homeboys

A last minute invitation landed me at a Ben Folds concert Saturday night. For ten bucks, I got to watch Ben's hands fly across the piano (he even plays with his forearms, I didn't know that). Then there was the trick with the Altoid tin cans. Along with lots of hand-clapping, knee-slapping, and thumb-snapping, I was unfortunate enough to sit next to the "Wooooo!!!" girl. I hate Woogirls. Especially when they have their camera set on the atomic-blast-brightness flash setting. She apologized for blinding me though, in between her woos. Ben Folds was great. Not only does he have a wonderful sense of humor, but also a real sense of how he is no longer the draw he used to be ten years ago. That was apparent in his comment about how some of his songs are better performed "in a gymnasium".

What impressed me more than Ben's mad piano skillz was the opening band, Jukebox the Ghost. No, I'd never heard of them either. Mostly because I live under a rock and usually spend my nights watching Chowder on the Cartoon Network.

Jukebox the Ghost is a very talented trio from Washington, D.C. After the show, I went to their tiny little card table and bought their cd, got it signed, and introduced myself as a fellow DC'er...of sorts. From the Maryland side. Prince George's County.

"Oh, yeah," said one of them, "Maryland! How's it going!?"

And that was about all the conversation I could handle because, let's face it, I'm too old for this loud music nonsense and staying up past 10:30. I even walked out during the Ben Folds encore, found my car, and drove straight home to my leftover chinese food and the comfort of my bed. I was asleep by midnight.

For those of you who might be interested, the music below is just a taste of what I was enjoying Saturday night. It reminds me of being happy. Their entire cd reminds me of being happy. Even that song about the end of the world. They make me want to book my next vacation for a balcony view of an apocalyptic throwdown.