Mother Monster Bellion.

A couple other awesome things have happened in the last month that I thought were deserving of their own post. Those awesome things were, of course, concerts.

The first one was last month - Jon Bellion at the Egyptian Room. Jenn and Kelly came to town for the event and, after an afternoon of eating and bar hopping on Mass Ave, we made our way to the Murat for the show.

I'm still not really sure how to define Jon Bellion's music. I guess I'd call it electronic hip hop, but the unique fusion of genres in his music explained the diversity of his opening acts. The show started with American Idol Season 14 runner-up Clark Beckham, who I actually got to meet a couple years ago. I'm a big fan of his voice and soulful, blues-y style, so it was the perfect way to kick off the show for me.

After Clark, two of Jon's collaborators came out to perform - Travis Mendes, a Brooklyn R&B singer, and Blaque Keyz, a rapper from Boston who gave the crowd his actual phone number if they wanted to talk to him. Whoa. The three of us had battled our way about halfway to the stage in a large standing-only room and I quickly realized I was easily one of the oldest people at the venue. Fortunately, I was able to dismiss that little detail once Jon came out and electrified the room.

My goodness. His stage presence was ridiculous - he danced like crazy, interacted with the crowd, beat-boxed, sang, and played the piano and electronic drum machine. Nearly everyone in the room sang the lyrics along with him and I truly can't remember the last time I saw a crowd that was so in tune with the artist performing. His set list consisted heavily of songs from his most recent album, The Human Condition, but he closed with an oldie that made the entire room explode.

He is the Same

Woodstock

All Time Low

Run Wild

Guillotine

80's Films

Human (with Jon's bus driver Sweet Pea on piano)

Woke the F*ck Up

Overwhelming

Maybe IDK

Luxury

iRobot

New York Soul, Pt. II

Hand of God

Jim Morrison

Last weekend, Wheat and I scratched an artist off my music bucket list when we bought tickets to see Lady Gaga at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Unfortunately, our tickets, which were in the stratosphere and rear stage seating, were pretty horrendous. From our vantage point, we couldn't see half of the stage and the sound was slightly muffled because the speakers were pointing away from us. But I have to say - despite all of that, Gaga absolutely slayed. Insert heart-eyed emoji.

You know an artist isn't messing around when they don't even bother with an opening act. Although she came onstage an hour and a half after the ticket time, she was nonstop energy from curtain up to curtain down. The show was a fast and furious two-hour blitz through her greatest hits:

Diamond Heart

A-Yo

Poker Face

Perfect Illusion

John Wayne

Scheiße

Alejandro

Just Dance

LoveGame

Telephone

Applause

Come to Mama

The Edge of Glory

Born This Way

Bloody Mary

Dancin' in Circles

Paparazzi

Angel Down

Joanne

Bad Romance

The Cure

Million Reasons

I can't even begin to guess how many costume changes there were, but every time she left the stage, I was anxious to see what she'd come out in next. As you'd expect, the show was a perfect balance of poppy dance music and heartfelt ballads that she performed on both the piano and guitar. A long bridge that descended from the ceiling connected the main stage with a circular secondary stage on the other side of the arena. She and her enthusiastic backup dancers somehow kept the entire crowd entertained.

Aside from her undeniable vocal talent (DUH!), I was really impressed by the love and appreciation she clearly has for her fans. She took time to honor a girl in the crowd who was suffering from cerebral palsy and dedicated "The Edge of Glory" to her. She also read aloud a fan letter that had been thrown onto the stage before jumping down to hug the girl who wrote it.

Though I already loved her, I came away from the concert with an even deeper appreciation for her as an artist and performer. All hail, Mother Monster.

What about you? Have you seen any good live shows lately?

One last post before Spain overload.

Much to my dismay, we're back from Spain and mostly settled into our groove of work, chores, and Eastern Standard Time. I'll save the details for my upcoming Spain posts, but our trip was wonderful. Despite being reminded how rusty I've gotten with my Spanish (so much for that Bachelor's Degree), I had an incredible time challenging myself and exploring the country I've learned so much about with Wheat and my parents. More to come on that later...

For now, I'm going to share a couple awesome things we've done in Indianapolis in the last month or so. Have I mentioned that this blog is essentially a glorified photo album?

First up, concerts!

Shortly before our Iberian adventure, we spent an evening with John Mayer (and 20,000 other people) at Klipsch. Dawes opened the show nicely, but I was only there for the main event. As always, John didn't disappoint. For those of you who haven't seen him live, I highly recommend it. He seamlessly weaves between so many genres of music - blues, pop, rock, country - and he's truly one of the best living guitarists. He also has such an extensive discography that you never know what he might play at a particular show. We were treated to the following awesome setlist:

Full Band

Helpless (with Rolling Stones' "Miss You")

Moving On and Getting Over (with Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You")

Something Like Olivia

Who Says

Why Georgia/No Such Thing

Acoustic

In Your Atmosphere

Comfortable

Free Fallin' (Tom Petty cover)

John Mayer Trio with Pino Palladino and Steve Jordan

Cross Road Blues (Robert Johnson cover)

Vultures

Who Did You Think I Was

Full Band

Queen of California

Rosie

In the Blood

Slow Dancing in a Burning Room (with Prince's "The Beautiful Ones")

Waiting on the Day

Waiting on the World to Change

Encore

Born and Raised

Gravity

Never on the Day You Leave 

We happened to be there on the closing night of the tour, so he threw in a couple bonus songs, said a few special (humorous) words, and rocked extra hard for us. He even played an entire guitar solo using drum sticks instead of his fingers. Ridiculous.

Our (probable) last outdoor concert of the year was this past weekend when we saw Counting Crows and Matchbox 20 at Klipsch. Wheat is a big fan of Rob Thomas and I'm absolutely blown away by the longevity of both bands' careers and the impressive number of hits they've churned out over the years.

Counting Crows

Round Here

Hard Candy

Dislocation

Colorblind

Good Time

Recovering the Satellites

Miami

Washington Square

Goodnight L.A.

A Long December

Mr. Jones

Hanginaround (with Rob Thomas!)

Palisades Park

Rain King

Matchbox 20

Real World

Girl Like That

She's So Mean

Bent

Downfall (with Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door")

If You're Gone

Hand Me Down

How Far We've Come

Disease

Mad Season

English Town

Hang

Unwell

Back 2 Good

Push

Don't You (Forget About Me) (Simple Minds cover)

3 A.M.

Long Day

Bright Lights

...and finally! Cabrewing on the Canal with Yelp! Indy.

I should have blogged about this before our trip because this is honestly one of the best memories I've made since living in Indianapolis. When Yelp first announced they were hosting a tubing event on the canal, I jumped on it with both feet...and it's a good thing I did because the event filled up in less than 24 hours!

Basically, for a $10 donation that went toward canal beautification, we were given tubes to float down the portion of the canal that's in our backyard. Oh, and they fed us along the way. It was an absolute dream for this Indy-loving heart of mine.

We signed up for the first of two sessions, got in line, and after an easy check-in process, received wristbands and tubes. The weather was perfect, music was blasting (from both DJs and a steel drum band), and the canal water was surprisingly refreshing. Any time that my feet would graze the bottom of the canal with its sludge and shrubbery, I would shriek and try to ignore what kind of trash has made its way down there (thankfully, shoes were required). We just leisurely floated along, admiring the views of the city and the canal while passing numerous food and drink vendors.

When all was said and done, we had yeast donuts from Jack's Donuts, miniature pizzas from Wise Apple, s'mores rice krispies from 240sweet, sugar cream pie from Wick's Pies, and freeze pops. There were plenty of drink options - sangria, margaritas, beer, wine, etc. - and a clown was making balloon animals for people. Somehow, I also nabbed a precious flamingo beverage boat, a frisbee, a pair of sunglasses, and a mini towel. Oh, and we were allowed to keep the tubes.

It was the absolute perfect way to spend a Sunday and I'm really hoping they decide to do the event again next year. As if I needed another reason to love Indy...

One day, I'll be a good blogger.

Oy vey.

Life has officially caught up with me, folks...and if I'm being honest, it hasn't all been good. I'll spare you the unfortunate details - because some of it isn't mine to share - but I've had a rough go of it lately. One thing I will share is that we lost my amazing Nana on July 11th, less than seven months after my Grandmom passed away. Understandably, going from having three grandparents to one in such a short period of time has been pretty awful. Both sides of my family are still reeling from the loss(es) and it's been a struggle to grieve so far away from them.

But true to form, I've been doing my absolute best to distract myself from the sadness and stress that have recently been threatening to overtake my psyche. I have filled Wheat's "off-season" calendar to the brim with plans and activities, trips and concerts, and basically anything outside of our apartment. We recently returned from a long weekend in Washington D.C., which I'll recap in another post, and have a big trip to Spain coming up next month.

Rather than write detailed posts about our recent fun, I'll let Instagram do the heavy lifting. I'm too tired to do it all myself.

//We spent an awesome weekend in Oxford as a reunion with my best friends from college. We hung out by the pool, ate at some of our favorite college haunts, and danced at Brick Street like it was 2010. I'll take any opportunity I can to drool over that gorgeous campus.

//We celebrated the 4th of July twice - once in Ohio with family, friends, and fireworks and again in Indianapolis. It was the best of both worlds because we watched fireworks explode over our adopted city skyline and the canal, but also got to hang out with my favorite little human.

//So many concerts. If there is one thing I've brought to Wheat's life, it is undoubtedly the gift of live music. In the last couple months, we've seen Third Eye Blind with Silversun Pickups (with Jenn and Paul), New Kids on the Block with Boyz II Men and Paula Abdul, Goo Goo Dolls with Phillip Phillips, The Chainsmokers with Pretty Lights and DNCE at 400 Fest, and Dashboard Confessional with The All-American Rejects. Oh yeah, and we met Ludacris at Indiana Grand Casino.

//We went to our first NASCAR race, the Brickyard 400. After an extended rain delay, we decided to leave early, so we didn't actually see Kasey Kahne cross the bricks first. Pro tip from a complete amateur: Bring earplugs to your next NASCAR event.

//Wheat celebrated his 29th birthday at The Oceanaire Seafood Room, where my personal highlight was a flaming Baked Alaska. I also took him to the Beach Waterpark for the first time because although he absolutely hates roller coasters, this boy can get down with some water slides. We even lucked into a couple free tickets for the zipline that goes over the massive wave pool.

//We spent a weekend in Memphis to visit with Wheat's parents and grandparents. As always, it was wonderful to see them and frankly, I'm on board with Memphis barbecue whenever possible.

That's not an exhaustive list, of course. We've explored both the Marion County and Indiana State fairs, where we ate ALL the fried foods (including a deep-fried PB&J), watched pig races and dog frisbee shows, and rode a 35-foot-high ski lift across the length of the fairgrounds. We've gone hiking at Fort Harrison State Park, screamed at Game of Thrones, and rolled our eyes when Rachel chose Bryan on The Bachelorette. We went to a minor league baseball game, loved Dunkirk and Baby Driver, ate at a heavy metal-themed burger joint, and played trivia. Best of all, Elizabeth asked me to be a bridesmaid in her (and my brother's) wedding.

So yeah, I'm exhausted. Mentally and physically. The good news? Tomorrow is Friday.

Happy Thoughts Thursday

I've found that Happy Thoughts Thursday posts are the perfect way for this disorganized blogger to pretend to have some kind of order in her life. Spoiler alert: I don't. Here goes!

+ Arizona weekend. I'm ashamed to admit this, but my sister has lived in Tucson for three years and I've yet to visit her. However, that all changes tonight when I set off for a long weekend of girl talk, wedding dress shopping, engagement photos, plenty of tacos, and general Southwest tourism. I cannot wait to finally meet her precious dog, Ollie, and Instagram the crap out of some cacti. Does anyone have any touristy suggestions or must do's while in Tucson?

+ My niece. I mean, is she kidding me with that face? Her bottom teeth are poking through, she has a little mullet going on in the back, and I'm basically worthless when she's around. Oh, and she's crawling now. How is it possible to be so in love with a person who can't even talk to you yet?

+ Pigs on the canal. Over the course of my time in Indy, I've seen some very strange things on the canal. Pacers players on segways, insanely dedicated Pokemon Go hunters, people sleeping in tents, tightrope walkers. But this week, I came across a Vietnamese potbelly pig that was being walked on a leash. His name was Hoggle and, like my childhood pet pig, he is a member of the family and lives inside their house. After talking with the owner for a bit, she informed me that earlier in the walk, a dog snapped at Hoggle, which scared him out of his harness, and he promptly jumped into the canal. I would have given almost anything to see him swimming around in the canal like those famous swimming pigs in the Bahamas.

+ Jack's Donuts. I have no data to back this up, but I think Indianapolis probably has the most donuts per capita of any city in the U.S. Between Long's Bakery, Rocket 88, General American Donut Company, Square Donuts, and the Dancing Donut, it seems that the sugary breakfast pastry market would be entirely over-saturated. However, Jack's Donuts just opened downtown (near the Circle) and I believe we've found a new go-to spot. Not only is this place open until midnight on the weekends, but the donuts are absolutely delicious. They even make them covered in Cookie Crisp and Fruity Pebbles because gluttony.

+ Valentine's Day. Wheat and I have an agreement that Valentine's Day shouldn't be a big event with lavish gifts and big plans. I know it's cheesy, but he really does make me feel cherished and special every single day of the year. So, our Valentine's Day consisted of dinner cooked at home, candy for him, and pink tulips for me. We also saw 50 Shades Darker because I'm a woman with hormones, a serious case of FOMO, and a crush on Jamie Dornan.

+ "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" by ZAYN and Taylor Swift. Speaking of 50 Shades, this song is a total banger. Can ZAYN do no wrong?



Did you do something special for Valentine's Day?
Have you forgiven ZAYN for what he did to One Direction?
What's making YOU happy this week?

Feed me that's all I ask of you.

No, your eyes do not deceive you. I'm actually blogging two days in a row. No need to send for help - everything's fine. I just finally have a bit of free time. At some point, I'll get back to my wedding posts, but for now, I'm trying to catch up with my life and all the cool things going on right now.

A couple weeks ago, Wheat helped me check another thing off my music bucket list when he took me to see The Phantom of the Opera at the Murat. Getting tickets for Christmas is the coolest thing ever because you suddenly remember months later that you get to do something awesome. Before the play, Wheat surprised me with a fancy dinner at The Capital Grille. I'd never heard of it before, but man - I'm now a fan for life.

The awesome waitress brought us a delicious, free bruschetta appetizer because it was our first time there. My main course, I kid you not, was last-meal material. I ordered the sliced filet mignon with cipollini onions and wild mushrooms and I was in taste bud heaven. The mushrooms and onions were so perfectly caramelized that it actually tasted like a dessert melting in my mouth. Don't even get me started on the steak. Wheat ordered the surf 'n turf (seared tenderloin and butter poached lobster tails) and we split the most incredible mashed potatoes I've ever had (with sweet cream already mixed in). The only thing more delicious was my view across the table.


We asked for a box for the leftover mashed potatoes and the waitress asked the chef to throw another scoop of them in for us. We decided we were too stuffed to order dessert, but the waitress had other plans and brought out a free dessert sampler, which included cheesecake, berries and cream, mango sorbet, and espresso cake. Guys, the words on the plate were written in chocolate. A blogger's dream. Needless to say, I'll be back.


Since we stayed longer than anticipated, we had to rush over to the Murat and quickly find our seats for the show. Although I'd never seen the live production, I've always counted the movie among my favorites and really love the music. The show, which starred Chris Mann (Christina Aguilera's finalist on Season 2 of The Voice) as the Phantom, surpassed my sky-high expectations. The set was incredible, transforming from ornate, 19th-century Parisian opera house to murky underground lair in seconds. The actors' voices were pitch perfect and the chandelier, which made its famous dramatic drop over the audience when the phantom commanded it to do so, startled me more than I care to admit.


Best of all, I got to watch the entire thing while holding hands with the Raoul to my Christine. Wheat knew very little about the plot heading into the play, so it was fun to watch him experience the story for the first time. He may or may not still be singing "Masquerade" daily. Am I the luckiest girl in the world or what?

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.

Music Bucket List

A few weeks ago, one of my favorite bloggers, Steph at Insert Classy Here, talked about scratching an item off her music bucket list. Suddenly, my imagination went wild with who I'd include on my own coveted list. Assuming that we can't resurrect anyone (hello, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Johnny Cash, and Ray Charles) and I can't include artists that I've already seen but would love to see again (hello, Michael Buble, John Mayer, The Rolling Stones, Maroon 5, Drake, and M83), here is my ultimate music bucket list:

- Mumford & Sons (Completed on April 24, 2016 and again on March 25, 2019): This one is pretty self-explanatory. Although I haven't listened to their new CD, Wilder Mind, I was infatuated with their previous two albums. I love their folksy vibe and complicated lyrics and Marcus Mumford's voice makes me melt. They're absolutely one of my contemporary favorites and I imagine the experience of seeing them live would be incredible.

- Led Zeppelin: If I could take my mom to any concert imaginable, I would absolutely choose her all-time favorite band, Led Zeppelin. Thanks to her, they've become a staple on my iPod. However, the band hasn't toured since drummer John Bonham died in 1980 and lead singer Robert Plant reportedly turned down an $800 million offer to reunite for a tour last year. In other words, it's not looking good for me...

- Elton John: When I think of my childhood favorites, four names instantly come to mind - Elvis, Madonna, Prince, and Elton. For years, I've been a staunch defender of Sir Elton in the eternal Elton John vs. Billy Joel debate and it'd be a dream come true to see him play the piano in-person and sing along with all of his hit songs. He's setting up shop in Vegas again this October for a brief residency, so if anyone is feeling really generous with their wedding gifts...

Via

- Tom Petty: How about this for a statement?: If you don't want to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers perform live, then I question not only your taste in music, but also you as a living, breathing human being. I imagine this would be the perfect summer concert when enjoyed on a blanket on the lawn with a big group of friends. Let's make it happen.

- Madonna: *see Elton John explanation* Seriously though, Madonna still performs. At the age of 56, she's crazy active on stage, channels her 25-year-old self with her dance moves, and has some of the greatest pop songs ever written in her repertoire. She was probably my first girl crush and remains one of my favorites to this day. All hail the queen.

- Lady Gaga (Completed on November 5, 2017): It only seems fitting to follow Madonna with Lady Gaga...and I don't mean the super relaxed tour with Tony Bennett, either. Perhaps unsurprisingly (given my love for Lady M), I really like Lady Gaga and think she's a very gifted entertainer, piano player, and vocalist. I love to imagine the intricate set, costume changes, and theatrics that probably comprise her live show. Plus, you know the people-watching in the crowd would be comedic gold.

- Jay-Z: Frankly, I'm shocked I haven't seen him yet. He's my favorite rapper of all-time, bar none, and I actually think he's a genius. I would have given one of my kidneys to see him and Kanye in the Watch the Throne Tour (seriously, the setlist almost makes me cry), but none of the dates or locations worked out. I didn't want to attend the On the Run Tour, which actually made a stop in Cincinnati, because I didn't want to sit through an entire Beyonce show. Has my girl card officially been revoked?

- A major music festival: Again, I'm shocked I haven't done this yet. I know it'll happen eventually - I'm just biding my time until the perfect lineup is announced. I did attend the Dave Matthews Band Caravan in Chicago a few years ago, where I saw DMB (x3), Kid Cudi, Ray LaMontagne, G. Love, David Gray, and Amos Lee among others, but I don't consider that a major music festival. I want to go to one of the classic, annual ones (Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, Coachella, etc.).

- Phantom of the Opera (Completed on May 10, 2016): I don't really think this counts, but when I think of live music experiences, I also consider musicals, symphonies, etc. Of all the incredible musicals I've seen over the years, The Phantom of the Opera has somehow eluded me...and it's about time I fix that. Aside from A Chorus Line, Phantom is probably my favorite musical ever, but I need to see it in-person to cement that. The beautiful music, the storyline, the heartache, ugh.

- Dave Matthews Band: Yeah, I'm cheating with this one, but I want to see Dave Matthews Band every single day for the rest of my life. I'll never get tired of the ever-changing setlist and I love guessing what I'll hear at every show. I'll keep seeing them live until they retire or die. Facts are facts.

I would also really love to see Sam Smith and Ellie Goulding, but didn't quite think they made the bucket list yet. Please tell me - who would be on your ultimate music bucket list?