October has been jam packed with fantastic events to attend. I wish I could've taken them and spread them out throughout the year, as my wallet would be thanking me right now, but alas, I couldn't pass up all the amazing opportunities to see my favorite performers.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is the real
Ira Glass.
And if you had to click on the name to find out who I was talking about, then just forget about reading the rest of this entry. And you might as well just forget about being my friend, haha.
Suzy (who really hates the photo-sorry!) and I attended the VIP reception before the performance he gave last Sunday at Chrysler Hall. We're sooooo not VIP – I barely donated the basic level during the last pledge drive – but the agency I work with recently rebranded the local NPR/PBS station, so it never hurts to ask for a little favor.
Anxious and planning what we'd say if we were given the chance to meet him, we grabbed some plastic cups of wine and found a seat in the reception area. We waited. And waited. No Ira.
Convinced he wasn't actually going to attend the reception, I filled a plate with cheese and crackers and dove in. Seconds after I popped a jalapeno cheese cube into my mouth, I looked up and saw my boss leading Ira over to meet us. Gawd.
Introductions. Kind remarks from my boss. Meanwhile, I was trying to swallow the damn cheese cube and stop thinking "OMG - Ira Glass is standing right in front of me – OMG - Ira Glass is talking to me" long enough to answer his questions in a thoughtful manner. I have no idea what was said.
All I do know is that I worked up the nerve to ask him, "would you kill me if I ask for your picture." And since I have no recollection of the conversation, Suzy has told me that he said, "no, I will not murder you" in his sweet Ira voice. And then I said, "good, cause I would have asked you earlier but I finally just got the cheese out of my teeth." Gawd. Please don't ever let me leave my house again.
As for the performance, words can not describe how inspiring it was, so I won't even try. I'll just say, if you like This American Life, you would have loved the performance.
And I bet you guys are wondering how my
super fan experience went...
A-W-E-S-O-M-E. We were right in front to see the
tUnE-yArDs play at the Black Cat in DC.
And they did not disappoint. I don't give music reviews, so I'm not going to even try, but I can state seeing them perform live was captivating. Merrill seamlessly created and sampled her beats, using a unique assortment of DIY percussive instruments like a metal pot overturned on a floor tom and a rack holding an array of glass and plastic cups and bottles
(you can catch a glimpse in the photo above).
Above all, we were impressed by her charisma and the band's professionalism. Each member genuinely looked elated to be performing, even after a long tour and another show just a few hours prior.
And lastly, we took Ave to his first concert.
And he was a little overwhelmed :(
Yo Gabba Gabba stopped by Norfolk on their national LIVE tour. It was, in their words, AWESOME!
Bobby and I thoroughly enjoyed the music, lights, and the costumes. The amazing
Leslie Hall was their special guest "friend." I mean really, I felt like the show was designed with me in mind.
However, after the second song in the second act, Ave threw his hands over his ears and said he didn't like it. He said he wanted to make a friendship bracelet in the lobby.
So, we squeezed through the aisles and humored him thinking the mood would pass. But it didn't.
"Ave, you realize this isn't TV, right? You can't leave it and expect to start it again when you return."
We left during Biz's Beat of the Day. The real Biz, y'all. Ave normally loves beat boxing, but not that day.
You don't want to know how much I paid for those tickets. And as we exited the parking garage prematurely, Ave said he wanted to see "Gabba Gabba." Some lessons are learned the hard way.
But October has been an exciting month - with obviously some days being better than others.
