NeedToBreathe left me breathless

Last Thursday I was in musical blissdom as I got to see/hear NeedToBreathe live at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland. I hadn't been to a concert in several years, which is quite a sin. But you know what happens to me? I always find out about the artists I want to see two days after they've been in my area. Thank Jesus for my friend Brittany, who told me about the NeedToBreathe concert a week before it happened. I was able to snag a ticket and a ride.

The concert did not have reserved seating, which basically meant everybody went crazy trying to get near the stage. We scored a pretty decent spot, but I still struggled to see the band, as I had left my stilts at home. While we were waiting for the show to start we (me, Brittany, and her husband) came up with the idea of collapsible heels or a collapsible step-stool that can easy be folded up and stored in a purse. If I had just been six inches taller at the concert, I would have been able to keep my nose out of that plaid-shirted man's armpits. He was standing in front of me the whole time, which I did not really appreciate.

Besides wishing I had brought along a ladder, I also wished I had brought ear plugs, because apparently I have sensory issues like an autistic child and loud noises cause me pain. I have acute hearing, and even though I loved the sounds that were coming out of the speakers, it was too much for me. You can make fun of me and call me an old lady, but you are the one who will be deaf in thirty-five years while I am still able to hear the sound of a dog whistle.

While we are on the topic of sensory overload, I'll just go ahead and tell you that I can't stand bright lights either. Bright lights to me probably mean normal lights to you, because I am the one who wears sunglasses on a cloudy day and installed a dimmer switch in the bathroom. There's nothing worse than starting your day getting ready in a fluorescent lit bathroom. I prefer the cave-like atmosphere of shadows and darkness, which probably explains my poor make-up application.

Ooooh, lights.

But back to NeedToBreathe. I about passed out when I saw the backdrop for the tour. It was beautiful and ingenious and I need to figure out who designed it, because if it was a man, I need to marry him. It was this giant set of typewriter keys that lit up different patterns and colors. If you know me well (or just marginally) then you know that I adore typewriters. My heart beats a little quicker when I just look at them. You can imagine my elation when I got to stare at a forty foot long typewriter replica for two hours. I left that ballroom wanting nothing more than to have my very own giant typewriter installed on a wall in my living room.

I didn't take this photo. I did not have that good of view. I was able to see the letter Y, and that was about it.

For your ears

If you were hoping for a blog to keep you up to date with fresh, newly released music, this isn't it. Here are three songs that you probably have already heard. I currently have them stuck on re-play in my head.

Slumber by Need to Breathe. Released June 2011. I fell in love with this song the very first time I heard it on the radio. It sounded a lot like this one worship musician who used to sing at the church I went to during college. I was wondering if he finally made it big, but checked on-line and discovered it was actually sung by Need to Breathe. I did not attend church with Need to Breathe during college, but still.
Listen to the song here.

If I Die Young by The Band Perry. Released October 2010. So I'm super late on picking up this one, I know. I normally do not listen to country, and this is a rather country song, so of course I didn't hear it 'till it hit mainstream radio.
Listen to the song here.

Tired of Being Sorry by Enrique Iglesias. Released September 2007. Of course I have heard of Enrique Iglesias, and yes I was listening to music in the year 2007. However, this song got stuck in my head because it's what Heidi played in her car on the way up to Opal Creek on Tuesday. I heard it about six times.
Conversation
Me: Do you listen to Enrique to help you fall asleep at night?
Heidi: No, never.
Me: Then when do you listen to him?
Heidi: When I'm feelin' sexy and wiiild!
Me: Oh, well then.
Listen to the song here.

When Chandeliers Break and Heaven Falls

I kept thinking about this, about how I could forge Beautifully Broken and Crescendo together. When a chandelier meets a music note, I wondered, what happens? And what does this have to do with me? And where does God fit into this? Sadly, most people who write poetry on blogs run the risk of sounding like a sappy goon. But I figured it didn’t really matter. 

When Chandeliers Break and Heaven Falls

I’m in a room where the ceiling is lifted

It’s lifted so high it seems like heaven falls

Down around me.

I see marble pillars, gold, and velvet

The floor below is black and white.

We’re all chandeliers

Suspended in the air

Made of crystal glass

Refracting rainbow light.

I am a chandelier

Hanging above this ball room.

Below the music plays.

The notes echo

The tempo quickens

I can feel it reverberate in

My soul.

Adagio, Legato, Staccato

I listen to the measures.

I am waiting for

                                        o

                     d

                 n

              e

            c

         s

      e

    r

C

The moment that takes them all.

When the burst of music blooms

When the rumble fills the room

It seems like heaven falls.

I forget

I’m made of glass.

I love the sound of crescendo

But it does something to me

That changes me.

Fortissimo!

I shatter

I fall.

Ten-thousand sparkling bits

Lying broken on the floor

Waiting for Him.

Waiting for Him to sweep me up.

Crescendo

¹cre·scen·do  noun  \krə-ˈshen-(ˌ)dō   the peak of a gradual increase

 As the cold November rain falls outside my window, as it hits the pavement in my driveway, I think to myself, "I need my life's crescendo to be here." Because my life's been a piece that's been played way too slowly and way too softly. I want that excitement of a crescendo. The anticipation is killing me.

There's nothing like the drums beating loudly, the piano echoing through the room, and all of the strings playing at once. It's a burst of beauty. You cannot describe crescendo accurately with words, because there is something that happens inside your heart when you hear it. But the more I think about it, the more I think "what happens after the crescendo?" Usually after the peak, things start to slow down and soften again. And then it ends on a coda.

I'm not sure crescendo is the right thing at this moment. It will be lovely and beautiful when it happens, but maybe I still need to practice for it. A bit of more time spent reading the music, you know? But I'm ready to move forward, past these measures I've been stuck on. This is where the tempo quickens. I can hear the metronome ticking. I'm going to start playing faster now. And louder. The 24th measure has been completed.

The crescendo has been composed, I know. It has been written. I'm getting there. I guess I just need to keep listening.

The Honey Trees

I just love the settings and the gorgeous styling done in this music video by The Honey Trees. The song is called To Be With You. My favorite prop is the glowing tent. I also am now craving a vintage suitcase to carry around with me. Though instead of toting a guitar on the other arm, I'd probably be lugging around an old Royal typewriter.

Love the ending.