On Guster and growing up

I went to see Rufus Wainwright, Guster and Ben Folds Tuesday night at Wolf Trap and sweet holy mother of God did that show rock. Rufus was pretty mellow and laid back, at least for the 4 songs or so of his that I saw. Guster broke that shit wide open though and played a ton of great songs. The band was really loose and you could tell that they were enjoying themselves. They brought Ben Folds out for their encore, which was really cool because it was the first time he had played that song with them and the improv work was excellent. The majority of the crowd was there to see Ben Folds (I was 50-50 between him and Guster) and he didn't dissappoint. Lots of his trademark energy intermingled with some really good, mellow new stuff. He brought Rufus out for a kick-ass version of George Michael's "Careless Whisper" and brought Guster out for a bunch of songs including the hilarious "The Ultimate Sacrifice". He got the crowd involved in "Army" and "Not the Same" a la the live album and left everyone feeling really good about the show. Wolf Trap is a great place to see a show, with tons of great seats and really peaceful, idyllic setting. The crowd was cool and really into the show and was represented by a nice mix of ages. People were just kicking back, getting they drink on and they smoke on and having a good time. Even though the late evening has pretty much exhausted me since then, I'm glad I went.

Now, to comment on Phyxie's absolutely brilliant, if I may borrow a Brit phrase, post. Here's what I think in regards to growing up: fuck growing up. Seriously, fuck it. There's a humongous difference between being a responsible adult and growing up. The notion that you have to give up "childish" pursuits just because you're a certain age is patently ridiculous. If you're 47 and a fun evening for you is playing with a shape box or some stackable rings, you may have some issues, but that's another point entirely. Think about things like reading, drawing, being outside, all things we do as children, are encouraged to take part in as both children and adults. Why aren't those activities considered "childish" but playing video games are? The Man, that's why. As adults, we often play into the way we think we're supposed to act and forget about what makes us happy. Is a 32 year old father of one with a lawn mower and a mortgage supposed to get a big fucking tribal Spider-Man tattoo on his forearm? Probably not, but I'm fucking doing it anyway because it's what makes me who I am, and part of who I am is that 11 year old kid who desperately wanted to be Spider-Man. Here's what I think: be who you are, provide for yourself and those that depend on you, don't fuck people over for the dollar or for some insignificant career change, love someone, I mean really love them, do things for friends because you can, give something back and don't worry about how you're supposed to act or be and everything will fall into place. Grow up? Fucking never.

I should point out that Phyxis and I are remarkably blessed in that our significant others accept this aspect of our respective characters. I would hazard to guess that, to them, it's part of what makes us so attractive. I mean, I'm not the best looking guy on the planet, and Lord knows I'm not rich, so it's got to be something.