New Favorite Procrastination Tool: Live Concerts
This is yet another ode to Nashville. I really don’t think there are many college towns that allow for as many spontaneous concert adventures as I have had over my 3 years so far at Vandy. Although the week before Thanksgiving was a chaotic blur of group project meetings and nervous presentations (the blessing and curse of being an H.O.D. major), I somehow managed to fit in 2 spectacularly Nashville-y concerts on Thursday and Sunday night.
I jokingly mentioned to a few friends the week before the Josh Garrels concert that I would only go if a free ticket was presented to me. We all guffawed and returned to our respective grueling homework assignments, and I sighed as I realized that I simply had better things to do than waste my time at a concert where I would know LIT-RALLY zero songs. The day of the Josh Garrels concert arrived, and I was stuffing my face with pad thai with fellow blogger Victoria at Satay, our favorite post-creative-advertising-class ritual, when I got a text from a friend saying that he had a free ticket to the concert for me if I could go RIGHT NOW. I looked at my life, I looked at my choices, and I decided that the most rational thing I could do would be to drop everything and go to the concert. I later realized that I was just being used for my mini-van, but I brushed that off as a technicality. The concert was at the Cannery Ballroom, so I was excited about seeing live music there as I had only been there once before for a church service (Ethos!). The opener was Jillian Chapman, who I realized halfway through was Steven Curtis Chapman‘s daughter-in-law! I am a bit obsessed with Steven Curtis Chapman. Josh Garrels was quite excellent, and while I thought he sounded a bit like he had marbles in his mouth, his lyrics were super powerful and he made lots of hilarious faces while he was singing.
On Sunday night, Mary Kate and I went to Marathon Music Works because we had bought tickets to see Gungor! We drove all the way there just to realize that MK had left her ID at Vandy (classic), so I drove her back. We eventually entered the venue and danced like crazy people to the thumpin’ music they had playing before Gungor came on. I knew that I would like Gungor right away because the lead singer came out in a poncho. Their music blew my mind. At one point I was pretty sure a spaceship was landing in the room. I didn’t recognize any songs until the encore song, but I nodded my head along during the whole concert as if I was totally a hip Gungor groupie. I consider myself a fabulous concert-goer.
Lastly, because my parents and grandparents were in town for the big tap showcase on Wednesday, we went to the Ryman for the Tuesday matinee of the Opry! The Opry show moves to the Ryman instead of the Grand Ole Opry during the holidays so that the Rockettes have a place to perform. This was bundles of fun because I had never been to the Ryman before, and oh man is it beautiful. Another bonus was that Rascal Flatts was performing, so we just “Life is a Highway“ed into our happy place.
Down with finals, yay for concerts! (I may regret this later.)