Its tough to describe the why of a favorite concert. Marie Lynn blows me away with her ability to state the facts and the emotions without it coming across as a page from a teen scream mag
I had looked forward to seeing Blue October for months. I had purchased 3 tickets and wasn’t even sure anyone could go with me but in case I fainted I wanted someone on either side of me. Not kidding. Anyway so about 2 weeks before the show I get a call from a local radio station offering me the opportunity to interview the band as well as attend their sound check. God… there is one. So OK of course cool as can be I agree and immediately fucking go insane as my office mates can attest too.
I spent the next 2 weeks obsessing over what to wear, practicing saying ‘hello’ like 30 times a day, committed the questions to memory.. envisioned Justin sweeping me away, imagined myself hanging off the rear axle of their bus til the cops dragged me away… yeah.. I sorta lost it but…
The day of the show, Mary, my left side was ill, she had just completed 5 straight nights of concerts and managed to fall ill. Wimp. Praise be to Peg, my bass playing pal who stepped up to usher me to the show. And as we chugged vodka and orange juice outside the venue til I got my freaking nerve up to it was Peg who said….’youll be fine it’ll be fine’ as repeatedly said…..’im going to fucking puke…what if I puke ON him?’
The funniest part of this is that the band was literally walking up and down the street to a coffee shop and I was able to wave and say hi and everything but knowing once behind the doors they weren’t just guys getting coffee they were…Blue October.
The sound check was amazing. I was literally 3 feet away from the stage oblivious to the noise around me and the band bantered back and forth to Jump Rope stopping starting stopping starting…. God Justin is beautiful and Jeremy is one of the nicest guys ever. After the sound check and before the interview I was able to get all five band members to wish Mary to get well via my cell phone video recorder. Nice guys well three out of 5 are.
After the interview Peg and I walked back to my car to sorta unpack the junk and allow me an opportunity to ask the same questions over and over…….did I make sense? did I ask the right stuff? Did you see his smile? Don’t you love his teeth did you see how cute they are? Yeah I was 42. don’t remind me.
Anyway there were opening bands but I didn’t pay them any mind. Blue October delivered the most amazing live performance I had ever seen. The blue lighting definitely enhanced the mood and the pure passion and fury of the vocals were so powerful there were times I was literally dumbstruck. There were not theatrics. It was a band singing songs. There weren’t long monologues or speeches no big sermon on the ego box. Not at all. Just a band and a man. Justin sings as he writes. With conviction. With power. Singing the song The End live, was almost frightening. The clench jawed delivery was outstanding. He would totally shoot someone, hes insane. How sexy is that?!
I remember clearly turning to Peg at one point sorta misty eyed and saying “my God they fucking rule”, she smiled sorta made sure I wasn’t going to do anything nuts. She wasn’t too familiar with the band prior to that night, but she was sold by the end.
As fantastic as I find Blue October recorded, it doesn’t hold a match to them live. I cannot wait to see them again. Which is why I flipped out a couple of months ago when the tour was cancelled. They’ll be back, Ill be there. I suggest you be there too. They wont last long, they’re fragile and they’re glorious
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