The devil in your eyes
Won’t deny the lies you’ve sold
I’m holding on too tight
While you let go
This is casual
When you lay awake at night
Do I ever cross your mind?
‘Cause you still cross mine
If anyone could’ve saved me
It would’ve been you
How come we never even dated
But I still find myself thinking of you daily?
You’re on another path
While I’m stuck in the past
You’re on another path
What’s good can’t ever last
Love, love, love Sombr (it’s a stylized version of ‘somber’ – all his music is sad, although autocorrect always tries to change it to ‘sombrero’ LOL). He’s probably my favorite new artist discovery this year. He has four upcoming shows in LA, but they’re all after I move back to SD. Also, this kid isn’t even old enough to drink yet, but he sings of heartbreak like he’s been through some shit. Who hurt you??? Virginia from would’ve been you? Caroline from caroline? Do they know you’re 6’7? 😆
Update: I always share my work chats with the girls. ‘Panties’ is where I draw the line, y’all. Contrary to popular belief, your girl does have some boundaries 😆
Heart breaks, the heavy world’s upon your shoulders
Will we burn on or just smolder?
Lord Huron – The Night We Met
I had all and then most of you
Some and now none of you
Take me back to the night we met
The Fray – Over My Head (Cable Car)
And suddenly
I’ve become a part of your past
I’m becomin’ the part that don’t last
I’m losing you, and it’s effortless
Dashboard Confessional – Vindicated
Vindicated, I am selfish, I am wrong
I am right, I swear I’m right
Swear I knew it all along
My wallet: But you’re seeing Mumford and Lord Huron at the Wild Horses festival in December? Me: I’ve actually already seen most of these bands live before. Don’t you know your girl’s a repeat offender? 😜
☑️ Flights booked
☑️ VIP tickets purchased
VIP tickets were nearly $1K, but it’s worth it to have a dedicated seated viewing platform, air-conditioned restrooms, and a private bar. Besides, I have hella Southwest points, so my flights were free, and I’m probably gonna sell my Sunday wristband – Blink 182’s a hometown band, but I don’t think they sound v good live 😅 so I’ll get some of that money back.
The Pioneertown Motel is walking distance to where the concert was at Pappy & Harriet’s, so we could hear them doing sound check from our room.
POV: You’re standing behind two of the tallest guys on earth (they were at least a foot taller than me, so 6’7+), and they’re super gay and in love, so they’re all over each other throughout the entire show 🤪
My stems are sore today bc the show was standing room only for 3 hours. Am I getting too old for this shit? (Don’t answer that).
They only had single rooms left, so we had to share a queen bed. I apologized to Mary in advance and told her I sleep like the purple potato 😅 I am who I am ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
We were listening to her playlist on the drive home, and right before this song came on, she was like, ‘Try not to cry.’ I was like, ‘Cry??? Why, is it Bon Iver?’
You silently cry at the end of yoga during savasana one time (partly bc you’re exhausted, but mostly bc they’re playing Bon Iver), and people never let you forget it!
Dan (the guitarist) gave us the setlist after the show, Chris (the drummer) gave us one of his drumsticks, several people complimented us on our shirts and asked where we got them bc they were only selling Everclear merch, one took a picture of me, and Doug (the lead singer) pointed out my shirt on the mic! My eyes are up here, Doug Robb 👀 Also, I’m staying in room 1208 at the Willow’s side of the hotel tonight 😜
I posted my shirt and my pic of the setlist to my IG stories, and @hoobastank, @hoobadougroub, and @danielestrin liked and reposted my story 🫠 I can die now. Please invite them to my funeral and have them perform Inside of You ✌🏼
‘Cause sooner or later
This is bound to stop
Come on, let’s savor
What we’re falling for
These shows were rescheduled from January because of the wildfires. I love Young the Giant (understatement of the year), I love when bands perform albums in their entirety, I love the Troubadour, but I hate schlepping to West Hollywood on a Friday night. And when I was looking at ticket prices in January, it was $700 to go to both shows 😵💫 This way, I can save several hundred dollars, and cry sing as loud as I want in the privacy of my own home. Besides, I’m seeing them live in Pioneertown next month ✌🏼
– Prepared to spend the end of the year crying downtown (what else is new?) ✔️
Mumford & Sons – White Blank Page
You desired my attention
But denied my affections
Lord Huron – The Night We Met
I had all and then most of you
Some and now none of you
Take me back to the night we met
Jessie’s husband is probably the closest I’ll come to having an actual husband (we have the same birthday, we both hate yellow mustard, and we joke that we’re gonna marry each other after Jessie’s untimely death LOL).
The devil in your eyes
Won’t deny the lies you’ve sold
I’m holding on too tight, while you let go
This is casual
Obsessed.
Sombr has a few upcoming sold out shows in LA, but the cheapest I can find a ticket for is $300+ on StubHub. I usually buy my concert tickets in pairs, even if I don’t know who I’m going with yet, but I don’t think I’ll find anyone who would pay that much to see this guy. This is also why I go to John Mayer concerts by myself 😆
Girl, won’t you stop your cryin’? I know that you’re tryin’ Everything’s gonna be okay Baby girl, don’t you hang your head low Don’t you lose your halo Everyone’s gonna be okay Baby girl
Maren Morris – cut!
I’m such a pro, put a hell of a show on As soon as I close that door shut
I’m screaming, “Cut!” I need a moment to just let my tears fall where they want Honestly, “Fuck!” I’ve held it in long enough, I gave it all that I got
Maren Morris – this is how a woman leaves ✌🏼
This is where it’s gonna end Not gonna try to be your friend All I want is you to get Out of my heart, out of my head This is how a woman leaves Even though it’s killing me I’ll make it look so easy That even I believe me Go ahead and look me in the eye Go ahead pretend that you’re surprised
The last time I saw Incubus was at this same venue nearly two decades ago (@ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre when it was formerly known as Coors Amphitheatre, and has since been called Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre, Sleep Train Amphitheatre, and Mattress Firm Amphitheatre).
The difference between then and now is I’ve got money to buy front row VIP tickets now, their bass player has changed twice, and Brandon Boyd’s voice isn’t as strong as it used to be (he still fine, though!) 😜
I didn’t realize it was the last show on their tour. I recently saw that they canceled their show in LA, but it wasn’t until October, and it was at Intuit Dome (the new Clippers stadium) which I’ve heard lots of venue complaints about. I was just checking my email Saturday afternoon (hours before the show), and I saw an email from stubhub sent that morning that the SD show was canceled!
I couldn’t find any info online, Incubus posted nothing about the cancellation on their instagram, Ticketmaster was still selling tickets to the show, and I tried calling the venue, but it was all automated.
I finally found someone asking about it on Reddit:
Then, I got this email from Stubhub around 6pm telling me to enjoy the show!
They didn’t even send an email in between retracting the first email or saying it was sent in error. My sister lives like 15 minutes away from the venue, so we would’ve done a drive by to make sure if we didn’t get confirmation, but some people traveled from out of town for this show! Fucking Stubhub. My animosity towards them goes back more than a decade over a Beyoncé concert at Staples Center (I will never call it ‘Crypto.com Arena’).
‘Cause sooner or later, this is bound to stop
Come on, let’s savor what we’re falling for
I have loved Young the Giant since my twenties, and I’ve seen them live several times since then across different cities – LA, SD, OC, SF, Tempe… Their ‘In the Open’ live acoustic sessions fill my heart with so much joy, and they’re taking them on tour this summer. I’m def gonna see them, but where should I go? Hawaii for their first show at the Waikiki Shell? Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown (the only drivable option)? At The National in Richmond, Virginia (Poppy the pygmy hippo lives at a zoo over there LOL)? Their last show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado (a beautiful venue I’ve always wanted to go to, but it’s right before my dad’s birthday)? All of them? 😜
The first time I went to Rise was a magical experience. So much has happened since then… The pandemic, all my grandparents passed away, three of my dear friends got breast cancer, our dog died, I had a stroke, I like hockey now LOL.
The musical artist who performed when I went was Vancouver Sleep Clinic, a band I knew and reminded me of Bon Iver, but were relatively unknown. People def weren’t there for the musical artist. They really stepped it up for their 10-year anniversary! John Mayer (my guiltiest pleasure) and Patrick Watson (singer of my favorite sad French song). Vegas in October, anyone?
I want you in the worst way
Is the gate code still your birthday?
Et quand tu es seule pendant un instant
Ramasse-moi quand tu voudras
Embrasse-moi quand tu voudras
After such an unforgettable experience at Rise, we returned the next year, and it was TERRIBLE. It was raining that weekend, and we kept checking to see if the event was canceled, but they kept saying it was still happening, just to arrive earlier, because they were gonna do the initial rise of the lanterns earlier because of the weather. So we arrived early, trudged through mud because it was raining in the desert, hours passed with no update, and while I was waiting in line for a hot dog LOL, an announcement came over the speakers that the event was canceled, and we had to leave immediately and could not take the lanterns with us. Everyone was PISSED. Nobody who goes to this event actually lives in Vegas, so everyone had travelled just for this festival.
I wouldn’t mind so much if the event got rained out again this year, as long as John Mayer and Patrick Watson still performed. The rain would mask my tears (though nothing can hide my ugly crying face 😅).
I’m so sick of lemonade
All the squeeze ain’t worth the juice
Pour some sugar over mе
Still not sweet enough for you
Got a lotta shit to say
Even more you nеver do
Tell me, what’s it gonna take
To make a good thing out of you?
I shared Maren Morris with my cousin’s daughter after she told me she surprisingly likes country music now after watching Ransom Canyon on Netflix LOL. I don’t really like country music (or the conservative values associated with it), but I love Maren and have seen her live at The Greek. To me, she leans more towards pop (she has a song with Zedd, after all), and I thought Jay would appreciate Maren’s songs about female empowerment ✊🏼 She’s a single mom with twin baby girls and such a baddie 😎
Girl, won’t you stop your cryin’?
I know that you’re tryin’
Everything’s gonna be okay
Baby girl, don’t you hang your head low
Don’t you lose your halo
Everyone’s gonna be okay
This is where it’s gonna end
Not gonna try to be your friend
All I want is you to get
Out of my heart, out of my head
This is how a woman leaves
Even though it’s killing me
I’ll make it look so easy
That even I believe me
She DM’d me Maren’s new album, and I am obsessed. Maren has a show at my favorite venue in SD, and I might have to go.
So much on my mind
I think I think too much
Read between these lines
But time comes to rest
When you are by my side
It blurs
Just got tickets to Kevin Garrett @ Gold-Diggers in Hollywood next month. He’s celebrating 10 years of his first EP, Mellow Drama. It was the album that made me a fan of his, and I try to catch him whenever he’s in LA. He was the last show I saw before the pandemic hit, and the first show I went to after the stroke. I’m a bit of a masochist 💔
I’m about to relive my youth this summer! I just bought tickets to see Incubus and Hoobastank.
The last time I saw Incubus was at this same venue two decades ago (@ North Island Credit Union Amphitheater when it was formerly known as Coors Amphitheater, and has since been called Cricket Wireless Amphitheater, Sleep Train Amphitheater, and Mattress Firm Amphitheater)
The only difference between then and now is that I’ve got money to buy front row VIP tickets now 😜
The last time I saw Hoobastank was more recently at their 20th Anniversary Show (@ The Echo) But before that, it had been well over a decade!
Is it 2003? Am I 21 again? My first ever blog post in 2003 was about Hoobastank, and here I am, 22 years later, still talking about the same shit 😜
I used to hear a simple song
That was until you came along
You took my broken melody
And now I hear a symphony
I was going to kick off my birthday weekend by crying downtown tonight (what else is new?), but the concert I was supposed to attend has been postponed due to the state of emergency in LA 🥺
Just sold my GA floor ticket to the (sold out!) Dia De Los Deftones festival in San Diego this weekend on Stubhub, because I don’t know anyone on this lineup except the Deftones (among other reasons).
I was hoping to catch them on tour next year, especially with The Mars Volta opening (a band I haven’t seen live since 2008 @ SDSU!), but they’re gonna be in LA the week I’m in Japan. Pammie has to be back in the US after that first week for a work conference in Scottsdale, but I might extend my trip a few days to go to Thailand to see Moo Deng 😆
Deftones – Risk
I know what to say to take you
Higher, higher
No one else can take you higher
But I will try
The Mars Volta – The Widow
Freeze without an answer Free from all the shame Then I’ll hide ‘Cause I’ll never, never sleep alone
Cuz it’s you and me Like Sid and Nancy I can barely keep my head up It wasn’t meant to be It wasn’t meant to be It’s only in my dreams Make my bed go to sleep
I first saw them at Outside Lands in 2011. We were waiting for The Joy Formidable to go on, and Phantogram performed and I was blown away. I’ve seen them live several times since then, mostly at festivals and some small shows around LA.
They’re touring next year, but their last show in LA is while I’m out of town. They have an earlier show in SD, but it’s at SOMA (an all-ages, standing room only, non-alcholic converted cinema that I haven’t been to since I was a kid). Hard pass. Mama needs a seat and her alcohol 🤪
And if you have a minute, why don’t we go Talk about it somewhere only we know? This could be the end of everything So why don’t we go somewhere only we know?
Keane – Everybody’s Changing
Trying to make a move just to stay in the game I try to stay awake and remember my name But everybody’s changing and I don’t feel the same
Keane – A Bad Dream
And when will I meet my end? In a better time you could be my friend I wake up, it’s a bad dream No one on my side I was fighting But I just feel too tired to be fighting Guess I’m not the fighting kind Wouldn’t mind it If you were by my side But you’re long gone Yeah, you’re long gone now
Keane – We Might as Well Be Strangers
I don’t know your thoughts these days We’re strangers in an empty space I don’t understand your heart It’s easier to be apart We might as well be strangers in another town We might as well be living in another town We might as well We might as well We might as well be strangers
Keane at The Greek and street dogs. It doesn’t get more LA than this!
Thank you Nori and Sachi for making my first day back so amazing 🥰
I just want to eat some Portuguese egg tarts, watch some flamenco, eat paella, see some Picasso paintings in Málaga, eat some churros, see some Salvador Dalí art in Madrid, eat Ibérico ham, and somehow get into the Deftones’ sold-out show in Madrid.
Update 6/4/2024: I was able to do everything I wanted except see the Deftones. Their intimate show in Madrid was sold out, and they also performed at the Primavera Sound music festival in Barcelona, but I was nine hours away in Granada that day. Luckily, lots of people posted videos on instagram, plus Amazon streamed the music festival.
As Pammie, Christine and I were scarfing down our nachos, chicken tenders, burgers, and garlic fries before the show, I looked around and noticed no one else had food. I forgot people in LA don’t eat 😅
I think we broke Christine 😆
Her husband sent us a picture of her the next day wearing a JT shirt with a huge smile on her face and was like, ‘She’s been like this all morning!’ He told her being VIP at the JT show was like when he and I had floor seats at the Young the Giant show, and Christine was like, ‘IDK what metric system you’re using, but JT≠YTG.’ 🤣
We sat in the last row on the floor, so when he moved to the stage in the back, it was like we had front row seats 😍
When Lance Bass shows up at your concert 😏
Growing up, he was tied for my least favorite *NSYNC member (with Chris). Now, he’s one of my favorites! His instagram makes me LOL. My then boyfriend got me the *NSYNC dolls for Christmas one year, except he accidentally got a duplicate of one of the members, and no Lance. My set has been incomplete since we broke up in 2005 😅
JT sang all of the hits. If you’re like me, and like to google the setlist before the show, here you go.
He didn’t sing this song, but the DJ who opened for him played this one and all the *NSYNC jams. I felt like I was 18 again. My sore stems the next day from standing for his nearly 3-hour set reminded me that I’m not, in fact, 18 anymore 😅 I forgot all about this gem. The Legends of Summer show with JT/Jay-Z at the Rose Bowl was one for the books.
I can’t wait to see him again next weekend in LA 🤪
You lit your cigarette Oh, how quickly we all forget That bed you made, you must lay in it Lost in a fruitless cause False hope was all you bought Oh, and the answers didn’t seem so far
Jessie and I were supposed to see The Brook & The Bluff at the Belly Up last year, but she had to go out of town that day, so we ended up selling our tickets. The show was sold out, so we made a nice little profit. I’m so glad I get to finally see them, though. I bought tickets to their upcoming show with Stephen Sanchez at the YouTube Theater inside SoFi Stadium in LA. I have another show the week before in LA, and I figure I’ll be back by September.
I love YouTube Theater (I’ve seen Bon Iver there and may or may not have sobbed violently), but the last time I was there was to see Local Natives a couple years ago. I specifically bought front row center balcony seats so I could sit if I wanted to (mama’s too old to stand for the duration of an entire concert). They didn’t end up selling enough tickets (which I thought was odd because Local Natives are from LA, and I’ve been to shows of theirs at bigger venues), so they closed the balcony section and gave everyone who had seats up there seats on the lower level. This was never communicated to us before the show, so we took our sweet time, ate some banana pudding at Orleans & York Deli, skipped the opener, and paid $50 for parking. When we finally got there, the only seats they had left were ones where we had to stand the whole time behind these obnoxious Angelenos who talked throughout the entire show. I haven’t seen Local Natives or been back to this venue since. I’m obviously still mad about it LOL. I bought front row balcony tickets again, so hopefully they don’t do me like they did in ‘22 😅
The first time I heard this Smiths song live was when Morissey performed it at Fuck Yeah Fest in LA in 2015. I remember I was so high during his set, Deane looked over to me and was like, ‘Why are you crying?’ LOL.
Now I’m streaming Coachella sets from bed in my jammies at 7 o’clock on a Friday night 👵🏻
Where are you now?
Do you still think of me?
Or does your heart belong to someone else’s?
Love, oh, my love
I wonder sometimes, were you just a dream?
I sit in the dark
Wondering if our paths will ever cross again
I once danced to Janet Jackson’s Miss You Much off her Rhythm Nation album for my Modern Jazz class in 1989. I’m sure there’s a VHS tape of my performance floating around somewhere 😅
We got some merch at Justin Timberlake’s resto in Nashville to wear to his upcoming shows. We also got Christine (JT’S #1 fan!) a 12/30 Club bomber jacket that I might have to keep for myself, because this shirt’s kinda snug 😜
Hey little mama
Ain’t gotta ask me if I want to
Tell me, can I get a light?
Roll you up and let it run through my veins
‘Cause I can always see the farthest stars when I’m on you
I don’t wanna ever come down off this cloud of loving you
Kolohe Kai’s gonna be at the Del Mar Fair this summer. Does anyone want to go??? I used to not like Hawaiian music, but I had such a good time in Kauai, and my paradise playlist has been on rotation ever since. Plus, my friend would always listen to Hawaiian radio when I worked in the office, and every time I’d go to her office, a Hawaiian version of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” would be playing, and I’d be like, “Is this our song?!” 🤣
Deftones are playing a music festival in Spain when I’ll be there, but I’ll be 8 hours away from Barcelona that day. I don’t think I’ll be able to swing it, but I love going to concerts when I’m traveling 🖤
I have a flight to Nashville from SD the next morning, so a concert the night before in LA isn’t ideal, but I will rally if I win ✊🏼 Christine will be my +1, partly because she’s the biggest JT fan I know (she had a JT-themed birthday party when she turned 30 LOL), but mostly because she can drive my ass to LA (my sister will be out of town for work that week).
Deftones are gonna be at Coachella this year, but as much as I love live music, I think I would hate going to that festival. I remember a group of girls from my work went the year Tame Impala headlined, and I asked how Tame Impala was when they came back, and they were like, “Who???” 🙄 People just go to this festival to be seen and wear cute outfits…
I’m not worried about where you are Or who you go home to
I’m just thinkin’ about you
I had tickets to see Harry Styles, but they rescheduled his tour because of covid, and I opted for a refund instead. He played 15 sold-out shows in LA, and I didn’t go to a single one of them. It has been my #4 regret in life ever since (#3 is running into Milo Ventimiglia at an otherwise empty NYC subway station in 2005 and not asking him to father my children. Don’t ask me what the first two are—I’m taking them to my grave!). It’s raining today, so it’s a good time to bust out this album and ruminate over all of my life regrets.
It’s two in the morning I don’t need nobody else But you’re my tragedy
Young the Giant is always a good idea.
Rolling in hella deep, headed to the mezzanine Dressed in all pink ‘cept my gator shoes, those are green Draped in a leopard mink, girl standing next to me Probably shoulda washed this, smells like R. Kelly’s sheets (piss) But shit, it was 99 cents
Macklemore was surprisingly entertaining and brought attention to what’s happening in Gaza.
I will not ask you where you came from I will not ask, and neither should you
Honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips We should just kiss like real people do
And it’s worth it, it’s divine
I have this some of the time
I used to doordash Mcdonald’s for breakfast every morning, even though they’re literally across the street from my apartment. Now, I only treat myself to this meal every few months after some routine blood tests 😅 Or when I’m happy to pay $300 to get my car out of a tow yard because I initially thought someone stole it (a Mcdonald’s breakfast is celebratory. Fight me).
P.S. I’m so excited to see Phantogram at Innings Fest, even though I’ve seen them live a million times since I first saw them at Outside Lands in 2011. I’ve actually already seen a lot of the bands that will be there (Young the Giant, Hozier, Jimmy Eat World, Red Hot Chili Peppers). What can I say, I’m a repeat offender ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
We’re part of a very special set of people (O.I.N.K. – one income, no kids) that do whatever the fuck we want like buy VIP tickets to Justin Timberlake’s show in LA and floor tickets to his show in Vegas 😆
I also buy two tickets even though I don’t know who I’m going with yet. Unless it’s for John Mayer and I buy a single ticket off stubhub for $300 an hour before the show, because I decided last minute to go and know no one else would pay $300 (or any amount of money) to see John Mayer 😅
Welp, it’s officially EOD in NYC, and I didn’t win tickets to Justin Timberlake’s free show. I guess I’ll be an adult and go to my doctor’s appointment and work tomorrow 😅 I think because we had to put our zip in when we entered, they didn’t think a girl from the west coast would go to a show in NYC at a moment’s notice, but they doubt my commitment to Sparkle Motion Justin Timberlake.
Waiting until the eleventh hour to check in to my doc appointment in case I win tickets to Justin Timberlake’s free show in NYC that day and have to cancel it 😅
Nori messaged me earlier and was like, “Still busy?” I’ve been super busy at work this week, because I’m still catching up from being on vacation and being out sick from my tummy ache last week. I was like, “Yeah, don’t they know I’m trying to win JT tickets over here?!” 😅
I also just entered the lottery to win tickets for Justin Timberlake’s free show in NYC next week, even though I have a doctor’s appointment in LA that day, so I’m not adulting too hard 😅
I started off my morning by doordashing a spanish latte and sunrise pizza from Urth Caffé. I went to my doctor’s appointment and Dr. Joshi had nothing but good things to say about me (the first time I saw him earlier this year, he said I was “hanging on by a thread” 😅). I went through 4 months worth of mail and had over $700 in checks from overpaying for my health bennies during my medical leave. The Echo’s up the street from Guisados on Sunset, so we ate some delicious tacos before watching Hoobastank at The Echo. Not to be dramatic or anything, but yesterday was the best day of my life.
I haven’t seen Hoobastank live since they opened for Linkin Park on their Meteora tour in 2004! Fun fact: Hoobastank went to high school with Linkin Park members (Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon and Brad Delson). I felt like a kid again watching them. Like, is it 2003? Am I about to get a charlie horse after watching them at Canes??? 😆 I was reminded that I’m not, in fact, a kid anymore when we walked back to the car and we didn’t have to pay for metered street parking because of my handicap placard, and when I was falling asleep on the drive home before midnight 😅
Shoutout to the guy standing in front of me wearing a Yellowcard hoodie 😂
Only two things about LA still warm this heart—the food and live music.
Update: You guys, Hoobastank liked my Instagram story 💀
I got this noise notification (that I usually get when I’m at a concert) on the drive up to LA tonight. I guess I was rocking out to Hoobastank too loud 😆 I got a text last week confirming my doctor’s appointment in LA that I forgot about tomorrow, so I bought tickets for Hoobastank’s 20th Anniversary Show at The Echo since I’ll already be up here. Who’s ready to party like it’s 2003???
I will never be too poor for concert tickets or Crumbl cookies 😆
I once got pulled over for expired tags in LA the first day they expired, yet I’ve seen so many cars driving around SD with tags that expired years ago ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This is my favorite Young the Giant song, and I love that they included it on their live album that came out today. I can’t wait to see them again at Innings Fest, even though I’ve seen them at least ten times in the past decade (including at the inaugural Innings Fest!).
Phantogram, Hozier, and Young the Giant??? Yes, please.
Wasted You tell the truth when you could’ve lied And troubles are on the rise ’cause you’re in disguise, oh And if it isn’t me Then pack your bags and leave
I couldn’t utter my love when it counted
Ah, but I’m singing like a bird ’bout it now
Oh girl, I’ve got that silvertongue
Got, got that silver, silvertongue
Drives you into delirium
Got, got, that silver, got that silvertongue like
I heard from a friend of a friend That that dick was a ten out of ten I can’t stand it, just one night me Clink with the drink, gimme a sip Tell me what’s your kink, gimme the dick Spank me, slap me, choke me, bite me Uh, wait, I can take it Give a fuck ’bout what your wifey’s sayin’
I wanted to dress up for the Doja show and her new album has pearl spiders on the cover. I once saw Phoebe Bridgers perform on SNL in a custom Gucci pearl skeleton ribcage necklace and I’ve always wanted to recreate it. It turned out better than I expected! Plus it went great with my skeleton bone nails.
It’s all in the details 💀
Bitch, I said what I said
I’d rather be famous instead
I let all that get to my head
I don’t care, I paint the town red
Mm, she the devil
She a bad lil bitch, she a rebel
She put her foot to the pedal
It’ll take a whole lot for me to settle
I’ve found a reason for me To change who I used to be A reason to start over new And the reason is you
So close yet so far It’s tearing me apart What I would do to be back with you
So promise No matter how long it takes for me to get back to you You’ll wait for me
My first blog post ever was about a Hoobastank concert 20 years ago, and I went to a countless amount of their shows in my 20s. They’re having a 20th anniversary show in LA for The Reason album. I hate watching shows at The Echo (it’s a seedy ass venue in Echo Park), but I love Hoobastank more. Plus it’s a pretty intimate venue with a capacity of less than 400 people. Will this be like the first time I saw them at Canes, and Doug Robb (the lead singer) was standing right next to me watching the opening band and no one was bothering him? The Echo is even smaller than Canes was! Anyone feel like going and reliving their youth with me???
From the passenger seat as
You are driving me home
Do they collide?
I ask and you smile
With my feet on the dash
The world doesn’t matter
It’s the 20th anniversary of Transatlanticism, and Death Cab is performing the album in its entirety at the Hollywood Bowl. I haven’t seen Death Cab live since 2011! I bought tickets months ago thinking I’d be back in LA by now. Should I go or sell my tickets? Anyone feel like crying in Hollywood on Tuesday 10/17???
Step aside, youths! I had two minor strokes this year, so I should get first pick at tickets 😅
I fit all this criteria! JK, I don’t wear Skechers 🤣
Is this like when we were in our 20s telling Christine that if a guy’s driver’s license is vertical, he’s much too young for her??? LOL. Or the checklist of questions Jessie sent me to ask potential suitors?
I want you in the worst way
Is the gate code still your birthday?
John Mayer has an intimate show at The Wiltern next week, but I got waitlisted. If you’re able to get tickets, I will find a way to get to LA. He’s my guiltiest pleasure 😅
I don’t know your thoughts these days We’re strangers in an empty space I don’t understand your heart It’s easier to be apart
My friend got us tickets to Keane at the Greek next year! I was traveling through the Philippines the last time they were in LA in 2020. Then covid hit and our lives took a 180. So glad concerts are back 🙌🏼
Olivia Rodrigo and The Breeders??? My teenage heart is bursting.
Was Olivia Rodrigo even born yet when Cannonball came out in 1993?
I would’ve also been happy if Remi Wolf was opening, but it looks like she’s only gonna be on the international leg of the tour. Anyone want to travel overseas???
Update 9/15: Olivia Rodrigo added two LA dates on Friday 8/16/24 and Saturday 8/17/24. I changed my registration for her last show on the tour! Hopefully, I don’t get waitlisted 🤞🏼
One of Francis’ friends was working security, and he was like, “Yooo, you like Young the Giant?!” like it was a bad thing 🤣 Is this like when I liked Hoobastank?! 😅
Even though my calves burn with the fury of a thousand suns (our seats were at the very bottom and it’s a looong way to the top where the drinks are), YTG is always worth it.
Here’s Francis and I texting each other during the show because our seats were right in front of the speakers and we couldn’t hear each other LOL:
When I was 18, my friends and I slept outside a Ritmo Latino for *NSYNC tickets. That was the way you got good tickets back then 😅 If they have a reunion tour, I’m SO going. I skipped out on my high school reunion, but I wouldn’t miss this LOL. I’ll even sleep outside a Ritmo Latino again if I have to. Do those still exist??? It was like a Spanish Wherehouse 🤣 When I first moved to LA, there was still a Wherehouse near my apartment!
I bought tickets to Sylvan Esso at The Greek tonight thinking I’d be back in LA by now, but I haven’t started driving yet, so I’m still at my sister’s in SD.
The last time I was in Phoenix, Google was testing their self-driving cars and I remember thinking, “I’d never get in one of those.” 5 years and 2 strokes later, I’m seriously considering getting a Tesla so I never have to drive again (even though I still don’t trust self-driving cars or Elon Musk).
The last time I drove was before the incident when I drove myself to urgent care. The doctor was like, “You drove yourself here?!” To be fair, urgent care is up the street from my apartment. They wanted me to take an ambulance to the ER, but I was like, “I’ll just have my friend, Nori, take me.” I spent the next five days in the hospital, my sister and her husband picked my car up from the urgent care parking lot the next day, and the rest is history…
JK, I think we settled on the Padres game this Saturday ⚾ Or we can pretend we’re 21 again at El Dorado one last time. We used to go there for drinks, and I’d wake up the next morning with a half eaten burrito next to my face LOL. I used to be fun 😅
I sent this video to Jessie because she has chickens, and I’ve been laughing for 100 years 🤣
Our club level tickets gave us access to the Twitch lounge. I paid more to see Beyoncé at Dodger Stadium, and these tickets came with so much more. We had private food vendors, a private bar and private bathrooms! Our seats were even padded. Love the Allegiant. Can’t believe the fucking Raiders have such a nice ass stadium.
Queen B was so good! I might have to go to her birthday show in LA next week. Except I felt severely underdressed at this show in Vegas. I’ll be prepared and dress up next time. I’ll wear thigh high silver boots more than once, right? 😜 My work has a suite at SoFi, too, but I doubt they’d let me use it! My coworkers used the suite for a Rams game once, but parking was $100 🤯
This is my third Beyoncé concert, and def not my last! Should I start planning my Doja Cat show outfit now??? 😸
I wasn’t planning on seeing Beyoncé this weekend. I only brought my Original Berf and Michael Myers shirts 😂 (I obviously wasn’t planning on meeting the love of my life, either). Do I need to go shopping???
Jason Mraz is so awesome for doing this free hometown show! I used to listen to his local shows at Lestat’s (before there was Spotify) and saw him live countless times back in the day.
It was my first time at The Rady Shell, and it reminds me of the Hollywood Bowl in LA. Except you don’t have to deal with tandem parking and you know, Hollywood. The food is also better (the pizza at the bowl tastes like literal cardboard), and this show didn’t have seats, but they allow you to bring blankets and low lawn chairs. The view coupled with the San Diego weather was perfection. I def want to watch more shows at this venue!
We walked to the Mariott Marquis after the show to get ubers away from the venue, and Jessie convinced some guest we were staying there so he’d let us cut through the hotel with his key card. After he let us in and we were walking by the pool, I was like, “You’re such a good liar,” and she was like, “Should we get in the jacuzzi???” 🤣
I also felt like myself for the first time since the incident tonight. I wore some eyeliner, drank some mules, went to a concert where I didn’t go home early after the opener, and stayed out past 9pm 😅
I hate when people do those “What’s in my bag?” videos on TikTok (like, nobody cares). So since literally no one asked me, here’s what’s in my concert bag:
I was supposed to see Young the Giant tonight. Yesterday, Pammie was like, “At least the show is indoors. And I was like, “It’s at the Open Air Theater. It’s in the open air.” The show was supposed to be rain or shine, but I guess a hurricane changes things ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
My sister will be in Hawaii the week it’s rescheduled for. Anyone want to see Young the Giant with me??? My seats are in AAA and here’s the setlist if that helps sway you at all.
Update: I’m going to the rescheduled show with my friend’s husband 🤣 (I know he likes this band, and I asked my friend first! Plus I would never, partly because it’s Francis Lansang, but mostly because I know Christine can kick my ass LOL).
It’s two in the morning I don’t need nobody else But you’re my tragedy Please don’t make me say it Cult of personality
I wanna get lost with you And hide out, out under the light of the moon I wanna get lost with you And see what it’s like to spend a whole night with you, just you
This is pretty much how my first day back at work went. Also, I couldn’t remember any of my credentials 😅 I’ve never had to update so many passwords. It’s a good thing the new Local Natives album just came out, because it’s the only thing that got me through this day.
Lifted up, lifted up, lifted up No, I don’t care about any of that now It’s all been put behind It’s falling through the cracks Lost somewhere between Where I was and wanna be now
Local Natives was the last band I watched live in LA. I had front row balcony tickets at the YouTube Theater at SoFi, and they didn’t sell enough tickets, so they closed the balcony and made everyone sit on the bottom floor. Except they didn’t tell anyone till they got there and already paid $40 for parking, so my seats were shitty because I skipped the opener and got there later and everyone had gotten their seats reassigned and were standing so I had to stand the whole time around these obnoxious people who talked through the entire show. I usually see Local Natives whenever they have a show in LA, and they had three shows at Hollywood Forever Cemetery after that (a venue that I love), but I was still mad about the YouTube show, so I refused LOL. It’s been a year, so I’m over it now. This new album is really good, so I might see them at The Sound when they close out their tour in San Diego.
My blue jeans Will last me all my life Oh, yes So should we I’m spending all this time
I went to my cousin’s son’s high school graduation party, and his daughter’s playlist was playing and I realized that I have the same musical tastes as a 16-year-old.
You lit your cigarette Oh, how quickly we all forget That bed you made, you must lay in it Lost in a fruitless cause False hope was all you bought Oh, and the answers didn’t seem so far
Just got tickets to their fall tour! I’m going to their SD show instead of the one the next day in LA, partly because trying to get to Hollywood on a Thursday sucks, but mostly because I want to eat at Pizza Port.
I went to my first show in months tonight, partly because it was Kevin Garrett, partly because it was his birthday today, but mostly because he was the opener and I didn’t have to stay up that late (@ Quartyard).
Kevin Garrett – Coloring
Don’t want the world to know I’m by myself Don’t want the world to know I’m on your shelf But if you want to try at all Stay for the night, tell you why nothing’s right if you’re gone
Stay for the night, if it’s all a lie, I wouldn’t mind if you’re wrong
Stay for the night, we’ve been alright for so long
There’s no coloring around us anymore
You either know or you don’t
He did a cover of “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls, and I’ve been listening to the City of Angels soundtrack from ’98 and crying ever since.
Not gonna lie, I’m all for daytime concerts. Most shows don’t start until 10pm (especially if they have an opener) and I’m usually in bed by 9 these days (oh, how the mighty have fallen). I even declined a show last weekend because I was all like, “You’ll find me sleeping against a wall at the end of the show. I’ll just tell some strangers to wake me up when it’s over.”
Am I officially too old for concerts??? (Don’t answer that.)
Ghost, I wish you well, it’s your life
Pray you find yourself as souls divide
Seven sisters blue, it’s your life
Left my heart with, left my heart with you
Everything that happens is from now on
This is pouring rain, this is paralyzed
Spent my Friday night crying in Inglewood, hbu? (@ YouTube Theater)
I’ve seen Bon Iver twice before, but this was the first time he sang my most favorite song of his (re:Stacks). This was also my first time seeing a show at the new YouTube Theater. It’s located inside SoFi Stadium and it is GORGEOUS. If I were the Chargers, I would’ve left SD for this shit, too! It’s also an 11-minute drive from my apartment and near this cajun resto where we had the best pre-show po’ boys ever. Chargers game, anyone???
Welp, I def won’t be meeting the love of my life at a concert this year (or anywhere really if LA remains on this covid watch list), but I love this story ❤️
Outside Lands 2011 with Pammie, Chris and Jessie was def my most favorite festival ever. So much has changed since then, and at the same time, not much has changed at all…
I was supposed to be in Nashville this weekend, and I’ve died a little bit inside every time a show has been canceled this year. Is it 2021 yet???
Sameer of Young the Giant played a solo acoustic show for Twitch Stream Aid and performed my most favorite song from when they were still called The Jakes. Also, I have that same case study planter, so it’s basically like he was singing to me in my apartment.
There’s a place where we’re together That’s what I’ll keep on telling myself
I love that artists are live streaming from their living rooms during this lockdown, partly because I’ve missed going out to shows, but mostly because I get to cry sing as loud as I want in the privacy of my own home.
This is the third time I’ve seen The Strokes and probably my last. Julian’s a mess! During one of the songs, he forgot the lyrics, walked off the stage and sang, “I don’t want to play in this place anymore.” The show wasn’t done yet, but he sure was.
They just finished a new album and are probably gearing up to tour next year. As much as I love their music, I don’t know that I would see them live again. If you can, catch them twenty years ago in NYC!
Don’t say a word, just come over and lie here with me
‘Cause I’m just about to set fire to everything I see
I want you so bad I’ll go back on the things I believe
There I just said it, I’m scared you’ll forget about me
The last time I saw John Mayer was at the Hollywood Bowl in 2007 before I moved to LA. Twelve years later, he still makes that same guitar face me feel all the feels.
Make a move on me, baby I cant be the one who’s always taking chances
Another day, another 20th anniversary tour (@ Lodge Room)
The first time I saw Rooney was nearly two decades ago with an ex-boyfriend at a venue that doesn’t exist anymore. So much has changed since then, but I still go to shows as much as I can, and I still love the bands I loved twenty years ago (still waiting for that Hoobastank comeback tour!).
Love this intimate desert gem! Anthony Bourdain featured it in an episode of No Reservations, and Paul McCartney has played here. It’s def worth the visit, especially if you’re nearby in Palm Springs or in Joshua Tree where I had the best napsound bath of my life.
This is the last time I’ll forget you
I wish I could
I’ve seen Muse a few times in my life, but I haven’t been to a show of theirs in a decade! It was like seeing them for the first time all over again. Loved, loved, loved. Thanks Nori and Desi for the invite!
NOTE TO SELF: 16-year-old artists have 16-year-old fans.
I’ll spare you the video and instead post this studio recording of my favorite Billie Eilish song (devoid of screaming teens in the background). You’re welcome.
When you call my name, do you think I’ll come running?
You never did the same, so good at giving me nothing
