I usually write about concerts right away so my enthusiasm comes across, but last night our friend stayed overnight, and we came home and immediately ate because we were starving. Here’s why:
Melissa went on shortly after 8. The encore ended at 10:58! Almost 3 full hours!!! Talk about amazing. She opened the show with “Take me out tonight”, which was great fun. I couldn’t stop smiling for a while. People went crazy, but I just sat there, soaking it up. I’ve found that if I want to hold the experience and memory longer, I need to just soak it up and be, not interact too much. Though when things get real intense I have to let it out too, or explode. And I’m not fond of exploding 
There were some crazy people in the front. For those that don’t know, the first 3 rows of people are fan club members, and many are certifiably insane. One woman had all these license plates with song titles on them. She also had a stack of signs. Melissa gave her the attention she clearly needed, but also called her crazy. It was hilarious. However, I did a lot better not judging all night. I figured, if Melissa has found as way to be ok with these people, then I should also. This also comes from a sort of new insight shared by mother Theresa, but that’s for another post. Back to the concert…
Philip is a god. Seriously. I love him so much. He is the first guitarist I can remember at least who makes me want to cry when he plays. They played “My Lover”, which was unexpected, but amazing. Melissa and Philip go back and forth, her singing, he playing, her asking him to play a phrase…and he does it so superbly. Some people make sounds or play solos where they claim to be ’saying’ something, but I don’t feel it. Last night I did. His playing style is so fluid. I really can’t describe it properly though. He just has to be seen/heard. I’ve decided he needs to donate sperm so we can have more Philip’s in the world. Hahaha
Of course, Philip wasn’t the only amazing one. The band as a whole was just perfect. They caught everything, including covering mistakes. Melissa forgetting to sing the next verse in “Bring me some water” which turned into a couple minutes of soloing and goofing around (including playing philip’s guitar from behind, very funny looking) and then skipping to the end. She lost the song so thoroughly there was no getting it back. I wonder how many people will never remember…it was brilliant! At the end of a song…can’t remember which now, Melissa and Fritz were hitting the last hits, but Melissa faked Fritz out a bit, to the point where he fell forward a bit which amused me, but she completely faked out the lighting guy. 
They both lost it, as did we. You see, it’s the mistakes that make a live performance perfect. You can hear ‘perfection’ on the cd at home.
Unfortunately we were on the wrong side of the stage to get a chance to see how pregnant Tammy is. Melissa looked over at 2 key times, which was so damn sweet (of course, can’t remember exactly what they were). I’m thinking at some point people are going to have to surgically separate Melissa and Philip. They have some crazy symbiotic muse relationship, which makes for amazing music. And Fritz and Marc have been with her since the beginning on and off… She may be technically a solo act, but they are a band.
Also, in the middle is the ‘depress and anger you’ set. She starts with “scarecrow”, which gave me the biggest chills I think I’ve ever had. I literally couldn’t move for most of the song. This transitions to “Tuesday Morning”, where you could really feel the anger/rage coming from the stage. It was intense.
Unfortunately, the sound left something to be desired. The bass drum was way too low, as I could barely hear it. However, the setup was awesome because I had an edge on view of Fritz and could see just what he was doing. That was a great experience. You rarely get to see what the drummer is actually doing, so I try to soak up what I can when I do get to see. The bass was turned up too high, and at times the guitar was too low (Philip’s). There was also a lot of echo where I was, but I got used to that in time. It took me a while to adjust so I could really understand what Melissa was saying, but by the middle I could follow her long rants. She certainly talks a lot! But I liked it, because she was speaking her truth. And she’s really funny. Interacting with the crazy people was hilarious, even if they’re a bit creepy.
So much happened yesterday, for Carrie and I both, I’ll have to discuss it in another post that I’ll write later on. But it was a big day, and biggest most of all for our future. Things are moving forward now…all from a concert. Lessons can come from anywhere.
