Odds and Ends

While I've been working on my wedding recap posts, some cool things have been happening around these here parts...you know, besides the grand entrance of my niece. Spring has ushered in some desperately needed good news, mostly beautiful weather, and happy times. The chaos of the NBA playoffs, car trouble, and a hectic work schedule have been balanced nicely by leisurely strolls on the canal, trying new restaurants, and the return of Game of Thrones. What follows are some of the highlights because bloggers gonna blog.

++ Wheat and I scratched something off my music bucket list two weekends ago when we saw Mumford & Sons at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. In a few words, they were phenomenal. Marcus Mumford's voice is truly heaven-sent and even though I didn't know most of the music from their new album, I was still completely enthralled by it. I was blown away by their energy throughout the show and we both thought the live experience added something to songs that we'd previously thought were only okay.

They're so good the stage caught on fire.

At one point, Marcus actually ran through the crowd to the opposite side of the area and still sounded just like he does on the record. He also stopped on his way back to the stage to dance with the fans for a bit. He switched seamlessly between guitar and drums as the band played a nice mix of their newer, "plugged-in" music and several of our old folksy favorites. It was honestly one of the best concerts I've ever seen.

Blake Mills opened the show nicely and came out to play with Mumford on several songs throughout their set. Toward the end of the show, the four original members of the band made their way to a small stage much closer to us to play two acoustic songs around one microphone. It was incredible. At this point, Marcus also sang a bit of Justin Bieber's "Where Are You Now?" which was just as hilarious as you'd imagine. Check out this video I found of it on YouTube:



It also happened to be the last show on this leg of their American tour, so they decided to have a little fun and call a fan on stage to sing AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long." The guy, dressed in a Reds jersey no less, didn't have a great voice, but made up for it with his ridiculous energy and excitement. He also changed the lyrics from "knocking me out with those American thighs" to "Kentucky thighs," so you know they chose a winner. Here was the setlist:

Snake Eyes
Believe
Below My Feet
Wilder Mind
Lover of the Light
Tompkins Square Park
Broken Crown (with Blake Mills and Stuart Johnson)
Ghosts That We Knew
Awake My Soul (with Blake Mills and Stuart Johnson)
Fool You've Landed (with Blake Mills and Stuart Johnson)
The Cave
Little Lion Man
Ditmas
Dust Bowl Dance

Reminder
Cold Arms

Hot Gates (with Blake Mills)
I'm on Fire (with Blake Mills) - Bruce Springsteen cover
You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC cover (sang by random fan)
I Will Wait
The Wolf

++ American Ninja Warrior filmed on the Circle in downtown Indianapolis for a couple nights. Wheat and I decided to fight the crazy crowds to get a glimpse of the action and I'm really glad we did. The line of hopeful contestants stretched around the Circle and it wasn't long before we weren't able to move in any direction. It was awesome to see the center of town shut down for such a cool event and we loved watching a few competitors try the course. We didn't stay for long, but we saw plenty of wipe-outs on the rolling log. You couldn't even pay me to try it. The Indianapolis episode airs on June 13th.

++ The Pacers were eliminated in Game 7 of their first-round series against the Toronto Raptors, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. It's bad because I want Wheat to have the opportunity to cover a team that makes deep playoff runs, but it's good because I'm selfish and I have my handsome husband back. Before they were eliminated, I had the opportunity to attend two playoff games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse - a 101-85 loss in Game 3 and a 101-83 victory in Game 6. I'm sure this goes without saying, but the atmosphere at a playoff game is totally different than the regular season. The excitement is palpable and I love being there to support our local team. There were no Drake sightings in Indianapolis, but I did get free t-shirts for the Gold Outs at both games.

My honorary Canadian heart swells with happiness for these guys.

Now that Wheat isn't jetting back and forth from Canada, I know I'll have plenty of cool things to blog about...and maybe, just maybe, I'll get the energy to finish my wedding posts.