February 19, 2006
Aimee Concert
So, last night was such a blur I'm not particularly sure where to start... I went to see Aimee Mann play Tampa theater and it absolutely fucking ROCKED! It was really interesting on a few levels. I've kind of had a concert phobia for, well, ever. Crowds, loud situations and general confusion really make me uneasy; a concert is basically all those things wrapped into one magical event. However, I'm also trying to avoid not doing certain things just because they make me nervous. So, my friends and I sauntered on over to the Tampa theater to see Aimee. That's right, we sauntered. Now, Aimee's not the first concert I've ever seen, but it was definitely the first I ever enjoyed. I went to see Alanis with my brother and a friend of the family, neither being the ideal company to do, well, anything. I was mostly just glad that that evening didn't feature me leaving the show in a lovely panic attack. That show proved that I could at least handle it. Still, I just kind of felt like a loser out with his brother and an even more losery pal of the family. I've made some changes since then. I've made friends with people that I actually trust enough to take me to something like a concert, something that I barely trust my own family to do.
It's amazing how much more fun something can be when surrounded by kick ass company. After some initial nervousness and we got to our seats, I was fine. I'm REALLY lucky to know the people I know. I don't deserve them, but I'm glad they're there just the same. The guy who opened for Aimee was absolutely laughably awful. He sang into two microphones; one normal and the other that changed his voice to add a certain level of drama and pain to his unique brand of suck-rock. So, we made fun of him for what seemed like the 9 hours that he played. Then, before I gave in to the urge to throw something heavy at Captain Dual Mic, Aimee took the stage. She was absolutely fucking spectacular! She started with High on Sunday 51, which is one of my all time favorite songs. It's full of lovely innuendo and double entendre. Then, she proceeded to play every other favorite I have. I couldn't have written a better set list. Hearing Video live was so beautiful it almost hurt (I know, borrowing that line from American Beauty is kind of tired and cliche, but it's so true). Aimee's voice is so stunning, almost to the point of hypnotic. She sang the most amazing version of Deathly that I've ever heard her do. This next part's kind of hard to explain and I don't feel like getting into it here, but halfway through Deathly something occurred to me that made me feel and understand that song with perfect clarity. I felt really sad and sadly happy all at once. How's that for vague?
So, after the show we managed to score the set list (my friend flirted it off a roady) and we got Aimee's people to take a poster backstage for her to sign, which she did. Both of those things ROCK, but what followed was even better. On the way to pull the car around and pick us up, my friend, Steven, noticed Aimee's bus around the block, which inspired us to drop everything and haul-ass toward said bus. Sure, the keys were in the van and we left the doors quite literally wide open. That really didn't matter. Aimee Mann was on a bus, just down the block and around the corner. So, we took off on foot (and wheel) toward her vehicle. When we got there, however, security informed us that Aimee was done for the evening and on her way to Detroit. A crushing blow, right? Seven rounds in the chest from Agent Smith, yes? Our evening lay dying, blood running down the wall, correct? It was, until Steven, like our buddy, Neo, stood up and said, "no." Steven walked around the bus, knocked on the door and said something that convinced Aimee and her backup guitarist to get off the bus and take pictures with us. Now, this was one of those moments that was so unexpected and so impossibly cool that in my mind, all that remains is a blur of emotions. I know that I was really happy and everybody was totally kick ass, but any other specifics fall by the wayside. Aimee's guitarist actually stepped up and took the group photo, hence his absence.
So, in closing, Aimee rocked, the entire evening rocked and this post was probably way too long.
Posted by Mike at February 19, 2006 07:53 AM