“We’ve Got the Best of an Imperfect World” - On Live Music and Emotional Jumpstarts
I rushed through tonight’s post, and since it probably is my last Ted Leo related post (I’ve already posted a solo track in addition to this one with the band), I want to revisit one specific time seeing Ted Leo. Since I first met him in 2003, I’ve seen Ted Leo roughly 20 times, and the most memorable show of all of these happened in December 2004. On a whim, I ended up going to see Ted Leo and his band at the University of Rhode Island. It came at the end of an extremely busy semester where I spread myself too thin with my classes, playing in (and running) music ensembles, DJ-ing for the campus radio station, and writing for the school paper. This emotional fatigue came at the same time as the 2004 election – one where many had such high hopes for change and felt sucker punched when nothing changed. I was in a haze and trying to figure out how I could get the energy to finish my end of the semester projects in time.
I called my friend and he got a ride from Providence down to URI for us, and just an hour after waking up from an involuntary nap on my couch, I was getting ready to cram into the orchestra pit in an auditorium to see Ted Leo. As a musician who openly champions causes he believes in, it was natural to assume that Ted Leo might be deflated the same way as us after the election. Instead, Leo and his band (at this point a power trio) tore through their songs. It wasn’t a perfect show – they battled sound problems and didn’t play an encore because of it – but it was the show we needed. By the time it ended, I was drenched in sweat and hoarse from singing along. However, I felt invigorated immediately and left URI with feelings of energy and motivation that I hadn’t felt in weeks. It wasn’t flawless, but it didn’t need to be because that night it didn’t matter. One of Ted Leo’s new songs has the line “we’ve got the best of an imperfect world,” and I can’t help but think of that night - in a world that seemed far from perfect, Ted Leo helped us bring out the absolute best in it. Consequently, it ultimately helped to bring the best out of me as well.
I’ve been fortunate to see a lot of great shows, but this show was unique. It was precisely the spark I needed to get myself going again. It felt like I had been running on a dying battery for weeks, and this concert gave me the jump start needed to run on all cylinders again. I’ve thought about this a lot in the four and a half years since then, and I’ve had a few shows since then that lifted my spirits when I needed it, but none in the same way that I felt in December 2004. We all have our moments of exhaustion and we have our ways to decompress when we’re stressed out. For me, a good live show always makes me feel a little more relaxed and a little more prepared to take on my impending challenges. These shows alone aren’t enough to power me along, but they’re necessary and welcome sparks that help get us where we want to go.
I came home from seeing Ted Leo and the Pharmacists about an hour ago, and I’m not sure I’ve ever heard them sound better than they sounded tonight. Everything – old songs, brand new songs, and the classics – sounded great over the hour and forty five minutes they played. It’s unfair to compare this show to the December 2004 show at URI because of all the circumstances surrounding that show. I left tonight’s show in awe of the band and the performance they put on tonight. I also left tonight feeling energized, and with my summer vacation starting in a week, I’m hoping tonight’s euphoria will help me start my summer off right.
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