i want to rock your gypsy soul

almost everything about this weekend was perfect. the weather was great (80 and sunny on saturday; a little cooler and still sunny on sunday), i found myself able to read my map with very little problems, i was able to figure out how to take BART and buses okay - oh, and yeah, the swell season was AMAZING. but before i get to that, i just have to say that i LOVE san francisco. what a great city. on saturday, i spent the day walking around downtown, north beach, and golden gate park. it was great - i saw city lights bookstore, the bar where dylan thomas and jack kerouac used to hang out, coit tower (with it's incredible views), the windy part of lombard street, haight-ashbury. on sunday, i went to the modern art museum - which i really enjoyed. there was a really cool exhibit by a photographer who took pictures of a place called 29 palms, where people in the army go to train before being deployed to iraq or afghanistan. i also ate at some really good restaraunts - a japanese place in downtown oakland and a chinese restaraunt in chinatown (i guess i had a lot of asian food).

so, the concert. where to start? first thing, glen hansard came out by himself and played say it to me now without using a microphone. my god, his voice is amazing - it totally just echoed through the theatre (i wish i had taken some pictures inside; it was beautiful). this is also when i noticed that the person the girls beside me had been freaking out about seeing ("like, oh my god, i can't believe he's here!") was ben stiller.

after say it to me now, marketa came out and they played a frames song, your face. now i was completely in heaven, because i wasn't expecting this. But if you try again I'll fall
And if you want to save it all
Then all you have to do is give
Give me that look again
Give me that look
in the middle of the song, glen said it's about "making mix tapes for your mate" and then he started singing another song that i missed (but it must have been funny because he laughed and said that was definately never on his tapes) and lost his place. but he found it and finished the song.

this is where i lost track of the setlist. i know that those were the first two songs, but i don't remember the rest of the order. so i'll just list some highlights.

two new songs! these were awesome. the first one had glen singing and marketa playing piano. it was called, i think, your love makes me cheerful. i don't really remember the lyrics, but i do remember that the chorus had some really awesome singing by mr. hansard. (god, i love him. he might give ed vedder a run for the money in the "megan's favorite singer" race).

the 2nd new song was one that marketa sang. this was the first time she spoke i think, and she just started with "hello," and everyone applauded. i also noticed that she had a new guitar - during other shows, she has always played glen's guitar. (i think.. not that i've seen every show). this was also a great song and after it was over, glen said that he wished they could keep playing it over and over. aww... i hope they play these two songs in seattle (on wednesday!!) so i can hear them again without the "oh my gosh, these are new songs!" excitement.

true wow. totally in awe over this one. i know that i've posted videos of this song before because i absolutely love it. this is a frames song from their latest album. on the record, there is a woman singing over glen's voice at the end - it kind of reminds me of the postal service song with ben gibbard and jenny lewis, if you know that one. the woman who sings on the song isn't credited in the album, and i assume that it's marketa, but really don't know. so during the song i was wondering if she would take the backing part, and she did. i wish her vocals had been louder, but it was still brilliant.
I built a wall
I cut you off
Now there's no lies
That's gonna fix this up

what happens when the heart just stops this is another frames song that glen played by himself. before this song, he usually tells a story about a dog who lived in his neighborhood when he was a kid and used to sit in the same spot day after day waiting for something. this time, glen kind of rambled on (and i don't mean that in a bad way.. like eddie vedder, i kind of enjoy hearing glen tell stories on stage) about how your heart and your head are rarely in sync.

fitzcarraldo another frames song (wow, i didn't realize how many frames songs they played). i guess this would kind of be a defining frames song, in the same way that corduroy is a defining pearl jam song. they didn't play this song last time they were in seattle, although i've seen videos of it on youtube, and looked forward to seeing them do it because i really enjoy marketa's piano playing on it.

almost all the members of the frames were there (minus the drummer.. but who needs a drummer anyway? haha... just kidding). i read on the frames website that colm has a solo record coming out sometime soon. that might be interesting - he played a little violin solo that was beautiful. joe sang christmas time in the mountains, which for some reason, makes me cry every time i hear it (kristine, i dare you not to cry if he sings it on wednesday. it's gorgeous).

i bought a canvas bag that says "swell season" in big block letters and has outlines of glen and marketa from the once poster on the back. (can you ever have too many canvas bags?? i think not). there were also t-shirts that said "swell season" on the front and "fair play to those who dare to dream" (from marketa's oscar speech) on the back.

they played for almost two hours. but really, time went by in a flash. that's how i really know it's a great concert - whether or not i look at my watch and find myself thinking about all the things i have to get done.