Compass & Quill

This post is more for documentation than explanation. I just wanted to take a minute to share my gratitude with the universe over getting to see one of my favorite bands ever in concert last night. The Final Four tournament is in town, and though I don’t like basketball at all, I was excited to find out that there would be a free concert series going on all weekend down in Woldenberg Park, a lovely outdoor space along the Mississippi River. Quite a few great bands are playing over the course of the weekend, including Blondie, The Black Keys, Jimmy Buffett, Dr. John, and my favorite, KISS!!!!!!!!

Last night The Man and I went to watch the show, and though it rained the entire time, the band still went on and rocked the shit out of it. I’m still having trouble believing I was there, at a KISS concert, pyrotechnics and all, for FREE. It was amazing. They played my favorite of their songs, Love Gun, and some of their other standards, plus a couple of new songs that were pretty awesome. Best of all, being the excellent marketing strategists that they are, they announced they’d be back in town in a few months on tour with Motley Crue. How effing cool is that concert gonna be???

By now everyone should know what KISS looks like, but I still was in awe of the fact that these 60 year old guys were getting around just fine in huge platforms (I can wear heels for maybe an hour before my back and hips start screaming in pain, and I’m half their age, so major props). Also surprising were the fires they had going on stage from time to time. We were about 150 feet from the stage, and when the flames would go up, there was a clear wave of heat that hit us. I was really impressed by the fact that the guys in the band were able to stand that heat, being only a couple of feet away. It must have been so intense, and they didn’t flinch or even really break a sweat throughout the show (except for Gene Simmons, but he’s a bigger guy, plus he’s wearing about double the amount of costume gear of the other members).

Tomorrow I’m going to see Jimmy Buffett play. The Man won’t go with, as he hates Buffett, but if it’s a nice night out it’ll be great to sit on the levee and listen to some relaxing tunes. Plus there’s a free fireworks show after, and it’s impossible for me to pass up explosions and pretty colors!