12.02.2012

that's not a star, that's a satellite

 
ruggy told me to be ready to leave by 5:45 last evening. destination unclear. on such occassions i am instructed only on dress and departure. we got on a subway and then a bus across the river, separated by an aisle on the second leg of our trip. i tried to tune in to the general noise of the bus, rather than a specific conversation: are you checking in?-- i hope we hear that-- i want some cornbread--. at various points, i thought we were going to 1) a college basketball game. 2) a wine expo. 3) neil diamond. but then, as we pulled up to the izod center, i heard a piercing soprano tone in the back pipe out so how many daves does this make for you?
 
WE'RE GOING TO SEE DAVE MATTHEWS i yelled smiling across the aisle. my knight grinned.
 
we watched a sixty-four year old jimmy cliff roundhouse kick and stomp and spin his way though an amazing opening set, over hot dogs and dave matthews' wine. (no, seriously. dreaming tree wines. click on the link to be whisked to an appropriately dreamy shot of dave enjoying a bottle in the backyard of the vineyard. i'd like to be in that picture, i breathed just moments ago. ruggy shook his head. yeeeeeaaaaah, i think i'd lose that battle. no, ruggy. no you would not. not for all the dave in china.) our reggae enjoyment was only marred once, as i stopped to lean back and chastise the extremely drunk couple just arriving behind us please baby PLEASE i'm begging you i love ya lemme hear the song. the smoke piled higher as dave and crew took the stage.
 
the thing that i love most about dave matthews: he sings like he's going to die. DIE RIGHT HERE AND NOW. he is actually going to pass out, keel over, expire from a consuming desire for whatever he is singing about. that subject is often a woman. as a member of that gender, i'm all for it. to me, there are a handful of people who sing that way: ray lamontagne, otis redding, thom yorke, john legend, bjork (though her subjects of passion are varied as the fabrics at mood). i simply cannot get enough of that kind of singing. can you call it singing? it's closer to wailing. not that riffalata wailing that drives me screaming for the eject button-- a wail that comes straight from the center of your body and shreds you and everyone lucky enough to be in earshot.
 
near the end of the concert, the band (who had jammed for over three hours) quieted, as he breathed one line again and again: that's not a star, that's a saaaaaatellite, a soft smile on his face. and although my lungs were pretty full up from the general exhaling of the surrounding vicinity, my heart was clear and happy.
 

21 comments:

  1. Jimmy Cliff was the opening act! It sounds like the perfect evening out.

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  2. Dave Freakin' Matthews!! Ruggy rules the UNIVERSE!!!

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  3. Oh. You lucky, lucky lady! I am green with envy right now. I love the feeling of a show like that. Pure magic.

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  4. What is it about Southern Boys and their ability to delight and surprise their woman?

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  5. oh. so. jealous. dave is just one of those musicians i never tire of!

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  6. While I love everyone you listed...Dave Mathews is my obsession! So much power behind his words/voice! Love him for his live concerts even more!

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  7. Awesome! We've both had amazing surprise dates recently :)

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  8. I LOVE DAVE MATHEWS!

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  9. Oh Ruggy, you sneaky rock star you - well done on surprising the Oona! Oona, darling, I can picture your lovely blissed out face from here - and it totally made my day. Totally.

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  10. Awe what a sweet surprise, how romantic! I agree, just can't get enough of that Otis kind of singing.

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  11. What a fun evening! Despite never really being a music person (which for me means I generally like pretty much all music but don't really love any), I've always had a soft spot for Dave Mathews since he's cousins with one of my good friends from college. Crazy small world, right?!

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  12. *shreeeeeeeeeeeeek!!* you lucky, lucky thing! Oh, how I love that Dave. I tried to stalk him once ;)

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  13. Oh, how fun! I love a musical date night adventure!

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  14. How romantic! What a sweetie. :) I just mentioned you on yet another blog post. Heheh. Come take a look-see!

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  15. Aww, what a romantic story. So true about DM, I know what you mean about the singing shredding you. Bless his heart (as we say...). We just saw Glen Hansard and I was literally crying the entire time. Emotion filling the room.

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  16. What a post! I JUST got Dreaming Tree wine for christmas! So excited to try it. I also used to have a major love affair with DMB. I still do, but I go, you know, less than ten times a year these days...though I did go last year. Glad you had fun! (And glad I finally figured out RSS feeds so I can follow you properly.)

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i thankya truly for taking the time to comment, i love a good conversation-- and hope you know my thanks are always implied, if not always written!