Tonight Jason and I went to the Thriving Ivory concert at the Murray Theater, hosted by the radio station 101.9 The End. I had never heard of Thriving Ivory until a month or so ago when 101.9 started playing one of their songs, Angels on the Moon. I liked the song, so when 101.9 announced that they were bringing the band to Salt Lake City to do a concert and that the tickets were only $5, I was in. Apparently a lot of other people were in too because the show sold out.

You never know what to expect when you see a band live for the first time, sometimes they can be a bit of a disappointment, but Thriving Ivory definitely put on a good show. They had a fresh energy that bands often lose as their fan base grows. The intimate setting was spectacular. Although I had to shuffle around a bit to get an unobstructed view, when I finally did, it was worth the effort. The audience was captivated and enthusiastic. My injured ankle forced me to tone down my concert antics a degree or two, however, I still managed to hop, bounce, clap, and scream. It was fabulous!

Apparently, this was the largest show that Thriving Ivory has done, so it had special significance for them. The concert was also filmed for a video, so if you see me on MTV someday cheering like crazy-don’t be too surprised.

Afterward, the band stuck around to sign CD’s and shirts. The line moved extremely slowly because the band members were courteous and friendly; they took the time to talk to each fan. When it was my turn to get my swag signed I was glad I waited. I got unsolicited hugs from the drummer, Paul. It was awesome! I also got pictures with the lead singer, Clayton, and the keyboardist, Scott. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera so we had to take pictures with Jason’s iphone-I was so bummed!

I look forward to seeing Thriving Ivory thrive. It was great to see a band that is young enough to still appreciate its fans! It was an amazing concert!

Only two days after the Police concert John Mayer came to town. I love John Mayer but I delayed buying tickets to his show because I thought two concerts in three days might give me concert overload. I finally decided the day before the concert that I really wanted to see Mayer, even if I had just seen the Police.

I’m so glad that I decided to go. Mayer was awesome! I knew he was a good guitar player but I didn’t realize just how skilled of a musician he was until I saw him live. His albums don’t showcase his talent enough. That boy is amazing!

Every song he played was at least twice as long as the album version due to all the solos and blues riffs he dispersed throughout his performance. He was extremely energetic, goofy, and passionate. His love for his music and the guitar were very apparent.

I was also impressed with his appreciation for his audience. At one point he even started taking cameras from those in the front row and taking pictures of him with them.

It was fabulous concert! If you get a chance to see John Mayer live I would highly recommend it!

Jason celebrated his slow approach to senility last week. He turned yet another year older. Way to go Jason!

As always, Jason absolutely refused to work on his birthday, which I think is a good policy. While I was at work he spent most of his time lounging, with a few productive things mixed in here and there. I left work early so we could go see Hellboy II, which was a cool flick. After the movie we headed up to SLC for dinner at a restaurant we had never tried before, Martine. I am a sucker for trying new restaurants. Martine specializes in tapas, which are pretty much appetizer sized entrees. Typically you get 2 or 3 tapas in place of a main dish. We had a table full of different tapas to try between us. It was a fun experience.

The food at Martine was surprisingly cheap for a gourmet restaurant. We were pleasantly surprised when we got our bill and it was only for $50, which included our desserts too.

The best thing we tried at Martine was the caramel covered grilled gingerbread served with vanilla gelato. Yum!

Of course, as always, my favorite thing about dinner was the company. Jas and I consistently have a blast when we go out together.

Jason was very excited to get some Google stock for part of his birthday present. That boy is a geek through and through and has been requesting Google stock for the last couple years. He was thrilled that he finally got some. I bought him a container of chicken stock to represent the stock he was getting. He didn’t get the joke.