Woke up early on December 10, 2021, and my anticipation was finally going to be fulfilled when I arrive at lucy’s dinner in Pleasantville New York. Since covid struck last year, I was unable to access any concerts during the quarantine and this day I would be scratching this uncontrollable itch for live music. I would be seeing one of my favorite bands in a small venue surrounded by my family and friends. The band is named There Goes Jordy, and my mother is the lead singer of this triumphant musical group. There Goes Jordy is not on tour during this time and is a small cover band that performs at local bars. Their genre are rock and folk songs that have impacted the members of the band. This was the only concert I was able to access within the State of New York since the COVID cases dramatically increased over this time.
I entered the bar intimidated since I have not been in a bar during the typical hours, 8-12. But I was still overwhelmed by this proud feeling of being related to the main attraction. I’ve heard all the songs that her band performs but not to the extent of what I was about to hear and deep down I knew that within the moment. The bar was dimly lit and held around 30 people max. Just the way I like it, intimate and personal. I remember the concert significantly more when there are less distractions around me during a concert or music festival. From the life of the crowd to sensory overloads a small crowd is the pinnacle of musical experience for me.
There Goes Jordy was the last band to perform this evening, arriving on stage around 11:00. There were a few thoughts that I had before the performance began, for example, was the melody going to be shaky since my mom and her band mates weren’t able to practice before hand because they needed to test negative, my mom has also had difficulty forming chords with her tennis elbow, and finally how well was there performance going to be perceived by the audience. These questions would all be answered by the end of their concert.
The first song to their performance was Don’t Go Away by The Beths, a band I truly haven’t experienced at all. A calm and organized soft rock song that is beautiful to the ears and has a clear beginning, middle and end that pulls the listener deeper into the lyrics. The melody of the song was consistent through each of the three band members, and you could barely tell three individuals were playing at the same time. The audience was deeply involved in the music, and I could easily tell they were enjoying a song that was familiar to them. The following song in the set list had a different approach than its predecessor. The song Arabella by the artic Monkeys was the second song on the set list and majority of the audience was not prepared for this song choice. It is an uncommon song that most people in their 40’s is not aware of. But the clear speech of the lyrics allows the story of the song to be understood by everyone. The song has an instrumental introduction and intermission that connect the song completely and create a story that isn’t easy to see at first.
What stood out to me the most during this performance was the finale. Ohh La La by the Faces is a beautiful song about understanding that you’ve past your prime and need to accept the life you’ve already lived. A beautiful discussion of life that everyone needs to hear before they have even passed their own prime. This song was the perfect finale for any small concert and had every individual within the audience dancing in their chairs or on the limited dance floor. The lead guitarist was also not interrupted by her tennis elbow, the concert went smoothly and was a tremendous success through the eyes of the audience and myself included.
Musical writing 