Facts from the last four days:

- Four days. Four days of 7+ hours of music each, and do you think I'm capable of missing anything? The answer is no. This fact is: I have sore feet.

- Colin James' version of "Into the Mystic" is now my jam. On a related note, I want to lick everything that Colin James touches. I came SO CLOSE to dumping Garrett for him.

- I spent most of Saturday and Sunday wondering whether or not I'd have to stop listening to Garrett Mason's albums once I marry him. It might be kinda awkward when he gets into the car, turns it on, and his voice blasts from my car speakers. Also: could I still wear my shirt?

- AC/DC was everything I expected it to be: a party. Got absolutely out of my mind and just danced to everything. For Those About to Rock was the best, but also awesome was When She Goes She Goes, which is actually the new single, and Whole Lotta Rosie, during which Alex and I started the classic Rosie "Angus" cheer. And for those of you wondering: yes, I wore the flashing LED devil horns. OBVI.

- Jimmy Vaughn = kinda phoning it in these days. I was so disappointed. He came out, played five or maybe six songs, and nothing he did was really spectacular. Oh well, I guess that's what you get when you 1) put him on after Garrett Mason and 2) put him on WITH the guitar player from the James Cotton Blues Band. He had really great hair, though. Plus, HE WAS JIMMY VAUGHN.

- I was very much enjoying myself when Kenny Wayne Shepherd played Blue on Black. Also, when he played VooDoo Child.

- Colin James played two encores, and then he left the stage and we all shouted so much that the guy who had come onstage to announce the fifty-fifty winners ran after him. I was watching Colin's guitar tech, and when we first started screaming, this dude looks over at him, and the guitar tech shook his head "no" so vehemently, I though we were gonna have no luck. But the guy just friggen boots 'er after Colin James. A few minutes of nothing, and the techs start pulling everything down, and the fifty-fifty guy comes back, breathless and empty handed, takes the mic, and says... "Sorry you guys... BUT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO STAY A FEW MORE MINUTES, BECAUSE HERE HE IS AGAIN", and back he and his band come. Much to the chagrin of the techs and the sound dudes, who now have to reconstruct his set up. He played three more songs, we didn't get out of there until almost 1:30am.

- This band called "The Hupman Brothers" played the best live version of The Whipping Post that I've heard in a long, long, long time. ♥

- After the shows every night, which ended at, well 1:30am on Friday and 12:30 on Saturday, there was an acoustic jam with whoever wanted to come. That included all the artists. That's right, we had the James Cotton Blues Band jamming. There was this nearly 20 minute version of Got My Mojo Workin'. I've never seen so many randomly-pulled-from-my-pocket harmonicas. The jams went until we were too tired, which was usually about 3:30, 4. BEST. TIME. EVER.

- Garrett Mason jamming with the Downchild Blues Band, who haven't seen him since he was like, ten, and them realizing he can actually more than hold his own = your moment of zen, people. What a finale.

Am I all rocked out? Never, never, never. I'm heartbroken it's all over for another year.

Stand up and be counted,
for what you are about to receive.
We are the dealers.
We'll give you everything you need.
Hail, hail to the good times,
'cause rock has got the right of way.
We ain't no legend, ain't no cause.
We're just livin' for today.

For those about to rock, WE SALUTE YOU.

- Today is my Friday, so woot. I have tomorrow and Friday off, tomorrow so that I can go and see AC/DC and then Friday so I can go chill at the blues festival (GARRETT MASON, WOOT. And like, you know. Also Colin James, Jimmie Vaughn, Dr. Hook, James Cotton and Rick Derringer.)

- Yesterday I took pictures of my new apartment, because I realized that I hadn't done so yet. I'll post 'em later today. ♥

- I washed my hair last night and then slept on it while it was still wet. Trust me, it's looking real good right now. OPPOSITE DAY. (DALLON FTW.)

- Ooh, I should go see how the first night tour for the boys went. I KNOW that Jon and Ryan must be sitting home jealous as hell, what with all the tweeting going on. Maybe their mantra is "we did the right thing, it was all for the best, we did the right thing". Which is probably true. But it's tour. Man, I know I have a huge case of tour envy and I've never even been on a tour.

New Billy/Dom! Old school OTP of my heart. Also, Dominic is wearing a shirt that I very much approve of.

Three stories from the last 24 hours, at the concert and staying at Chris and Andy's place, and only one is not true:

1. Chris woke up to find a half-naked lesbian sleeping on his couch. One whom he did not know, and when he woke her up and asked who she was, she said, in this order: "Where's Jordan? Where are my pants?" And then left the houes.

2. Andy got held-up at gun point and they took his laptop while he was sitting on his front porch. It was a paintball gun.

3. We started a band that just plays covers of Kansas songs, and Joe Satriani told us he would be in it.

You have to guess which one is not true.

The show itself was mostly great, Sloan were awesome, very entertaining, as Chris Murphy had a broken collarbone from being hit by a car while driving his bike and couldn't play guitar or bass, they had people filling in from the area (their hometown, is Halifax). He could only shake a tambourine. He also punched and kicked a lot of mic stands. Finger Eleven always put on a good show, I'm surprised I had forgotten. I had bought one of their cds a few years ago (four, five years ago?) after seeing them live, because they were so great, and then I kinda... forgot, because they had an strange type of image that I'm not usually into. But again, I was surprised, and feel like I should start listening to that one cd again. Our Lady Peace were great, musically, Raine was pretty on (comparatively) vocals-wise, and the band nailed it as usual, especially Steve, who I really very much enjoy looking at. Raine was a little moody (what the fuck else is new?), so he didn't say too much, and he climbed the stage like usual and jumped into the beer gardens area to run around while singing Starseed. They only played four or five new songs, which was good, because everyone was there (and will always be there) for the classics. Chickenfoot were good for what they were. Each part was great (especially Chad Smith, and Sammy Hagar can still sing), and they sounded perfect. That being said, we left about halfway in because we'd pretty much gotten the point.

I'm off to watch "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". Is this a good movie, or no? I've never seen it.

Remember I had said about how Paul McCartney brought that girl onstage and signed her arm, and how I thought it was pretty cool and all, what with him being PAUL MCCARTNEY?

Well, it showed up on Perez Hilton, video and all! Watch and be as jealous as I was.

Well, let me just tell you that when you see a Beatle live? Any stress or worries you may have had lately about certain newer emo musicians and band lineups and drugs and drama melts away into absolutely nothing.

We had barrier, we worked hard for it, and it paid off. Hello, I'm twenty feet away from Paul McCartney.

The best way I can describe seeing Paul McCartney live is to list some of his setlist. Here are the ones I can remember.

Drive My Car
Jet
The Long and Winding Road
Back in the USSR
Blackbird
Here Today
Got To Get You Into My Life
I've Got A (MOTHERFUCKING) Feeling
Something
Paperback Writer
A Day In the Life feat. Give Peace a Chance
Let It Be
Live and Let Die
Hey Jude
Yesterday
All My Lovin'
Band on the Run
Eleanor Rigby
Helter Skelter
Get Back
Mull of Kintyr
Day Tripper
Lady Madonna
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/The End

He played for three whole hours, never left the stage, never tired. I forget some songs, some of the ones I didn't know too well because they were solo things, etc. Also, he did NOT play Maybe I'm Amazed. Is that normal? I don't know. I really wasn't that disappointed. (Read: I wasn't disappointed AT ALL.)

Some notables: (ASIDE FROM, EVERY SINGLE SONG OMG)

During his acoustic version of Blackbird, for which his band left the stage, I cried. Like, a tear or two. Then he launched into Here Today, and then there were like, streaming tears. He also did this "step back and lift his guitar in the air for a moment of acknowledgment" thing for John. I mean, come on, we all know it's sad, but are we ever really that close? No we're not.

Paperback Writer, WHOA HI OUT OF NOWHERE. ♥

He rocked Helter Skelter so hard. I had no idea he would actually play this.

This is the first time since 1966 that Paul has played Day Tripper live. And I was there.

My brother was absolutely off his rocker when he started playing Lady Madonna. Max honestly looked like the young girls in the Beatlemania tribute video they were playing while we waited.

Imagine 50 000 people all throwing up peace signs and singing along with Give Peace a Chance. Let's not even mention the "na na na na"s off Hey Jude.

So much pyro on Live and Let Die that I thought I was at the Kiss concert. Oops, that's next weekend...

He played Something on the ukelele. Just freakin' saying.

There was also a time when he read aloud someone's sign that said "Sir Paul, Sign My Arm So I Can Get It Tattooed" or something, and the whole crowd started shouting "do it do it"... so he friggen did. I mean, COME ON. You expect that from like, I dunno, Bon Jovi or John Mayer or like, the Dixie Chicks, but PAUL MCCARTNEY. This girl was just young, and she absolutely freaked the fuck out. She jumped him and hugged him and promptly broke down into tears onstage in front of him. Paul McCartney, damn. Legend.

I could talk for hours about this show, but I am feelin' the floaty type of concert high and don't want to sit and type it up.

I'll just wrap it up by saying that I hadn't read any recent Paul setlists and had NO IDEA that he would play so many Beatles tunes, and that surprise kinda hit me hard. I was so emotional, which I hadn't expected. I anticipated the glee, the elation, but I was absolutely sideswiped by how much the show broke down every emotional defense that I have carefully erected. I stood there and cried, though I'm too cool to cry. I lost my shit, even though I'm too cool to lose it in front of so many people. I sang along to "Hey Jude" with thousands of other people, even though I'm too much of a music snob to be that mainstream. Last night? I was that mainstream, I was that dorky, I was that affected, and I did not care then and I still don't care now. It's like I've had a revelation, or a religious experience.

McCartney rocked me, oh boy.

In honour of ME SEEING PAUL FREAKIN' MCCARTNEY TOMORROW (with JOEL PLASKETT, GOOD LORD):

Top 5 songs by The Beatles and/or the respective members as solo artists or in other groups, GO!

Just throwing this out there: the newest show rumour around here is that we're getting Springsteen. If this happens, I will fucking freak out. Like, first-time-I-saw-the-Stones, I'm-going-to-see-the-Who level of freak out. Oh god, please let this happen.

I'm hoping to finish my bandom/Harry Potter au by the time Half Blood Prince is in theaters. I'm so psyched for this film, gosh. It's my favorite of the books (for obvious reasons, Slytherin, yo) and I could use a renewal of Harry Potter fandom love.

Hello, back in the province again. Metric were amazing, as were Hey Rosetta!. The Offspring were good, but very loltastic. How can you be serious and h-core while playing Pretty Fly For a White Guy, I ask you? Answer: you can't. But it was still a really fun sing along.

John Mayer trying to play Rock Band for the first time is both hilarious and adorable.

- Just figured out Rock Band. The right hand has to stay down the entire length of the note. Dumb. But I'm rocking now.

- Something's just not the same. Luke sex with a Real Doll. http://twitpic.com/9dfk8

- I clearly went to edit "Luke" to "Like" and hit send. This is rough.

I went to Lush on my way home and spent so much money. I now smell fantastic. I'm pretty psyched to sleep.

Watch Metric:


I didn't really care about them, or well, know much about them aside from the fact that they're Canadian, but they were the best part of yesterday's show, so I'm psyched to know more. Anyone a fan?

After some stellar rocking out last night, I got home at four this morning clearly having decided to skip the shows today and hit the beach. That's when I got the email that the Tragically Hip have cancelled for today's V Fest (DESPAIR) and therefore, the festival is going to be free. From 100$ to free. I can't really let that chance pass me by, even if the Hip are my main squeeze and the other bands I could take or leave. In any case, here I go, hungover with my stamp still in place and ears still ringing.

The lineup looks like this:

THE OFFSPRING
METRIC
DINOSAUR JR
HANDSOME FURS
HEY ROSETTA!
PLANTS AND ANIMALS
ARKELLS
IN FLIGHT SAFETY
DOG DAY

ETA: Oh hello there, thunder. I love it, but I hope it doesn't get any worse. Also, I have too many hoodies. I have this thing where I buy a lot of hoodies and then only wear the newest one. Well, I just got three new hoodies, and I can't decide.

Sometimes it's even hard for even me to believe that I am a 24 year old with a degree and a decent job.

After yesterday's Bon Jovi and the Guess Who show, I now have the best tan ever. Both bands were great. Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman rocked it, and they were in just as great form as they ever were. They played so many great songs. It was definitely "sing along at the top of your lungs" night. Especially "Livin' On a Prayer" and "You Give Love a Bad Name", not to mention "Takin' Care of Business", which Bon Jovi actually played again when he came out. We pretty much just forgot anything else existed and belted things out.

I have nothing to say lately. Is this good or bad? I haven't read my flist in days, I bet something exciting happened and I missed it.

The best part of morning is when you get up and shower, and you're sitting there, all showered, drinking some juice, when you realize that you've got half an hour to kill. ♥ I love it.

Facts about right now:
1. I am going to wear my new Clandestine hoodie today. It's the plaid one.
2. My little brother Johnny is sleeping in my spare room, because he visited his girlfriend last night.
3. shirethief, butystherumgone and I are having a movie night tonight. We're gonna have Chinese, too.
4. I'm going to see Bon Jovi and, more importantly, Bachman and Cummings in two days.
5. I'm having a large party tomorrow at my beach. We're gonna see if we can beat last year's 175 people.
6. Last night while watching repeats of "Q" with Jion Gomeshi, I wanted to punch Billy Bob Thornton in the face. Here's a link. Honestly, GET OVER YOURSELF. You can see his band members just go, oh here we go. Seriously, you are a dick, man.

I'm home. Black Crowes rocked, Matt Mays also rocked. Very much rocking went on. Also, rain. Good times, all in all. I don't know what to do now. Sunday is always so depressing.

Remember when Rod Stewart was cool? Not just cool, but like, KICK ASS. Like, in 1974? It's for this reason that I can still get behind all those horrible easy-listening albums.

So I have Black Crowes tickets for tomorrow, and I didn't even have to trade any kingdoms for them. Just had to shell out a bunch of money. Which, well, it'll be a fun day. I'mma rock out so hard to Jealous Again.

I had told myself that I wasn't going to bother with a list of bands I'll be seeing this summer, but hey. I might as well: Black Crowes, Matt Mays and El Torpedo, Bon Jovi, Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings, Paul McCartney, Chicken Foot (supergroup with Sammy Hagar and Joe Satriani), Our Lady Peace, AC/DC, and the Blues Festival. It seems like I'm missing some, but I can't think of it, so oh well.

Paul is staying in Halifax for a week, too, is the rumour, because that's when Tall Ships are gonna be here. TALL SHIPS!!! I fangirl hard.

Also, he and AC/DC haven't announced their support bands yet, so I'm expecting some good ones there.

Also: 11 Vampires Cooler Than Edward Cullen.

Good Lord, they've just announced the Dutch Mason Blues Festival lineup and I'm sitting here screaming with glee.

Colin James. Jimmie Vaughn. Doctor Hook. Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Not to mention, Garrett Mason as per usual, and James Cotton again (HOLY GOD!). DOWNCHILD.

Ugh, this is gonna be amazing.

It's Sunday, and my mother is at the beach with the family, so while she's gone I'm cleaning the kitchen. After a weekend of absolutely devastating family drama and angst, cleaning is making me feel absolutely better. Better better. And it will make my mother feel better, too, when all the food we were sent is organized, the millions of dishes are done and the floors and counters are clean. Then maybe she can rest.

6 days 'til we leave for our Boston vacation (3rd annual!). This year, it involves leaving on Saturday for more of the same sightseeing around my favorite city, relaxing, eating junk, sidetripping to Salem and then capping off with the Tuesday night Believers Never Die show. Should be a good one, and this week is going to go like molasses.

Good blues show last night with the brothers, saw Johnny Rawls and his band. He brought horns, and you know that means fabulousness.

Too much music coming up to even mention, but we're talking about seeing Sammy Hagar and his group Chicken Foot, which features Joe Satriani, Our Lady Peace, Finger Eleven, Black Crows and to cap it all off on August 6th, AC/DC is gonna be back in black in my town (after what, fifteen years?), so it goes without saying that I'm hitting that up.

Your weekends; tell them to me?

I'm back!

But I'm gone to work. So I'll be back for really reals later on. ♥

The dude from the Cab that joins in with Will Beckett and the Academy dudes in the live recording of their acoustic gig from Atlanta when they're singing Santeria (I think his name is Ian? Or, like, it's actually probably an Alex, because there are lots of those) sounds a lot like Bradley Knowles. It's at around, like, 4:21 in the song, and holy Brad-inflection batman. He's got that Knowles sticky thing going on. (The "tell Sanchito" and "best go run and hide" part.) I like it.

Ugh, it's been a few days. What have I done?

Last night I rocked out with Great Big Sea. They know how to throw a party, I swear. Danced so hard, especially to Run Runaway and When I'm Up. I kinda want a shirt that says "when I'm up I can't get down". Has always been/will always be such a kickass song. And then, oh boy, then we freakin' moshed to The Night that Patty Murphy Died. NOT TO MENTION THE OLD BLACK RUM. ("It's said that because we got our apprenticeship in the pubs of Atlantic Canada... because of that apprenticeship, it is said that we do a lot of drinking songs.) YEAH THAT'S RIGHT. East Coast parties harder than you.

And then today, I went to the dentist and they froze my whole mouth and like, drilled around and it was awful and now my mouth is sore. And I have to go back in the morning. Booo.

(Also, for more about Newfoundland and other East Coast Area, please see this video: Havin' a Time, which takes a lot of East Coast slang and the Newfie accent and makes fun of it.)

Fuck I think I'm from the East Coast.

"Of course, we've come here to study you."

If Downie ever stops doing that, I will probably cry.

- blues tomorrow at the Roadhouse.
- Fleetwood Mac, for which I have tickets, in Ottawa.
- Don't I have tickets for the Fall Out Boy and the Cobras?
- work is actually fun these days.

Who has twitter? Might as well add me, I suppose! http://twitter.com/virginiatingley No linking back to here, though, because I'm trying to compartmentalize.

I just got back from the Eagles weekend blowout, and I have to say, that was amazing.

The Eagles are ridiculously amazing musicians, and I can't even stress how much I wish I could be that talented and find a group of guys who I get along with and are equally talented, so that we can still be making music well into our later years. It was amazing, jesus. And they played everything.

Considering that the doors to the place opened at 2 and we lined up at 11, we were in almost the very center and front row, clinging to the barrier for all we were worth, fifteen feet from Joe Walsh. And the rest, but Joe Walsh. Every guitar solo was flawless. In a surprise move, I teared up during Boys of Summer and cried outright during Desperado, which they finished with.

During Dirty Laundry, the big screen showed this montage of paparazzi shows like TMZ and websites like Perez Hilton and clips of The View and Hardball and those sorts of things, which was pretty much perfect. It ended with some photoshopped tabloids of the Eagles themselves, which was good for a laugh.

And yeah, Joe played Funk 49. I didn't expect it, but I was ridiculously impressed. He also did Rocky Mountain Way and Life's Been Good, along with In the City and Seems to Me (Walk Away). Don played All She Wants to Do Is Dance which Glenn Fry absolutely killed the dancing.

They did Peaceful, Easy Feeling, Take It To The Limit, Hotel California (WHICH, SHIT. THAT SOLO!), Lyin' Eyes...

Witchy Woman was a definite highlight. Also, Take It Easy...

But enough about them. John Fogerty was better than I thought he'd be, he played all the CCR hits, which was fun to sing along to, but really nothing special if you weren't there. I'd like to mention, though, that he had a really hot young fiddle/guitar/bongo player, who I spotted standing backstage for the entirety of SAM FRICKIN' ROBERTS' set, rocking out.

SAM ROBERTS, you are great. I'm so proud to be able to say that people like you are the reason there is hope for the Canadian music industry these days. When our most popular acts are people like Sam Roberts and the Hip compared to the USA's Justin and the Pussycat Dolls, I start to rest easy.

KT Tunstall is amazing. Nobody gives her enough credit. I was lecturing peopel and talking her up so hard in the crowd, because people'd be like, "I have to pee... I'm gonna wait and go during KT Tunstall, I don't like her", or "why is she even here?". I'm happy to report that she blew it out of the water and showed all those Egales fans exactly why she was there. She is a rocker chick, the very definition of one. Her live version of Black Horse and the Cherry Tree got one of the loudest crowd reactions of the night. Here's a Youtube version. She has a loop pedal, and she utilizes it. She's also got soul.