Mumford and Sons

One of my main goals while being out here in Ireland was to see Mumford and Sons. I managed to miss them when they were in the States and I figured I had a much better chance of seeing these dudes on their side of the pond. I was right!

Thankfully, I subscribe to their newsletters (I also get newsletters from my favorite pubs and other favorite bands--I'm one step away from collecting coupons)  which informed me two weeks ago that pre-sale tickets would be going on sale the next morning at 9am. The concert sold out by 12pm of the general sale (which was the following day of the pre-sale) so I am glad I had this prior knowledge.

If you haven't seen Mumford and Sons video from the Grammys, I say DO IT! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?! I WROTE A BLOG ABOUT IT!!! WHY DIDN'T YOU READ THAT POST?! WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME!?

Mark, his friend Rick (who I affectionately call Big Papi Peaches), and I knew that we were in for a great show, but what was really great is that we heard A LOT of material not on their one album, Sigh No More. For those that weren't privy to this early listen, let me tell you that their second album will not disappoint.

A list of Pros and Cons for this concert:

Cons:
            --  Mark and I didn't hear our favorite songs since so much new material was played
            --  We waited a long time in between the opening act (who was actually one of the roadies) and Mumford...like 45 minutes. TOO LONG
            --  They only played for an hour! NOT LONG ENOUGH

Pros: 
            --  The Venue: great size, great sight of the stage from wherever you were, and decent bar prices
            --  Their Energy: DUH!
            --  Hearing new material that sounds just as good as the songs on the first album
            --  "Little Lion Man": need I say more?
            --  Looking at these mostly attractive men for an hour. Sorry banjo player, I ain't into rat tails.
            --  Having their final song be an unplugged song of theirs called "Sister", which I had never heard of, but immediately loved. And because I love all you loyal readers out there (all 2 of you), I recorded the whole thing for your listening and viewing pleasure.

All in all, a fantastic evening. Thanks Galway. Thanks Mumford and Sons.

For Apple

A quick post just to give my friend Ashley (AKA--Apple) a good morning.

More of this to come...

Smorgasbord

Lots of random things today.

1. My facebook status is currently:

The amount I smile while watching Glee is in direct proportion to the amount of shame I feel for sharing this information with the world.

2. My facebook status will be, as soon as I finish this episode of White Collar:

The amount I drool while watching Neil Caffrey (AKA--Matt Bomer)  is in direct proportion to the amount of anger I feel when I remember that he likes boys.

Both of these tidbits are not only glimpses into my soul, but also evidence that I watch a lot of bad television--and I continue to watch said bad TV while in a foreign country, on the day immediately following its US premiere. (Also, just finished this week's episode of White Collar and, man, was it a good one!)

3. My friend Valerie, who I'm sure I've mentioned in previous posts, wrote a very interesting article on her gallery's website about a "graffiti" artist from the early 19th century!

Here is an example of his work:

4. I am the proud owner of tickets to see one of Mark and I's new favorite bands, Mumford and Sons. They are coming to Galway in less than a month and the timing could not be more perfect. I was hoping (praying, really) that they would play a show here while we were abroad and my prayers were answered. See my Grammys post for a video of a small performance of theirs, and check out this picture to take in the full effect of their hunk-a-liciousness:

5. In just 2-3 short days, Mark and I will be entertaining visitors. First, his sister Colby arrives and then my beloved BFF Katie and her BF (whoa abbreviations) Matt will follow. I cannot contain my excitement.

6. Mark got me flowers on Monday and I'm still not over how wonderful they are and he is.

7. I've started reading Zadie Smith's On Beauty and it truly is fantastic book. I highly recommend it to all. Expect a full write-up of it once I finish--which will probably be later to day seeing as I can't put it down.

8. I think I've had about all that I can handle of this numbered list format so I'm going to say ta ta for now!

What I Learned from the Grammys

Being here in Ireland, I was not able to watch the Grammys live. Epic bummer. But, thanks to Perez Hilton (I know, I know...le sigh), I was able to watch all the performances this morning. As usual some were better than others, but I learned some very valuable information from these videos. Let me share:

1. Usher will never top "Yeah" in terms of success. And Usher will never be as good as he was circa 1997. Evidence. (I would have embedded the video but everyone who has this video has embedding disabled. Who knew "My Way" was such a hot commodity?!)

2. I am a sucker. I got teary-eyed when I saw Will and Jada Smith being such proud parents when Jaden was rapping during Bieber's "Never Say Never" performance and I practically bawled when Katy Perry showed her wedding video. Seriously. My heart stopped. Such a sucker.



3. Christina Aguilera may be a little train-wrecky but girl can sing. Fo' real. Also, I re-learned that Aretha Franklin has some really friggin good songs.

4. Who the heck is Skylar Grey (she sings on "I Need a Doctor" with Eminem and Dr. Dre) and why don't we hear more about/from her? LOVE her voice.

5. I like Bruno Mars. This may not seem like such a revelation to you folks, but it was to me. Prior to his Grammy performance, I would have thrown a radio at a window if "Grenade" was playing. Just goes to show that any song can be made good if you do it retro style. No, really, I've done the research. This is FACT.


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6. If you know me at all, you know I love the Avett Brothers. You also know I love Mumford and Sons. It would be damn near impossible for me to dislike their Grammy performance. What I did learn from their performance is that I miss the Avett Brothers having fun on stage. They seem too serious these days and I wouldn't have noticed this had they not been juxtaposed against the rambunctious Mumfords. So Scott and Seth, if you're reading this, have fun. (Bob and Joe--you still have fun so just keep doing what you're doing.)


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7. Lada GaGa's new song "Born This Way" is better live.

Welp, I think that's enough revelations for one day. Time to get out of this house!