Cream Man" re-entered my ears. I reunited with the music of Van Halen, AC/DC, and others that fired me up. That, of course lead me to newer music by U2, Creed, Alter Bridge...

...and even more recently inspired me to release my own hard-rock album:

My journey with Van Halen culminated just last week by seeing them live in concert. I'll leave that story to a future post, but let's just say seeing Eddie vibrant and sounding excellent at 57 was inspiring! Knowing he had struggled with addiction and cancer made the evening even more special...he looks so happy. Here's his 9 minute guitar solo at the show I saw: 

There you go. If anything, this story tells me that everyone needs something to rock to throughout their life...to keep the fire and passion and the anticipation of what's up ahead alive and kicking.

Rock on...and Fins up! (yes, I love Jimmy Buffett, too)

2012-03-04: Shaun Groves

03-04-2012: Shaun Groves

Where: Crosswinds Church, Rochester MN

Went with: Wife

Times: 1st

Last night I went to see Shaun Groves.

I was quite impressed.

I didn't know many of his songs, but with just him and his guitar (and occasional piano), he created a great show that was mesmerizing, funny, and thought provoking. His guitar tuning (open C I learned) was fantastic and enabled his songs to fill the stage with just guitar and vocal. His banter and stories in between songs were funny, heart-felt, and even at times a bit sarcastic...which I loved! At one point he directly insulted the audience's ability to clap...(I think we learned to NOT insult your not-yet-paying audience on day 2 of performance school) ...but he pulled it off and it broke down another barrier so later when he had something serious to say, he had our full attention.

As a sign of great songwriting, he played a few of his new songs, and then on the way home we popped his new CD into the car and could instantly recognize the songs and even hum the melodies.

Very impressive and inspiring!

But when it was all done, I still left feeling sad.

Why?

Because throughout most of the show I was thinking, "I could have totally done this. What if I would have focused 100% on music all those years ago? This could totally have been my path...making a living at doing something that I completely love doing. Instead, it's merely a hobby and the majority of my time and effort is focused on working my 'day job' to fulfill my responsibilities to my family, mortgage, occupation."

What if I had just put all my effort into music...

...and then Shaun spoke of Compassion...and how he's traveled the world for God.

And I got even sadder...

...because my dream of 'making it' as a musician, while filled with some sort of faith-topic'd songs, did not involve trusting God for everything...even my thoughts above talked of 'my' focus...not depending on God for everything...for contacts, for 'breaks', for my daily bread. There was always some business plan involved, an action-item list, and a 'backup' plan in case it didn't work out...which is what I ended up with.

...and realizing I may be living my 'backup plan' for my life? even sadder.

...and realizing that when I travel it's not to further God's kingdom nor to learn from others about their huge faith in hopes to spread those inspiring stories through music like Shaun...but instead solely to make $$$ for a corporation?  Yikes.

Turns out that what Shaun does I could not even remotely come close to.

Songwriting? yes.

Performing? sure.

Encouraging an audience to "Simplify your life so others can simply live"? Not a chance...at least not in my default mind-set.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

At this point I'm tempted to list the logic that my brain is screaming to sooth my heart. The logic is solid and probably biblical...

...that I have an amazing wife and four awesome kids

...that raising these 4 young people into men and women who follow Jesus has got to be one of the most important jobs in the world

...that my 'day job' enables me to be the financial engine for others on the front line

...that through moving to this city for my 'day job' enabled me to put my musical skills to use at a local church for the past 14 years, which has (I hope) been fruitful for God.

...that I have no regrets...pulling one thread out can unravel the entire tapestry of my life (thanks Jean-Luc)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

...but the thoughts of 'what if' still makes me sad.