660 miles later...

that is the approximate distance i traveled this week. i saw 4 gomez shows in 3 days. one was just an in-store at waterloo records but, whatever, it totally counts. for the past couple of years, i've had a bit of a love/hate on-again-off-again relationship with gomez. it's hard for me to explain but i really started to question my love for them. i wondered if maybe i was just hanging on to the great memories that i've made with all the amazing friends that i've met along the way. i know that part of it was due to the fact that they took a much deserved hiatus from touring. finally, after nearly 2 years, i saw them a few times during sxsw. i had fun but wasn't super impressed but i was still all about driving around texas to see them because i'm a sucker. and i am SO glad i did!

the show at stubb's totally blew my mind. at first i thought maybe it was just me, like i was searching for something to grab onto. then i realized that everyone else there was having their minds blown too. i knew it was the best show i had seen in a LONG time. everything just clicked together perfectly. the music was flawless, the energy between the band and the crowd was unbelievably high and the guys really seemed to be enjoying themselves more than ever. after the show the band was in agreement that it was one of the best shows they've had in years. the term "triple dicked" was used to describe what they had done to the crowd. haha! who knows why exactly it happened but i am so glad it did and so glad that i was there.

the next day bonnie and i headed to houston. i knew that the show in houston wouldn't have quite the same vibe that the austin show did but i was still really looking forward to it because my dear friend sarah was coming with us. the crowd was kind of meh but the show was still lots of fun. they all seemed to be in high spirits again (or still) and that really rubs off on me. i thought of a new term for when they're all getting along really well and goofing around on stage: bromez. haha don't ask! my big complaint was that EVERYONE in the front row was acting like the band was some sort of zoo exhibit. i've never seen so many people taking pictures of them before. and the stage wasn't very elevated or separated from the crowd by anything so it all seemed pretty awkward for the guys. i managed to sneek in 3 pictures that i really wanted without being awkward or annoying. seriously, y'all, the cougar next to me must have taken 500 pictures with her phone. it was ridiculous!

the drive to dallas was a bit tedious but when we were about an hour outside of dallas we were able to pick up 93.3 out of dallas where ben, ian, and olly were doing an in-studio performance and interview. it was hysterical! it definitely helped perk me up for the rest of the drive. when we finally got to the hotel we just relaxed in the room for a few hours before heading down to dinner. during our meal a massive storm rolled into town. i'm talking HUGE! it was crazy windy for a while and then the sky opened up and dumped buckets and buckets of rain. there was also a tornado warning. after an hour or so it stopped and we were able to leave the hotel bar. the hotel had a shuttle that took us to the house of blues for free. it would have been great if the driver hadn't been a total creepo. as soon as we got in the van he said, "if i get dui tonight you guys are responsible." what?! we're taking the hotel shuttle so we don't have to be responsible!

the show in dallas was pretty fun. we had a lot of friendly people around us which was awesome. when it was over i was a little bummed because i realized that i was going to have to go home the next day and resume my normal, boring life. it was totally worth all the money and time. in fact, in the middle of that trip i went ahead and booked another trip to see gomez play 2 nights at the fillmore in san francisco july 30 and 31. i've been wanting to see gomez at the fillmore for ages now. AND blind pilot is opening these shows. if you know me at all or have read my blog, you probably know that i really, really love blind pilot. and on top of all that, several of my great friends are going to be there so it was kind of a no-brainer. i can't wait!

thank you, gomez, for renewing the spark.

now, i will leave you with some pictures. all of my pictures are in this flickr set but here are a few of my favorites:

the setlists from all 3 nights

left to right stubb's-austin, warehouse live-houston, house of blues-dallas

olly playing his iphone during bone tired. ian and olly both play some sort of musical apps during this song, it's pretty fascinating to watch!

i would really love this picture if blackie was visible in it

ben playing an alarm clock at the end of natural reaction

i had to crop this one because some tall cougar was standing in front of me and her head got in the frame

i have lots of pictures of ben from this trip but i really love this one. it's a combo of the fact that i manged to catch ben belting it out, the warm lighting that compliments the color of the guitar and ben's shirt, and little tom in the background. i just love it!

ian during ruff stuff

meghan calls this one ben's sassy pose...hehe!