VickieVictoria

On Friday evening, I was reminded of how nice it is to hear someone tell you that you’ve been missed. And to think that I heard it several times in one evening! HUZZAH!

I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t expecting an absolutely jam-packed Paradise on Friday. Chad’s CD release party was sure to draw a large crowd, but the throng of people crowded into the venue exceeded my expectations (no offense to the music man). When I wasn’t standing on the top tier of the balcony and looking with a happy, dazed expression over the crowd, however, I was running into familiar faces galore. There was hugging, the USA Today style of life updates (“Hi! I’m well – working, working and working, but I’m happy”) and whatnot. It’s always nice to see whose faces light up when you see them after an absence.

Two stood out above the others. It’s nice to be able to catch up with people who go beyond the quick update-byte and really ask about how life is going. In a crowded concert situation, it’s refreshing to have someone say, “Really?” or ask a more in-depth question.

Greg (who inspired the title of this blog post) and Patrick? Thank you for being wonderful.

But the big question: how was the show? It felt good to be there and Chad was visibly affected by the adulation coming at him from the crowd. The set was nicely balanced between songs off the new album, selections from “Used to Dream,” and the occasional old school throwback, including…”This Liminal Life.” Hot damn, I thought the Averi Avalon show in 2005 would be the last time I heard that one live. Needless to say, I unabashedly rocked out. And may have hollered my approval a couple of times. Yeeeeeeah.

I had to laugh, though, when “Let You Sleep” was performed (it would seem that “Let You Sleep” is the new “Flutter” – ahem). I looked at Nicole and laughed.

“Just think,” I said over the chorus, “about the fact that the New Kids are back. Can you imagine that would have resulted, had he decided to go with ‘Tonight’ for a title?”

I’m just sayin, is all.