dougs digs

Hope you are doing well.

Me, oh, thanks for asking; I can't complain. Actually, I have a lot of new stuff going on, looks to be a very busy and monumental year for yours truly. Last year was pretty full and entertaining, with starting my second tour of grad school and all. Speaking of tours, check out the list of concerts I went to last year and some of the artists I even had the privilege to hang out with. I still can't believe it, I should be set for the next 10 years or so.

>Wilco (3/21/06-uptown theater) = first show-pure sonic bliss-thanks E.

>Bob Dylan (4/22/06-shrine mosque-springfiled, mo.) = hot as hell, sweat in places I don't like to sweat-third time seeing Bobby D-hope it isn't the last

>Gomez (5/15/06-grand emporium) = one of my fav bands of all time and they are still very young-third show, second in KC, surprisingly saw one in Philadelphia while at a conference-my friend Bob, a music industry vet and local promoter, hooked me and my friend(s) with tickets-I stopped by in the afternoon before the show and walked right in and was able to meet the band-very, very, very cool.

>Radiohead (6/13/06-theater @ madison square garden-nyc) = uuummm . . . can you say life changing ? I blogged about this one as well-no words created to describe this-would have been happy for the good Lord to have taken me home after this.

>Rusted Root (7/14/06-beaumont club) = third, and best Root show yet-second time getting to meet and hang out with them-first time was @ granada, I won a private 'meet & greet' before the show-this time they just come out after the show and hung out with the fans.

>Phil Lesh + Friends (7/19/06-starlight) = AMAZING ! ! !

This was one the greatest days of my life (so far). You must understand, Phil Lesh is an idol of sorts to me, being the life-long bass player of the most influential musical establishment in my life - Greatful Dead. I have seen Phil and the rest of the band on several occasions (never got to see Jerry before he went to go play the 'Big Gig in the Sky'). What made this experience so unforgettable was that I got to eat lunch with him, hear a private sound check before the show, and sit in orchestra seating (10th row-dead middle) for the show.

This was all made possible through my aforementioned friend Bob. Besides being a cagey music vet and promoter, Bob also runs a charity for organ donation. Knowing that Phil is a organ donation recipient, like himself, Bob asked Phil and his people if he would be willing to do a 'q & a luncheon' before the show as a fundraiser for his charity. Knowing the Deadhead that I am, Bob knew this would be special to me; I still get chills when I think about this experience.

Additionally, something came over me that night I have never experienced. Right as the first note was struck up until the bow at the end of the show; my body could not stop moving, my feet never touched the ground, and I just could not stop smiling. The indescribable 'spirit' that is synonymous with Grateful Dead shows for nearly 40 years; making them the most followed and most toured band of all time, was strong that night. The newly remodeled Starlight was magical and the gorgeous fountains were the place to be considering the 100+ degree weather. One fellow Deadhead did a masterful job in putting into words what this night was like for her, "at one point . . . I WAS the music, Phil and the band moved through my core and the energy that we shared can't even be put into words".

You can read about here and actually listen to the show here.

>Ben Harper w/ Damien 'Jr Gong' Marley (8/25/06-starlight) = this was totally unexpected-I was having a very s****y week prepping for an audit which was that morning-the audit didn't go so well and I was sitting at my desk just stewing over it when my phone rings-it's a DJ from a local radio station saying I won 2 tickets to the Ben Harper show that night . . . two tickets ON STAGE-yep, that's right, on stage-bad week and bad audit, forgotten-this was my second time seeing Ben, it was Jenae's first-they didn't play very long because of a storm with severe lightening, but it was pretty freakin cool to share the stage with such a talented writer and artist.

>TOOL (9/15/06-kemper) = I had been waiting for this all of my life-my past attempt(s) at seeing TOOL just never came to fruition (i.e. - "just say no")-well worth the wait-this was one of those shows that was an onslaught on each and every one of the human senses-regardless if you 'agree' with their views, they are for sure one of the most talented, influential, and dare I say "needed" bands of our time.

All of that in just 7 months . . . not to mention all of the shows (Dave Matthews Band, Mötley Crüe, etc.) I saw all summer at Verizon while doing awareness for the organization I work for.