It's a good thing I keep a listing of all the prosaic discoveries of my life, no? If I can refer you, dear reader, to my April 10th post in which I pronounce my new love for the band Rilo Kiley, you will see how quickly I have been lured into their sublime music (which ranges from uplifting to cuttingly bittersweet) as well as lead singer Jenny Lewis' sugary but substantial voice - which is just inescapable. Never in my life have I stumbled upon a new band, fallen in love, familiarized myself with roughly 90% of their repertoire, and then saw them live within the short span of two months.
But that is exactly what happened, and the culmination of that love was consummated with my attendance of their performance at the 9:30 Club on Saturday night. I find it only appropriate that my very gracious guest - the erstwhile Stumpy McNoleggs - also happened to have dropped into my life the very same day I first listened to "Portions For Foxes" and thought, Damn, this is some good music. Who can complain about good music and good company all in one night? Throw in the worn-in, slightly ragged but still lively atmosphere of the U Street Metro stop surroundings and you'll have possibly the three great loves of my youth. (The fourth - dirty, empty construction sites - comes later in the night.)
The 9:30 Club was packed, and for once in my college life I was at an event where there were more girls than boys. Rilo Kiley came on a little after 9:00 and broke right into their single, It's A Hit. I fell into it immediately, and I think from that point on the feeling just cemented that this was going to be one of those nights where you can only be happy - effusively, uncontrollably so. They hit on some of my favorite songs like Portions, Ripchord, and With Arms Oustretched, and it was especially great when guitarist Blake Sennett - who I think has a more charismatic stage presence than the slightly shy Lewis - switched up the feel with lead vocals on Ripchord and So Long. My only disappointment, ironically, was with Spectacular Views, which on the CD is nothing short of vibrant and breath-taking (listen to the lyrics and it's like seeing every natural formation of the earth - trees, cliffs, the ocean - unfold before your eyes), but fell flat and lost its vivacity and effervescence when rendered acoustically. Although the set ended a bit early for my taste (the blame likely falls with 9:30), they did leave us with a nod toward Pete Townsend with a cover of "Let My Love Open the Door" that got the whole crowd singing and clapping to the beat. I love that RK can project such a vibe of intimacy and coziness - if they ever do get really big, they need to harness and retain it. I hope they never do lose that touch.
The rest of the night was spent walking with Stumpy through D.C., primarily Dupont Circle and Georgetown. And I have to say - despite the fantastic weather, the polished sparkle of Georgetown and the Waterfront, the pulsating feel of DC on a Saturday night - it was all just a backdrop for conversation. Random conversations, good conversations, deep conversations, funny conversations, risky conversations. Are we ever going to return to Baltimore in our lives? What kinds of friendships do we treasure most? I love 24-hour CVS, and Stumpy has never been to the Waterfront. And there's the Arlington skyline right across the Potomac. It is a rare case for something to grow so well when you take it out of its structured context of familiarity. Walking, conversing, laughing, exhausting yourself - none of these things are new, but once in a while in the right settings, with the right people, you still get a rush, and very much so. The best thing about Saturday night is that whereas some may say that we didn't really do anything, I still think it's great to mine for so much pleasure out of just walking and talking.
And of course, I have not forgotten - my fourth love.
There is a small dirty construction site on K Street along the row of restaurants and shops. It seems like they had knocked down two of the buildings and dug out the foundations. It is just a giant hole in the ground, littered with two-by-fours and various pieces of machinery. It is cool because it is the only spot along all of K Street in Georgetown that is completely quiet, empty, and ignored on a Saturday night. You can see the sides of the buildings that surround the site - their brick walls probably hadn't seen light in years, or maybe in decades. Spectacular views, right?
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