Over the past three weeks I have had the ridiculously incredible opportunity to see three of my all time favourite acts in three different venues throughout California. At every one of these gigs I had several reality checks. The fact that I was seeing the show. The fact that I was in California. And the fact that I was able to share these with Laura.
First cab off the rank was The Cat Empire at the Avalon in Hollywood. We walked over some of the stars and took in the amazing juxtaposition of homelessness and fabulousness staring each other in the eyes. The night marked the two year anniversary of me and the cricket boys meeting Laura and Amanda (who was accompanying us!) in Hawaii. True to form, we started the night with a tequila shot. The lead up act, That1Guy was the kind of curious, out of this world experience I have come to expect with Cat Empire lead ups. A young fella playing a large pipe which may have had a past life involving a loofah and shampoo. His lyricism and sound had to be seen to be believed.
As great as he was, the Cat Empire were what we had come to see. Their mix of brass, keys, drums, bass and baritone is always the perfect recipe for a dance party and feel good vibes. They preached fun, happiness, equality, soul and rhythm. We left jumping, smiling and rejoicing at what we had just seen. They just put you in the mood to enjoy everything and really reinforced that music IS the language of us all.
The following week we drove out to the OC State Fair to see the Flaming Lips in an amphitheater show. It had been four years since I had caught up with them and my adoration has grown a great deal since. I checked them out, on spec, at splendour in the grass after reading how brilliant their live shows were. I have not stopped talking about them since and they did not let us down. Wayne Coyne walked past us to check out the fair as we were walking in. He looked like he had been dressed by Lady Gaga with big hair, shimmering blue suit and glitter mixed in his face makeup. They sang those sad sounding songs which find a way to be uplifting and inherently positive, all the while playing tight music and giving us a laser and light show that would rival the Sydney New Years fireworks. They told us that we realized. They spoke about tolerance, acceptance, happiness and overall love. Obviously the most important thing. They flew in on their little spaceship, reminded us to live for the now and make the most of it. Also, I have to make mention of the Growlers. The opening act who mixed their clearly marijuana induced, surfy tendencies with alternative music and fun props.
Last night was a performance I have been very excited to go to. Getting to see Xavier Rudd in California was mind boggling. The way i talked about going felt like i was just heading to the pub to catch up with a mate. A small, intimate venue and the chance to share one of my heroes with Laura. We arrived to find table seating and asked to have a meal there, which meant we got preferential seating. We found ourselves three and four back from the stage just to the right of centre. It was worth the chicken teriyaki I partly choked down. The opener was Nahko and Medicine for the People who I had heard great things about and was looking forward to seeing. The biggest compliment I could give is that I can understand why Xavier chose them to tour with him. His words were inspiring and his voice is one which you can not ignore. They sang of similar themes to Xavier - saving the earth, harmony, love and making the most of your life.
Xavier finally came on to his war chest of guitars, drums and didgeridoos. It is quite imposing to see one man in front of so many instruments but it is an entirely different experience to see him play them all at once! It was a quiet, chilled little venue and the mix of ages spoke volumes about how transcendent his music can be. There is no target audience except for humanity. He played for two hours solid and played with the crowd, got people on stage to dance and whipped up a frenzy. His voice, his message and his sound gave me goosebumps for just about the entire performance and I felt lucky to be able to experience it.
The obvious question is "who was the best?" but there isn't a clear answer. I think, with "do you realize??" and "messages", I probably heard my two all time favourite songs. Then you have "sly" and "in my pocket" from the cat empire too. It was a group of wise, content and passionate people. People I would like to see collaborate. Not necessarily musically. Just get them together, let them do something, let them live. We will all be better due to whatever they end up with.
Live music gets me every time. It gives me a rush, it makes me feel creative and it makes me so happy. These past three weeks have made me want to be a better person, a better friend, a better boyfriend and leave this earth with no mark. To keep it pure. The group contains some of the most inspirational, fun and cool people I know. It is no secret that I want to be like them. Everyone should strive to - the world would be a better place.
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