My 30th time seeing Shearwater, my last show before my 30th birthday and the last Animal Joy gig. It was a lot to take in at once. And somewhere between soundcheck and showtime, I felt some PRE-post-show depression, you know where the show you've been looking forward to for forever is suddenly about to happen and all you can think is that it's almost over before it even begins and then you just mope around listlessly. But that's all forgotten when the show starts. Christiaan's band Brass Bed opened and knocked me right out of sad-bastard mode. Fuck yes!
After that, Marmalakes and a couple of drinks I felt buoyant again, totally ready to stand up front (without earplugs, whoops) and let the soundwaves crash against me.
Mark Twain sums up the feeling pretty succinctly:
An ecstasy is a thing that will not go into words; it feels like music, and one cannot tell music so that another person can get the feeling of it.
Just so.
(Photos)