a beating heart and a microphone

"and i'm sure the view from heaven

beats the hell out of mine here

if we all believe in heaven

maybe we'll make it through one more year,

down here"

-yellowcard, view from heaven

mikey p, rest in peace. you had an amazing heart and it breaks mine to know that there are people in this world who have such cold blood running through their veins. i hope this crime does not go unpunished. you were a shooting star in so many people's lives, as you were the shooting star that night at the memorial. you will never be forgotten: not at school, not in the music scene, not in the football games. your spirit lives on through your family, through your music, through our hearts. you are truly missed, but there's no doubt in my mind that you know that, wherever it is your soul is singing right now - you are still here with us.

said if i had to go, would you leave with me?

....

and if i asked you to change, would you change for me?

all of these things i do for you,

give me a chance to prove to you

my love is true

if i had to die, would you pray for me?

-aloe blacc, 'if i'

i went to the aloe blacc concert tonight. it was at a beautiful venue, arena wien, about a 10 minute walk from where i live. the outside is brick, covered with graffiti and posters advertising both past and future shows. there's an outside stage and and inside stage, a bar and a food stand.

if he played in hawaii or vegas, there's not a chance i would go see him. i would have never heard of him if it weren't for some friends out here and even if i had, i doubt i could've found anyone to go with me. he's an interesting combination of soul, r&b, and jazz, with a dash of rap thrown into the mix just for fun. i know - me, at a soul/jazz concert? a joke, right? i hadn't heard of him until a couple of weeks ago and i have to say, i'm pleasantly surprised. he sounds even better live than he does on his albums and the way he moves on the stage is so natural; a change from the bands i've gotten so used to seeing live.

as we were waiting for his set to start, we joked that he was busy backstage smoking and drinking, but i quickly took that back when he got onstage. it's clear he has a true passion for music and not the party scene that comes with it. everyone in the band was great, they didn't have to rely on autotune and fancy clothes to get the audience's attention.

for the first time in my life, i watched a concert not from the floor or from backstage. we were on a sort of balcony, watching from the back, raised above the crowd. my heart was aching to be on the floor for the majority of the show. i realized how much i missed the music scene, the beat of the bass running from my feet to the rest of my body, the sound of everyone screaming in my ears, the sweaty bodies jumping up and down. sounds delicious, right? but really, it is beautiful and i miss it. it's what i grew up with, it's what i know, it's what i love. i've missed it since the day i moved out of vegas for college, and it's the one thing i regret about every place i live: the music just isn't there.

so yes, i miss warped tour and extreme thing and battle of the bands, i miss big music festivals and small local shows. i miss acoustic nights and open mic, but it was a change to watch both the stage and the crowd from a different angle. it was strange for me not to see a mosh pit open up or people crowd surfing. it was a different type of show but i was extremely content with my night as we walked out of that venue - which, by the way, don't let the name fool you, it's nothing close to being an actual arena.

on a side note, before one of his songs, he asked us to think of someone, someone who's had a positive effect on our life, someone who makes us smile and gets us through the day, and i was pleasantly surprised at the name that first came to my head.

in other news - we planned our easter break trip today: mallorca 2011! :] one week on an island off the coast of spain, 6 of us got an apartment on the beach, lets see what damage we can do.