Peace to Xavier

"Australian-Canadian Xavier Rudd... is a new kind of folk musician, one who reaches from guitar to didgeridoo and djembe to express the sense of intricate lyrics. Add the stomping of his foot and you've got a one-man band for the modern age." -Ann Arbor NewsIt's better than a hangover, I feel like crap, look like crap, but ain't sick. I'm just running on EMPTY since I only got 2 hours sleep in the passenger seat of Matt's truck as we trekked home from Nashville this morning. We had the boys packed up and sleeping in the cab with us, and we were both bleary eyed and dileriously tired, but another one of my Life's Must See Artists list checked off- Xavier! He wasn't coming to Atlanta on his US tour and I missed him at Bonnaroo last year, so we had to drive 5 hours to see him at the Exit/In in the N'ville.

Matt is a real trooper, that man really loves me! We left the house yesterday at 2:30, after working and school. Drove to Nashville which took longer than I thought with me driving and him reading (I hate driving on the interstates!). Didn't realize when we got there that the time change set everything back for an hour so we stood in line outside the venue with the die-hards (read-most likely already drunk people, hard core fans-one girl had a blanket wrapped around her) at 18* wondering why they weren't opening the doors at 8:30 when our tickets said 8pm. It was a sold out show and we were laughing about how empty the parking lot was, then we realized it was only 7:30! Duh! We had been in a hurry for hours to get there, only to find we had an hour to spare. THEN once we got inside it was another hour before the opener- Mishka came out. He was good, but a little boring, most of his songs sounded the same. We were so tired at this point, but we were in the second row of the general admission, standing room only show and I was determined to stick it through. After all we did drive 5 hours to be there, and I had been dreaming of seeing Xavier live for 5 years.

World Cafe with David Dyle is one of my favorite radio shows, David and I have the exact same taste in music it seems! In Alaska he was on at 6pm, which was generally my drive home up the mountainside. I was recently separated and feeling alone and looking for ways to find my new Independence which meant I was looking for new music (my ex hated all my music). David Dyle gets excited about his guests that he particularly likes, which always makes me turn up the radio to listen closer. He was so excited to have this new found artist on - Xavier Rudd, a one man band. I was curious as I had never heard of diggeroos or of a one man band other than Bert in Mary Poppins! He played "Let Me Be" and "Shelter" and I was hooked, I couldn't believe he was playing all that sound himself and the lyrics were so soft, serious and fun all at the same time. I actually turned around down the street from my house and went back to town determined to find this CD. I visited all 3 of my favorite music stores in Anchorage, and ended up ordering the CD from Borders. I remember the girl that ordered it for me saying, "There's been a rush on this CD recently, I've never heard of him." I had to wait a few days to get Solace, but it was treasured. I never thought I'd get to see him live. It was in this period of my life that I began The List. The List of all that I want to accomplish in my life, which included the 'Concert List'. I started by flying to Seattle to see Lyle Lovett in concert at the Paramount one weekend, and then to see Pearl Jam at the Columbia Gorge another weekend. It was amazing, but money flew out the window, but I was hooked. There is nothing like a live crazy crowd that LOVES an artist! When it's good, it's SO GOOD, but please don't come to a show to talk to your friends, it makes it really bad (a whole 'nother post!).

Then I moved to Atlanta, a gold mine of concerts and a zillion opportunities to check off my Life's list. I moved here in 2005 and I have seen live in concert:

-Wide Spread Panic

-The Fray (twice)

-Jewel (twice)

-David Gray (twice)

-Harry Connick Jr.

-Jaime Cullum (twice)

-Lyle Lovett (twice)

-Fiona Apple

-Damien Rice

-Bob Dylan

-Brandi Carlile

-Ben Lee (three times)

-Indigenous (twice)

-Melissa Ethridge

-KT Tunstall

-Amos Lee

-Ben Kweller

-Dave Matthews Band

-The Allman Brothers

-Death Cab for Cutie

-Gomez

-Matisyahu
-Toby Lightman

-Aimee Mann

-Vienna Teng

-Rufus Wainwright

-XAVIER RUDD

Bonnaroo 2006:

-Jackie Greene

-Beck

-Bonnie Raitt

-Tom Petty with Stevie Nicks

-Blues Travler

-Cat Power

-Elvis Costello

-Joan Osbourne

-David Ford

Wow! That's impressive and I was there! I am a concert junkie, this is true, I'm in rehab now (read-limited fundage for tickets). Talk about some money flying out the window, I don't even want to admit how much I spent- YIKES! I only have a few more to check off: Wynonna Judd, Neil Young, Jack Johnson, Martin Sexton, Paul Simon. I'd also LOVE to see Bette Midler and Madonna, but I don't think that will ever happen, but who knows! Now I'm just going back around and hoping to see them again, and I will keep adding to the List.

Usually I would of made Matt stick around to meet Xavier after the show, get a picture and have him sign my CD. But I was TIRED, like felt as though I might fall over or fall asleep, especially since I knew we had a trek home still. Matt drove, we slept at a rest stop, he drove some more while I slept, then I drove the last hour while he slept. Now we're both at work today. It was a truly inspiring show. I wish I was a better writer and could communicate better how great it was, but it rocked and was really cool. Enjoy the pictures from the show (Matt's a pretty good photographer), check out Xavier's site- if you like him, download the cd from itunes- less paper/plastic to manufacture that way. http://www.xavierrudd.com/