In case you haven't heard, I really loved the Paul McCartney concert

I'm going to apologize up front to those of you who are sick and tired of hearing me talk about this damn concert, but it really was that good and I wanted to post some pictures here. Besides, it's either this or five paragraphs on why it took me three hours to clean our guest bathroom. That's right -- don't make me cut you with my housekeeping stories.

As you might know, Kiyomi is a HUGE Beatles fan, and besides really wanting to take her to see one of the two remaining band members we all really wanted to see Sir Paul. (I was the only one who has seen him live, way back when he was with Wings.) Also, we've taken Kira to see her share of concerts and we wanted to take Kiyomi to see someone of her choice -- can I just tell you how grateful we all are that she really dislikes Justin Bieber.

Oh, I think I might have offended all you Justin Bieber fans out there. I'm sure he's got some talent, and it's just a matter of his sound maturing. Like maybe when he's potty trained.

First of all a word on those tickets, which cost us a small fortune. Thank God Rigel and I are millionaires and have huge piles of cash laying around the house specifically earmarked for concerts! So it wasn't painful in the least bit to spend all that money for four seats in the last section of the Hollywood Bowl, and totally worth it I might add. Besides those piles were starting to become a nuisance -- constantly sweeping up hundred-dollar bills is really exhausting.

It was decided that the girls and I would take a shuttle and Rigel would meet us at the concert (he works just blocks from the Bowl) rather than deal with the hellish parking -- not only is their infamous 'stacked' parking a nightmare, but once the concert ends you're stuck in a gargantuan traffic jam. Rumor has it there are actually still some people attempting to find their way out from when the Beatles played there in '64.

But with only minutes before we had to catch the shuttle my van wouldn't start. I handled this minor setback with my usual calm manner -- by cursing, beating the steering wheel with my forehead until I was bloody and then blaming the whole thing on Rigel. Luckily one of our nice neighbors took pity on me and lent me her car -- it might have been after she heard me yelling at the girls to get out and push the van the five blocks to the shuttle stop.

Everyone knows the best part about seeing a concert at the Hollywood Bowl is being able to picnic there beforehand. We weren't able to find any grass to eat on, so along with a few hundred other people we had to settle for a curb near the entrance, right in the path of the service vehicles. Luckily I had wine to make it all better, and lots of it because I had to finish the bottle before we went in - I found out we couldn't take any alcohol inside. Surprisingly, I didn't have any problems finding several people who wanted to help me out so it wouldn't go to waste. And I'm proud to say I taught my kids a valuable lesson that day -- waving a bottle around and yelling, "Free wine!" is a quick way to make lots of friends.



Now that I've told you every detail leading up to the event I'm exhausted and you'll just have to make do with these photos and video. I'll just say that the concert was fantastic and there really is something so moving about hearing McCartney sing the Beatles songs live. And he did a lot of them: Let It Be, The Long and Winding Road, Blackbird, just to name a few. (You can see an entire set list here.) But the best part was seeing how much Kira and Kiyomi loved the concert, and how they knew the words to all these legendary songs that were written way before they were born. Take that, Justin Beiber.

(These were taken with my new favorite camera, the Kodak Z950. Considering we were sitting way in the back, the zoom on this camera is amazing.)







Here's a video of them doing one of my favorites, Got To Get You Into My Life. My camera work on the first few seconds will probably make you nauseous and want to vomit, but hang in there. How's that for a setup.



(Video also taken with the Z950.)

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tags: paul mccartney | hollywood bowl | paul mccartney at the hollywood bowl

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She's With The Band, Part I: Beg and Ye Shall Receive

On Sunday Rigel took Kira to a concert, something that's become part of a regular routine. It always starts off the same way - She sits down at her computer, lets out a piercing scream because one of her favorite bands has posted their tour dates, immediately IMs and texts two hundred of her closest friends and then spends the next few weeks begging and pleading for one of us to take her to the concert. Most of the time it's Rigel she grovels to the most since she knows he usually can't resist getting out to see live music anyway, the same way she knows she can get me to take her to Target if she tells me they're having a two-for-one sale on beef jerky.

(Although I did take her to this a couple of weekends ago, an event that proved to be so traumatic for me that I haven't been able to write about it yet, the event that resulted in Kira proclaiming that day "The best freakin' day of my entire life" while at the same time made me wonder if I was fit to be a parent. Trust me - you'd feel the same way if you just let your 13-year-old loose in a room with a bunch of drunk twenty-somethings squirting paint on each other's nipples.)

There was no way in hell my parents would ever have taken me to a concert when I was a teenager. Of course, I was the youngest of five kids, so by the time I came along I'm surprised they even had the energy to feed me, let alone schlep me to a concert. I do remember winning a pair of KISS tickets on the radio when I was 14 and my dad, who was usually so protective, dropped me and friend off at Anaheim stadium to fend for ourselves, paying no attention to the legions of potentially dangerous adult men walking around wearing full face makeup and thigh-high boots.

The concert this weekend was a pretty tame event, an indie rocker named Ladyhawke that Kira likes. She was playing a free gig in front of the Urban Outfitters store across from Amoeba Records on Sunset Boulevard. It really was the ultimate afternoon for Kira - a concert with one of her favorite artists, coupled with the prospect of shopping at two of her favorite stores. Live music, vintage vinyl and spandex leggings all in the same day - the only way it could have gotten any better is if there was a mosh pit made up entirely of the cast from Gossip Girl.

As is typical with Kira she got to meet Ladyhawke herself, having positioned herself at just the right spot in front of a stage door. She has a knack for that, and I'm starting to think that her ability to push herself to the front of any stage, or talk a photographer into letting her slip into a restricted area of a club may be a skill that will get her far in life, or at least maybe get her mom a spot at the front of the crowd at the next Barneys sale.

But really, we're grateful she's found something she's so passionate about and we're happy to support it. She's a good kid, a straight-A student and she doesn't ask for much else. And besides, we tell ourselves there are worse things she could be dragging us to, like an ultimate cage fighting event or heaven forbid - a KISS concert.

Oh, but don't just take my word for it - go read Kira's version of her day at her blog, Metronome (Didn't you just figure that my kid would have her own blog?)

Up Next: She's With The Band, Part II: What's a nice girl like Kira doing at a club called The Smell?

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tags: ladyhawke | teens + music | my indie girl

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Friday: Paz Vega, The Jonas Brothers and a Huge Fire

Friday was one of those exhausting, surreal, running-on-adrenaline-and-espresso kind of days. The kind where you vaguely recollect what you did, but then aren't sure exactly how you got there, what transpired or exactly what the outcome was. It's like looking at pictures of a college party and then going, "Oh, I was wondering how I ended up at that coffee shop, wearing my bathrobe and covered in Sharpie scribbles." Well, Friday wasn't that bad, but was such a whirlwind I'm still taking it all in. I did wake up this morning with a wristband on, though, and the smell of smoke in my hair. Come to think of it, it was exactly like a college party.

The day started off with a lunch interview with Paz Vega. She was great - I got there late, though, which I hate since it throws me off and takes me a few minutes to get my bearings. She got to see me arrive breathless and sweaty and then fumbling for tape recorders in my purse while Ralphs receipts and mints tumbled out. Also, it looks really, really professional when you pull our your iPhone and there's a hunk of granola bar stuck to the bottom.



Went to the private Jonas Brothers Concert at the Roxy that I mentioned before. When I say we were close to the stage, I'm talking about leaning up against it - Kiyomi had her Shirley Temple parked there before the security guy removed it. And then - omigod Kevin and Joe leaned over and touched their hands. Kiyomi swears she'll never wash that hand again, which is already getting a little scary after the pizza, chicken wings and Ring Pop she had today. (Note: If you see her you might want to do more of a fist-bump rather than a full-on handshake.)

I once again witnessed Kira working the security guys down front like she did at the last concert we took her to, which is alarming. There were two of them, talking and laughing with her, and I was getting ready to move in if I heard them say the words, "I'm with the band." Kiyomi scored a guitar pick from some guy, as well. Rigel and I have decided that from now on the only concerts they'll be allowed to attend are those where the security guys are really old gay men.

Evacuated Rigel's dad from the Sylmar fire. If you've been watching the news, you know that we have more than a few fires going on here in Southern California. Rigel picked up his dad at around 2am, and said he saw palm trees on fire a block away from his house. We're sad for everyone who lost their homes - there is so much devastation. We're more than a few miles away from the fire, but our eyes are stinging and the air smells like smoke. There was an earthquake in Filmore, too, and now they're warning of blackouts. I'm preparing for locusts next, or crop circles on our front lawn.

Today, Saturday, was blissfully uneventful. It's 10:15 pm and we're starting to talk about what to have for dinner, Kiyomi is still in her pajamas and I just had a double cappuccino at 8:30. Like I said, a totally normal day.

(Remember, you can watch the Jonas Brother's concert here on line at 3pm est. You might see us.)

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tags: jonas brothers concert at the roxy | paz vega | southern california fires | tweens

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