by Liz Scott, Membership Administrative Assistant, XPN

I had a very memorable musical moment this past weekend when I saw Nickel Creek with Fiona Apple at the Mann Center. I’m used to being packed into standing room only venues where people walking around and talking constantly distract me from the music. The Mann Center provided a quiet, intimate setting where I sat and really concentrated on the stage, the performers’ banter, the intensity with which these musicians sang and played, and most memorable, the stand up bass player leaving his instrument to tap dance during a jam in the second set!

Nickel Creek played a few songs including one of my favorites, Reasons Why, when they introduced Fiona Apple on to the stage. I was curious to see how this combination would work -– a calm folk/bluegrass band playing with an intense rock star. The intense passion I felt from the stage shocked me. At once, Apple began singing one of her tunes, Extraordinary Machine, and started swinging her body around like a lunatic in a straitjacket. This was the first time I saw her perform live so I was not sure what to expect, but all the rumors I heard were true -– she is quite strange on stage. Fortunately, her style of dancing did not take away from her performance, instead it added to the overall feeling of the concert. All of these musicians were on stage, singing and playing passionately about life and love, and the happiness and frustration that comes along with the whole package. I was enlightened because these famous musicians feel the same way I do! We are all in the same boat! Their banter expressed the pleasure they received from singing, playing, and dancing together. Some of their songs were silly, and others were so real that I shivered.

This show and other concerts that I have seen recently have made me realize that I need some sort of distraction or escape from what makes me unhappy or sad. By “escaping” for even just a moment, I can to turn many things around into something positive for others and or myself. Seeing live music is my distraction - even though what I truly know and feel is all right there if I listen hard enough. I cannot think of anything better than these moments when I try to focus solely on the current moment: the passionate music pouring off the stage, the heart challenging dancing, and most importantly, experiencing groups of people in peaceful unison for once!

If these bands are ever to tour together again, I highly suggest attending a show. At the close of the concert, both acts performed Apple’s Criminal, bluegrass style. It was amazing to see her music from a different angle, happy, jumpy, but still full of her own intense passion. To encore, they played two old folk tunes, all standing in a close group formation – Apple and Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek) sang the last lyrics of the night, “When I get downnnn, I get high!” This is a perfect comparison to how I view my own life now. I cannot let myself feel down about what I have or what I do not have; I get back up and smile no matter what life throws at me.