We Have the Rations to Go Anywhere
The thing about perfect days is that everything is so real that it feels surreal, like a dream that's so vivid that the details are lost within pure sensation. At least for me, this is the case. On perfect days, I wish I had my own personal cameraman so I could re-watch my life and actually take in all the intimate details. Unfortunately, I neither have the photographic memory nor the cameraman to make this happen.
But I can feel enough to know that I was at the peak of euphoria last night at the Freelance Whales concert in Harrisburg, PA, which is only an hour and 15 from where I live with minimal city driving required. The venue was the Appalachian Brewing Company - Abbey Bar, and although I am a proud beer drinker, it was not a drinking night for me. No, I immediately stood front and center of the stage and did not move the entire night, except once to get a cup of water. I had my friend hold my spot, though. Needless to say, I had a killer view, the perfect position for set-list stealing, and the most amazing auditory experience of my life.
I'm glad I was there for the first two bands - Il Abanico and Hundred Waters. Throughout the night, it was fun to see the bands interacting with and supporting each other. It's very obvious that they are all friends, and it put a huge smile on my face to see them dancing to each other's sets.
And the Freelance Whales just blew me away. Everything was so much bigger and crisper and richer live, and I was so so close, almost literally underneath the glockenspiel. I love being so close that I can hear the actual instrument without the use of whichever speakers or microphones are being used to amplify the sound. It was like being consumed by the music, with little grasp on anything happening outside the symphony I threw myself into. And the transitions between songs were just as sensory as their actual songs. Even in the simplest form as long stretch of pure undulating bass, I felt like I was still lost in whichever world they'd put me in. I want to live in that sound.
The stage was so tiny, though. There are six people in the Freelance Whales, and plenty more instruments than there are members. Wires spider-webbed over the stage, and a huge clump of them came together in front of me, actually overflowing over the stage.
After the show, I did manage to meet all the band members and get their signatures on the set list. I also got pictures with Doris, Chuck, and Judah, but everyone was so accommodating and gracious. Actually, because I didn't want to take so much time up with other fans or the stage break, they flagged each other down for me. I think it was obvious that I'm not confrontational at all, and they took pity on me. It is solely because they are the nicest people in the world that I left as fulfilled as I did. And never did I feel like I'd stayed beyond my welcome, even though they were packing up long before I actually left.
And then it was over, and the night felt like forever and no time at all.
Set: Aeolus Land Features Generator 2md Floor Follow Through Spitting Image Generator 1st Floor Dig Into Waves Hannah Location Great Estates Locked Out DNA Bank
Encore: Broken Horse Starring
Edited April 2016 from a post published Feb 2, 2013 via Wordpress
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