Concert Review: Pearl Jam in Oslo June 29, 2014

After Stockholm's show, I was more excited than ever to see Pearl Jam again, this time at the Telenor Arena in Fornebu, Norway, right outside of Oslo.  In stark contrast to Stockholm that was handing out water to everyone and was very consumer friendly, we were not able to bring any liquid at all, even just in the GA waiting line.  It was also not as nearly organized as the queue in Stockholm and I felt if we moved, we would have lost our place in line.  It was chilly and gray but they opened GA on time and we all rushed in to secure our place on the floor.  The arena was another massively huge venue but the GA was more tightly packed in.  It was also much hotter with no steady air flow.  As we sat on the floor waiting, we looked around and were glad to see so many women around us, hoping we would not be among so many tall people.  We were wrong.  As everyone stood, even the women were taller than we were!

The show was scheduled to start at 7pm, 30 minutes earlier than Stockholm, but that didn't matter.  They band finally came on stage at 8:11.  (Again, WHY have a stated start time if you know it is going to be so wrong?)  They started with Pendulum, which is such a great "first song", slow and steady, almost haunting in the beginning, but grows to such a strong melody and like most Pearl Jam songs has great lyrics like "Understand what we don't know, This might pass, this might last, this may grow".  They stayed slow moving onto Hard to Imagine and then Last Kiss.  Let me talk about setlists for a second.  Pearl Jam has an amazing library of songs and each concert's set list is different. Because of this, there are many songs that people will never see performed live.  Before each show I set aside a Top 3 songs I REALLY, REALLY want to see performed.  My top 3 are: Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns, Off He Goes and Let The Records Play. Never, ever, ever, EVER on my list was Last Kiss.  I have always just hated that song and thought myself rather lucky I had made it 3 shows without hearing it.  As soon as they started it, I groaned, while the rest of the arena cheered. There was a girl in front of me that screamed, jumped up and down and had a "Oh my god it's the Beatles in the 60s" reaction.  Blech.   From here they picked up the tempo playing Mind Your Manners and Animal. As was the case in Stockholm, a group of people used the speed to push their way towards the front but we knew to expect it this time, so just stepped aside and let them go by.  It was still way more ragey than the American shows, but not nearly like Stockholm where Mike was literally punching people off me.

The band moved through a variety of songs, playing many I had never seen performed before.  I loved Stockholm because I knew so many of the songs, but Oslo was a concert for the true, devoted fan.  There were a number of songs that have been played less than 8 times in all of the concerts they did. One time Eddie said "we are going to try a complete experiment" and then played for the first time ever, Strangest Tribe. Mike knew the song and was ecstatic and while you could tell not everyone knew it, there was the "Holy crap this is the first time this has EVER been played live" appreciation.   As a casual fan, this show was more subdued and I certainly didn't find myself singing along like I have in past shows, but that was OK. I enjoyed hearing so many songs for the first time and was glad I finally heard Garden and Yellow Ledbetter in person too.   It stayed really hot and three people around us fainted, including a large guy.  They did pass cups of water back, but the germophobe in me didn't dare take a drink after 5 or 6 other people had.  I wasn't THAT dehydrated.

Right before playing Love Boat Captain  Eddie mentioned that the night before in Stockholm, he was "honored and humbled and so grateful" to have two sets of families of two men who died at the Roskilde Festival, in 2000. Nine people died as people rushed the stage, basically getting trampled and then suffocating.  The song Love Boat Captain references this in the line "It's an art to live with pain...mix the light into grey.  Lost 9 friends we yet to know, all those years of pain."    It's things like this that I think most people don't know about the band, but it is one of the reasons why I can say I am a Pearl Jam fan.  And it's funny because two years ago I really had no opinion on Pearl Jam.  I knew Yellow Ledbetter because my next door neighbor in college played it continuously for what seems like an entire year.  I hated Last Kiss and changed channels every time it came on the radio.  I knew who they were but that was about it.  Now I have been to four concerts, each one different in its own way and I am hooked on them.  The energy the band has, how the fans react to the band and other fans, the mutual admiration and respect of the band to the fans,  the lyrics that make me cry and the musical talent that I mostly miss all combine to make them such memorable shows.  Each show has been a solid three hours of pure entertainment and I would absolutely go see them live again, and hopefully hear one of my top three songs this time!  

Concert Review: David Gray

Years ago I fell in love with this Volkswagon commercial, partly because I had just bought a silver cabrio but mostly because I loved the song Pink Moon by Nick Drake.  I was listening to it one day at work when a coworker (British born Jon Wilson) heard it and said "If you like Nick Drake, you should check out David Gray."  I did and immediately fell in love.  White Ladder had just been released and I soaked it up and binged on everything else he had available.  He became one of my favorite artists, somehow balancing melancholy with a sense of hope.  I was ecstatic when I heard he was coming to Charlotte, though I did wonder if anyone would show up.  Even though he has been around forever, he is not a traditional commercial success and when I said I was excited he was coming, I got a resounding "Who?" from everyone I told.

So I was pleasantly surprised at how many people were at the Uptown Arena for his show.  He just released a new album, Mutineers, so I wasn't that surprised that the first few songs were unfamiliar.  I liked them, especially the opening song Back in the World, but was much happier once he started playing the songs I loved like Sail Away , Kangaroo and The Other Side.  I have seen a lot of live shows but this was one of the only shows where I thought he sounded crisper and clearer than his recordings.  I am especially glad I was able to see the live version of my absolute favorite song of his, This Year's Love.  I am not sure if it is where I am in life, or what I have gone through personally over the past few years, but listening to him sing the beautiful words brought tears to my eyes.  I felt the song in a way I had never experienced just listening on my ipod.  Seeing it live made the song real, something more than just a pretty melody and great words. Somehow I was on stage with him, sitting next to him on his piano stool, singing along..."When you hold me like you do, it feels so right I start to forget how my heart gets torn, when that hurt gets thrown, feeling like you can't go on....cos it takes something more this time than sweet sweet lies....every dream inside my soul.....This year's love had better last.  So whose to worry if our hearts get torn, when that hurt gets thrown, don't you know this life goes on."

I mentioned melancholy hope already, but I think that is how I feel about his music and seeing him perform it live brought out the hope even stronger, while making the melancholy seem deeper, sadder, but recoverable. During My Oh My, I thought, OH MY GOD THAT IS ME as I sang along "What on earth is going on in my head, You know I used to be so sure, You know I used to be so definite, Thought I knew what love was for. I look around these days and I'm not so sure. It takes a lotta love these days to keep your heart from freezing."  But the next song, Please Forgive Me also felt just as accurate saying "there's so much I want to say Want to tell you just how good it feels when you look at me that way."

Not only was his voice clear and beautiful and haunting, his personality was cute and endearing.  The concert was on a Friday in August in Charlotte and it was warm and humid.  He came out wearing a sport coat and a few songs in commented that it was hot.  A few songs later he said something to the effect of "everyone said not to wear a coat.  You'll be too hot they said.  But I couldn't come out under dressed."  He had such a relaxed, fun presence on stage and it made the concert all the better.

I was a fan before the show, but now I am a passionate fan, feeling so much more connected to him as an artist and to the songs and expressions of my feelings. I am impressed and in love with his talent, his voice, his musicality and the way he writes feelings so well.  I know that sounds like a exaggeration, but it really was that good.

Buy his stuff.
See his show.
Support this wonderful artist.

Concert Reviews - PJ Europe 2014 - Stockholm

Friends Arena Photo credit missing.
I was in the middle of all that!

When I started planning my big summer vacation, seeing Pearl Jam in Stockholm was thrown in as an option, but I had little hope it would work out.  I was ecstatic that as destinations were narrowed down, Stockholm remained in the mix.  And when I figured out an easy way for us to also see them play in Oslo, that just made it that much better.  So we planned, booked tickets and finally were on our way.  The show was Saturday, June 28 and after doing a bit of shopping we headed out to Friends Arena in Solna, a bit north of the city.  This arena is massive - I heard 88,000 as max occupancy for concerts.  Half of the arena was closed off (24,000 showed up for the concert) but it was still like nothing I have ever seen. Just amazing. It is basically in the middle of nowhere, with no easy access to public transportation and the locals think it is a waste of money and a bit of a joke, but I was impressed with the size and overall sound and feel.

Waiting for the show to begin.

We had gold circle tickets which allowed us to be in the general admission part in front of the stage.  We got to the arena at 3:30 and found the line.  We put our names on a list and were given numbers, 66 and 67. We were then told we could walk around or stay, up to us.  But when the time came, we would just find out place in line.  How civilized!  I just love that they did this - it makes so much sense!  And the person "in charge" was just another concert-goer.  So great.  I sat down and Mike went to buy merch but not 15 minutes later we were told we were "going down" so I ran to get Mike, we ran back and got in line at our designated spots.  We went down under the arena and proceeded to wait again.  Doors were set to open at 5:30 but it took a bit longer - was closer to 5:45 by the time we went in.  We found a place in front of the stage and then everyone sat down!  I was so thankful since my feet were very sore and it was still a good 2 hours til the show was scheduled to start.  I did wander over to the merch stand to get posters and was surprised to see the free water booths set up all around the arena.  

The show was scheduled to start at 7:30 but apparently Pearl Jam never starts on time (this bothers me - why not have a later time as your start time but actually start then!?)  At 8:07 they walked on stage and started the show with Release, one of their songs that brings tears to my eyes when I hear it live. From that they stayed mellow playing a few slower songs like Elderly Woman Behind the Counter In A Small Town and Black.  Then they stepped it up with Go and the crowd started jumping and moving and I had to jump or be trampled.  There is no doubt that Pearl Jam has some
rage in the music and the lyrics, but at the shows I was at in the states, there seemed to be a general feeling in the crowd of "yep, the music is ragey but we are all old now, so stand there, be respectful of the music and of the other fans."  This was absolutely not the case in Europe.  Mike thinks that it might have been an issue of being in general public vs the Ten Club section but by the time the second "angry" song Animal played, we had been pushed ahead several rows and the energy was negative and very mosh pit-esque.  In the beginning I admit it was fun and it did get us closer to the stage, but it got to be very scary, very quickly.  Mike ended up standing behind me, with both arms outstretched around me into tight fists, basically punching off people so they wouldn't hit me.  The bouncers did call out some of the people but the main offenders were able to talk their way out of leaving and stayed.  We gave them wide berth and they moved along and we were able to enjoy the rest of the show.

Overall the band seemed in a good mood, at one point signing a person's show at the request of the "Sign My Shoe" sign, even taking one person's camera on stage (fast forward to the 1:50 mark ). They do a masterful job of controlling the speed, tempo and flow of the crowd, moving slow to fast to slow to a ramp back up.  As a casual fan, I really enjoyed this show.  While I wasn't lucky to hear any of my "wishlist", the overall playlist was great, playing enough of the popular old hits with the newer stuff that I really like.  I was able to hear Just Breathe, one of my favorites: "I'm a lucky man to count on two hands the ones I love"  I got to hear My Father's Son and U, both concert rarities, only being played 8 and 22 times in the history of the band. (Compare this to the 683 times that Alive and Better Man have been played and you can see why people were excited to hear them, U more so since My Father's Son is off the 2013 album.)  As someone with no musical talent, I was amazed by Mike McCready's flawless solo with guitar totally behind his back.

They played for a solid three hours closing with The Who's Baba O Riley and Indifference. Despite some technical difficulties with the ball lights that swing during some of the songs, the entire concert was entertaining and I was so glad I was able to be there. I did buy a poster as well, my second Pearl Jam merch purchase.
 
Some notable European concert vs American concert differences:

• There were free water tables throughout the arena.  If you were thirsty, you just walked over and got a cup of water.  For free.  In the US you would have had to go to the concession area and pay $15 for a bottle.  It was so nice to be able to get some water since it was so hot in the pit area.  
• If you didn't want to leave the pit, the security in the front row had water bottles and were squirting into peoples' mouths.  There seemed to be an overall "Hey we know it is hot, everyone OK?" attitude in the security and staff.   
• Port a jons were set up on the lower level of the arena so going to the bathroom was pretty convenient, albeit a port a john.  
• People in Sweden are tall. We noticed this all over Stockholm but it was apparent in the crowd where we were both very short, when usually are on the average size.
• The aforementioned gold circle queue system and the fact that everyone got situated and then sat down were both lovely things. 

Next up: Oslo!  

Over the Hill

I have always LOVED my birthday, more than the average person, with tear away countdown sheets and at least a week of celebrating.  My dear friend Sarah used to say "just wait til you turn 40...then you won't love it"  but I felt like I would always love my birthday no matter what number I was turning.

So yesterday was the day...the big 4-0.  Over the hill.  Old.  And yet I feel pretty great, in fact, this is one of the best birthdays I can remember having.  I feel loved, spoiled, supported, and am a bit overwhelmed at the generosity of my friends in showering kindness on me.  I threw myself a party, with my closest friends and family, where the color scheme matched the theme, from invitation to cupcake plates and napkins.   I had dinners and lunches during a gorgeous weekend.  I bought myself new shoes and they were on sale!  I was spoiled and for the first time, was able to spoil someone who shares my birthday.  I went to sleep last night feeling utterly content and happy.  Not a bad way to start a year.

So yeah, I am 40.  Old.  Over the hill.  And I'm totally OK.  This is not at all where I thought I would be, but I know for sure it is exactly where I am supposed to be.

2014 - This year is brought to you by the word BALANCE

2014:  A new year:  The year I turn 40: The year where I strive for balance in life.  Balance....that is what I need most right now.

Balance with eating - It is SOOOO easy to eat mac and cheese or pizza for dinner.  It is easy, meat free and relatively cheap.  I need to add in healthier meals that are easy to make.  I just bought a Quick Fix Vegetarian Cook Book.  Everyone says how healthy a vegetarian diet is....I need to get it that way.

Balance with fitness - I am in a work out funk and by far this is the longest I have gone without doing ANYTHING active. I am starting to take ice skating lessons and thanks for my friend Kelly am going to start  riding again. While my weight hasn't changed in the last 6 months, my body has and I am not pleased with it. It has been easy to stay in bed, or sit on the couch, or drink beer and eat pizza.  So I need to figure out how to still do those things while getting in some regular exercise.  I want to turn 40 and feel proud of my fitness level and body. That means getting up off the couch!

Balance with my time - it really seems that I go to work, come home, go to bed and do it all again in the morning. I have regularly scheduled days with Miller but besides that, I have basically all the time I need to do whatever I want. I need to figure out how to work, exercise, spend time with friends, and still do laundry and clean my house. There's gotta be a way to get it all in.

Balance - literally. I went ice skating before the holidays and had a really good time. I decided I'd like to be good at it so asked for lessons and skates for Christmas.  My eight weeks start this Saturday and I am equal parts nervous and excited.

So that's it really.  I am going to do 24 Hours of Booty again this year and am even the team captain. I might do a 5K with Miller but that is all.  I am going to celebrate my 40th birthday. I am going to enjoy my life, enjoy exactly where I am right now in this moment.

I wish you a happy 2014.  I hope that you too can balance all the many pressures we have facing us each day.

2013 Year in Review

I know everyone says this, but WOW did 2013 fly by.  Overall it was a good year, though not anything spectacular really.  Here is what I wanted to do in the beginning and how it ended up.

• Run the Rear in Gear 5K in March - Miller and I did this and while we ended up just doing the fun run due to a illness that I couldn't shake, it was so great to be a member of Team Irene's Dream.  
• Ride in 24 Hours of Booty in July -This was SO MUCH FUN!  Mike and MaryBeth came up, I had a tent this time, we celebrated Chris' birthday, my friend Courtney FINALLY joined us after years of begging and even though I ended up with a metric century instead of an actual century, it still reminded me how great this event is. 
• Run the Detroit Chevy Dealers International Half Marathon with Shelia in October- Well, I have run marathons and been really well prepared. I did virtually no training. My longest run pre race was 3 miles.  really.  But I drove up and ran the race, having one of the fastest miles ever in a race (9:30!!!). The actual race was great - gorgeous course and it was run really well. Crossing over into Canada as the sun rose was amazing. But I would not recommend running 13 miles without training. I could hardly walk for 5 days!  I am glad I went, had fun seeing Shelia, managed to see Sarah in Buffalo and my aunt and uncle in Pittsburgh. It was a good trip. 
• Read more.  This did not happen.  My TV watching actually went down, but with my nights stayed busy and I just couldn't get into reading. 
• Continue to pay off my debt.  Well I paid off one card, but mostly just tried to stay afloat. Doing from two incomes to one has been a HUGE adjustment, and I am still trying to figure out how to pay the bills and save.   

• Sleep more. Check on this. 
• Eat better. In March I started transitioning to vegetarianism. I went full on no meat in July and I haven't looked back.  It wasn't hard at all to switch and after I made it through Thanksgiving, I knew I could do it forever. I really do like not having to think about what I am eating. Now I just need to work on making healthier vegetarian choices. Pizza, while a great no meat option, is not great to have 5 times a week! 
• Stop worrying.  I am a worrier. At least this year I tried to approach it as just a useless worry.  I do know I can get through anything, so there is comfort in that. 
• Think about dating - I did more than think about dating....I started dating.  It is fun, amazing, wonderful, thrilling and fantastic. It's still scary to say out loud, but I am pretty happy.  :)
• Have a home where my friends feel comfortable coming and hanging out. Check! 

So overall an OK year.  2014 is a big one for me...and I have some lofty goals.  Here's to 2014, to me, to turning 40! 

Concert Reviews: Atlas Genius and Pearl Pearl Jam Jam

It's been a great few weeks for live music and I was lucky to see some amazing performances, one of which gets the Best Concert I've Ever Been To award.

Atlas Genius, Family of the Year and Little Comets - It's no secret how much I love the boys of Atlas Genius so was thrilled to hear they were coming to Charlotte again.  Last time was November 1, 2012, so it was time. I had never heard of the opening act Little Comets but was surprised and hooked immediately.  They remind me of Vampire Weekend, some songs more than others, but the overall sound and feel is infectiously poppy.  The second act was Family of the Year.  Their song Hero made my music list earlier this year so I was looking forward to seeing them, but sadly I was disappointed. I'm not sure if I just didn't connect to the lyrics or overall vibe of the band, but I was glad when they were done.  Then it was Atlas Genius time. The boys had bulked up a bit since I saw them last time but they sounded just as good as ever. They are releasing more new music so I was happy to hear song after song that I knew. They are working on album two and I am rooting for these kids.

Charlottesville

Pearl Jam x 2 - I was never a huge Pearl Jam fan but recently started listening more and more and was surprised at how many songs I knew and how many I actually liked. I had never been to a  show but headed up to Charlottesville, Virginia for the October 29th show. We had decent seats on stage right and at first we were surprised that the arena seemed less crowded than we thought.  The lights dimmed, the band took the stage and when the lights came back on, wow...packed.  I had been studying up on Pearl Jam songs so I would be familiar with the music and was glad to hear a ton of songs that I have grown to like, some love.  As with most of their shows in this tour, they started with Pendulum, off their latest album.  This is the perfect "first song", slow but builds to a pretty sound. The entire first set was strong and I am sure more knowledgeable PJ fans could talk for days about each and every song inclusion. There were a couple of songs I really wanted to hear but unfortunately none of those were played.  One of the highlights of the show was Sirens. This is by far my favorite song of theirs. The sound is beautiful and the lyrics are wonderful. My favorite line: "If I think too much I can get overwhelmed by the grace by which we live our lives with death over our shoulder."  I love that line.  I love this song. They played many other great songs, took a short break and then came back for a very intimate set including Thumbing My Way, which I had never heard before but loved immediately.  A lot of their new stuff is really great so I was excited to hear so much of it (when is that ever said about a concert?).  They threw in a few covers too including Pink Floyd's Mother and Little Wing by Hendrix. About half way through the concert I was pretty hooked. You cannot deny that Pearl Jam is a fan's band. Their website lists every song they've ever played, how many times and where they played it, who wrote it and lists the lyrics.  They release professional bootlegs of every concert after the tour so they can make sure that random people don't charge a ton of money for horrible quality versions.  City specific shirts and posters are sold so people can commemorate not only the tour, but the specific night and city where they saw Pearl Jam.  Each night the set list is created specially for how the band feels and they change it up based on Eddie's read of the crowd.   But more than that, and here is something I don't think I can really explain adequately, is how passionate the fans are for THEM.  There were people in the crowd with signs that said "Thank You".  TO THE BAND. Who does that? Even before the show we went to a local bar that was PACKED, and since I had just walked three miles in heels I desperately needed to sit down. I asked two guys if we could join them and of course they were also going to the show. We chatted about the band, the tours and life in general. There was an overall sense of "you're here for Pearl Jam, that means you are a good person."   At one point during the show I just looked around and was utterly amazed at the overall vibe of the entire arena. And while I mostly think that "Lead Singer Banter" is scripted, it seemed like the band was having just as much fun as the rest of us. It seemed spontaneous, genuine. If it was choreographed, props to them for making it seem real. From the first time Eddie spoke, saying "Good Evening, we'll talk later. First I have a story to tell you" I was enamored with him. His stage presence was warm and friendly, his sense of humor evident and his voice was clear and much prettier in person. There were a number of other little moments that stood out for me: Eddie stopping everything to check on a scuttle in the pit, talking with some young kids in the front row, offering them wine, commenting on them knowing every song since it is great to know there will be at least two PJ fans when the guys are in their 80s, They wrapped up the show with a cover of The Who's Baba O Reilly that had the entire crowd screaming at the top of their lungs.  I honestly cannot remember having more fun at a show. They ended the show saying "If you could see all the great faces from up here, you'd be very grateful and you'd probably  keep saying thank you and thank you and thank you like we are doing right now, but you'd understand if you could see what we see.  Thank you" We all walked out smiling, high fiving each other, knowing that we just were part of something awesome.  Amazing, just amazing.

We drove home the next day and prepared for the Charlotte show. We had pit passes for this one so headed down early to get in line for the general admission. I really wanted a Charlotte  poster since I have a collection of band posters, so loved the city specific one. I stood in line for 30 minutes chatting with the people around me. Most were talking about shows they had been too and I immediately had street cred saying I was at Charlottesville.  It hadn't even been 24 hours and the show was already known for being amazing. The posters sold out 6 people in front of me. ARGH.  Assured there were merch stands inside, I went to wait in the general admission line. We had pizza and drinks and talked with our neighbors. There is nothing like the instant bond you can create with someone standing in line, it made the two hours go by very quickly. As soon as the doors opened, I headed to a merch stand while my new friends headed to secure our space in the pit. I was able to get a poster, walked to the pit and was thrilled to see I would be 2 people back from the stage.  I don't care what band is playing, being that close is a neat experience. I love seeing the set up, the "behind the scenes" things that happen that most people don't get a chance to see, and being that close to a legend is always a treat. The show started with Pendulum again and then they proceeded to play hit after hit. I don't know it was just different than Charlottesville or I was tired or they were tired, but it seemed like there was a bit more of a laid back vibe. Don't get me wrong, it was still fun and amazing, but in a different way. They sang more of the well known "sing along" songs like Even Flow, Daughter, and Black.

Again there were two songs I really wanted to hear (Chloe Dancer and Let The Records Play) and sadly, I was disappointed that neither of them were played. I was more upset when I saw the original set list HAD LTRP listed but it was replaced with the famous Better Man.  I am not a huge fan of that song, but I liked it live. I was happy to hear Just Breathe (another great line: I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love) and I was taken by surprise when I got teary eyed during Sirens.  Have I mentioned what a great song that is? I was pretty happy to hear Getaway live and now can say I was there when they played it for the first time.  Overall the concert was great, the crowd around us was into it and there is nothing like making eye contact with the band members to feel more connected. I even was lucky to get one of Mike McCready's guitar picks.   Eddie passed out wine to the pit and gave a tambourine to one of my new best friends from waiting in line. Again I walked out of there smiling, glad to have been part of something so special.

Many people have told me that they "just don't get it" in regards to Pearl Jam but I think those people still think of them as the twentysomethings with long hair, wearing flannel and heading up the grunge movement. And to be honest I don't know that I would like them as much as I like the 50 year olds that I saw twice this week.  They and the shows are so fan-centric, it is hard not to leave there feeling like they tour just to make the crowds happy. Many people talk about how unintelligible Eddie's singing can be (check out this hilarious video of Yellow Ledbetter  "I said I don't want a whale in a box or a bag; Potato Wave"). The band has an amazingly comprehensive listing of all the lyrics online. I read through many of the songs and was so impressed with the poetry and imagery that is created. Some of the songs are utterly beautiful. I was also so surprised at how clear and pretty Eddie Vedder's voice is. And honestly, no matter how you feel about their music, you have to respect the fact that this band has been around, viable and rocking since 1990.  These (old) guys still are able to create new music that is really good, entertain and put on an amazing show.  While I've never seen The Stones or Zeppelin, I have seen many concerts and many of those have been legendary performers, but I can honestly say I have never been to a show that felt like such a mutual love fest between artist and crowd. If you get the chance, go see them. I guarantee you will walk away amazed, smiling and utterly happy.