A Very Upright Citizens Brigade

DMB jamming out at Citi Field

So I was just kidding about updating my blog a few days ago…I was busy using other forms of procrastination from my never-ending, Post-It-sales-increasing “To-Do” list. But to backtrack to last weekend, Friday night I went to see Dave Matthews Band at Citi Field aka Mets Stadium. It was my 6th DMB concert (1st VA Beach, 2nd NJ, 3rd Hershey Park in PA, 4th Fenway Stadium in Boston, & 5th at 02 Arena in London), but would have been 8th since I had to sell my tickets to 2 concerts when I couldn’t end up making it. Keep in mind, I’ve been a loyal fan since I was about 7 (most of my music preferences are influenced by my older siblings and mom…my 28-year-old sister kinda followed Dave around a bit on tour in high school) and only started going to DMB concerts since I graduated high school and didn’t have soccer every day in the summer. Thus, initiating my addiction to other concerts that I started seeing more of during college. It was a good time for the most part, but the setlist was not as exciting as it could have been. I love the new songs from the CD they released last summer (Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King, following saxophonist and long-time band member LeRoi Moore’s sudden passing), but ever since last spring, they have shifted the setlists to include more of the new songs and less of the old songs. Specifically, I like to hear the old classics that aren’t played that much aside from live shows, especially not on the radio, so I prefer songs like The Stone, Recently, #41, Warehouse, Spoon, Dancing Nancies, etc. (versus the overplayed Ants Marching, Crash into Me, etc.) The best setlist/encore I heard was at Hershey during summer 2008, and next would be VA Beach summer 2007. Best venue would be Fenway in May 2009 because I had wanted to see Dave play there ever since they played there the year before I came to BU and because Fenway has been my backyard basically for 3 years living in Boston. Most memorable concert (besides my 1st) would be this past March in London because it was the first time I was reeeally close (right up front by the stage, standing area) and it was in London so that made it that much more amazing. I didn’t mind DMB playing new songs for the majority of the show then because it was the 1st time most of the cities in the European tour were hearing them, but I thought (since DMB is taking next year off for the first time in a LONG time) that they would play more of the old classics at this concert in NY. Even for Dave, the songs were too mellow that he chose (instead of switching off between slower-ish & faster songs) in a row, but it was still good times.

UCB with a bunch of nerds outside (including us, not pictured)

The next night, I met up with my roommate and her boyfriend who came down from Boston to visit NYC and I finally got to go to an Upright Citizens Brigade comedy show at UCB’s NY Theatre. A lot of awesome comedians came out of UCB (both NY & LA), including SNL alum/Parks & Recreation‘s Amy Poehler (1 of the founding fathers); other SNL stars such as Horatio Sanz, Fred Armisen, Jenny Slate, Bobby Moynihan, Abby Elliot, & Nasim Pedrad; Parks & Recreation‘s Aziz Anzari (& The Human Giant) & Aubrey Plaza; other Human Giant members Rob Huebel & Paul Scheer; The Daily Show‘s Ed Helms (aka Andy on The Office), Rob Corddry, & Rob Riggle; The Office‘s Ellie Kemper (secretary Erin Hannon) and a billion other funny comedians/writers from top shows that you can find here. I had wanted to go see a show for years, particularly on my birthday, but never had anyone to go with slash people are lame. But not this time! So I looked up a show that Scott Adsit (Pete Hornberger on 30 Rock) and Zach Woods (new Sabre guy Gabe Lewis on The Office) were supposed to be at for part of Let’s Have a Ball improv show, and even though they weren’t there, other hilarious writers/comedians were, including Kay Cannon (30 Rock writer, SNL‘s Jason Sudeikis’ ex-wife), UCB performer/writer/teacher Brandon Gardner, Christina Gausas (appeared on 3o Rock, Late Night w/ Conan), & another guy whose name I missed/he looked really familiar/was really funny. Overall, the show was quite hilarious – only complaint is that it was barely 45 mins. long. $10 should at least get us an hour of improv, from a broke college student’s perspective. Oh and before the show we went for drinks at the Molly Wee pub…can’t get over how great of a name that is. Just try saying it in an Irish/leprechaun accent. Molly WEEEE!

View of the city from Empire State Building...ah, nature.

Sunday was a packed day since they were leaving for Boston at 11 pm that night. We went to the Empire State Building (which in my 21 years of living around the city, have never done & felt weird since I did touristy cityscape views stuff like that in other countries last semester), grabbed lunch from the massive Whole Foods in the Time Warner Building and ate in Central Park, walked down 5th Ave. & showed them St. Patrick’s Cathedral, then went to MoMA for some Picasso/Van Gogh/Dali/Warhol/other fun(ky) modern art (1st time here too since the time we meant to go when I was a kid, it was closed & the line was too long last winter for the Tim Burton exhibit). We also went to the Museum of TV & Radio now known as the Paley Center (where we ended up going when I was a kid that day MoMA was closed & watched an old awards show honoring female comedians & an old episode of Friends in small theatres –> my kinda museum) and got in for free since there was about 45 mins. left so we went to the “library” and watched an old episode of 30 Rock (“Tracy Does Conan” as in Late Night w/ Conan - 1st episode I saw air back when 30 Rock came out and I was like what the what??), ironically a few blocks from the actual 30 R0ck. Aubrey Plaza had a small cameo as a page in this episode and supposedly (in reality) was kind of a quiet intern at SNL while she was at NYU before she became known for her hilariousness doing stand-up at UCB & acting on Parks & Rec (she’s also in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World coming out in August). I hope I turn out successful like her (more behind the scenes though, like writing comedy) because I feel like I (not purposely) have a tendency to be a little more introverted at my internships for whatever reason (shorter amount of time getting to know co-workers/feeling inferior/trying hard not to make an ass of myself/the list can go on forever). ANYWAYS, after that, I took them to Dylan’s Candy Bar for treats, Patsy’s Pizzeria for dinner, and Serendipity’s for frrrozen hot chocolate. We all had a great time, walked almost everywhere, and I finally figured out how to navigate the streets that I usually am following someone else in a group/my sister makes us take cabs to/my dad may have driven us in the numerous times I’ve ventured the city. Way easier than London streets, so thank you, independence.

Van Gogh's Starry Night at the MoMA

P.S. I don’t know why half this damn blog post keeps getting bolded – it’s not selected as bold or written in the HTML & I can’t change it for some reason ARGH OCD!