Each day when I arrive at work, I get things started by checking my email, eating a bowl of grits, and checking various social media sites. It’s a routine that I have come to know well and perform with almost autopilot-like ease. That is, until today.
Today my inbox was filled with such exciting, glorious news, that I nearly forgot how to eat my grits (and I’ve eaten a lot of grits in my day). The news made my hands shake, my head spin, and my well-memorized Facebook password disappear from my little ol’ head.
The subject line was, “Young the Giant: North American Tour Announcement.” With eager anticipation, I opened the email with fingers crossed that they would be touring in a town near me. And, low and behold, THEY ARE!
I first hear Young the Giant’s “My Body” on the radio this spring and thought, “Hmmm. Catchy. They’re pretty great.”
Rain-drenched and loving it.
Then came ACL Fest. Young the Giant was playing a rather early set on Saturday afternoon. We were able to get close to the
stage with ample breathing and dancing room, a rare treat at a fest as packed as ACL. I didn’t know many songs, but song after song, I found myself digging the band more and more. Then came “My Body.”
The crowd was jumping up and down in time with the music. The band joined in, obviously feeling the love of the crowd. We were all dancing together, taking in one of those great, pure, music festival moments, when it happened: IT RAINED.
Depending where you live, this may sound like a music fest downer. But for those of us from Austin and the surrounding areas, who had gone months (seriously- months) without feeling the rain, it was magical. It seemed as if everyone danced a little harder and the band played a little louder. All it took for it to rain was a rain dance performed in unison by thousands of festival-goers.
With this being my first experience seeing the Young the Giant live, it’s hard to not hold a special spot for them in my heart. And I am already counting down the days until I’ll get to see the chance to see them again. If you haven’t given Young the Giant a chance yet, you better get started. With their tour starting in early February, you’ve still got plenty of time to brush up on their songs. Below is one my favorites, “I Got”, just to get you started.
While it will be hard to beat the magic of my ACL/Young the Giant experience, I’m certainly looking forward to giving it a shot. In the meantime, I think I’ll just eat to my grits, and keep the Young the Giant YouTube channel rolling on an infinite loop.
Full listing of dates for Young the Giant’s upcoming 2012 tour:
Feb 10 Soma San Diego, CA
Feb 15 Railto Theatre Tucson, AZ
Feb 16 The Crescent Ballroom Phoenix, AZ
Feb 18 Ogden Theatre Denver, CO
Feb 20 The Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
Feb 21 Rave Ballroom Milwaukee, WI
Feb 23 The Metro Chicago, IL
Feb 24 Madison Theater Covington, KY
Feb 25 Newport Music Hall Columbus, OH
Feb 26 Beachland Ballroom Cleveland, OH
Feb 28 Magic Stick Detroit, MI
Mar 01 Phoenix Concert Theatre Toronto, Canada
Mar 02 Ritual Ottawa, Canada
Mar 03 Cabaret Mile End Montreal, Canada
Mar 04 Le Cercle Quebec, Canada
Mar 06 Higher Ground South Burlington, VT
Mar 08 House of Blues Boston Boston, MA
Mar 09 Terminal 5 New York, NY
Mar 10 Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA
Mar 11 930 Club Washington, DC
Mar 15 Center Stage Atlanta, GA
Mar 18 Culture Room Fort Lauderdale, FL
Mar 20 The Parish @ House of Blues New Orleans, LA
Mar 22 Fitzgerald’s Houston, TX
Mar 23 The Prophet Bar Dallas, TX
Mar 24 Stubb’s Bar-B-Q Austin, TX
Mar 27 Cain’s Ballroom Tulsa, OK
Mar 29 The Gargoyle St Louis, MO
Mar 30 Midland Theatre Kansas City, MO
Mar 31 People’s Court Des Moines, IA
Apr 03 In the Venue Salt Lake City, UT
