joy unleashed

saturday night i ambled down to the gypsy hut for the pomegranates' cd release party. as usual i got there way too early - you'd think by now i would add an hour to whatever the advertised time was. anyway, chris saw me as i entered and proceeded to introduce me to everyone that walked in. perhaps i exaggerate a bit. but it definitely seemed like he knew everyone. i'd never been to the gypsy hut - turns out to be quite the venue. i especially enjoyed the porch area with a couple of fire pits. and i was there early enough that it wasn't overwhelmed with cigarette smoke.

ran into a couple of my former students there - paul and jayme. this happens occasionally when i go to shows, especially the pomegranates given their large under 21 following. i sometimes wonder what they think of seeing me there, if they think that's cool or if it makes me seem desperate to hang onto my youth. doesn't ultimately matter, but i can't imagine how i would have reacted in high school if i'd seen any of my teachers at a concert.

as for this concert, it was fantastic. i stayed toward the back for the first band, the read. they're good, though not my favorite genre of music. their bassist is amazing, but most of the songs fell into a similar vein. but i moved toward the front once the seedy seeds came on. they put on their typical energetic set and the crowd loved them. definitely primed the pump for pomegranates. then as the clock move close to 1:00AM, pomegranates took the stage. this was one of the first times i saw them toward the front of the crowd. completely different experience. if i could boil down their appeal, it would come down to joy. joy in the way they perform, joy in the attitude of the audience. it's such a rare commodity in today's music and one that is difficult to capture honestly. they do it with amazing ease. it was a great way to start celebrating Easter, surrounded by a delirious crowd singing and dancing with joy. i've said it before and i'll continue to say it: these young men deserve to bring their brand of joy to a huge audience. i only hope the music industry can pull itself away from persecuting fans and looking for the next bland new thing to let them.

so break is already beginning to slip away. met the 'rents at ikea - they called around eleven and said it wasn't terribly crowded. by the time i got there around noon, the exit was backed up onto the highway and i had to park in mason and walk to the entrance (ooh, that might be exaggerating again). we ate lunch there and then i looked at their beds. looks like to get what i need it's going to cost me close to $300, but that's cheaper than most of the other options i've looked at. still not ready to pull the trigger, but this seems like a good use of my tax return after paying off a couple of credit cards.

ok, time to catch up on a little tv and head to bed. here's hoping someone's at prayers tomorrow so we can get into st. e's. night.
Æ

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Now playing: Pomegranates - In The Kitchen
via FoxyTunes