moderation
the indigo girls are playing an hour and a half from my house tonight. i am not going. i saw them in santa rosa last night and in reno the night before. i am seeing them in arcata (humboldt county) tomorrow night. a few years ago, i would have been driving to modesto (yes, modesto) tonight to see IG. i also would have gone all up the pacific northwest, despite not being thrilled by most of the venues. and i would be making plans to go see them in the midwest in april. but i'm not. and i am not seeing them in modesto tonight. and i am not only content in this, but am happy about my decision.
i know what y'all are thinking. this is not another diss on how boring IG's setlist has become. i am choosing to post this publicly to live journal because lj was my original "indigo girls blog." of course it's not that anymore. hell, i hardly ever write here. but i figured this would be more appropriate to post on lj than facebook since many people used to read my blog for its indigo girls content. (i am pretty sure this will show up on my facebook page since a long time ago, i fed my public lj posts into my facebook notes. that is fine. i just feel it's more lj appropriate.)
reno was an amazing show. so was santa rosa. i have had two amazing shows with varied setlists, chatty indigo girls, photos taken after the shows, etc. i have never had so much fun at IG shows. and i realize that i am having this amount of fun because seeing them is special again. it's no longer a 20+ times per tour obligation. i'm no longer "sick of them" because i hardly ever see them anymore. in fact, my love for them has come back! just not in the old way where i felt the need to travel across the country (or world) to see them.
although i have had moments of "aw, modesto is so close and i should go," i am very pleased that i decided not to go. i realized that all of this touring was cutting into my life. i live in the greatest city in the world (sorry new york and london). i have fabulous friends here. my school and work is here. my life is in san francisco. and my life felt so cut in half while i had an "indigo girls touring" life and a "karen in san francisco" life. the two halves didn't compliment each other. tonight, instead of going to modesto, i am going to get to see one of my favorite people, who i have not seen in over a year because he lived in new zealand, and have dinner with him and my homohusband and my homohusband's boyfriend. if i were in modesto, i wouldn't be doing any of this. them, after dinner, homohusband and i are taking off to begin the long drive to humboldt county. we are spending the night in mendo, and continuing up to arcata and northern humboldt early tomorrow morning. we will hike redwood national park, smoke some amazing cannabis, and have an all around blast in humboldt. then we're picking my friend up from the airport and are all going to see the indigo girls together in arcata.
three times this tour. three times on a west coast tour practically in my backyard. and as much as i am enjoying their shows and will miss the indigo girls (for a moment, none of the post tour blues i used to get), i will be all the more excited to see them next time. and will enjoy all of their shows so much more.
i think that a lot of people who "know" me through the IG circuit think they know me. most don't even know my real name (contrary to popular belief, my parents did not name me spike). i am not just the girl who goes to a lot of indigo girls shows. even when i went to tons of shows, i was never JUST that person, and i feel that is how i came across to a lot of people. my own fault, of course. another reason i wanted to post this here and not only to facebook is friends on facebook who are really friends of mine. not just indigo girls touring buds or other fans i only know online.
i still love the indigo girls. my love for them will never go away. i've loved this band since i was 11 years old. however i love other music too. and so many other things about life. and i love (more than anything right now) that i went to an indigo girls show on wednesday night, didn't give a shit what they played, enjoyed every song (even that song that i always make fun of was fine. i mean, they don't have to play it, but i didn't sulk when they did), was with wonderful people, and had a blast. i talked to amy and emily after the show, and after not seeing them in all the while, i think they were even happy to see me. (the reactions were sweet). i can't say i am sure of that from the days of my past. but reno was different. and so much better in so many ways. santa rosa too. i have zero complaints about either show. in the past, during the days of alot of shows, the reno setlist would have bored me to death. and i would have not been ok with my seats in santa rosa (there's a first time for everything, even me sitting in the balcony. granted it was first row balcony, but not "close enough" to amy and emily and that's where i would not have been at good). but i left both shows on such an indigo high. amazing.
i am so excited for the arcata show tomorrow night. but i am also so excited to see friends tonight in san francisco, have a real weekend away in humboldt county with someone i adore, and come back home at the end of the weekend and get back to studying and start work at my dream job (yay me!).
i am pleased with the moderation. sure, i'll still go see the girls. i'll always catch them a few times when they're in my neighborhood (or make a special trip out of it like i am doing for humboldt). but gone are the days of the crazy travel, early mornings in line, and the "i need to see every show on tour." and for me, that is all for the better.
i still have friends who tour with IG and this is in NO WAY a knock at anyone. everyone is different, and i realized by seeing them so much, i was starting to resent the live IG experience.
i know what y'all are thinking. this is not another diss on how boring IG's setlist has become. i am choosing to post this publicly to live journal because lj was my original "indigo girls blog." of course it's not that anymore. hell, i hardly ever write here. but i figured this would be more appropriate to post on lj than facebook since many people used to read my blog for its indigo girls content. (i am pretty sure this will show up on my facebook page since a long time ago, i fed my public lj posts into my facebook notes. that is fine. i just feel it's more lj appropriate.)
reno was an amazing show. so was santa rosa. i have had two amazing shows with varied setlists, chatty indigo girls, photos taken after the shows, etc. i have never had so much fun at IG shows. and i realize that i am having this amount of fun because seeing them is special again. it's no longer a 20+ times per tour obligation. i'm no longer "sick of them" because i hardly ever see them anymore. in fact, my love for them has come back! just not in the old way where i felt the need to travel across the country (or world) to see them.
although i have had moments of "aw, modesto is so close and i should go," i am very pleased that i decided not to go. i realized that all of this touring was cutting into my life. i live in the greatest city in the world (sorry new york and london). i have fabulous friends here. my school and work is here. my life is in san francisco. and my life felt so cut in half while i had an "indigo girls touring" life and a "karen in san francisco" life. the two halves didn't compliment each other. tonight, instead of going to modesto, i am going to get to see one of my favorite people, who i have not seen in over a year because he lived in new zealand, and have dinner with him and my homohusband and my homohusband's boyfriend. if i were in modesto, i wouldn't be doing any of this. them, after dinner, homohusband and i are taking off to begin the long drive to humboldt county. we are spending the night in mendo, and continuing up to arcata and northern humboldt early tomorrow morning. we will hike redwood national park, smoke some amazing cannabis, and have an all around blast in humboldt. then we're picking my friend up from the airport and are all going to see the indigo girls together in arcata.
three times this tour. three times on a west coast tour practically in my backyard. and as much as i am enjoying their shows and will miss the indigo girls (for a moment, none of the post tour blues i used to get), i will be all the more excited to see them next time. and will enjoy all of their shows so much more.
i think that a lot of people who "know" me through the IG circuit think they know me. most don't even know my real name (contrary to popular belief, my parents did not name me spike). i am not just the girl who goes to a lot of indigo girls shows. even when i went to tons of shows, i was never JUST that person, and i feel that is how i came across to a lot of people. my own fault, of course. another reason i wanted to post this here and not only to facebook is friends on facebook who are really friends of mine. not just indigo girls touring buds or other fans i only know online.
i still love the indigo girls. my love for them will never go away. i've loved this band since i was 11 years old. however i love other music too. and so many other things about life. and i love (more than anything right now) that i went to an indigo girls show on wednesday night, didn't give a shit what they played, enjoyed every song (even that song that i always make fun of was fine. i mean, they don't have to play it, but i didn't sulk when they did), was with wonderful people, and had a blast. i talked to amy and emily after the show, and after not seeing them in all the while, i think they were even happy to see me. (the reactions were sweet). i can't say i am sure of that from the days of my past. but reno was different. and so much better in so many ways. santa rosa too. i have zero complaints about either show. in the past, during the days of alot of shows, the reno setlist would have bored me to death. and i would have not been ok with my seats in santa rosa (there's a first time for everything, even me sitting in the balcony. granted it was first row balcony, but not "close enough" to amy and emily and that's where i would not have been at good). but i left both shows on such an indigo high. amazing.
i am so excited for the arcata show tomorrow night. but i am also so excited to see friends tonight in san francisco, have a real weekend away in humboldt county with someone i adore, and come back home at the end of the weekend and get back to studying and start work at my dream job (yay me!).
i am pleased with the moderation. sure, i'll still go see the girls. i'll always catch them a few times when they're in my neighborhood (or make a special trip out of it like i am doing for humboldt). but gone are the days of the crazy travel, early mornings in line, and the "i need to see every show on tour." and for me, that is all for the better.
i still have friends who tour with IG and this is in NO WAY a knock at anyone. everyone is different, and i realized by seeing them so much, i was starting to resent the live IG experience.