Concert Katie

the same song over and over again

June 2023

Book Review

Book Review: Goblin Mode

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I will admit, I wasn’t super familiar with what it meant to be in “Goblin Mode” before reading this book – but I had seen that it was one of the Oxford word of the years – and I thought it was just about being lazy and self indulgent and I wasn’t sure it was for me.  But after reading this book, I realized I’m already half way there if not 3/4 of the way there – just perhaps not as in tune with nature as I should be to be in full Goblin Mode and that it wasn’t as negative as I was making it out to be based on the Oxford definitions and probably more “click bait-y” articles that I had been reading.

This book is all about getting cozy, embracing your imperfections and thriving in the “muck”.  It’s for those of us who often times feel like we don’t fit in and that what makes us different than everyone else is the most awesome things about us.  There’s some crafty things to do in the book too – like how to display your rock collection, what to do when you’re out in nature (don’t take anything but pictures!), tips on foraging (but not mushrooms), how to mend your sweaters to make them last longer so the cozy never ends and then a lot of stuff about plants and nature.

Definitely a cool read and I definitely will be trying to embrace my inner goblin a bit more now!

I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Embrace your inner goblin! Learn to decorate, dress, craft, forage, and live according to the goblin principles of community, diversity, proud weirdness, and joyful mess.

Do you ever feel strange, gross, chaotic, underappreciated, or like you don’t quite fit in? Great news: you might be a goblin! That means your imperfections and idiosyncrasies are the most awesome things about you, and you can build a more balanced, comfortable, harmonious life by accepting and honoring them—taking inspiration from the frogs, fungus, moss, rocks, and dirt that goblins love.

Can a mushroom give you fashion tips? Can a snail teach you to be a better person? You bet they can—and in this book you’ll also learn to:

  • Build a moss garden for your lair
  • Grow and use medicinal plants
  • Forage for berries (even in the city)
  • Mend your cozy sweaters
  • Display your cool rock collection
  • And more!

Anyone can be a goblin, and Goblin Mode includes life advice for celebrating physical and mental diversity, rejecting prejudice, and generally hanging on to a little joy.

Featuring 25 whimsical illustrations by Marian Churchland, Goblin Mode will help you rethink your relationship with your body, your home, your community, and the earth.

Concert

AJR at Westville Music Bowl

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Friday night I went to my first show at the Westville Music Bowl in New Haven. They do have an accesible parking lot (as the main closer parking lot is up a giant hill) but the signage was not super great to direct you there.  Finally I found it, parked and had about an hour+ before doors would open.  It started raining so I decided to hang in my car for as long as possible and heard the band doing soundcheck.  It seemed like it was a bit late, but with storms rolling through maybe they had gotten pushed back.

At 5:30 doors opened and the line moved very quickly.  I made it in, went to get some dinner, and then approached the seating area – where it was now raining. I wiped down my seat, put on my poncho and settled in for what hopefully wouldn’t end up being a super wet night.

Livingston from Denton, TX was on first.  About halfway through his set it started to rain again and I was hoping that this wouldn’t end up being a trend.  Chelsea Cutler was up next and decided to tell everyone they should jump because it was easy to do. Yeah, ok. She totally lost me there and then her guitars all seemed to stop working.  Coincidence? lol The crowd seemed to be very into her though and I guess she is from CT but I could do without the constant F-bombs to try and make herself seem cool.

Checking the radar again, it seemed like we might be ok for AJRs set and the rain was now scheduled for 10:15pm and I thought that venue had a 10pm noise ordinance curfew.  AJR took the stage at 8:30pm and was constant high energy and I honestly don’t know how Jack does it, he tired me out just watching him.  Their set seemed pretty similar to the last time I had seen them, but they added in their new song The Dumb Song and a cover of Smashmouth’s All Star – which the drunk (parents?) behind me got WAY too into and even startled me with their screaming at the top of their lungs to the chorus.  The 2 downsides to the ADA seating area was – it was not blocked off in any way, just some chairs at the back of the seats and people kept walking into me.  The other was once everyone stood it was hard to see, but I managed to position myself where I could see most of the stage.

At one point, Jack and Ryan addressed the crowd, Jack grabbed a sign that said “I graduated kindergarten” and was saying how the kid was short and eye level with the barricade.  Ryan talked about how there was someone who was looking at him and only him for the whole show and when he wanted to have a moment and sing ‘my favorite color is you’ to her, he looked and she was on her phone!  They also took a spinny hat from one of the members of the audience and Ryan tried it out for 2 songs as I guess he is in the market for a new favorite hat.  Adam seemed to not care about this part of the show and was sitting on the keyboard risers. (Adam did speak later to introduce the rest of their band)  Jack also pointed out that when he introduces each of them, Ryan always gets the most cheers and he wasn’t very happy with that – which ended up resulting in there being several “RYAN! RYAN! RYAN!” chants throughout the night.

AJR finished their set at about 9:50 and I waited a few minutes to see if things would clear out, but the rain drops were coming and by the time I got out from under the cover of the upper level seats, it was coming down pretty hard. Fortunately I wasn’t too far away and made it to the car, waiting for the lot to clear and got home all before 10:30pm – this music venue is by far one of the closest to my house, but they don’t really have bands there that I want to see typically.  I also think if I was going to go again, I’d wait until closer and check the weather first as sitting freezing in the rain isn’t really all that fun.

AJR Setlist Westville Music Bowl, New Haven, CT, USA 2023

Concert One Direction

Louis Tomlinson at Mohegan Sun

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Friday Night, Louis Tomlinson opened his Faith in the Future tour at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT.  Getting tickets for this show was incredibly difficult and I was convinced bots took over the onsale.  With how many chunks of seats were not taken during the “sold out” show, I am still pretty convinced this was the case.

Traffic to get to the casino was a mess, way worse than your typical Friday and it’s almost Summer traffic, I think there was a pretty bad accident about 30 minutes into my drive.  My GPS kept redirecting me and in the end I am not sure it really helped me out at all, but the trip took about 2x as long as it was supposed to but I managed to show up shortly after doors opened.  The drive ended up making my knee angry so doing the show with just my cane was out.  And I had upper level seats.  I grabbed the walker, hoped they’d have a place to stash it while I was upstairs and headed inside.  The usher told me they might be able to relocate me and it would be worth asking but do it early when they still had a lot of options to move me to.  The staff was SO SO nice and I told them I could probably do the stairs if I needed to, but they insisted they’d be able to find me a seat with little to no steps and they certainly delivered.  I got moved about halfway back to a last row of the lower level with no steps to get to the seat, on the aisle and with a spot nearby to stash the walker.  After they screwed things up so badly earlier in the year, it was nice to see they DO care about helping out those who need help and ask for it.

I wasn’t sure what to expect as despite having tickets to see other 1D members solo, this ended up being the first one I actually made it to. (Appropriate it was Louis as he is m favorite member, though I do tend to listen to Niall’s music the most)  The place absolutely erupted when he did Night Changes – the first One Direction song of the set and everything was shaking.  The show was a lot of fun and I think I had more fun people-watching all the girls watch the show – why is the new thing to film yourself watching the concert? The set ended up having 2 1D songs and 1 Arctic Monkeys cover (which also got the whole place to erupt)

Louis kept saying it was going to be a very long tour, but this was the first night of it. He’s no stranger to Mohegan Sun as One Direction had played there several times but it was a little bit weird for me seeing it just be him and him doing all the stage banter. (I’ll have to get used to it as I have tickets to see Niall next year now – hopefully 3rd times the charm and I’ll actually make it.)

Louis Tomlinson Setlist Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT, USA 2023, Faith in the Future

Book Review

Book Review: P!NK Raise Your Glass

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I am really digging these biographic books about musical artists that are mostly cool images that have been coming out lately.  This one tells the story of P!NK, which I knew some of as I have been a fan of hers. But some of the information was new to me.  She is such an amazing performer, I can’t wait to see her live again!

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

 

About the Book

Pink: Raise Your Glass is a celebration of one of pop’s longest reigning rebels. Beautifully illustrated with essential images, this book is a fitting tribute to an undeniably, remarkable pop artist.

Pink is one of the most trailblazing artists of our time. Her breakthrough album, Missundaztood, was released to critical acclaim in 2001 and showcased her unique, powerhouse pop vocals, as well as her rebellious style. In the two decades since, she has remained firmly in pop’s upper echelons, despite her refusal to conform.

She consistently out-sings her contemporaries with hit songs such as, “Get the Party Started,” “Just Like a Pill,” “So What,” “What About Us,” and “Beautiful Trauma,” while her willingness to speak frankly about difficult topics has made her a relatable role model. She is an outspoken animal rights activist, and has been vocal about women’s rights, LGBT rights, and her support of same-sex marriage.

Away from the studio, Pink’s live shows are nothing short of phenomenal; her jaw-dropping acrobatics mark her out as a truly spectacular performer.

Loved by fans and revered by the music industry, Pink continues to enjoy global success and substantial airplay. Her accolades are numerous and include, three Grammys, a Daytime Emmy Award, and seven MTV Video Music Awards―the prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award among them. In 2019, she was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award at the Brit Awards, and in 2021 she accepted the Icon Award at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.

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