Beautiful blog of mine, why do I ignore you so? It's sad, really, how much I just put you off until another day. But life's been getting in the way lately, and as the old saying goes, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Been making lots of lemonade lately. It's been keeping me very busy. Squeezing lemons takes a lot of time.

Last night's stellar concert experience, though, not only begged to be chronicled here -- it demanded it. Screamed it at me, saying in no uncertain terms, "You must blog me." So here I am. It's gonna be a long one, so... so... there.

Before I get into the good stuff, let me start by saying that I'm not a die-hard Springsteen fan. I really like his music a lot, but even though I'm a Jersey girl now later in life, I wasn't one growing up. I wasn't raised here (although I have actually lived here longer than I've lived anywhere else in my life), and I think that that often (although not always, of course) accounts for some of the rabidness his fans in NJ possess... if you are from here and you like Bruce, you don't just like Bruce... you LOVE him.

But I like his music a great deal, have come to appreciate his prowess as a songwriter, as well as the E. Street Band's glory. Sure, I'd heard everything on the radio that everyone else in the country heard growing up, so I wasn't unschooled in the Boss entirely. However, I didn't experience Bruce live until I lived here, at which point it seemed it had to be done -- to see Bruce in his own backyard. I became a believer (but not a crazy rabid fan) after some stadium and arena shows, as well as some solo Bruce adventures live.

I mention all of this as background, to set the scene. I knew that I would be attending a concert with Giants Stadium packed to the gills with die-hard fans. Even the folks up in the rafters in the nosebleed seats REALLY wanted to be there with a desire that bordered on crazy. Going to a Springsteen show in New Jersey... I can't say I've ever had such concert experiences when I've seen other bands in their hometown areas when the situations have presented themselves, except for perhaps seeing The Tragically Hip up in Canada. There's this electricity, this palpable excitement, this conviviality and focus on the music, this rush... you can feel it. It's hard to explain, really, without going off into very elusive, indescribable territory. It gets into your gut. It feels better than good. Viscerally sublime. It is Bruce. In Jersey. Those goosebumps down your arms when the music starts? Yeah, you feel it too.

Among the folks who travel these highways and byways criss-crossing the Garden State, Bruce is considered by many to be a god. I hesitate to put any musicians on a pedestal such as that one, but others have done it for me by their sheer devotion to the man. There were a stadium full of believers, ready to worship, last night.

Traffic getting there was a nightmare. We left plenty of time, and we still walked into the venue late enough as to be too close for comfort (we thought). Perhaps Bruce heard of the overturned truck that closed the Turnpike up near the stadium and pushed the showtime back accordingly... I'm not sure. The concert-goers seemed oddly content to wait. And wait we did. Bruce and the band didn't hit the stage until 9:30. And there was no opener. There was a lot of waiting going on.

We ended up, with an insane fluke of Ticketmaster luck (never to be repeated if we tried our hardest), with 8th row seats on the floor. Facing the stage, we were off to the right, but on the left side of that section, so the angle wasn't too severe. In front of us was a standing-room VIP and general admission section that wasn't very wide and butted up against some lower-level catwalks that Bruce would traverse at different times throughout the night. We also happened to be on the side where the backstage entrance was, so we were in prime star-sighting land, which also passed the time while we waited for the show to start.

The first sighting was Gary Dell'Abate, producer of The Howard Stern Show. Mike knows him, but didn't go talk to him -- perhaps preferring to let him enjoy his family outing. Shouts of his nickname "Baba Booey" were hollered when people did see him, and some folks did go up and talk to him. Then I heard someone in front of us say "Weeds." Mike and I love that show. Yes, Mary Louise Parker was there, standing right in the VIP section with her "are they on again" dude, Jeffrey Dean Morgan (who many folks around us mistakenly thought was Robert Downey, Jr., they do resemble each other a bit). Standing with them and chatting with them was Tim Robbins. Off to the other side was a former American Idol contestant, Constantine Maroulis (how Mike and I recognized him puzzled both of us because we have never watched an episode of that show EVER in our lives). I took some photos for proof (of everyone except Constantine and Baba Booey - LOL):

Here is Tim Robbins:

And here is Jeffrey Dean Morgan & Mary Louise Parker:

It was almost impossible to get a photo of Mary Louise Parker, simply because people were usually in the way and I refused to walk up there to take a picture. Taking it from far away seemed fine, but I wasn't going to walk closer like other people were doing. I don't roll that way, I guess. They're there to enjoy a concert. Getting in their face to take photos or whatnot just seemed intrusive and wrong to me (although one might argue that taking photos from far away is also intrusive in another way, but I still say it's less so).

After we'd amused ourselves watching some famous folks do nothing more exciting than chat with each other, we were finally graced by the presence of Bruce and band. It was 9:30 and the place was ready to party. I couldn't even tell you all of the songs they played -- I'm not one of those people who knows all of the song titles by a long shot, although I did recognize the vast majority of the tunes. I knew they were playing long sets, but we got, and I'm not kidding here, almost 3 hours and 30 minutes of concert. They were done playing at almost 1 a.m.! Now, usually venues of any size beyond like small clubs and bars have union rules for the workers which institutes a curfew. If the band plays later than a set curfew time, they incur overtime costs for said union workers. Makes sense. Well, obviously Bruce was ready to eat a pretty hefty overtime bill (I would guess the curfew there to be 11 or 11:30), or he's so revered in these parts that he got a free pass (the latter I sincerely doubt to be the case).

It was a blur of fist-pumping, booty-shaking, chills-inducing crowd singalong goodness. Bruce was all over the stage, sweating profusely in the very hot, humid summer night (it was in the 80s even when the sun went down). I know they played Born To Run, Rosalita (the final song), Jungleland, Bobby Jean, Cadillac Ranch, Blinded By The Light, The Rising, Badlands, Radio Nowhere... tons more that my still reeling brain is forgetting (a full set list follows, compliments of Backstreets.com):

July 31 / E. Rutherford, NJ / Giants Stadium
Setlist:
Summertime Blues
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Radio Nowhere
Prove It All Night
Two Hearts
The Promised Land
Spirit in the Night
Light of Day
Brilliant Disguise
Pretty Flamingo
Blinded by the Light
Cadillac Ranch
Candy's Room
Night
Because the Night
She's the One
Livin' in the Future
Mary's Place
Incident on 57th Street
The Rising
Last to Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands
* * *
Jungleland
Born to Run
Bobby Jean
Dancing in the Dark
American Land
Jersey Girl
Rosalita

And as per usual, I played rock photographer. I took photos of both the action on stage and the huge video screen in front of us. Not my best work, but I didn't want to do more than set my ISO and have the shutter speed be the only thing I would tweak (if I got into full manual mode, I miss too much of the show trying to get my settings right). Setting the camera on auto at a nighttime outdoor show never works in my experience. I think I got some fun stuff... See what you think:

Ever seen Bruce? What was it like? Ever seen him in Jersey?

You know, I had the best intentions of posting on here last week. But Mike was kind enough to share his cold germs with me, and I came down with a doozy of a head cold. Still fighting it off this week, although my voice is slowly coming back. What is it about the warmer weather that makes being sick that much worse?

Before I wax poetic about my recent concert-going, I wanted to answer two reader questions:

1) Sharon asked about one of the Facebook photos that appeared in the left column here... She was wondering if I'm as tall as I am, how tall is Mike, because he was a LOT taller than me in that particular photo. Well, Sharon, I was sitting down in that photo, as you thought I might be. Mike is 5'8" and I'm 6'2". So I'm pretty much always taller than Mike unless I'm seated or on a lower step than he is.

2) Also from Sharon (inquisitive she is!), she was wondering about the changes I made to my eating to lose weight. Well, last summer, I cut out real Coke entirely. I now drink Diet or Coke Zero in order to get my caffeine fix. I stopped snacking almost entirely and only eat at meals. I limit dessert to a few times a week and not all of the time like I used to. And I cut my portion sizes a bit. Beyond that, I have nothing specific that I did. I exercise a little bit more, but mostly just tweaked my eating habits. I've never been one for formalized diets -- I don't like being told that I can't have something -- it makes me want it more. I find that I do best if I make a change to my eating in ways that will continue and not just be temporary fixes. I think this is why I've continued to lose weight without even really trying to do so over the past three to four months. I would still like to lose a bit more, but I'm almost back down to my skinniest jeans, which is pretty amazing, really. I try not to deny myself things that I like -- I just eat a lot less of them overall.

Most importantly, I had to get to a place where I was ready to do all of this. My mindset had to be right. I couldn't just do it half-heartedly, and when I was ready, I was ready. It's as simple as that. I could have lost the weight a lot faster if I'd gotten all crazy about it, but I think losing it slowly and adopting new habits going forward is a much healthier way to do it.

So last week, before I got really sick with this cold of mine, I went to a few shows by a band you've heard me talk about on more than one occasion here: Crowded House. Yes, I was one (and not the only one, I might add -- I recognized some of the same people each night in the audience) who went to all three shows. It was great fun, most especially because we got to hear NEW MUSIC that they are working through for a forthcoming album. I love being privy to the creative process, and hearing how these songs will develop will be fascinating to me. Will they remain much as I heard them, or will they change drastically? Won't know for a while yet... I will say that I really did love the new stuff I heard, and there is the makings of an amazing album among them, I feel. Here's a brief recap... a bit late...

MONDAY NIGHT - A.K.A. The Sauna...

So Monday night, Mike and I met a friend of ours at the show, who was there with a friend of his. This worked out well as they had already staked a claim on a spot to stand, so we could join them there. About five rows back from the stage. All three shows were opened by a Kiwi named Don McGlashan, who used to be a member of a band that I saw on tour with The Tragically Hip before called The Mutton Birds. He played a handful of lovely songs, just him, an acoustic guitar, and sometimes a euphonium (looks like a mini tuba), an odd choice for rock music, to be sure, but it made for some lovely sounds on stage.

The Crowded House set was awesome, until about halfway through when I started to feel really icky from the heat generated by the packed-in audience. I tapped Mike on the shoulder and told him I had to walk out. I think he realized as soon as I said that I had to get out of there how lousy I was feeling -- it's not like I would willingly give up my close-to-the-front spot without a really good reason. Well, considering I felt like I was either going to pass out or be sick, I figured I needed some air. We went down to the lobby and Mike got me some water. As soon as I cooled off, I felt better. We stood in the back of the venue, where it was much cooler, for the rest of the show. Neil (yes, as in Finn) asked for requests, and people were throwing paper onstage with the songs they wanted to hear scribbled on it. Alas, being way in the back, there was no way I could take part in that. No huge surprises on the set list that night.

TUESDAY NIGHT - A.K.A. Krista almost falls over again, but not from the heat...

The front seemed slightly less crowded, and I was determined (and wearing fewer layers!) to stay up front through the whole set. Mike and I got water before we found a place to stand, and we basically planted ourselves in what could be considered approximately the third row for the duration. Completely different set list than the first night, a more relaxed band, and I wasn't overcome by the heat, so it was overall a much better show for those reasons. And when they played "Love You Till The Day I Die," well, I almost did fall over from pure happiness. Don't think I've heard that song live in years and years and years... So very, very good.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT - A.K.A. The Kids Are Alright...

Got there early as I knew there was going to be a special guest, only to find the doors weren't even opening until 8 p.m. So we had to stand out front for a half hour. Ugh. Hate when that happens! We managed to get a spot in almost the exact same place we'd been the night before, so we were close to the front.

After the stage was prepped, Neil came bounding out alone, and the room erupted. He introduced the "special gusest" - the PS22 Chorus (from Staten Island) – a big group of 5th graders and their choir director. He explained how a friend had sent him a link to their performance of a CH song online and how it had touched and amazed him, so he invited them to perform for us that evening. The place went BALLISTIC. Seriously insane. So the choir comes out and lines up – probably close to 60 kids... maybe more (didn’t count them). They sang two songs, then broke out their version of Crowded House's “Private Universe.” I could see some of the band standing side-stage – Matt was in my line of sight and the smiles on his face were PRICELESS. Just absolutely priceless. The crowd went nuts for the kids. I had chills the entire time!! Then the band came out and did “Throw Your Arms Around Me” with them. The band and the choir were feeding off of each other and it was just joyous to behold. And then the band did “Private Universe” with them. Just... I can’t describe how amazing it was to watch. It was like a room full of smiles... everyone was beaming – the crowd, the band, the chorus. SO COOL! Here's a link to some video I shot of it:

And here's a still photo I took (didn't zoom, so you can see I really was standing very close to the front):

Then the choir left the stage and the band broke into their own set. Overall, it was tighter than the previous two nights. And, maybe it was the choir kicking things off, but the mood the entire evening was buoyant and celebratory and AMAZING. Like at one point, I felt like I was just part of this amazingly awesome musical experience. So hard to explain. There were several wonderful music surprises: She Goes On, Catherine Wheels, and Fingers of Love. Some guy from the audience who sang with them at one of the shows last year joined them onstage and played guitar and sang on Better Be Home Soon. He was actually quite good. Just some random fan who asked to come up.

I had written my request in advance and had Mike throw it on stage for me (Love This Life) and it landed right near Neil’s guitar pedals as they came back out for the first encore. He never picked it up, but he kept stepping on it as he played. There were about 10 of us up front calling for Love This Life and at one point, Neil goes, “You guys keep asking for the hard ones!” I said to Mike later, “How hard is that song?” I think that was shorthand for, “Gee, don’t remember the lyrics...” Oh well, it didn’t really matter. I was still on cloud nine the entire show.

They played almost a full half hour longer than the other two nights – partly because they went on early with the choir and partly because they just played longer at the end. And as we walked out, everyone was handed a collectible poster for the 3-night stand, which I’m totally framing for my office wall.

Good, good, good stuff.

Saturday night, while in the throes of my rotten cold, Mike and I went to see Bryan Adams do an acoustic set at a concert hall in the city. The only reason I could justify going while sick was because I knew I'd be able to sit through the whole show, and indeed I did. He played lots of hits, plus some stuff from his album which comes out later this month. Really enjoyed hearing his stuff all stripped down -- just him and an acoustic guitar. At the heart of it, he's actually quite a good songwriter, which I think can get lost sometimes in the '80s production. The bare bones set-up really did showcase his songwriting very nicely.

Mike and I are huge fans of satellite radio: I've really fallen in love with listening to the radio all over again. It's been like a rediscovered a first love. Back when I was a teenager, I'd listen to the radio for hours on end. I'd flip between stations, eager to hear something new, something different. I don't remember ever being disappointed. This was back before the days of rigid playlists and what I like to call repetitious radio: hearing the same song every two hours like clockwork. Radio back then had a more renegade feeling, I think, an exciting, you-never-knew-what-song-you'd-hear-next sort of freewheeling sensibility. Maybe I just didn't know any better at the time, but I felt like I was getting new music I wanted to hear on a regular basis.

Before we got satellite radio (and we've had it for years now), I had gotten to the point where I didn't really enjoy turning the radio on any longer. Sure, I listened sometimes because I felt like I had to keep tabs on who was doing what, to keep an idea of trends in my mind for my job, but I can't say I found it fun. Rather, it was an exercise to be done for work. For someone who has been a major music fan for as long as I can remember, that was downright depressing to me. But satellite radio changed all of that.

I find it has filled a void in my music-loving soul. I love to put on my favorite CDs or turn on iTunes on shuffle on my computer as much as the next person, but there is something wonderful about having someone else doing the programming for you. Currently, there are two companies offering satellite radio services -- XM and Sirius -- and both have many, many channels as part of their service -- and they'll be merging eventually. There are multiple channels that appeal to me, and I love the sense of freedom in the programming, so vastly different from the too-tight playlists found on commercial stations. I hear several songs back to back that I'd never imagine I would, yet they work perfectly well to my ears.

Since it's a paid service, I don't have to be bothered that much commercials on the stations I love. I can flip among them and just hear music -- as much new music as I could possibly want, old favorites, things I'd never in a million years hear on current commercial radio stations. And, as a publicist who works with many developing artists, I find that the opportunity to hear music that wouldn't be heard otherwise to be one of the best parts of satellite radio. It is giving many hugely talented artists a place to be played, as they should be. It gives people a chance to hear them and to fall in love with their music, which is perhaps the best part of all.

Remember those shiny plastic balls we used to play with when we were little? You know the ones – they’re about the size of a basketball, they cost a few dollars, and the grocery store always seemed to have a big display of them in the summertime. You bounce them and they make that wonderful “poing” sort of sound. There would be all different colors available, but one year I got one that was multi-colored – yellow, blue, green, purple. I’d play with it in the driveway for hours.

Well, recently, I was listening to a CD, and in the midst of one of the songs, I remembered that plastic ball. I know, the two seem completely unrelated. But the music was giving me this wonderful “buzz” that comes from discovering something really great, and it took me back to being a kid in the driveway again. I’d bounce that ball, and, in the moment when it was highest in the sky, the colors would swirl and shift and almost seem to come alive as the sun caught it. This many years later, sitting in my office, I realized why I like what I do so much.

Music, when it clicks for me, brings me the same unfettered joy that the best toys do when you’re little. When music moves me, it shifts and swirls, higher and higher, sparkling in the sky. As music fans first and foremost, we all get that moment of magic when we hear something we really love. Not many things in this world can duplicate that childlike buzz of discovery great new music can bring.

I know that is the burning question on everybody's mind today... the one everyone is pondering as they have lunch, take a break from work, or drive to the store. Well, I'm here to fill you in and keep you informed. All two of you who even stop in to find out (my own fault for not writing more, I know).

Two weeks ago, I was sick sick sick as a dog (however sick dogs may be... never quite understood that saying, but it's apropos so I use it). Last week, I was away for work for two days and swamped the other three. Friday night, we went to see REO Speedwagon, Styx and Def Leppard in Atlantic City (saw the sets by the first two and heard half of the last one while we were standing backstage talking to Tommy from Styx). I spent the weekend cleaning my house top to bottom, and a friend of mine from my school days was in town to visit last night with her family. Tomorrow, my parents come to visit for a long weekend.

So it's been a bit topsy-turvy here -- lots going on, lots to get done, not much time to do anything other than work, clean, sleep, or get better (when I was sick).

Lots of shows and events coming up... it's going to be a busy rest-of-April. We're going to see Asia next week, a show for work on Friday night by a band called Miggs, and then on the following Sunday we're going to see Kids In The Hall, which will rock my funny bone.

Then, the last week in April we're going to three (count 'em - THREE) Crowded House shows. Ah yeah! Ok, I'm sure that seems excessive. But I have to get my Neil Finn fix, plus they are planning to roll out some new music and "try it out" live on those of us lucky enough to be there, so who am I to say no? I truly believe the set lists will vary quite a bit from night to night, so I expect to be dazzled by the volume of tunes I'll bear witness to in a live setting over those three nights. It had to be done. I was only going to go to one night, but then my computer bought tickets for us to the other two nights of its own accord. Yeah, I'll blame my computer for it. That'll be my story.