#musicdiary2012 - Day 7 + reflections

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Posted a few days late...oh well. Sunday, the final day of #musicdiary2012, brought live music as well as lots of recorded music. From a new fan club EP to hellogoodbye to lots of The Supremes (Jenny's iPod has the best mix), we had mini dance parties in our hotel room, in the car, in the street...



My favorite part of Sunday was for sure the live music. There's nothing like seeing one of your all-time favorite bands live in such an intimate setting. That one-on-one feeling makes it that much better. It might not have been the type of show I'm used to, but it was just as amazing. Just like live music is supposed to be.

Before writing this post, I glanced back through the rest of my #musicdiary2012 blogs and realized something. I tend to listen to music alone, making it a very solitary activity for me. In my car, at my desk, on headphones while trying to write...more often than not, it's just me and the music. Kind of funny considering I feel most alive when I'm standing in a room of fellow fans, devouring every last note.

And maybe that's why music is so important to me - because it's mine. You know that feeling you get when you discover a song that describes you so perfectly, you feel like the songwriter is writing the soundtrack to your life? That's how I interact with music most of the time. I cling to the music that describes me. I happily listen to the rest to pass the time or fill the silence...but I get kind of intense about the songs that I call my own. "In My Room" by the Beach Boys, "Lonely Day" by Phantom Planet, "A Song to Sing" by Hanson, "The Easy Confidence" by Quiet Company...I have such personal connections to these songs that sometimes it's hard for me to let go and remember they aren't really mine - they were written for everyone and should be enjoyed by all.

That's something I was reminded of this weekend as we drove around Tulsa, listening to music we all have in common and the stuff we don't - it's so much fun to share a musical moment with someone, knowing you both have a connection to a song. And it's fun to see others share their love - Sunday at lunch we were sitting at the Blue Rose Cafe after riding bikes up and down the banks of the Arkansas River, and Sam and Katie were both singing along to a Steve Miller song. I'm so deep rooted in my 1960s pop that meeting Sam, Queen of Classic Rock, was a breath of fresh air. (And then there's Katie who simply knows everything, ever...) Sharing those moments are what changes a good song into a great one.

So that's it for #musicdiary2012 - hopefully I didn't run off too many readers with my taste (or lack thereof) in music. Expect a "Guest Groupie" blog from the lovely Melanie Kristy tomorrow - it brought me to tears when I read it because it captures everything from this weekend so perfectly.