Lonestar

Lady Antebellum

I went and saw Lady Antebellum and David Nail in concert.

(If you don't know David Nail, he sings: Red Light)

 

Have I ever mentioned that Lady A is one of my favorite bands EVER? Or that their song, Need You Now, is one of my top 5 favorite songs. I listen to it all the time, and take extreme delight in singing to it at the top of my lungs in the car.

David Nail

Lady Antebellum!

This is one smokin' hott piano. Katie (I didn't bring my camera so I stole Katie's pictures... THANKS!) couldn't get a good picture of it - the lights were kind of a major nuisance. It's red and there is beautiful gold detail, and then it says Lady Antebellum on it.

One of the major reasons I love Need You Know is because of the instrumentals. It is just incredible. Dave Haywood got on the piano, and chills went up my spine. This melody is one of my very favorite melodies of all time.

Seriously, incredible.



Kalai

Last week, I went to an informal concert featuring Kalai.

It was awesome. It was in Holliday, in the mountains. There is this little stage tucked up on a hiking path. The mountains surround you, and the sun set right behind the stage. It was a magical setting.

Kalai sings a song, On My Mind, and it is one of my all-time favorite songs. It is also featured in the new movie Johnny Lingo, which is one of my favorite movies (if you haven't seen it - GO SEE IT NOW! It is awesome, and the soundtrack is incredible. I bought it years ago. Also - if you've never seen the original Johnny Lingo, that is absolutely worth seeing as well. I'm still waiting for my Johnny Lingo to appear...).

As I was looking him up to link to this post, I read his bio. Because that is just how big of a fan I really am.

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Switch to my childhood in Anchorage, Alaska.

There was a family there, with a kid named Kaniela Ka Lei Ali’i ‘O’ Kalani Kala’i. My dad was close with him, as they were both in the Young Men’s. We grew up with that name on our lips, for the sheer… weirdness of it being a legit name. We’d practice saying it, fast and slow, over and over. After not hearing the name for YEARS, I can still say it. That is some hardcore memorization right there.

********************

Switch back to today, when I’m reading his bio. They have his name, Kalai, and say he was born some looong, complicated, apostrophized Hawaiin name. I skip over it. I can’t pronounce it, so why bother?

I read the rest of the bio, look over his songs, trying to find a download of On My Mind. Which, I couldn’t. Once I’ve decided I’ve officially wasted enough of my time, I go to close down my Kalai research.

As I’m closing down his bio window, I decide to say the name – just for kicks. See how I do.

“Kaniela Ka Lei Ali’i ‘O’ Kalani Kala’I”

Whoooooaaaaa. That sounds awfully familiar… the past comes whooshing into my head.

I know this guy! He and my Dad were besties, once upon a time.

Crazy. Too bad I made this discovery now, and not before the concert when I could have told him and maybe gotten my money back. Friends get into concerts for free, right? And we are practically besties too, obviously.

Secondhand Serenade

Saturday, while enjoy the bounties of 7 Peaks, I got a message from a number I didn’t know saying, “If you want a couple of free or half off tickets to Secondhand Serenade, let me know!”

I love Secondhand Serenade. Seriously – they’ve been on repeat lately. It’s just been that kind of month.

I immediately thought I would love for Ramzi to go with me – as she loves them too. We are seriously too much alike. Taylor wanted to come too – he’s never been to a concert. Plus an evening out with his sisters = bliss. April was at 7 Peaks with me, and she invited her *special friend* and his best friend. The more the merrier, right?

I got to thinking about who this unknown person could be… the number was 435 area code, and there is a girl I met at church not too long back who got my number and invited me to hang out once, and her number was 435. I forgot to save her name – and I thought, for sure it’s her. Who else could it be? It has to be someone know/has my number saved.

We text back and forth all day figuring out specifics. In the end, there will be 6 of us and 2 free tickets. Not half bad, I think.

On my way home from 7 Peaks, I call my friend to talk everything out – texting is only handy for so long.

A guy answers.

Whaaaat?? Who IS THIS? I thought for sure it was a girl. So I talk it out with him, pretending to know who he is. I mean – it’s a little late now to say, “Um, by the way, who are you?” On the phone he said I’d get the tickets from him. And he would sit with me for part of the concert.

How on earth do I meet someone I don’t know who is? I want those tickets – but somehow have to figure out who this guy is.

Plan: Give Camree his number and she calls him looking for “Faisal” and figures out his name.

Execution: His name is Luke.

I have no recollection of ever meeting a Luke. Great. I racked my brain, but there was nothing there to discover. I was completely at a loss. Best I can figure, I met this guy at a party and he got my number, but never called – thus me not knowing his number or remembering him.

Plan B: Camree calls him back and says she really needs to find Faisel – does he perchance get many calls for Faisel and know his number? Has he always had this phone number?

Execution: Luke has had this number for a long time, he is from Logan and he doesn’t know anything about Faisel.

Still – nothing. This information doesn’t help at all. At this point, I really don’t know how to proceed. I can’t call him up and tell him I don’t know who is – I’ve texted him all morning thinking he was someone else, and talked to him. I can’t just show up and agree to meet him to get the tickets and to sit with him, having no idea who he is or who I am looking for.

The Unexpected Resolution: Luke calls Camree. He is distressed about her predicament. Maybe he CAN help her find Faisel! He tells her, I know lots of people from Saudi Arabia.

Camree thinks, JACKPOT! This is how he knows Britt.

Luke finishes – “I had lots of roommates from Saudi in college at Logan. Maybe they know Faisel and can help you find him! (Because all Saudi’s know each other, naturally)

Ok – so the connection is lost. This is not how I know him…

Camree continues, fishing for any information that will help me figure out Mystery Man’s identity.

*This whole time, we are getting ready and arranging to meet the guys at concert, while still having no idea who this guy is or how to get the tickets or if this is even legit? What if it's some huge hoax?*

So Camree figures if she mentions the concert, maybe it will bring some helpful information about.

Camree: “Faisel told me he could get me free tickets to a concert tonight, and I told my friends they could have them. I am not sure if I’m going to the concert, but I really need to get a hold of him to get those tickets.”

Luke: “I have free tickets to Secondhand Serenade! Maybe Faisel heard and told you, and gave you my number so you could get them from me! Do you want 2 free tickets to the concert?”

Haha… oh man. Camree doesn’t want to say yes, since I already have 2 free tickets from him, and he’s planning on sitting with me there. Camree picks tickets up from him too, and it’s possible he will realize we’re sisters and there together, and we’ll have to explain the whole situation. We won’t be able to sit together, that's for sure.

So she says no to the tickets. How seriously uncanny that he knows people from Saudi? Oh man… but luckily, him saying he had roommates from Saudi FINALLY triggered my memory and I figured out who he is.

I did indeed meet him at a party, and he got my number. Tall and cute – my favorite.

Anyways, we figured out a plan to get those other 2 free tickets from him and not have him figure out we were all coneeccted. So in the end – we got 4 free tickets. Saaawweeet.

He even took me behind the ropes, and I knelt down in the grassy area directly in front of the stage and snapped a picture. It was with my camera phone which is crappy, and it was night, so the picture is horrible. But it is taken from about 3 feet away from the band. All in all, good day.

Camree and the Boy and I chilled and rocked out. I love my siblings. When I left to go with Luke to the stage, Camree overheard the guys we were with say something to the effect of, “they are brother and sister, right? That's weird…”

HAHA.

Heaven forbid you hug your brother and sway to the acoustic sounds of Secondhand Serenade together.

In their defense, our parents think we are weird, too.

Oh well.