Portugal/Spain bound ✌🏼

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.

They sang so many of my favorites: Diamond Eyes, Sextape, Cherry Waves, Change (In the House of Flies), and the Smiths cover Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want. If they do a similar set at Dia De Los Deftones in SD this year, I will lose my mind 🖤

Keanu Reeves and his band, Dogstar, were also at Primavera Sound 😩

The VIP experience (@ Kia Forum)

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.’ 🤣

JT only reposts IG stories from verified accounts, so I need to either get verified or get pregnant before we go to his LA show this weekend 😅

I’m also not beneath getting a service dog 😆

Justin Timberlake, we out here ✌🏼 (@ T-Mobile Arena)

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 🤪

We usually stay at The Palazzo when we’re in Vegas, but it took us 2 hours to uber to Allegiant Stadium last time for the Beyoncé concert because of all the traffic on the strip, so we wanted to stay at a hotel where we could just walk to T-Mobile Arena for the Justin Timberlake concert tonight (@ Park MGM Las Vegas)

This is our view from our hotel room 😍

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 😅

Dashboard Confessional at SOMA? Is it 2002???

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 😜

I miss crying at the cemetery 🖤

Patrick Watson has a show tonight at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever, and I would totally go if I was back in LA…

Justin Timberlake – Pusher Love Girl

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

I’ll just be here if you need me 🫠

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?!” 🤣

I still regret not buying those thigh high silver boots for Beyoncé’s last tour.

This fringe cape is from Nasty Gal and these boots are from Forever 21 (yes, I know I’m 42). I just googled “disco cowgirl” for this lewk 🪩🤠

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 🖤

OK, I can start my day now 😅

Crosses played the Van Buren last night, so I’ve just been watching videos all morning ✌🏼

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.

Cage the Elephant, Young the Giant and Bakar??? Yes, please.

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

At night I cry and howl at the moon

The world I love, the tears I drop
To be part of the wave, can’t stop
Ever wonder if it’s all for you?

And I thought my festival ‘fit was fire 😅 (@ Innings Festival)

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 😅

I’ll just be here for the rest of the day.

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 got this new pill organizer because adulting.

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 was fine getting general admission tickets, but Pammie insisted we treat ourselves to VIP passes. YOLO ✊🏼 Is it February yet???

Reliving my youth (@ The Echo)

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

Doja Cat – Need to Know (@ Viejas Arena)

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???

New York in December, anyone???

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???

When someone asks me what my limit is for an *NSYNC concert (it’s $1,000 for Beyoncé):

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 🤞🏼

Young the Giant is always a good idea (@ CalCoast Credit Union Open Air Theatre)

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…

Bey in LA this weekend, anyone???

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??? 😸

We saw this car and took it as a sign to buy Beyoncé tickets (@ Caesars Palace)

We out here ✌🏼 (@ Allegiant Stadium)

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???

Well, I won’t give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I’m giving you all my love
I’m still looking up

Love, love, love this venue and these girls 💕 (@ The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park)

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:

• MOMSIV clear crossbody bag
• Ikea coin purse
• Burt’s Bees Strawberry Lip Balm
• Coach sunglasses
• IPhone with Burga Almond Latte phone case

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

I just scored tickets to Jason Mraz’s FREE SHOW at The Shell!

I gotta stop hanging out with my friends’ husbands LOL.

Morning View is my favorite Incubus album, and they’re re-recording it and performing it in its entirety at the Hollywood Bowl in October.

Action Bronson and Paris Jackson are opening, though. Was Hoobastank unavailable? 😂

You only think about yourself
You only think about yourself
You’d better bend before I go
On the first train to Mexico

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.

Baby, worship my hips and waist
So feminine with grace
I touch your soul when you hear me say
“Boy, let me be your woman”

Doja Cat is touring this fall! Who’s coming with???

Since today is the first day of summer and I’m seeing Young the Giant in two months!

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.

I would see Daniel Caeser in concert but his show is the same day as The Brook & The Bluff, and I’d rather eat at Pizza Port see The Brook & The Bluff.

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.)

Silver dreams bring me to you

Local Natives (@ YouTube Theater)

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

Palace (@ The Fonda)

Dance party (@ The Forum)

It feels like we only go backwards, darling

Hello
I’ve waited here for you
Everlong

Tame Impala x Foo Fighters (@ Innings Fest)

If you only ever go to one concert in your life, let it be Tame Impala at the Hollywood Bowl.

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???

Tame Impala and Black Pumas? Yes, please.

Lay me in the tall grown grass in a shallow grave
Let it have me

Lord Huron (@ Hollywood Forever Cemetery)

One of my favorite bands at one of my favorite venues! My first live show in nearly two years did not disappoint 🖤

Lord Huron at the cemetery? Yes, please 🖤

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.

Kevin Garrett – Love You Less

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.

Title Track (@ The Hotel Cafe)

I try to catch Kevin Garrett whenever he’s in LA, and this was by far my favorite show of his. Love this intimate venue.

Sylvan Esso – Coffee (@ Walt Disney Concert Hall)

Last show of the year at my new favorite venue ❤️

Ohana Fest (@ Doheny State Beach)

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!

Maren Morris (@ The Greek Theater)

John Mayer – Edge of Desire (@ The Forum)

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.

Andy Grammer – I Am Yours (@ The Wiltern)

I’ve been lost, I’ve been found
But I know who I am now
I am yours

Rooney – Stay Away

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!).

BRB crying at the cemetery (@ Hollywood Forever)

Hozier – Shrike

I couldn’t utter my love when it counted
Ah, but I’m singing like a bird ’bout it now

Kevin Garrett – Control

Father, son, and holy ghost
I would never let you go

h o a x 💔 (@ Troubadour)

Lucius – Feels like a Curse

You talk about today, like the girl who got away
The only one you ever wanted

Day trippin’ (@ Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace)

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 nap sound bath of my life.

Muse – Stockholm Syndrome (@ The Forum)

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!

Share the Love Benefit Show (@ The Wiltern)

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

I lost count so long ago, maybe my heart’s numb

BØRNS (@ The Greek)

And it’s worth it, it’s divine
I have this some of the time

Hozier took us to church last night (@ The Wiltern)

Switchfoot – Dare You to Move

Young the Giant – Silvertongue

Beck – Where It’s At

Mumford and Sons – I Will Wait

Sunday funday with Sabrina and Cass (@ Ohana Fest, Doheny State Beach)

I wanna get lost with you, and see what it’s like
To spend the whole night with you, just you

Mr. A-Z (@ FivePoint Amphitheatre)

See I know what we’ve got to do
You let go, and I’ll let go, too

L-Boogie up in here (@ Open Air Theatre)

I can’t believe I’m old enough for 20th anniversary tours, but the rough morning I had after getting home at 2am was solid proof!

This album soundtracked my junior year of high school, and hearing it in its entirety made me feel 16 again ♥

More videos here.

Monolith Tour (@ The Forum)

Chino x Mike Shinoda 🖤

Tame Impala, Lord Huron and SF ♥

Tame Impala – The Less I Know the Better

Lord Huron – When the Night is Over

Mumford + YTG!!!

Hold me still
Bury my heart next to yours

You’ll drive in my car
Just tell me we are going somewhere

Lord Huron – The Night We Met

Sylvan Esso – Coffee

Young the Giant – Cough Syrup

Local Natives – Coins

Head and the Heart – All We Ever Knew

(@ Culinary Dropout)

(@ Cornish Pasty Co)

(@ Pizzeria Bianco)

(@ The Arrogant Butcher)

(@ Tempe Beach Park)

We escaped the LA rain and road-tripped it to Arizona! The first of hopefully many Innings Fests did not disappoint. Good weather, great bands, amazing food…

Tempe, I am in you. And I’m about to get all up in your Innings Fest (@ Tempe Beach Park)

24K Magic (@ The Forum)

My mom has visited me twice in LA since I moved here 5 years ago—once to see Adele at Staples, and this past weekend to see Bruno Mars at the Forum!

Now who has to tour LA for her to come visit me next year??? 

Linkin Park & Friends (@ Hollywood Bowl)

Even though it had been years since I last saw Linkin Park in concert, I was heartbroken when I found out about Chester Bennington’s suicide.

I can remember exactly what I was doing when I first heard Hybrid Theory. Pammie and I have this game we play called Guess What Year? (it’s a working title), and I can always pinpoint the year a song came out because I’m able to tie it to life events. Like I know that Boyz II Men’s One Sweet Day came out when I was 13, because I remember crying to that song at Sharon Bernardo’s birthday party when I found out that Raymond Alcarion liked my best friend and not me. I’m totally over him now, partly because that was 22 years ago, but mostly because my name would have been “Marion Alcarion” had our love stood the test of time! Yikes.

When I was 18, my friend Nick Costa told me, “Linkin Park… Remember that name… They’re gonna be HUGE someday.” I downloaded some songs off of their EP on Napster (yes, I was 18 that long ago) and became a solid LP fan after that. I remember going to the library to chat in their forum in between classes in college. I remember listening to their CD in Sheena’s car while I practiced driving stick around Jamul. I remember how sad I was when their intimate show at Canes sold out before I could get tickets to their first tour. Linkin Park soundtracked a time in my life that I reminisce about often, and it makes me sad to think that Chester is gone now, too.

I was lucky enough to see Chester in concert a couple times in my life, and being able to go his memorial show and hearing all those songs made me feel like I was 18 again (my sore stems the next day from standing during their 3-hour set reminded me that I’m nearly twice that age). All these years later, I still remember their lyrics. Also, can we just talk about how good Mike Shinoda still looks??? Some things never change…

Watch a full stream of the show here.

The Shins (@ The Greek Theatre)

It’ll change your life, I swear…

One more week!

Sunday funday with Sabrina (@ Arroyo Seco Weekend)

Heart eyes since 2010 😍😍😍 (@ El Rey Theatre)

Tuxedo (@ Observatory)

When your friends give you free tickets to see Mayer Hawthorne, you repay them with booty shorts from the merch table, obvs. Thanks, Jessie and Abe! 😘

I worked 16 hours straight yesterday and haven’t slept much these past few weeks 😩

I always need something good to look forward to during conference season, so I bought tickets to two LA shows (Sylvan Esso and Blind Pilot), an OC show (Young the Giant), and music festivals in LA (Arroyo Seco) and NYC (Panorama).

I may or may not have been delirious at one in the morning.

Bastille – Good Grief (@ The Novo DTLA)

Every minute of every hour
I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more

Never Knock / You Send Me (@ Troubadour)

My favorite Kevin Garrett show yet. Alessia Cara came out to sing the song he wrote for Beyonce, and all was right with the world.

Tame Impala in NYC??? Yes, please.

Bon Iver (@ Hollywood Bowl)

The rain may or may not have hid my tears! So apropos…

Tame Impala was lit af (and so were we) 🔥🔥🔥 (@ FYF Fest 2016)

BRB crying (@ Staples Center)

I’ve wanted to see Radiohead live since I first heard Exit Music (For A Film) in the 9th grade. You guys, that was 20 years ago! Yikes.

I kind of expected them to stick it to LA and not sing Creep, but no Paranoid Android or Karma Police, either??? You’re killing me, Thom! OK Computer is my favorite album of theirs, so No Surprises was my favorite song of the night:

The Psychedelic Furs (@ Santa Monica Pier)

Sabrina and I got separated on the way back from seeing her favorite 80s band at the pier. They cut off the line for the metro after she got on, and she turned around just in time to see me mouth, “I have your keysssssss!” from outside the train as it pulled away from the platform. I waited 15 minutes for the next train with these kids who were discussing the ending of Lost (that I had somehow avoided finding out for the past six years in futile hopes that I would start watching the show someday). They got on the train with me, and I missed my stop because I was too preoccupied listening to them ruin the endings of shows I’ve never seen. I got off at the next stop and tried to text Sabrina that I had to wait another 15 minutes for a westbound train, but her phone was in my bag, too! I thought she would for sure push me onto the tracks once I finally arrived at the station half an hour after she did, but she was just happy that I was okay. She even brought me pastries from Uplifters Kitchen today as a thank you for the pizza I brought for us to share at the beach!

Twilight Concert Series (@ Santa Monica Pier)

Watching Mayer Hawthorne for free while eating a churro??? I could think of worse ways to spend my Thursday night.

I was standing next to the guy from Stepbrothers (the one who’s not Will Ferrell) while waiting to get in. I can count on one hand how many celebrities I’ve spotted since I moved to LA nearly 4 years ago. Most of the ones who live near me in Manhattan Beach are pro-athletes, so I probably just don’t recognize them (like that one time we ate at a communal table with Marshall Faulk). I’m pretty sure the tall drink of water who asked me where I got my torta bread from at Costco last week was an athlete. After directing him to the bread aisle, I asked him where the toilet paper was because I like to embarrass myself in front of hot guys, obvi. I crossed paths with him again while making my food sample rounds and died a little when he smiled at me and my bulk 30-pack of Charmin Ultra Soft Jumbo Rolls.

Kevin Garrett (@ The Echo)

Remember that name. He’s gonna be big! Also, he liked my video, so I can die now, obvs. Please invite him to my funeral. And request that he sing this Sam Cooke cover ♥

Live from the Artists Den: Young the Giant (@ El Rey Theatre)

When your sister, your cousin and Baberaham one of your best friend’s husbands enter a contest for you to win tickets to see your favorite band’s secret show, you know you’re loved… especially when one of them wins and they take you as their guest! Young the Giant was just as good as the first time I dragged everyone to go see them five years ago! They’re coming back to LA in October, but I’m considering missing their show to go on a trip with Shi to NYC instead. I don’t even know who I am anymore.

I don’t think you’re ready for this jelly (@ Birch Aquarium at Scripps)

Claws + crop tops (@ Green Flash Concerts at Birch Aquarium at Scripps)

I saw BØRNS for the third time, and unlike the weather, he did not disappoint! It was my first Green Flash concert overlooking the pacific, and the only green flash I saw on this gloomy day was the overpriced beer all the UCSD kids were drinking. I love this venue, though. You get to explore the aquarium before the show, and on a clear day, you can watch the sunset while your favorite band plays.

Leon Bridges took me and Anthony to church last night (@ The Observatory North Park)

Tame Impala sounds like a psychedelic Beatles ♥

I half expect my dad to show up during their set at ACL and have seats behind me like he did at Sir Paul Mccarts! Can’t wait for this festival.

#TBT to Kim Kardashian’s ugly cry face (@ FYF Fest 2014)

This is also the face I’ll be making when Morrissey headlines this year’s festival.

Not pictured: Anthony on the air drums and me on vocals (@ Petco Park)

Paul McCartney – Hey Jude (Live)

The Strokes – You Only Live Once

Epic weekend. I saw The Strokes perform, and I forget the rest. x__x (@ FYF Festival)

You ready, B? (@ Rose Bowl Stadium)

The last time Paul McCartney played a show in San Diego, I wasn’t even born yet. But I grew up listening to the Beatles because my dad would blast their records and play along with his guitar when I was a kid. I always thought he was their biggest fan, but Anthony might be giving him a run for his money.

Since none of our friends are going to the show with us, I’ll probably have to be Anthony’s emergency contact for when he faints like a fangirl at a Michael Jackson concert! Ha. When I asked my dad if he wanted tickets for his birthday, he said that he already bought tickets for himself, my mom and their friends before I even got mine. My bad, presale! Maybe someone else can be Anthony’s emergency contact after all.

That one time Kimbra showed up at the Electric Wire Hustle show (@ Bootleg HiFi)

Banks – Waiting Game

What if the way we started
Made it something cursed from the start

Dance party (@ The Fonda)

Chromeo – Jealous (I Ain’t With It)

No vodka? And where do I exit??? (@ Bootleg HiFi)

Young the Giant – Paralysis

And lately I’ve been thinking
I’m not feeling anything at all
Will I survive in the dead of night?
And now the lights are fading faster
Save me from my disaster

I kicked off my Thanksgiving vacay last week with the girls and JT in the OC!

It wouldn’t be a Justin Timberlake show without Christine almost getting into a fight! Ha. The image of Christine with half of her body hanging out the car window as we drove off will stay with me forever.

Thanks to Pammie for risking her life to take these awesome vids!

Queen Bey at Staples Center last night! She dedicated her final song to Paul Walker ♥
I may or may not be sobbing uncontrollably in the background. More videos here.

Give me a reason to stay alive

Oh, my love, you don’t know what you do to me

Dallas Green’s voice still fixes things in the universe, FYI.
More videos from last night’s show here!

I just happened to be the 98th texter. No bigs!

Two Door Cinema Club – What You Know

The Naked and Famous – Hearts Like Ours

You were so good to us, SF! Till next time…

I haven’t had a vacation in… what year is it now? Can’t wait to go back to San Francisco for Outside Lands next week! And okay, for Bi-Rite Creamery, too…

Indie rock music is more my bag, but I like to get turnt every once in a while! Ha. Fun times with Pammie, Christine and Cat! It was only the best concert I’ve ever been to IN MY LIFE.

(Ask me again after this weekend, though… I may or may not be reliving my youth at the Hoobastank show in West Hollywood this Friday.)

Jay-Z feat. Justin Timberlake – Holy Grail

This may just be the vodka talking, but I’m pretty sure Nick Lachey crept back into my freebie five last night.

I somehow got swindled into going to this concert tonight.

Shi offered me her extra ticket, and I said I would go on the condition that 98 Degrees performs ‘Invisible Man’ and we embrace through the entire song.

98 Degrees – Invisible Man

“There’s a lot of white people here!” – Marcus Mumford @ San Manuel Amphitheater

Mumford and Sons – Timshel

Concert season is here!

We kicked off last summer by shaking our sandy parts to Santigold, so it only seemed fitting to do the same this year.

Santigold – Creator

And I want you
I want you
I still do

80s dance party at The Observatory with Walk the Moon!

Mumford & Sons – Winter Winds

And my head told my heart
Let love grow
But my heart told my head
This time no, this time no

Loved, loved, loved.

Mumford & Sons – White Blank Page

You desired my attention but denied my affections

Imagine Dragons with Pammie at The Observatory ♥

Private acoustic show with Imagine Dragons at The Griffin last night! Thanks, Jessie ♥

More videos here.

Christine, Jessie and I got naked and famous at SPF 94/9 in Oceanside last night!

I was too busy shaking my sandy parts to record anything during Santigold, but she was def the highlight of my night! Here’s a vid of her performing in the OC:

Dat F sharp.

The Dear Hunter – Home
[audio:http://www.mayanrocks.com/blog/10-the_dear_hunter-home.mp3]

I was listening to FM 94/9 broadcast live from Coachella on the drive home from work today when I heard The Dear Hunter for the first time and thought… why am I not at Coachella again???

I think it’s partly because I thought Outside Lands would have a similar lineup, but mostly because I don’t like camping outdoors and not showering for three days.

Hotel next year, anyone?

I’ve eased up on the concerts lately to save money for that trip to Outside Lands! Now that I’m not going anymore, I regret not buying tickets to see Jason Mraz & Christina Perri. They still have tickets available, but none of them are in the pit!

There are two things you should know about me:

1. I don’t do nosebleeds.
2. I always find a way to score awesome seats. Even if I have to sleep outside a Ritmo Latino to get them. Just kidding. I haven’t done that since I was 17.

Christina Perri feat. Jason Mraz – Distance

How long can we keep this up, up, up?
And I keep waiting…

After Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Coachella announced similar (amazing!) lineups, I was sure Outside Lands would follow suit. Never have twelve syllables hurt me so much to say, but NOT EVEN YOUNG THE GIANT COULD SAVE THIS LINEUP! I should have went to Coachella. At least I would have seen Radiohead. And Tupac’s hologram. Boo whore.

In other news, Incubus and Linkin Park are touring together, and their last show is here in SD! My 19-year-old self is punching the air in excitement.

Do the things I wanna do
Not the ones I’m supposed to
Why can’t I get close to the better side of me
When I was young

Young the Giant debuted some new songs last night at Soma and this was my favorite…

We watched Mayer Hawthorne at The Cosmopolitan while taking swigs of vodka from our disposable flasks Friday night. We’re some real classy broads.

More videos from the show here.