The Swell Season...

Stenhammarsalen, November 10 2008.

"So plant a thought, and watch it grow.
Wind it up, and let it go."
(Lies)

<3...

How do I even begin to describe how I felt last night?
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How do you ever do justice to moments involving music strong enough to take hold of your rib cage and forcibly lift it up so you HAVE to inhale and exhale deeply?
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How can you convey when rapid cascades of chords and perfectly blended piano smash over you like ocean waves without harming a hair on your head, leaving you stirred and anxious but feeling perfectly safe and peaceful?
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How can two voices mesh so perfectly into the voice of one broken-but-mending heart? Without sounding hurt?
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How does one (Glen Hansard, specifically) get away with the metaphors "The mind is a little ticking computer, but the heart is a dancing fairy" and come off as brilliant?
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How is it that I ran through three years' worth of emotions in the course of three hours? Including tons of laughter? Little laughs and big laughs?
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How did they make me think of completely forgiving the person who broke my heart last, decide to accept the person who shows me too much closeness to the point of discomfort, suddenly remind me of a family member who is terminally ill (and who died while I was at the concert - Rest in Peace in Eternal Light, Uncle Yong, and thank you for the good times.), and decide to never try to be cool at the expense of my emotions again? *

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How do they play and sing in such a perfectly balanced way that I envision them as family rather than musicians?

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How come this is the first time that a man screaming out a song ever felt beautiful to me?
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How is it that I emerged 50 years older from having seen this concert, but felt ten years younger?

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How blessed am I to have seen and heard this anyway?

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Thank you Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - The Swell Season. For all the emotions.

And even more - thank you E, and sorry L, that I was allowed to take L's place in the audience. Get well soon, L!

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* Thereby explaining this post - I will not apologize for trying to laud the most beautiful experience I've had in a long time. And I'm happy.