Collective Soul/Gavin DeGraw Concert - Des Moines, IA June 26-27, 2009

Wow, what a fun and adventurous weekend!

On Thursday night, Rod, Lori, Brianna, and Carlisle arrived at our place to spend the night before heading to Des Moines to begin our weekend fun. Friday morning we woke up at 6AM so that we could be ready to go by 6:30. We got the vehicle loaded up and we headed out of Mitchell. We arrived in Des Moines early enough to find the restaurant for Adam's private meet and greet lunch with Collective Soul and Gavin DeGraw.

While Adam was having the time of his life, enjoying his afternoon the rest of us found the hotel and got checked in. We then headed back towards the mall area and ate at Cheesecake Factory, which of course had some rather tasty menu options...mmm cheesecake, one of my favorites!! We then walked around the mall for a few minutes until Adam was done at his engagement. Adam got his picture taken with Ed Roland and got a signed picture from Ed. He also got a few pictures signed by Gavin DeGraw. Adam was particularly impressed with Ed's personality - he was very funny and personable! (Ed was the only CS band member able to make it to the special lunch.)

After picking Adam back up, we headed to the downtown Arts Festival. None of us had ever been there before, so we weren't sure what to expect. All of us were fortunate to have VIP passes for the concert, THANKS ADAM! We found the concert stage, and were fortunate enough to be the first ones seated in the VIP section, so that meant front and center for us!! While we were waiting for the concerts to get underway, we were able to walk around a little bit and look at the various booths at the festival and were able to get some Collective Soul t-shirts. Finally they had a good selection to choose from, so that was an added perk.

Adam and I were also fortunate enough to get to meet Gavin DeGraw and get our picture taken with him. He also signed a special pass that we had, that said we got to meet him. We had to wait for awhile after the originally schedule meeting time, so we were thinking that we might not get to do it... but fortunately it all came together. While we were waiting to meet with Gavin, Adam had his eyes peeled for any CS band members. Sure enough, he saw Cheney, the drummer for CS and got the drum head he brought along signed! Luckily Rod, Lori, Brianna, and Carlisle were able to save our seats for us this whole time we were gone - thanks!

It was definitely a surreal feeling getting to meet a celebrity up close like that, but it was awesome nonetheless! Sure did make me even more excited for Collective Soul to take stage, which they did shortly after our meet and greet.

They put on an awesome show and opened with their new song, "Welcome All Again". It is always so exciting to get to see them in concert, so we really love it when they come within travelling distance for us. Unfortunately the sound system was doing some goofy things, so the band had to leave stage for awhile. They were able to come back again, but then had to leave shortly thereafter. Ed was kind enough to finish off CS' portion of the concert by singing a couple acoustic songs!! It was spectactular. I know this sounds cliche, and lots of girls say this at concerts, but Dean really did look at me and give me a smile and nod when I was singing and dancing to one of their songs... just made me smile and sing more! CS concerts are usually about 75 minutes, and of course I always want them to be longer.... one can always hope, right?

After a short intermission, Gavin did take the stage. It was evident that most of the people at this FREE concert was there for Gavin. Makes me sad for CS, as they are such an amazing band and deserve more credit than they get. But anyway, we had the front row of seats, and people really weren't suppose to go in front of that area and stand. However, like any concert, there always have to be people that push the limits. After awhile, the security guards allowed, it so of course Adam, Lori, and myself worked our way to the front of the stage. It is always funny and amazes me what some of the girls shout out at concerts to the singers... a couple examples from this concert are... Gavin was sweating and wiped his forehead and one woman shouted out "Don't worry, I have a towel for you"... and another woman just randomly shouted out "Be my babies' daddy!!!!!" All I have to say is WOW!

Gavin did put on a good show, and it was fun being up close like that. I did get to shake his hand a couple of times throughout the concert when he was going back and forth on the stage.

Surprisingly, it wasn't that big of a hassle to get out of the concert area and back to the vehicle. We really lucked out with a parking spot, and couldn't have done any better there. Yay for an awesome parallel parking job, Rod!

Friday was a very long day, but it was so worth it! Loved every minute of it!

On Saturday we headed to Adventureland Amusement Park, which was pretty fun. Of course on a Saturday it is busy and so we had to wait in lines quite a bit. We only spent about 5 hours there, as we headed back to Mitchell that night yet. I love rollercoasters! Will have to think about planning a trip to a "real" rollercoaster park sometime soon... not sure when that will be! Thank you to the random gracious man who gave us tickets for the park because not everyone in their group showed up. Things like that always remind me that there still are good people in this world!

As you can see, it was a fun filled weekend for us. Now, I'll just have to work on a meet and greet with Collective Soul!! Adam has a whole bunch of stunning pictures from the concert on his flickr website - check them out! I am not going to insert pics on here, because there are so many awesome ones to choose from, so just click on the link. http://tiny.cc/xP70H

Collective Soul - Tour With Gavin Degraw, Blog Contest, and new Album!

Collective Soul, my all time favorite band has a new album Rabbit coming out August 25th!
They are also kicking off a tour with Gavin Degraw in a few short days, along with several solo shows, and other bands throughout the summer all over the country!

They are giving fans up to the minute updates on twitter, facebook, their website, and myspace - such as their new single "Staring Down" which the released over a week ago to fans, that doesn't hit Itunes until tomorrow!

Follow the links below to check out the band's tour schedule, blog, twitter, myspace, and more. They actually talk to their fans!

They also have a catelog of nearly 100 songs, and below is a story as told with the songs and album titles of the band - as to why i really love collective SOUL!


http://twitter.com/collective_soul
http://www.myspace.com/collectivesoul
http://www.collectivesoul.com/blog/
http://www.collectivesoul.com/live/


Hints Allegations & Things Left Unsaid


Going to my first Collective Soul concert was, truly, a once in a lifetime experience – I could hardly Breathe! Trying to Reach our destination was a huge fiasco, but of course, I was determined to make it. All of the Collective Soul concerts I have been to were general admission, so we knew that there would be no Wasting Time in arriving early so that we could get the much sought after place, front and center. Well, as it turns out it happened to be the same weekend of the state fair, so the parking issue was a nightmare, I wanted to Scream! We ended up getting lost and didn’t have the correct directions because of the unexpected road construction and state fair detours. My fiance had to call her brother who was at home to look up directions on MapQuest, I anxiously anticipated our directions and hoped we would make it in time, while he was looking up the directions her brother tried to Burn Bridges by singing “Sister Don’t Cry” to her. After getting clear directions, it seemed we were there In a Moments notice, thank God! I was anxious and eager to see the band members Shine! The show was everything I dreamed, And I felt more than ever Heavens Already Here on earth! Love Lifted Me that night as I proposed to my Own Pretty Donna , my wife to be – talk about a Goodnight Good Guy!


Collective Soul

The World I know changed from A Simple Place, when I found the music of Collective Soul’s Albums, my own little Collections of Goods, to a more complex world where all I wanted to do was Gel to their Music. Every December, I would get a new gift related to the band… my parents must have thought I was quite the Smashing Young Man! I may have a simple untitled job in life, but I bleed enjoyment in my love for all things Collective Soul! Can’t wait for a reunion trip to see them in Iowa near Where The River Flows at the River Riot, and When The Water Falls over the falls, I will jam with the crowd next to me at songs such as She gathers rain!



Disciplined Breakdown

Maybe I’m obsessed with Collective Soul, but who could Blame Me? They are everything I love about music, the near, far, and everything In Between. I’ve come full circle from not liking music at at all, to have the amazing tunes they keep giving us flooding my crowded head with joy. Luckily my wife has some forgiveness in the time spent to listen to this band and follow them on twitter, check them out at this Link: www.twitter.com/collective_soul. After all, we made a precious declaration to love each other through no matter what, even when I have my occasional Disciplined Breakdown !




Dosage

I know I’m not the One Fan out there deserving of a Crown as best fan to generate all the love for this band, as There are countless fans out there like me who are eager to run out and buy the next album coming out in August, and Compliment them on their two decade long success rate, that has help them to generate such an amazing fan base. We fans lead such a dandy life, as we Tremble for Our Beloved band that does all the hard work and to feed our needs! All we can ask is that they keep doing what they do, No More, No Less… and perhaps that this album isn’t too slow, and a little more Heavy like Dosage!




Blender

My Skin crawled with Happiness the first time I heard this band, as it made me Realize I did love music After All, as this band was the first I could Boast to – You Speak MY LANGUAGE! Every time I would Turn Around I would find something else to love about the band, and over Ten Years Later – I Know Why I Pt. 2 Collective Soul when ever I need a good tune to get me through the day. Afterall, The Perfect Day is when I can just sit outside, Vent with the radio on, and listen to all their rock gems.






Youth

After growing up in a Home that primarily listened to country music, I met my now wife who introduced me to the amazing band, Collective Soul. Needless to say, my life is drastically Better Now not only because of Him, but because my General Attitude towards music has changed (even though she still prods me as saying How Do You Love country music! Prior to knowing the band, I would listen to music mostly while riding in the car, now I have music on all of the time, whether I am in the car, cleaning my house, or teaching a classroom full of students. I am Counting the Days until I get to see Collective Soul live again! I am not going to be able to tell you everything Under Heaven’s Skies about Collective Soul and it’s band members, but, I am going to do my best in sharing some of my knowledge and more of the background history on how I have become a huge fan, I believe There’s a Way to get this done, all at the same time creating a fun blog and hoping I can win one of the astounding prizes that the band is giving away. Like a guiding Satellite, it feel like it feels alright to follow the collective souls, a Perfect place to stay!



Afterwords


To Spend an evening with collective Soul @ a meet and greet, ain’t that enough for any true music fan? All that I know is I would Give anything to experience it, and to wake up the next day sure would be a Good Morning After All. It is great to know I am Never Here alone in this world, as I married a Georgia Girl, and I don’t need anymore friends as there are countless to be made at the rocking live shows where everyone one is Bearing Witness to the amazing New Vibrations this band puts out! What Can I give You to convince you guys how much you really are Adored by your fans! Hollywood type fame hasn’t gone to your heads, and your fans appreciate this Persuasion of you!



Rabbit

I get that Fuzzy feeling, no not the one when I sing a Hymn for my father, thinking how much I would Love to meet Collective Soul, and how much it would Lighten Up My Life. I Dig and Love this Band So Much, And I’m staring down My days until I can see them again live. It’s harden to lighten up when trying to make logical understanding of my admiration of this band to you, as know one loves them like I do… except maybe my wife – She Does! Soon they will grace the stage again any day now to welcome all again to their stage!

Week-end Happenings!

I had an awesome week-end. Friday night started off with the comedian, Jeff Dunham, in Sioux Falls. It went a couple of hours, and was super funny. Here are a couple of pictures from the show. We had awesome seats!

After the show, we spent the night at some friends. It was great to be able to see them again, even if it was for a short while, to catch up! On Saturday morning we headed out for Minneapolis. We stopped at Mystic Lake casino on the way into the cities to eat at the amazingly large buffet that they have. It was fantastic. Adam was fortunate enough to even win some cash while playing black jack! From there we headed to our hotel, only to be mesmerized by the Super Target on the way, so of course we had to make a pit stop there. It was the cleanest, most well organized Target I have ever been to. It was just really cool, nothing like the Targets around here. That evening we went to the Melissa Etheridge concert. It was in a small auditorium on the campus of St. Catherine. There were only about a 1000 people there. Adam, once again, got us amazing seats for the concert. It was such a small place that none of the seats would have really been bad, but ours were awesome. She put on a 3 hour show that she was able to tell a story with. She tied all of her songs together and talked a little bit between each one about what they meant to her and it went throughout her life. I had never been to a concert like that before, and it was a great experience. Below are a few of the best pics that we got.

Today will be my third day of new teacher in-service. So far both of the days I have learned some things. I am realizing that there are so many resources that are available to teachers - it is just going to be hard to swim through all of them and decided when and where to use all of them. I am fortunate enough to have a SMART board in my classroom. I am really excited to have this, as the possibilities are really endless with it. Students really enjoy learning with it, so hopefully I can create some exciting and engaging ways to incorporate it into our day.

Tonight Adam and I will be seeing a comedian, Jeff Dunham. After that we are fortunate enough to be able to see our friends Erin and Dan. We will spend the rest of the night with them and then head on out in the morning to another concert - Melissa Etheridge.

I'm definitely starting to feel a little overwhelmed with school starting up real soon and having all of these inservices to be attending. They are a great way to be able to meet some of the other teachers.

We are also pretty disappointed, Nitwits, the comedy club that we went to every week in Sioux Falls, is now closed. We looked forward to our one night of comedy a week, and now we don't have that! Hopefully it can reopen or a similar venue will come along sometime soon.

Now, off for another long day...

Omaha Outings

Our huge concert line up has officially started. On Sunday night we went to the Tom Petty Concert. Then on Tuesday night we went to the Dave Matthews Band concert. Tom Petty put on a great show and we were able to sing along and dance to all of his songs. The opener for him was Steve Winwood. I only knew a couple of his songs, and it was probably the least I have ever paid attention or given a hoot at any concert I've been to. Thank goodness I knew something great was coming after him, otherwise it would have been torture!

Dave Matthews Band, on Tuesday night was not so good. I was surprised that he came out and introduced Ingrid Michaelson. She was pretty good, for not being that well known and having hardly any fans in the audience. The arena was super scarce, almost felt bad for the girl in a way. People waited until the last minute to show up for DMB. Overall, it was really hard to understand the words to DMB, thus making it difficult to sing along to any of the songs that I knew.

On Tuesday we went to the Omaha Zoo. It was huge! I've never been to a zoo that big. They had quite a few impressive sights. They also have an IMAX theater there, but we didn't take that in. We had lunch right there at the zoo and were able to see the monkeys while we were eating. We were at the zoo for about 4 hours. It was a lot of walking and was a hot day. But overall, it was well worth it. Seeing some of the animals in a zoo environment does make me kind of sad for them though. It is just not their natural habitat, and they hardly have the space that they would have if they were left in the wild. I know that the zoo does their best to take care of them and gives them all that they need to survive, but really, how great of a life can an animal be living in that small of environment?

We were able to go to a couple of the shopping malls, Cabelas, and Bass Pro. We managed to get a few things. It was fun to shop someplace other than Sioux Falls. The stores are the same it seems, but the selections are so much larger!

It was a great few days away, but it is also good to be back at home! There has to be something said for sleeping in your own comfy bed. :)

Rodeo

This week is "rodeo week" here. There has been so much hype and advertising for this week, so I had thought it was a "must do" event. So trying to take in different entertainment venues and do something different we got tickets to the rodeo last night. There was a lot of people there, for this small town - lots of people coming out of the woodworks for it. However, the rodeo itself was disappointing in the fact that it's performances were lacking. In ever different contest, probably only 3 people would score. Going to this rodeo after going to the Black Hills Stock Show made this a let down. Maybe if we had tried this rodeo first, we wouldn't have been as disappointed - who knows. However, it did prove to be another great people watching event.

Coming up in just a couple of days we get to see Tom Petty and Dave Matthews Band - definitely excited to see them as I have been looking forward to it for awhile now. Hopefully they turn out to be as great as I am expecting it to be!

Wii

We finally broke down and got ourselves a Wii. We have been thinking about it for awhile now, and friends and family members keep on telling us how amazing and fun it is. So of course, we had to find out for ourselves what all of the fuss is about. Definitely an expensive little toy, not just the system but it adds up when you buy all of the games and controllers to go with it. Last night we set it up and played the games on Wii Play. It is not like any other gaming system I've played. Any tiny movement really moves the controller a ways a way. Learning how to use the controllers will take some getting used to. Definitely made me think about the first time I played Mario. - It seemed that if you jumped slightly, Mario would too! Only now the controller really does take into account you moving all of the place - wow, technology has come along. I am looking forward to getting Wii Fit soon. Hopefully it will be great exercise, just something new and different to do instead of the same old thing at the gym!