I love that about the time I admit there’s no news, life drops something new in my lap.

So Lillian, a girl at work, sent out an email saying she had an extra ticket to the Travis show that night (last night). I’d wanted to go but didn’t buy tickets, so I jumped on it. We’d be driving over to Zellerbach Hall on Berkeley campus for the show. I’d never hung out with her one-on-one, so I didn’t know what we were in for, but I was excited to have made a semi-spontaneous decision to stay out late(r) on a weeknight.

We got to our seats just before the opening act, Republic Tigers, took the stage. They were really great! I loved the vocals and was extra impressed that he could drum/play keys while singing. The moment he broke out a stellar falsetto for Blondie’s Heart of Glass marked the first time I’ve ever been truly shocked by a musical performance. It was fantastic!

Everyone flooded out of their seats when Travis took the stage, forcing us to leave the comfort of our seats to see over the crowd. Fran, the lead singer, is still just as adorable as all those years ago when I first got in to them. I pretty much wanted to give him a hug every time he spoke. Lily was a little more explicit in her intentions. Personally, I’m okay if bands only play music 50% of the show, so long as they have a) an accent or b) great stories. Obviously, both is ideal.

There was a big feedback squeal at the end of Driftwood, and so after the song, in an effort to relieve monitor guy Saul’s guilt, he told a story of a guest musician they had in the studio. She was a classically trained harpist (something about that word seems bad, is it right?), and it seems their studio guy had a habit of zapping them all with feedback. Turns out she had the headset that would be hardest hit and sure enough, he said he’d never seen such a calm lady completely lose it. He told it way better with his accent, re-enactment of harp player playing, and mild doses of exaggeration that the feedback could be heard all the way out on the street. Such a charming storyteller, that one. We all chanted Saul’s name to make him feel better.

Fran ventured out in the crowd for "Falling Down", which coincidentally resulted in him climbing on a seat and immediately falling. All I could see was his mic cord wave up in the air in response. So he says something about breaking some girl’s leg (lucky girl) and breaks in to the lyrics, ending the line "falling down" with "literally...seriously, are you okay?" It was meant as this quiet and serious song but we were all cracking up.

Also, side note, I just love a man who can say "wee".

I finally got smart and recorded him talking for a bit, so I can always get my Scottish fix as needed. (Technically, I’m Scottish and my dream wedding does involve the Highlands...I’m just saying...)

I also loved that they played most of my fave songs, including: Re-offender, Sing, Turn, Writing to Reach You, Humpty Dumpty Love Song, Driftwood, Love will Come Through, and Why Does It Always Rain on Me? The latter was probably my favorite. It felt like everyone in the room came together on that one. We were all singing.

Just Fran and the lead guitarist, Andy, initially returned for the encore, breaking in to yet another unexpected cover of the night, Katy Perry’s I Kissed a Girl. I couldn’t decide how I felt about that but the onstage antics swayed me to the positive side. It ended with each of them kneeling on the stage facing one another rocking each other back and forth to the floor, ending with a big embrace. Yes, still on the floor. It was unfortunate I didn’t film it.

The encore wrapped up with My Eyes and Good Feeling, which had such a fantastic piano solo that we all chanted the dude’s name. I’ll admit, a few slight adjustments and the scene of a mass of people waving their arms and pointing in the same direction while yelling "Claes! Claes! Claes!" could have easily been misinterpreted by an outside spectator.

It was a great time, and I had a lot of fun with Lillian! She had cool things to talk about. Pretty jealous she’s been backstage for Doves, Arcade Fire, and a few others.

Fran thanked all of us for coming out and buying tickets to the show, saying honestly that they may not be back for awhile but that we had his permission to see other bands, except Coldplay. *drama*

It was a great night! So glad I got a chance to see them. I thought they broke up or something. *shrug*

Oh! And for the record, we had a couple directly in front of us who literally stood there making out for the entirety of the show. If they weren’t making out, they were close enough that they may as well have been. We took photos of them, but they were unphased. It was like being at a HS prom, but instead of being in the gym, you’re stuck in a 4’ locker room with one other couple. *awkward* I mean they may have actually been having sex, but we were so close, my eyes couldn’t see that much. TGFSF.

Recent Albums

In other music news, new M. Ward, Hold Time, is absolutely fantastic. I can’t believe I waited so long to get it. I was trying to pick key tracks, but I can’t. I do really like Oh Lonesome Me, Stars of Leo, and Epistemology. The guitar on Outro is also exceptionally beautiful.

New Doves, Kingdom of Rust, is also really good. It’s pretty typical Doves. I feel like they started to do something a little different with Jetstream but didn’t extend it much beyond that track. 10:03 is so pretty, though. It’s the one I want to put on repeat. They’re coming next month. It’s the same week as NIN, but I might have to make it happen. UK bands don’t seem to come around very often.

And lastly, the Decemeberists, Hazards of Love, well, it seems I’m finally a fan of the band. Really good. I especially love all 4 movements of the title track and The Wanting Comes in Waves. I dig it.

So much new music, so much awesome. And I so need to crash. Early morning call with London to talk shop in the morning. If I didn’t appreciate Nike as a brand, I’d definitely be annoyed by how much I know about their sites. It’s to the point that I wonder if I should be working for them.