Be Still My Drum-Like Beating Heart (Plain White T's, Part 2)

[author note: my wretched phone's camera sucks, so please forgive the terrible quality of the photos. boo.]

Finally, the date of the concert arrived. Colorado, along with two-thirds of the country, found itself suffering arctic cold and ice. The weather forecasters were calling for extreme subzero temperatures during the coming week. I was afraid that my date with PWTS would be cancelled. All day, I checked Twitter, sure the guys would post any cancellation news there first. It was Tim who finally posted a tweet about the cold Denver weather. I pounced on the tweet, asking if the band would be playing for sure. His response (yeah, he responded!) was, “Of course.” Yes! My date was still on! I waited impatiently for my hubby to come home and scarf dinner, so we could make the trek to Denver.

Stage Set

The concert opened with a band called Miggs, who were high-energy, pick-flicking bundles of fun. Their music was good, and I could see how they fit in on this tour. The next act was Parachute. I had heard of Parachute, and realized as they played that I had heard their music without knowing the band’s name. They were great – we loved the combination of piano-guitar-drums-bass-sax, and the vocals were amazing. The songs were fabulous.

Parachute

More Parachute

Finally, it was time. I had finagled my way as near to the stage as possible – about four people separated me from the T’s...although, all four people were taller than me, so that sucked. Still, I could see between their heads, so woo-hoo! They took the stage, the opening chords of “Irrational Anthem” blared through the speakers, and my heart filled with joy. There’s something about hearing music performed live, with passion and energy and love, that brings a connection to the artist and the music that a recording, however amazing it may be, lacks.

Tim (I took this for my kiddo; as a concession for not bringing him to see his favorite band,
I promised to take a picture of his favorite singer.)

The crew (my camera couldn't get them all in one shot)

The T’s played a combination of new and old music; I had been so obsessed with Wonders, I hadn’t bothered to check out any of their other music. Of course, I knew “Delilah”, "Hate" and “1, 2, 3, 4”, but the guys played some songs I had never heard before. They played “Boomerang”, “Welcome to Mystery”, “Last Breath” and “Cirque dans la rue” (one of my favorites) from Wonders. “Revenge”, “Radios in Heaven” and others rounded out the amazing range of this band’s talent. As my hubby, who hadn’t yet heard Wonders, with the exception of “Rhythm of Love”, put it, “I had no idea they were so much more than just a couple of guys with guitars!”

"Pledge allegiance; everybody stand up! This is our 'Irrational Anthem'!"

So, after the guys played “Our Song”, Tim said he was going to play “his song”. I had seen interviews with Tim in which he talked about writing “Rhythm” for an ex-girlfriend. Tonight, “his song” turned out to be a song called “Sunlight”, which he had written for his ex-wife. Tim said, seemingly abashed for some reason, that “she pretty much ruined my life.” He commented that he had written the song during some dark days, but that, even though things weren’t going well, he had written the song from a hopeful perspective. And then he played. Now, I’m probably biased, since Tim is my favorite T (although I dig them all), but listening to the song turned my admiration for ‘Bropez’ into full-on awe. He’s shied away from singing lead vocals until “Rhythm,” and on this tour, the T’s decided to put a few more lead vox on his shoulders. Brilliant. The song is beautiful, the lyrics heart-wrenching in their soul-baring honesty; his performance was authentic, and surprisingly tender, given the circumstances under which he wrote the song.

This is actually during 'Rhythm of Love'.

Another cool moment: the band left the stage near the end of the concert, and the stage lights went out. Suddenly, Tom was on a platform behind us, in the middle of the theater. He played a stripped down rendition of “Delilah”, and we all sang along with him. It’s pretty incredible to hear a theater-full of people singing a song together, accompanied only by an acoustic guitar. Tom made his way back to the stage, and the rest of the T’s joined him to close out the show with “Wonders of the Younger”.

'Hey There Delilah'

And that was it. Although we had been there for hours, and the T’s had certainly delivered, playing a ton of music, I still felt bereft. They hadn’t played “Body Parts”, which is my favorite song on Wonders. They hadn’t played “Map of the World”. They couldn’t be done!

They were. Once the urge to weep had passed, and we were on our way home, I realized that I had witnessed something only those who attend live performances witness: artistic greatness. Plain White T’s had been firmly entrenched in my musical heart. These guys, all five of them, are stellar performers who perform full-out, with energy and heart.