To see Gomez live is to love them....

I had planned to post something before I went to Chicago, but I just ran out of time. Between the Red Sox making the post season and getting ready to go (along with trying to calm a gazillion nerves), I just couldn't take the time to blog.

I just got home about 45 minutes ago, and I still feel like I was in a dream. If that's the case, I'd like to never wake up, thankyouverymuch. Many other die-hard Gomez fans have said that they didn't really become a die-hard fan until they saw the band live and I can totally understand that now.

At first, I was right up front for the show, however, I started to feel faint and like I was going to pass out. I didn't want to leave because Gomez hadn't come on yet. I also didn't want to have to be picked up off the floor, so I pushed through a ton of people to get out of the pit in front of the stage and I went to the bar and got some ice water. I found a place to sit down that happened to have a perfect view of the stage and I sipped the water until I felt better. I thought about going back to the pit, but I didn't want to piss off a bunch of people by pushing my way back through them all.

The first set of the show was the entirety of their first album, Bring it On, in order. They started with the song "Get Miles" which is an amazing song to start any show. I've listened to dozens of Gomez live shows and I think it is their best song to start a show. The crowd wasn't feeling it the way the Gomez board members were, but it was really good. A waitress came by and asked me if I wanted a drink. I ordered a kamikaze. She brought me something else, but I was too thirsty to notice (it was absolut citron and soda). She came back with the actual kamikaze which I didn't have to pay for. By this point, the second song was on, Whippin Piccadilly and the crowd got more into it. People were dancing and had loosened up.

By the time Here Comes the Breeze came up (song number 6), the crowd was completely in sync with the band and they played that song for at least 10 minutes. It was amazing, and the best live version I had ever heard of that song (which is saying a lot because before yesterday it was my favorite of their songs I had heard in live recordings). I was completely blown away. I didn't think the song would ever end, and I didn't want it to. I was on my feet, loosened up by the alcohol and dancing. The song was perfect.

I could go through, song by song, suffice it to say that they played for a long time and it was brilliant. The encore/second set was two new songs and several songs from other albums. I was on my feet dancing for every song I knew. The new tracks are growing on me, but they are not quite as danceable as the ones I know by heart. I said to several people that I knew I could die now that I had seen them play. It was the best night of my life, watching them play.

After the concert, an afterparty was set up by a Chicago native/Gomez fan at a bar about a block from the theatre where the concert was held. I was so overwhelmed with emotion from the concert that I didn't have a lot to say to people, I just kept repeating over and over that it was amazing. I couldn't talk. I was still processing everything.

THEN, the band showed up at the party.

OMG.

I had known it was a possibility, but I didn't completely believe that it would actually happen. Instantly, I became the shyest person on the planet. I was slightly terrified that I would make a complete ass of myself so I thought it would be best to not say anything at all. I was sitting in a corner, by myself, just watching everyone. All of a sudden, the drummer, Olly, was walking towards me. He leans down and says, "So, I understand this was your first show" and he proceeds to sit down right next to me and talk to me for a good 15-20 minutes.

Me.

Alone.

What was the most awesome part of it was that it wasn't like he was just looking for someone to talk to him about how awesome he is (of course I told him that anyway) but he seemed to be genuinely interested in talking to ME. We talked some about the new album, the album producer, touring in the states. It was a wonderful conversation and I'm pretty sure I didn't make an ass of myself. He was extremely kind.

Newly emboldened, I got up after some other people came over to talk to Olly and I approached the rest of the band. Of course they hear it all the time, but I felt the need to tell them all how awesome the show was to me. Blackie, in particular, was very patient with me and let me go on a bit about how amazing his playing is. That guy really is the backbone of the band. Absolutely essential but little thought of. The bass player is always under-appreciated, in my opinion.

I got a picture with Ben that someone else took and will be sending to me soon. I didn't get any other pictures of the band because my camera on my cell phone is shitty and I also didn't want to ask them to pose for pictures. I'm glad I got the picture with Ben, though, so I can prove to the people at work that I actually did meet the band. I doubt they will believe me that I talked to Olly, but there were witnesses at the bar. I will never forget his kindness (and the kindness of the guy who told him it was my first Gomez show) and that's all that counts.