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It gets pretty cold in Ithaca. On this day, March 4th, 2017, the actual low temperature was just about freezing (literally). But there’s nothing like some good music to warm the heart and soul. Inside the State Theatre of Ithaca, with The Head and The Heart taking the stage, my soul was transported to warmer days, where I am wearing Lennon-esque sunglasses to protect my eyes from the warm rays of the sun surrounded by amazing friends and food. The frostbite and wind chill on this 8-degree night was no challenge for The Head and The Heart as their melodic songs warmed The State Theatre with love and a true sense of family.
When the band took to the stage, 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” started to pulse through the house speakers. This humorous moment broke the ice (pun intended) and elicited hysterical laughter from the audience. My laugh was surely audible (just imagine an over-excited hyena … yup, that was me). The motive behind the 50 Cent song is still unclear at this point in the show, but it definitely loosened the audience up.
Guitars were picked up, the violin was placed under the chin, lips hovered over the microphones and the band dove into their 2016 single “All We Ever Knew”. This song had immediate success following its release (reaching #1 on Billboard’s U.S. Adult Alternative Songs and U.S. Alternative Songs charts), but it has been around since the production of their 2013 album Let’s Be Still. The band wrote the song in 2013, but waited for the right moment to release it to their music-hungry fans. 4 years, 6 months, 3 weeks … the wait may have been long, but at the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter how long you have to wait as long you eventually get it, right?
Their folksy charm and music continued to warm hearts and souls when we were able to share a truly intimate moment with the band. It was Charity Rose Thielen’s (the band’s violinist extraordinaire) birthday, and when fellow band members brought out a cake with blazing candles to celebrate the moment, rather than sing a traditional “Happy Birthday”, the band got the crowd to chant, “Go, Shawty. It’s your birthday”. Now, 50 Cent made complete sense.
The show ended even more intimately. With the band’s encouragement, the crowd ran up to the front and so did I. Playing “Shake” and “River and Roads,” I looked around to see the crowd engulfed with emotions of happiness and pleasure.
As the group exited the stage, they threw sweaty towels and beat up drumsticks towards their fans. A drumstick hit directly where I was formerly standing. If I had stayed put, I would have been hit directly in the head. I could have had a permanent mark that would make sure I always remembered this show. Who needs a tattoo when you can get hit in the head by a drumstick? I might just have to take the chance to get hit again … even in the freezing cold.
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