The One Week Digital Cleanse

John Mayer has proposed The One Week Digital Cleanse, a bit of a fast from social media and impersonal communication. I don't do Facebook or MySpace, only use Twitter for AWF and text sporadically, but could further distance myself from gossip (I gave up on Trent and Perez ages ago but still click on "most searched for" names every day) and maybe visit my favorite forum a bit less.

I know that I won't be undertaking as big of a fast as others, but think the challenge is worth taking up. Good luck, Mr. Mayer and everyone else accepting this challenge.

Mention to anyone with computer savvy that your laptop has somehow gotten slower over recent months and they’ll ask you the same thing: “have you defragmented your hard drive?” Defragmenting works by taking small slivers of information stored in various locations and consolidating them so that they’re in the same place on the drive and thus easier to access in larger chunks. Hard drive fragmentation is a great metaphor for - if not a literal manifestation of - what’s happened to our brains over years and years of processing small bursts of information. 2009 took fragmentation to a whole new level given the rise of Twitter and the social acceptance of texting people as a substitute to making phone calls.

That’s where the one week digital cleanse comes in. I’ll be defragmenting my mental and psychological hard drive during the first seven days of the new year, and I invite you all to participate.

The cleanse will begin at 9am on January 1. This gives everyone a chance to text and tweet their new year’s well wishes, and theoretically begins upon waking up the morning of January 1. The cleanse will end at 9am on January 8.

Guidelines:

*email only from laptop or desktop computers

*cell phones can only be used to make calls, and no text messages or e-mails are allowed - if you receive a text, you must reply in voice over the phone. E-mails must be returned from a laptop or desktop computer.

*no use of Twitter or any other social networking site - this includes reading as well as posting.

*no visiting of any entertainment or gossip sites. (No need to detail which ones - you know what they are.)

I floated the idea last week on Twitter to see if anyone could envision themselves doing this, and the responses were interesting; some said they could definitely do it, but many were resigned to the idea, calling it impossible. If it is impossible, than my theory is already proven and we’re in big trouble as a society.

This can be done, people. Do it with me. When we pop back up on the grid on January 8, let’s trade stories on what it felt like, how hard it was, and maybe how hard it actually wasn’t.

JM

My Memory Serves Me Far too Well

I'm not good at ranking things, creating those definitive-sounding lists that fill newspapers, magazines and websites this time of year. Maybe being a professional music critic wasn't as great a fit for me as I thought because I find it hard to rate with certainty my favorite or least-favorite of anything. Sure, I could name 10 of my favorite Madonna songs, but arranging those tracks in a list, 10 to 1, with total confidence in my ratings is something I can't do.

I won't be joining in with the countless music writers and fans who have spent the past month listing out the best songs, albums and artists of not only this year but this decade. I can, however, list out what happened in my year in music and such, and it was a pretty good one.

This is my bedroom mirror. I use it to hold all my tickets, show mementos and so forth until I take the time to file everything away neatly.



On the mirror, I have reminders of all these artists and things I saw this year:

The Joshua Tree/The Ruse at the House of Blues Anaheim on April 23
Social Distortion/The Vandals at the House of Blues Anaheim on May 18
Bryan Greenberg/Graham Colton/Curtis Peoples at Largo at the Coronet Theater on May 31
"It Might Get Loud" at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 19 (with Q&A with director Davis Guggenheim, Jimmy Page and Jack White)
No Doubt/Paramore at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Aug. 1
Disneyland on Aug. 15
"The Beatles LOVE" at The Mirage on Aug. 22
The Joshua Tree at the LA County Fair on Sept. 9
Blink-182/Weezer at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Sept. 17
"The Heart of America Tour: Africa's Future and Ours" at the Carolina Theater on Oct. 2
U2/Muse at the Carter Finley Stadium on Oct. 3
"U23D" at the Wachovia IMAX Theatre at Marbles Kids Museum on Oct. 4
"Eddie Izzard Believe" at the Sunset 5 on Oct. 9 (with Q&A with Eddie Izzard)
Spamalot at the Orange County Performing Arts Center on Oct. 10
U2/Black Eyed Peas at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 25
Steve Martin with The Steep Canyon Rangers at the Orange County Performing Arts Center on Oct. 30
BB King/Lukas Nelson and The Promise of the Real at Coussoulis Arena on Nov. 19
Save New Wave at the House of Blues Hollywood on Nov. 21
Dashboard Confessional/New Found Glory at The Glass House on Dec. 1
Disneyland on Dec. 23

Pretty good for a year when I was intending to spend a lot of money or see very many shows. I did see "It Might Get Loud" twice and am looking forward to getting it on DVD soon. I jumped myself nearly sick at No Doubt, so elated to have the band back again. "LOVE" was phenomenal and I would definitely see it again. Weezer kicked Blink's ass in that showdown and I hope to see the band headline in 2010 (get better soon, Rivers!). The two U2 shows were fantastic and amazing. "Spamalot" was so much fun, as was the Steve Martin show. "Believe" is a really great documentary and all Eddie Izzard fans should check it out. Seeing BB King live was a long-held wish come true.

For 2010, I have John Mayer, two or three U2 shows and maybe Weezer to look forward to. I'm sure more will come up as I'll gladly jump at any opportunities that arise.

With this year (and possibly decade, depending on how you define decades) coming to an end, I pulled George Michael's "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1" off my shelf and have been listening to it all week. This is the album Michael wrote to tell the world he no longer wanted to be a pop idol but instead wanted to be seen as a serious artist. He didn't quite stick to that but did make a stunning album that I love and appreciate more today than I did when I first got it nearly 20 years ago on cassette (I've since upgraded to CD).

The songs are all about transition and heartache and uncertainty and soul searching, perfect for the end of the year. Perhaps my favorite song on the album is "Waiting for That Day/You Can't Always Get What You Want" with the verse, "Now everybody's talking about this new decade/Like you say the magic numbers/Then just say goodbye to/The stupid mistakes you made/Oh my memory serves me far too well."

Not too cheery, but the album isn't. It's very serious, very grown-up in that way that only a world-weary 26-year-old can be and an alienated 13-year-old thinks you should be—intellectual, introspective. Michael was going through a lot when he wrote the album and the songs he came up with have travelled with me through quite a bit, too. For as much as I adore the album, I don't listen to it as much as I could so am enjoying having it accompany me home this week, taking in the beautiful lyrics, stunning arrangements and Michael's powerful voice.

Though I wouldn't know where to rank it, "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1" is one of the best pop albums ever. With the weather so gloomy in so many places and all of our lives in a bit of flux, it's a perfect album for right now.

Something else to check out is a new video from The Ghost Who Walks (also known as Neil McCormick, Daily Telegraph music critic and author of the completely awesome "I Was Bono's Doppelganger"). The song feels dreamy '70s (a bit Bowie) and the video surreal yet cautionary.

Really Quick

Another quickie entry. I've been listening to John Mayer's "Battle Studies" pretty much nonstop since buying it last month and am solidifying my connection to it. I still want to do a proper writeup about the album so stay tuned.

Thanks to my favorite Jersey Girl, I've become quite the Bryan Greenberg fan this year, so had to check it out when he posted on Twitter that he'd been named the Hanukkah and Hump Day Hottie by Hollywood Crush on MTV.com. The site has a nice story about the multitalented (and completely sweet and adorable) Mr. Greenberg and a gallery featuring past Hump Day Hotties.

I clicked through the gallery to get a look at the 25 guys the site has singled out for weekly honors and recognized only eight of them. Of all 25 on the list, I'd maybe consider five of them actually hot. Can I still be considered a member of the MTV Generation if I can't relate to much the network produces anymore?

Changing direction, I'm not a sports fan but am a fan of sportswriters, many of whom are the best nonfiction writers I've read. Matthew J. Darnell reinforced that belief for me today when I read his piece on Bengals' receiver Chris Henry.

Until his accident yesterday, I'd never heard of Chris Henry so don't know much at all about the ups and downs in his career and personal life, but I clicked on the link to Darnell's article and was moved by what he had to say. A passage that particularly stuck out to me was:

Too many times, a gifted person comes along, and we automatically make them a role model. Inevitably, they end up doing something to let us down. The truth is, though, that those were never the role models we needed. The role models we need are the people who let us down first, and then show the strength and character to fight back from that.

Sooner or later, we're all going to let somebody down. We're all going to screw up. But life is about how you come back from it, how you learn from it and how you use it to make yourself a better, stronger person.

Good writing, even fantastic writing, can be found in so many places, like a basic cable television show or the beat column of a local daily newspaper. Darnell's article reminded me of that and makes me want to put in the effort to seek out more. Reading great writing can only help me as I work to be the best writer I can be.

Santa the Slam Dancer

Writing about Christmas songs in my last entry got me thinking about some of my other favorite Christmas memories. This one is care of MTV in the '90s, back when I watched it all the time, back when it played music videos all the time, back when those videos were from artists I really liked. Enjoy!

Just Hear Those Sleigh Bells Jingling

Two weeks ago I began my annual ritual of skipping past two different radio stations because they both play nothing but Christmas music beginning a few days before Thanksgiving and ending Dec. 26. It used to be that Christmas music was relegated to the month of December, but then it started sneaking closer and closer to Thanksgiving. This year, station No. 1 started playing Christmas music a full week before Thanksgiving, meaning its listeners are being subjected to a full five weeks of holiday music.

I don't dislike all Christmas music, but after being in the Holiday Fling in high school where I had to spend two weeks listening to "Sleigh Ride" over and over again during rehearsals and then over and over again at my seasonal mall job, followed by two Christmases at a store where listening to an all-Christmas-music-all-the-time radio station was required, I've gotten over most Christmas music, at least the bad stuff (and believe me, a lot of it is bad, really bad).

Instead of focusing on the bad Christmas music currently clogging the air waves at stations across the country, I thought I would list the Christmas songs that I actually look forward to hearing every year:

• Band Aid – "Do They Know It's Christmas"
  Without this song there would be no "We Are the World," no Live Aid. Hearing this song reminds me of the impact we can make in the world, at the holidays and all year long.
  
  
• The Chipmunks – "Christmas Don't Be Late"
  OK, it's a little cheesy, but this song makes me want to skip around the house. It's so sweet, so fun, so innocent, so wonderful. Cameron Crowe saw fit to use it in "Almost Famous," what better recommendation do you need?
  
  
• Everclear – "Hating You for Christmas"
  If you listen all the way through Everclear's fantastic "So Much for the Afterglow," you will find this rocking, spiteful song about the person who messed with your heart and your head, who's moved on from you before you can move on from them, so you'll spend this holiday wishing them ill.
  
  
• John Lennon – "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"
  So many people have covered this song because it's amazing and powerful, but the original always wins, hands down.
  
  
• U2 – "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
  It's U2 doing '60s girl group rock for charity. What could be better?
  
  
• The Waitresses – "Christmas Wrapping"
  It doesn't feel like Christmas until I hear this song. It's fun, it's snippy, it has a horn section, it makes me want to pogo. Save Ferris' reworking is great and the Spice Girls' remake was decent, but the original of this song, like "Happy Xmas," is the best way to go.

Last night I went to see Dashboard Confessional and New Found Glory at the Glass House with my brother. Thought I've seen both bands before, I own nothing by Dashboard Confessional and only the two "From the Screen to Your Stereo" covers CDs from New Found Glory so I was more of an observer last night, totally content to witness the intensity of the fandom both of these bands inspire, particularly Dashboard. Chris Carrabba, lead singer, guitarist, songwriter, emo god, does an opening strum and the crowd goes nuts, he sings a few lines and then steps back from the mic because the crowd will carry the rest.

I know that most performers hand off to the crowd from time to time, but that experience at a Dashboard Confessional show is like no other. The intensity, devotion and sincerity that band's fans have for the music, for the band is so far beyond anything I've ever witnessed or been a part of. It's incredible.

We All Have Wings

I went to see the undisputed king of the blues at Cal State San Bernardino on Thursday night. I will be completely honest and say I know very little about Mr. King's music, what I do know is he is one of the most influential guitar players of all time and I love what he did with U2 on "When Love Comes to Town."

He actually did include a bit of "When Love Comes to Town" during his two-hour set on Thursday (that's right, two hours, and, yes, he is 84 years old). He also told stories about his life in Mississippi, played up to the women in the audience (we're all angels without wings, according to Mr. King) and let Lucille do her thing. His orchestra is amazing and helps Mr. King put on a fun and classy show that reminded me of what going to big band shows must have been like in the '40s and '50s when everyone was dressed to the nines (everyone in his band was in a tuxedo and all of his support staff wore suits). I was really surprised no one in the audience was dancing, because the music being played made me want to put on some amazing strappy shoes, curl my hair just right and wear the greatest dress with the most twirly skirt and dance the night away.

A year or two ago, John Mayer wrote on one of his many blogs that if given the chance to see Ray Charles perform live today, we'd all go, but we do still have that chance with BB King and need to take it. I'm so glad I did.

Saturday night, I did my best homage to Madonna circa 1984 with a giant bow tied in my hugely curly hair, flippy skirt, cut-off fishnets, fingerless gloves and scrunched socks to check out my friends in The Joshua Tree, the best U2 tribute band around. The band played Save New Wave II at the House of Blues with Blasphemous Rumours, a Depeche Mode tribute band, The Cured, a Cure tribute band, and INXS-ive, an INXS tribute band (who's keyboard player/background vocalist was on a few episodes of "Gilmore Girls," how cool is that?).

Joshua Tree always puts on great shows and delivered again on Saturday with its take on U2's famous Red Rocks concert from 1983. If you are at all a fan of U2, go check out Joshua Tree, you will not be disappointed.

The treat of the evening was INXS-ive. I love INXS so much but only got to see the band live once in 1997, just a few months before lead singer extraordinaire Michael Hutchence died. To be in a room with other people singing and dancing to the band's music was so much, but that INXS-ive did a really good job bringing the band's music to life made it all the more better. Saturday also marked the 12th anniversary of Michael's death and when the band played "Never Tear Us Apart" in his memory, the room went nuts. It was a great tribute to a great artist.

A Few Things

Short update. I got the new John Mayer on Monday night thanks to preordering it from his site (bless you John Mayer and Co. for having those shipped out early!). After a few listens, I'm still letting it sink in and will write up a proper review soon.

Tonight, I am going to see Mr. BB King in concert at Cal State San Bernardino. I am expecting to be blown away by this living guitar legend and will provide a full report on that as well.

Finally, the African Well Fund's annual Got Water? auction ended on Monday to great results. The totals will be announced soon, but thank you to everyone who placed a bid. I'm very excited that the Weezer-autographed water bottle I wrote about last time is going to a good home and that we were able to raise more money to help us fund clean water and sanitation projects in Africa.

If you're looking for a great gift for that hard-to-shop-for person on your holiday list, AWF well shares are available in any amount. You can also benefit AWF by shopping from our affiliate partners or selecting AWF as your beneficiary when you use GoodShop.

Raditude!

I was out of town all last week for work so didn't get to pick up Weezer's latest, "Raditude," until Saturday. Good thing that, because when I pulled up to the Best Buy, there was a group of kids queued up to meet the band. The band had been doing in-store appearances at Best Buys in the area to promote the new album and I thought I'd missed my chance, but on Saturday I bought my CD, got my wristband, joined the line and got to meet the band. I got a water bottle signed by Brian, Pat, Rivers and Scott that is now being auctioned to benefit the African Well Fund.

On the fandom scale, my feelings for Weezer find me somewhere between radio fan and diehard. I do own all the band's albums but not the rarities; I've seen the band live three times but only as an opener, never the headliner. I'm not in the fan club but news of new Weezer music always makes me happy because I think the band makes really great pop music.

Weezer is once again delivering delicious, addictive pop music with "Raditude." I've been listening to the two-disc deluxe edition on constant repeat all week because the songs are so sunny and rocking and energetic and wonderful. They've got me speeding up and pounding on the steering wheel and generally enjoying the hours I have to spend in the car each day.

The album is really tight and consistent, even with the four additional tracks on the bonus CD there isn't a single song I feel like skipping. Of course, a few songs are sticking out to me more than others. Lead single "(If You're Wondering if I Want You To) I Want You To" is so yummy and satisfying, a fun anthem for the romantically challenged. The song's clapping and skiffle-style guitar work hit me just right. "I Don't Want to Let You Go" features these beautifully thick, chiming guitar notes that remind me of old surf guitar ballads. "Love Is the Answer" meshes blissful sitar music with lush beats and sweetly optimistic lyrics to create a song that gives me no other choice than to swing my hips and sway my arms.

All the songs on "Raditude" feature the rapid-fire sing-along lyrics, shredding guitar and bouncy rhythms I've turned to Weezer to provide me with for 15 years. This is a band that's kept me dancing, kept me singing, kept me smiling through a lot, and still is. God bless Weezer and God bless pop music.

And I've been meaning to talk up this TV show since I first saw it earlier this year and now have the perfect opportunity since SoapNet (a total guilty pleasure destination with its reruns of "The OC," the original "90210" and "One Tree Hill") is currently rerunning its first season. The show is "Being Erica" and is about a 32-year-old English major whose work life and personal life just didn't turn out the way she thought they would when she was a promising, ambitious teenager. She gets help dealing with all of life's disappointments from a therapist who not only gives her the chance the learn from the past, but to change it as well.

There aren't a lot of shows about someone my age, someone going through exactly what I'm going through, so I give it points for that straight away, but the show is also honest and awkward and silly and sweet and just great fun. Season two starts in January so SOAPnet is rerunning the entire first season Saturdays and Sundays to get everyone caught up (FIOS offers it On Demand, too).

U2 and The Black Eyed Peas at the Rose Bowl

There's so much to say about last night's U2/Black Eyed Peas show at the Rose Bowl. It was gigantic and beautiful and touching and crazy and history-making and a total blast. I'm still recovering from it, my shoulders aching and face a little sunburnt, but have already made plans for U2's next Southern California show, June 6 at Angels Stadium in Anaheim and possibly Oakland as well (and I'll throw it out that Weezer would be a perfect opener).

Set up for the concert took nearly a week and I wanted to see the people and trucks and equipment and everything else used to put this massive tour on, so went to the Rose Bowl on Saturday to take it all in minus the 96,000 or so people who would be there on Sunday.

We took a drive up into the nearby hills to get a full view of the stadium and the out-of-this-world stage. Here's how it looks from up high:



Our group arrived at the stadium after 2 on Sunday to take advantage of the Picnic in the Park that had been set up. This fenced-in area featured big screen TVs playing all the football games, video games, a DJ, a live band, punting contests and lots of food. It was a really nice area to relax in and people watch for a few hours.

We made it into the stadium a few minutes before the Black Eyed Peas went on. While this group wasn't the first choice for a lot of fans, I was excited for the performance. I like quite a few BEP songs and listen to Fergie's "The Duchess" a lot, so was totally surprised and happy when she started signing "Big Girls Don't Cry" about halfway through the set.

The biggest surprise of the set came toward the end when Will.I.Am introduced very special guest Slash. Even the people who were checking their watches to see how much longer the BEP set would last jumped to their feet to cheer on the local guitar hero.

I will freely admit I got a bit choked up when Slash took the stage. The first time I went to the Rose Bowl for a concert was to see Guns n Roses, I was 15, had won the tickets from Pirate Radio, and my brother and I got to go unattended. It was one of the best shows I've ever been to and last night I was looking across at the section we sat in.

When Slash broke into the now-classic opener for "Sweet Child o' Mine," I was cheering and pumping my arms and wiping away the tears. I still don't know why I was reacting that way, I think it was joy and nostalgia and surprise and a dozen other things all rolled together. It was a great moment.

BEP finished with "I Gotta Feeling," which got the crowd so pumped up. In between sets, I got a few minutes to catch up with a dear friend who was sitting a few rows ahead of us. She was my partner in crime during the Vertigo tour and we may be joining forces again next year.

It was soon time for U2 to take the stage. I knew all the cues this time, and it seemed most of the audience did as well. The familiar opening to David Bowie's "Space Oddity" chimed out and the crowd roared. Smoke started pouring out of the stage's spire and the countdown began on the video screen.



Last night I had a seat about three-quarters up on Edge's side so had a great view of the stage and its various moving parts. I could see Larry walk up to start the show, pounding out the opening beats to the glorious "Breathe," my favorite song on "No Line on the Horizon." The set list was really similar to what I got a few weeks ago in Raleigh, but it's a strong set, a nice mix of the old and the new, an odd gem or two thrown in ("In a Little While"! "The Unforgettable Fire"!) so I was perfectly happy.

Some of the visual aspects of the show did change, though. First, the stage looked taller and skinnier than it did in Raleigh. I figure the legs must be adjustable to fit into the various stadiums the band has played around the world, so last night it looked like they pulled everything in a bit and lifted it up.

There were also new video pieces playing during the night. The show was being broadcast live to every corner of the Earth via YouTube so times and maps would be shown throughout the set. For the song "Unknown Caller," a song not played in Raleigh, the band had asked fans around the world to record videos of them singing various parts of the song, so those videos were integrated into a map, the singing faces arranged to make up the continents these fans represented. It looked really cool and I'm sure all those fans are excited to not only be part of a show seen in-person by 96,000 people, but my millions more online and millions more beyond that when the show is released on DVD in the near future.

How many people is 96,000? A lot!! I'm not a festival person so haven't ever experienced a crowd that large. Everywhere I looked, there were people, and the majority of them were on their feet all night, singing, clapping, dancing, cheering. It should look pretty impressive on DVD, it did in person.



The show ended like I knew it would with the glorious "Ultra Violet," featuring Bono in his light-up jacket, hanging from a swinging mic, a glowing "With or Without You" and "Moment of Surrender," a song that proves what an amazing talent Edge is as he smoothly switches between keyboard and guitar. And his guitar playing on that, on every song, was so great. He's getting better and better with every tour, more electric, more funky, more bluesy, more energetic, more joyful. Can't wait to hear what he has in store for us next year.

AWF Competing for Daily Prize in America's Giving Challenge

The African Well Fund is competing again for a daily prize in America's Giving Challenge today and tomorrow. To win, AWF must have the highest or second-highest number of unique donations to its Facebook Causes page between 3 p.m. ET today and 2:59 p.m. ET tomorrow. The cause with the highest number of unique donations for the day will earn $1,000; $500 will be awarded to the cause with the second-highest number of unique donations.

You can help AWF win one of these prizes by making a donation and by spreading the word through your Facebook, Twitter, blog, etc.

Thank you!!

Lessons Learned from Cameron Frye

The night John Hughes died, I watched "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." I had to watch one of his movies, my own small memorial, and that story about an untouchable kid who plays hooky with his best friend and best girl, and has possibly the best day of his life was my choice.

I wasn't old enough to see the film when it came out in theaters (I was actually too young for a lot of his movies, I think "Uncle Buck" may have been the first of his films I saw on the big screen), but it's made an impact on my life nonetheless. My brother and I have been quoting lines back and forth to each other for years. When he graduated from high school, I got a "Ferris Bueller" poster framed for him. When I visited Chicago, I spent time in front of Georges Seurat's "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte" not only as a student of art history, but as an '80s kid following in Cameron Frye's footsteps.

The movie is bright and silly and fantastic, exactly the way a 10 year old thinks life as a 17 year old is going to be. It's also sweet and authentic and honest, I doubt I'd have watched it countless times if it hadn't been. I've related to each of the characters in different ways over the years, but probably Cameron the most. I've never been as plugged-in or confident or slick as Ferris, and probably never will be, but I can understand Cameron's nervousness and frustration, his tension and anxiety. I can understand why he's scared and why he lashes out. I can also understand the total freedom he feels after destroying his father's priceless car, no longer frightened after finally facing everything down.

That post-car-crash Zen Cameron came into my head today at work. I'm not confronting anything as large as he was, but I have my own fears to face, my own stuff to get over, and I have that image of a calm, smiling Cameron to turn back to as I'm dealing with all of it. Pop culture can be so powerful that way, the movies, books, songs and television shows we've embraced inspiring, comforting and guiding us through the various ups and downs in our lives. Some artists are more gifted at hitting a nerve than others, and John Hughes was definitely amongst that group.

Support the African Well Fund During America's Giving Challenge

The African Well Fund is hoping to win one of the daily prizes in America's Giving Challenge, a 30-day national competition that encourages people to leverage their personal networks and online social media to help their favorite nonprofit win cash awards. To do this, AWF has to get the highest number of unique donations to its Facebook Cause page between 3 p.m. ET today and 2:59 p.m. ET tomorrow. The cause with the highest number of unique donations for the day will win $1,000; the cause with the second-highest number of unique donations will win $500.

You can help by making a donation and spreading the word through your Facebook, Twitter, blog, forums and so forth today and tomorrow. You don't have to belong to Facebook to make a donation. Read more about AWF and the challenge here.

The African Well Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the mission of providing clean water and improved sanitation to the people of Africa. Since 2002, AWF has raised over $700,000 to build water projects in 12 African nations, benefiting more than 250,000 people. I am proud to serve on the board of this amazing organization and thank all of you for supporting AWF in America's Giving Challenge.

Beginning to Fall

It's taken a couple of weeks, but it finally feels like fall to me. It's been gray and rainy all day here. The heater's kicking on in the night. I'm wearing tights and boots and sweaters again. There will surely be days where the temps reach into the 90s again, but two weeks into October it's time to admit summer is really gone, fall is truly here.

I'm a summer girl, I love the warm weather and long days. I'm happiest in shorts and sandals, eating fresh watermelon and staying out all hours, walking barefoot on warm sidewalks in the middle of the night. Fall does have its high points, too, like the clothes, the clear skies, the changing leaves. Fall also has "North."

Six years ago, Elvis Costello released "North," a beautiful, cinematic album about losing and finding love. The album came out in October and sounds like fall to me, the songs uncertain, subdued, hopeful, transitional. I will listen to it randomly throughout the year, but always when fall finally kicks in. For me, fall doesn't start without "North."



I've lost count of how many listens I've given "North" today, but it's been on repeat all afternoon. It's helped transport me away from my desk, away from the folders I'm editing, away from the traffic jams I'm sure to face tonight, and taken me into a classic movie where the fast-talking dame finally meets her match, the music urging her toward the dashing man in the dinner jacket who she thought was oh-so-wrong but, at this moment, may be oh-so-right.

I first discovered Elvis Costello when "Veronica" was being played on VH1. The first CD I bought was "Painted From Memory," his collaboration with Burt Bacharach. I adored the way he wrote and, most of all, the way he sang. From there, I got his greatest hits and have moved back and forth through his catalog, picking up his new releases and reissues with the same enthusiasm. I've enjoyed his evolution, his experiments, his collaborations and, always, always, his voice.

Just a few more listens of "North" and it will be quitting time. I'll button up my sweater and grab my umbrella, then hope the rain isn't too bad, the roads not too slick, the other drivers not too thrown by the changed season.

Too Soon to Look Back?

Christmas is just around the corner so a slew of bands and artists are releasing compilations and special reissues. Madonna’s career-spanning “Celebration” came out at the end of September (September isn’t November or December, but certainly a lot of Madonna fans will have the CD and/or DVD under the tree this year). The Foo Fighters will release its first greatest hits package the first week of November. U2’s 25th anniversary box set remaster of “Unforgettable Fire” is out later this month.

On Nov. 17, Fall Out Boy will release its first greatest-hits package, complete with previously unreleased material and a DVD featuring all the band’s videos with commentary. Huh? The band was formed less than a decade ago and has released five studio albums, one B-sides collection and a live CD/DVD in very quick succession. Why does Fall Out Boy need to release a greatest-hits album now?

I am a Fall Out Boy fan. It took me a while to get there, I was too quick to dismiss the admiration the boys from Chicago got when “Dance, Dance” and “Sugar, We’re Going Down” made their third album their breakthrough in 2005. I was ready to do the same when fourth album “Infinity on High” came out two years later. Thankfully, I got over myself, remembered that popular music isn’t necessarily bad, and took a shine to the band.

I now proudly own the complete Fall Out Boy collection (I finally got the “Release the Bats” DVD used over the weekend at Second Spin. Yay!!), had a great time at the Young Wild Things Tour two Christmases ago (an outing that made me the best cousin in the world according to my then 17-year-old cousin), have met Pete Wentz twice (he was nice enough to sign a copy of his book for the African Well Fund) and own several things from the Clandestine Industries line.

So of course I know I’m going to buy the “Believers Never Die” CD and DVD when they come out next month. I want to hear the new songs and watch all the videos with commentary so I can pick up on all those little threads that I’ve been missing watching the videos on a computer screen instead of a TV. But just because I’m going to spend my money on this package, that doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s way too soon for the band to do this.

A greatest hits or best of usually caps something off, like the end of a decade or the breakup of a band. It’s also business move a lot of the time, a way for an artist to fulfill a contract or make some extra money over the holidays if they’re stuck in the studio or suffering from a creative block. I don’t think any of these things apply to Fall Out Boy, in fact the band is now going out of its way to say this isn’t the end, there is no break up on the horizon. If this package hadn’t just been announced, maybe the guys wouldn’t have to be answering these questions.

Fall Out Boy might be releasing this compilation now as “a gift to the fans,” which is very well could be (it’s funny how many band say that when it’s the fans having to buy their own gift). Or maybe it’s really directed at all the naysayers, the people who live to take cheap shots at the band, especially Wentz, a way for the band to let the music do the talking. It is great music and it has a lot to say, so maybe this Christmas a few people will decide to give it a listen and be pleasantly surprised by what they hear.

Celebration!

I've been a neglectful Madonna fan, it took me a week to pick up "Celebration," her new career-spanning retrospective, and I still haven't picked up the accompanying DVD set (I completely blame Best Buy for that one, though. How can they not have it in stock? Wouldn't they think that a Madonna fan who pays the few extra bucks for the 36-song, two-disk CD set would also want to buy the DVD featuring 47 Madonna videos?). After a somewhat challenging day at work (it's taken me way too long to get over the three-hour time difference in North Carolina and the lack of sleep I had all weekend), I needed a little pick-me-up, and Madonna was the answer.

I flat-out, unapologetically adore Madonna. It took me a while to get there, though. She first started taking over the world when I was a Catholic school first-grader, my mom wouldn't let me have the lace fingerless gloves (somehow she thought that was an inappropriate look for a six year old) and the church very much frowned upon everything Madonna said and did (25 years later, I think it still does).

I paid attention to what Madonna did, I liked quite a few of her songs, but wasn't pushed to buy any of her albums until high school when I got "True Blue" on tape and LP. Dance class introduced me to more of her music and I purchased "Erotica" on CD because my group was choreographing a piece to "Fever." By this point, Madonna was not very cool, the lukewarm reception for "Erotica" (a tremendously underrated album) and furor over the "Sex" book, "Bodies of Evidence," her choice in men and so forth made it seem like Madonna wouldn't last the '90s.

That all changed when I was in college. "Evita" reminded the world what a force Madonna can be. I caught Madonna/Evita fever that Christmas, asking for the CD, tickets to the movie, the accompanying picture book, and snatching up any magazine Madonna was featured in. "Ray of Light" came the following year and I could hardly contain my excitement for the release date. While I didn't line up at midnight to buy the CD and get my souvenir candle holder, I did get the CD the day it was released and reviewed it for my college paper. It was the best thing she'd done until that point.

From there on, I was hooked. I started buying up the back catalog. I dressed up as Madonna in "Desperately Seeking Susan" for an '80s-themed party. I developed a policy of buying magazines simply because Madonna was on the cover. I watched VH1 the entire week of her 40th birthday (the same week I turned 21) to catch all the specials and videos I could handle.

I bought "Music" the day it came out and took the time to let it grow on me ("Ray of Light" was like love at first site, "Music" was like realizing you'd been in love with the boy at the next desk all along). I had my first Madonna live experience at Staples Center a few days after Sept. 11. I wondered why it took me so long to get there, sorry that I missed the legendary spectacle of Blonde Ambition but so happy to be on the floor that evening, watching this amazing woman do her thing.

Next came "American Life," another album that grabbed me quickly and still hasn't let go. My friend and I had tickets for opening night of that tour at the Forum, seats not quite as good as what we had before but at least we were in the room. A few days later, thanks to an MTV contest, we were dancing inside the stage, just a few feet away from Madonna all night.

"Confessions on a Dance Floor" was a grower like "Music." I was at opening night for the tour at the Forum once again, dancing and singing my heart out, blown away by the mother of two nearing 50 who just a few months earlier had been nearly crushed by a horse.

"Hard Candy" had me dancing in my car on the long commute. I couldn't make it to the concert because of work but did take my friend to the local gay club for Madonna night for her bachelorette party. What better way to say goodbye to singlehood than to be in a room with 6-foot-tall-plus Madonna impersonators and a DJ whose memorabilia collection covered the walls?

All that time spent listening to and watching Madonna, and today felt like the first time I'd really heard so many of her songs. With headphones on tight, I listened through the two-CD set while editing our latest issue, and was able to catch backing vocals and bass lines and flute solos and so many other things I've missed over the years of listening to Madonna CDs in a car or the shower, a lot of layers of her songs drowned out by my singing along. After all this time, I thought I really knew these songs, so it's nice to discover that even old favorites can still surprise.

U2 and Muse at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C.

I was lucky enough to attend six shows on U2's 2005 Vertigo Tour, seeing the band in five cities and three states. Four years later, I know I'm still paying MasterCard back for those memorable excursions, so I didn't have much of a choice but to dial it down for this year's 360 Tour, the Oct. 25 show at the Rose Bowl was going to be it.

Or so I thought. This past weekend the first-ever U2 Academic Conference was held at North Carolina Central University in Durham. I was invited to attend with the African Well Fund, manning our table and attending our two sessions. U2 was playing that weekend in nearby Raleigh. I was in.

After a great day at the conference Saturday where we told so many people about AWF, it was back to the hotel for a quick change and a hop on I-40 to head to the stadium. Traffic for us was a breeze, but others weren't so lucky (The News & Observer has this story about the ridiculous jam ups). We had time enough to scope out a great spot by the sound board and eat dinner.



I have to throw in how completely incredible the stage is. U2 fans have been calling it "The Claw" since we first saw the sketches, but the band is now calling it "The Spaceship." It is now and will forever be "The Claw" for me and it is fantastically amazing. I got all giddy when I caught my first glimpse of this mammoth structure as we walked up to the stadium. I stared up at it slack-jawed as we walked around it on the floor. Pictures don't do it justice. Words don't do it justice. You have to see it in person, in action to truly appreciate what the 360 crew put together for us.

Muse was the opening act and was fantastic. I'm not a huge fan of the band and the performance didn't inspire me to buy up its catalog, but I understood the excitement the world is feeling for Muse. The band members are so talented, songs so energetic. I was happy to hear "Starlight," my favorite Muse song, under Raleigh's full moon.

As Muse's set was being torn down and the U2 rig set up, it dawned on me that I was going to be seeing U2 that night. I was staring at the giant spaceship stage, watching people walk around in their U2 shirts, I had a 360 wristband on that gave me access to the floor's inner circle, but it still hadn't clicked through. Nearly four years since that amazing night at Madison Square Garden where Patti Smith opened and we sang "Instant Karma" out into the New York night, I was going to see my boys again. Yay!!



No spoilers for those of you who have yet to see the show, but it seems like word has spread about the lead-up to U2's grand entrance. On the Vertigo Tour, Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" introduced the band and we were all trained to get on our feet as soon as the song started. Same thing is happening this tour, the intro song started playing and, despite the house lights still being up, everyone started cheering, knowing we were just a few minutes away from show time.

The set opens with "Breathe," my favorite song off "No Line on the Horizon." I knew from checking out the set lists on U2.com that this would be the first song, but I could still hardly contain my excitement over finally getting to hear this song performed live by U2 (my favorite tribute band, The Joshua Tree, has been doing an amazing job with the song, but having Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry cranking it out a few feet away adds so much to the experience). My throat took quite a bit of punishment from that opener.

"Get on Your Boots" came next and then a super-cool, way-sexy version of "Mysterious Ways" that proved, yet again, that The Edge is a guitar genius. While Bono has continually said in interviews that the new album is Adam's moment to shine, the concert was all about The Edge. His guitar playing was intense, electric, funky, experimental and completely impressive. I was shouting his praises all night.



Better yet, his singing was finally properly showcased. The Edge has a beautiful singing voice, sweet and soulful, but in past concerts he couldn't always be heard. This time, his voice was perfectly audible, perfectly pitched, and on "Stuck in a Moment," he delivered his falsetto more wonderfully than I'd ever heard before.

"Elevation" was my chance to go crazy, with the band putting the same amount of energy and enthusiasm into the song as it did when the song first debuted nine years ago. Standards like "New Year's Day," "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Where the Streets Have No Name" have lost none of their shine.

This tour, though, is all about the new album and the songs U2 has chosen to represent "No Line on the Horizon" are amazing live, fitting, for the most part, perfectly with the band's impressive catalog. The new remixed version of "I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" was a strange moment, though. It was fun to see the band members dancing around on stage, having a ball, but the remix does so little justice to a song I absolutely adore. I'd like the opportunity to really sing along with this song, but the remix performance doesn't give the audience the chance.

There were some great surprises for me during the course of the warm, moonlit night. One was "The Unforgettable Fire," a song I've never truly connected with but was stunned to hear live (as the chiming opening started up, I turned to my friend with my mouth wide, "Is this 'Unforgettable Fire?!?!?"). "In a Little While" was another treat, not only that it was a sweet acoustic moment between Bono and The Edge, but that so many people in the packed stadium knew all the words to this "All That You Can't Leave Behind" track that was never released as a single.

For the encore, we left the sound board behind and headed into the inner circle, pressed against the inner rail on The Edge's side. Of course I enjoyed being that close to my favorite guitarist, but the 360 stage is so immense, you miss so much being that close to it. During the time I was there, I saw Edge mostly from the waist up, only the top of Bono's head and none of Adam and Larry. Not until the foursome exited the stage down ramps on my side did I finally get an up-close look at all of them.



The encore did provide a moment I'd been waiting more than eight years for—hearing "Ultraviolet" live. When I really got into U2 after the Elevation Tour, I listened to "Achtung Baby" constantly and enthusiastically read through "U2 at the End of the World," Bill Flanagan's first-person account of the making of "Achtung Baby," "Zooropa" and accompanying tours. "Ultraviolet" stuck out to me, a bittersweet love song that keeps revealing new things to me on every listen (yeah, it was only a few months ago that I realized Edge is singing "ultraviolet love" in the background, I'm quick).

The live version was so great and I really got into singing along with the band so close (at least The Edge so close). Since this song wasn't a single, not a lot of people in the crowd seemed to know the words, so the security guard definitely noticed how excited I was, hopping around, throwing my arms up, pounding out the beats on the rail. Who knows how excited I'll get at the Rose Bowl when I can see Bono's light-up microphone, the video screens and Adam and Larry during this song?

It was an amazing night, a total treat. I pogoed and spun around and threw my arms up and screamed myself horse and sang at the top of my lungs and had the best time. Just 18 days until I get to do it all over again. At least at the Rose Bowl, I have a seat just in case I need a moment to rest.

Breathe
Get on Your Boots
Mysterious Ways
Beautiful Day
No Line on the Horizon
Magnificent
Elevation
In a Little While
New Year's Day
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Stuck In A Moment
Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy - Remix
Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On
One
Where The Streets Have No Name
Ultraviolet
With or Without You
Moment of Surrender