A day of rock shows in DC and Baltimore

Sorry missed out on posting a journal entry last night. We got home at midnight, and went to bed at 2am. Long day! 

Here is the Sunday recap. 

MS and I were met by our friend D from Philly and we went into DC for Hen's rockshow. He wasn't as on point/task as the last time I saw him perform with School of Rock but he was into it. All that matters. He was very surprised to see us there, and maybe that was a distraction. But we loved it. 

His band was a Funk band, so they played a lot of really cool interesting things. A lot of things with lyrics that I don't think tweens and teens should sing, but.... hey. It's music. And the musicians have grown and evolved and changed. I've seen a few of these kids perform before, and they were just so good. I want to be these kids when I grow up. 

I have NO idea what Hen was going for here with his look, but, holy shit he was hilarious. 

MS, D, and I bailed before the last 2 songs so we could get up to my house, D could grab his car (since he lives in Philly, leaving from Baltimore with the car was smarter than leaving from Baltimore to my house 1/2 hour south, to go back north). MS and I grabbed my car and we headed to a meetup that I set up. Only a few people came to this one. That's okay. We had a couple core friends, and two new intros to our team. 

We were hanging out upstairs, and my friend was at the bar downstairs. He called me and said "get your ass down here NOW!" 

When M says something like that, I know it is good. 

I stopped at the bar and asked what's up. He said "Did you invite Brian to the meetup? He's outside looking confused." 

Oh shit.

Brian, of course, is the drummer. I went out and said "Hey B." 

He replied, "Hey C." 

So weird when you have a thing verbally with like, a bona fide rock star but. For years if we talk on email, he's B. I am C. This is Brian. This is where we are as fan to rockstar, or perhaps even friend to friend?

I asked if he wanted to come up and hang out with some fans, usually the band knows about meet ups, but they do not come. 

"I'm waiting for my wife to park the car and come here," he said. "It's our son's birthday. We're having dinner before the show but parking is tough here." 

Yes. Yes it is. I drove around forever until we found a spot. 

He has twin sons.

So soak that comment in for a minute. "It's my son's birthday." Single son. His twins were born on two different days.

As a super fan, you know this. 

I asked which son, and he told me. The other son's birthday was the day before. I thought it was so fucking sweet that they were taking just this one out for his birthday and I hoped the day before they took the other one out for his. I bet they did. 

After chatting for a bit, Brian noticed an open parking spot across the street and told me he was going to go stand in it and call his wife to come and park. Genius. I went back upstairs. 

What was really funny was I didn't tell anyone else what I went downstairs for until I went upstairs. It was not a send 10 people running downstairs to say hi to B at top speed moment. 

Some folks went down to say hi to B as he and his wife and son were getting put at their table. My friend MS had brought a bag with her and she had a BUNCH of whoopie pies from Maine. She handed me one and said "I feel weird going back down, bothering them, but can you give his son a whoopie pie for his birthday?" 

I said "He has twins, so maybe two? One for each?" she handed me a second one. I went downstairs. 

I walked up to the table, respectfully, said hi to Mrs. B. And I handed the birthday boy a whoopie pie. I explained that someone upstairs didn't want to come down and be disruptive but. I have no problem being disruptive. Here. Happy Birthday. We love you. 

He was thrilled. 

I handed the second one to Brian. 

"Oh, I'm off sugar," he says. Oh no, honey. 

"This is for your other child celebrating their birthday, not for YOU, ya dingus!" I said.

"Oh, so you weren't thinking fondly of ME."

"No. I was not. It's for your KID, please give him this. But yes I think fondly on you but I know you are not on the sugars (another weird thing to know is that B and I have talked about Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes in the past). Not for you, but for the other kid.  Happy birthday everyone. 

Oy.

The look on his face when I told him it was for the other child was HILARIOUS. 

When we were done upstairs with our dinner and our fellowship we came down, and B and his family were still there so several folks stopped to talk to him. 

I just said "hey, don't suck tonight, okay?" 

His wife thought that was very funny.

At the show Fastball started (we pretty much skipped them), Guster next, and Barenaked Ladies performed.  This is an annual thing BNL does for the Last Summer On Earth tour, and the last time I went to a LSOE tour was Ben Folds 5, Guster, and BNL 2013 was that year, and the Tanglewood show was Brian's 40th birthday. 

Now, long time readers (all 3 of you) know that I truly love Barenaked Ladies. When Steven Page left the band in 2009-ish, I was so sad. I love Steven. I love him as a solo artist. And I kind of felt the band lost a lot when he left but hell if those motherfuckers didn't keep making music. Hell yeah. Also, I'm super infatuated with Ed Robertson so .... I'll take it! 

and BNL introduced me to Guster. Look where we are today with my obsessive fandom?

I've only seen BNL once or twice since 2009. I've seen Steven solo or with his trio once or twice since. 

My adoration and respect for them as artists will always exist. 

BNL on Sunday night were just amazing. Absolutely amazing. Most of the people in attendance were there for BNL. Not for Fastball or Guster. There were some Guster fans, and those of us there to cheer for Guster were very into them. 

At one point, Ryan Miller leaves the stage and comes out into the audience, and he comes right up to the guy who was at our meet up, who we've never met (Tim) and just starts singing with him and hugging on him.

I recorded the whole moment as my new acquaintance was just all of a sudden living his best Fan Life. When it was over, and Ryan was back on stage he came screaming over to us freaking out that this happened. 

After so many years of being a fan, he finally got this moment with the band. 

So happy for him. 

The show was great. Encore was BNL bringing Fastball and Guster back out on stage to sing the "Canadian National Anthem," which of course is Bryan Adams' "Summer of 69." 

Hilarious to see Luke Reynolds absolutely crushing the keyboards for this one. 

Here are a couple pictures from the show. We had great seats but I was exceptionally in the moment and paying attention to it all. 

BNL can still crush it, without Steven. And Steven crushes it with his new friends. And I'm super okay with that all. Nothing changes or alters my love for them at all.

Sunday digits

exercise: 11/12 hours. Missed 9am for sleeping in. walking to metro in DC, 10 min/.39 miles; 11k+ steps by midnight (bedtime came at 2am)

blood glucose:
10am: 124
n/a: didn't take mid afternoon reading
11pm:  175 (checked again at 2am after snack and meds, 124)

food & meds:
10am: phentermine, jardiance
didn't track food times, but had an english muffin w/pb and low sugar jelly before going to DC
noon: met+glip
4pm: slices of ham & havarti
6pm: 3 meatballs w/ sauce at little italy in B'more
11:45pm: met+glip; mixed nuts; white wine

Monday digits

exercise: 12/12 hours.  2 walks. First in the house while dinner was cooking, 20 min/1.13 miles. then a pokemon walk, 15 min/.6 mile. 

blood glucose:
9am: 134
5pm: 104
11:45pm:  136

food & meds:
10am: phentermine, jardiance
noon: met+glip
12:30pm: blt salad
6pm: 3 frozen burritos buried in cheese w/salsa on top;
8pm: met+glip
through the evening: trail mix, white wine+diet ginger ale