A Year In The Meadowlands

Turn away G-ra. Turn away Harpoon and Biffy...

It was all going to be so grand, a tremendous reunion, to see each other to be sure, but also to go see one of the few times The Wrens played a show, and it was here in Seattle. As the days drew on, it became clear that it wasn't going to happen. Greta and Chris have a bookstore that must keep operating even if The Wrens do decide to leave New Jersey. And then Bif drops on me that she will be visiting The OC for her sister's baby shower on that weekend.

Sometimes it's difficult to get people rounded up to see a show, be it work schedules or just mustering the desire to see a band you know nothing about, so I was completely prepared for a solo outing to the Crocodile; especially when further news of schedule conflicts began to pour in. I was not going to be deterred, this was going to happen.

See, the December before last, we got a message from C&G that essentially just said - We just saw The Wrens in San Francisco and it turns out they are playing in Seattle, do yourselves a favor and see them. That was it, like a tip off to take pretty damn seriously, a surprise gift of a letter in the mail. So go we did, not knowing song one or frankly anything about the band. From the get go I was knocked out, one of those rare concert moments where you leave your body and swim the divine confidence and showmanship of a rockin' band.

Thankfully, Nikki 2 K's decided to brave the miserable Sunday to come with a 6am start time to the job after a late night out drinking whisky so I was not left alone. It’s a tough decision, I know.

They hit the stage, reminding me of my brother-in-law Rog and people that he would hang out with, which ultimately made me love them that much more somehow. "This Boy's Exhausted" started out all quiet and sedate, but when Kev jumped in, just when the lyrics said that he would, they were off on a rocking tear. It was at that moment that familiar feeling hit, the one that I run to concerts looking for, that floating feeling of right place, right fucking time. I become emotionally overloaded by the connection to the music and release usually through giddy laughter or overwhelmed tears.

I missed the sound of Chris and Bif laughing, I missed Greta May turning back to me with a crazed smile and those same tears in her eyes, there was an aching somewhere within me that I couldn't even begin to think about how to reach it. And just at that moment, unasked, Nikki threw his arm around me and kissed my cheek. I was home; family members far away, but damn it, I was home.

I dove in completely. It was one of those rare nights where my mind was nowhere except with the band. Knowing the songs this go around created a fairly different experience, seeing how they were messing around with their songs, but a no less powerful one. Kevin's primal scream in "This Is Not What You Had Planned" picked me up, the closing of the show with "She Sends Kisses" floated me on out into the city streets with a contentment that his hard to find.

Thank you Wrens for coming to my part of the world. Thank you Nikki and Sarah for coming out to see a band you knew nothing about.