I had originally planned on this being a full on concert/weekend recap post. But as per usual, it kind of morphed into something completely different.
I spent this past week withthree two of my favorite people.
Lots of folks think I'm crazy when I tell them how we met, but Heather, Vickie and I became friends thanks to a musician you may have heard of (likely in the gossip column) by the name of John Mayer. I may have mentioned him a time or two here on the blog as well.
On a whim, I decided to join Mayer's now defunct fanclub Local 83. I'm confident it was due to a desire to score fantastic concert tickets and a chance to pick up some merch I missed buying at his shows. But after a few months joining, I ventured onto the message boards where the three of us initially bonded over a complete and utter dislike for our work situations. Nine years later, countless trips and concerts together, I count these two ladies as two of my closest friends. It should also be mentioned, that I also met another dear friend and fellow blogger Micah through this same fanclub. See, music really does bring people together!
Each time Mayer tours, the three of us always make it a point to get together for at least one show. I think our record is five shows in 2010 but I'd have to check the ticket stub book.
But our friendship is much more than just hanging out at shows (over the years we've expanded our gatherings to more than just Mayer's shows: DMB--our first show together was at DMB's Hershey Park concert in 2005, Joe Bonamassa, Teitur and others I am sure I am missing), singing and dancing our hearts out. These ladies are two of the funniest, smartest, most caring people I know. They have been there for me at times when I needed a shoulder to cry on or just someone to listen. They accept me for who I am, quirkiness and all, without judgement. I love these two like sisters. My life is much better with them in it and I can't wait to see what the next decade brings to our lives!
To say I was extremely excited to see Mayer back on stage would be a minor understatement. It wasn't until the lights were dimmed, the opening chords to Queen of California were played and he did his awkward dance up to the microphone that I realized how much I missed the music. I may have even cried. I'm going to dip into music snobbery for a moment, but seeing him perform live and hearing the songs that capture a feeling I am completely unable to put into words on my own feeds me soul in a way nothing else does. There were times during the concert (especially during Gravity) where I just closed my eyes and let the music take me away and it was pure bliss. As I was telling Vickie on our drive to the airport for her to catch a flight home, my being a fan of his has nothing to do with him as a person per se but him as a musician. He has literally provided the soundtrack to the last 10+ years of my life. While I know I will be called a groupie (I hate that term--super fan or concert whore are two terms I have deemed acceptable) and will people will misunderstand the meaning behind what I am about to say, my life would be drastically different if it wasn't because of him, his music and his ability to share his passion. It's an intangible thing that I will always be grateful for and cherish.
I spent this past week with
Lots of folks think I'm crazy when I tell them how we met, but Heather, Vickie and I became friends thanks to a musician you may have heard of (likely in the gossip column) by the name of John Mayer. I may have mentioned him a time or two here on the blog as well.
On a whim, I decided to join Mayer's now defunct fanclub Local 83. I'm confident it was due to a desire to score fantastic concert tickets and a chance to pick up some merch I missed buying at his shows. But after a few months joining, I ventured onto the message boards where the three of us initially bonded over a complete and utter dislike for our work situations. Nine years later, countless trips and concerts together, I count these two ladies as two of my closest friends. It should also be mentioned, that I also met another dear friend and fellow blogger Micah through this same fanclub. See, music really does bring people together!
Each time Mayer tours, the three of us always make it a point to get together for at least one show. I think our record is five shows in 2010 but I'd have to check the ticket stub book.
But our friendship is much more than just hanging out at shows (over the years we've expanded our gatherings to more than just Mayer's shows: DMB--our first show together was at DMB's Hershey Park concert in 2005, Joe Bonamassa, Teitur and others I am sure I am missing), singing and dancing our hearts out. These ladies are two of the funniest, smartest, most caring people I know. They have been there for me at times when I needed a shoulder to cry on or just someone to listen. They accept me for who I am, quirkiness and all, without judgement. I love these two like sisters. My life is much better with them in it and I can't wait to see what the next decade brings to our lives!
Post concert glow in New Jersey, 2006
Pre-concert in Detroit 2010 (Fun story, the guy on the right, looking sketchily into the camera is Kevin. Kevin is Uncle Kracker's guitarist.)
The three of us this weekend in Chicago
The obligatory crappy iPhone photos of the stage because my concert camera bit the dust.
To say I was extremely excited to see Mayer back on stage would be a minor understatement. It wasn't until the lights were dimmed, the opening chords to Queen of California were played and he did his awkward dance up to the microphone that I realized how much I missed the music. I may have even cried. I'm going to dip into music snobbery for a moment, but seeing him perform live and hearing the songs that capture a feeling I am completely unable to put into words on my own feeds me soul in a way nothing else does. There were times during the concert (especially during Gravity) where I just closed my eyes and let the music take me away and it was pure bliss. As I was telling Vickie on our drive to the airport for her to catch a flight home, my being a fan of his has nothing to do with him as a person per se but him as a musician. He has literally provided the soundtrack to the last 10+ years of my life. While I know I will be called a groupie (I hate that term--super fan or concert whore are two terms I have deemed acceptable) and will people will misunderstand the meaning behind what I am about to say, my life would be drastically different if it wasn't because of him, his music and his ability to share his passion. It's an intangible thing that I will always be grateful for and cherish.
I will never be able to adequately express how much their friendships and this weekend meant to me. But getting the band back together (to include Mayer) was exactly what I needed to recharge/refresh and to help bring me back to me.
Love this post. I'm glad you got to see Mayer again. :)
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