alt-J in Maryland Heights MO or First Concert Alone in Eleven Years…
alt-J is my new favorite band. I really wanted to see them live, so I was like, “Screw it, Ill go by myself.” Two Fridays ago I jumped in my car and drove 4.5 hours to Maryland Heights, MO, right outside St. Louis. Got a hotel, and headed to the casino. The show was in an amphitheater about a mile from the casino. Not a gambler, but I went for dinner. Took a shuttle over to the concert, got in the VIP entrance, and headed down to my seat right as Walk the Moon was finishing up. Damn, they put on a hell of a live show. Glad I caught them. And then, alt-J came on. After weeks of hyping myself up for the show, it was finally time.
The set list:
- Something Good
- Every Other Freckle
- Left Hand Free
- Bloodflood
- Bloodflood pt. 2
- Dissolve Me
- Matilda
- Interlude I (Ripe and Ruin)
- Tessalate
- Fitzpleasure
Encore:
- Hunger of the Pine
- Warm Foothills
- Taro
- Breezeblocks
To say they were amazing would be cliche and overdone. They were…alt-J. It was a warm September night, high 80s. A breeze whispering through the open air venue, making the temperature the perfect shade of relaxing. The light show was pulsating and electric, but chill at the same time. The crowd was happy and young, with pockets of older people in a sea of youth. Colorful and hip. The keyboardist had a highball in his hand and the bass player’s hair was a mess, but in a super cool way. I liked how they got their most popular song out of the way early so that we could enjoy the really good stuff without being bothered by “Left Hand Free.” Not that it is a bad song, but it is so different from their other songs that it seems to have been written for radio, as an interview in “The Guardian” may confirm.
It was so worth the drive. This was only my second concert by myself. I don’t count the first one, because I knew some people that were there. This outing I was straight up ALONE and had a great time. After the show, I jumped on the shuttle bus and got back to the casino. Grabbed a beer and did a lap around the gaming floor. I really like to people watch at casinos and this one did not disappoint. It was a nice place and had some friendly people as well. Didn’t meet a mean or angry person all night. I ended up sitting outside with a guy named Don talking philosophy until 3 am.
I like living this way. Just going with the flow and meeting random people, interacting with life spontaneously. I miss that. I’ve become a robot tied to my planner. But for one warm September evening in St. Louis, I was free. I intend on making more solo trips. I really want to head out to Yellowstone and the Rockies for a solo photography trip. I don’t know, maybe this will turn into a solo travel series. Dang, did I just have a sweet ass idea for something?! I think I did…until next time.
(photo by J. Thomas)
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Originally published at www.tappingthehungerforanauthenticlife.com on September 28, 2015.
