#brand new the devil and god are raging inside me you will always be famous

[millionsknives]

picrew yaaaay

[setthejet]

day 219: charleston, sc

My blogging has gotten way too far and in-between, in regards to my posting. When I created this blog, I had every intention on blogging at least every two days - maybe even more - but definitely no longer than a week in between posts. That has obviously not happened, so if you don’t mind then I’ll be happy to catch you up on things around these parts.

We successfully completed an overnight sail from Southport, NC to Charleston, SC last Saturday morning; I made a video depicting that experience, which I posted the link to in a previous post; I’ve been to twelve step meetings every day; I’ve made some new friends; and I went to see Brand New in concert at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center with a guy that I met while we were in NC.

The other day before the concert, Mom and I decided we needed to have a day trip into Downtown Charleston to see all of the historic mansions and whatnot. I must say, I was getting slightly envious that she and Steve got to go into the city and explore twice while I stayed home with Gus and remained on puppy patrol duty. But at the same time, they are very understanding of my need to go to meetings when they’re available so in the end it was all good. Anyway, when we parked in the parking garage and made our way down to the main strip - which is Market Street, and believe it or not, they actually had a market! - we came into contact with those who were taking a tour around the historic city��� in horse ’n buggies! Mom and I did that thing we do when we look at each other with mischievous grins that basically say, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” and trust me, we were thinking the exact same thing. So we made sure to keep a look out for a vendor that was selling tickets for the carriage tour. The tour itself definitely needed some amping up, i.e. Mom and Steve had gone on a walking tour, which sounded cool because you stopped at literally everything that was important and you were up close so you could take pictures while the guide was talking. The carriage ride was non-stop, which was kind of understandable because we were holding up traffic otherwise. The driver was also Miss Chatty Cathy, and included everything from the horses’ ages to the design work on the houses. I got some great pictures though, I must say, all things considered. Must be that new iPhone 8 Plus that I upgraded to the other night, on the way to being dropped off at a nearby meeting. The one thing we didn’t ride by on the tour that I was deadset on seeing in person was Rainbow Row. Now, I’m not going to say that I know what you’re thinking, but if you are thinking that it’s some sort of Gay Rights historic movement center or something then you’re incorrect. Don’t get me wrong, despite SC being in the middle of “the Bible belt”, Charleston seemed to be a very hipster-chic up-and-coming kind of city. All of the buildings were painted different colors, most of them simply being restored as opposed to being torn down and rebuilt. It was quite beautiful, in all honesty. Rainbow Row was really no different from the rest of the city, except for the fact that it had a very unique story behind its name and “rise to popularity” if you will. You can read all about it on www.rainbowrowcharlestonsc.com. We also passed by the Calhoun Mansion, which was on my list of priority visits, but as we rode by in the carriage the mansion happened to be on the opposite side of where I was seated therefore I could not really get a decent view out of the lens of my camera. However, Mom and I went to check out the prices of the tour of the mansion and seeing as how they were only $16/person, we said, “Oh what the hell?” and into the mansion we went. Downside of taking the tour inside the Calhoun Mansion: no photography, not even non-flash photography. When I asked the woman about the rule, she said that it had something to do with photography ruining the artifacts and how in Europe you can’t take any photos in the museums there. Let me just take this moment to inform you who may not had previously known this little fact: I have been to Europe, specifically France and Netherlands, and I happen to have photos of some of the world’s most prized pieces of art by some very very VERY famous artists. So the latter part of this tour guide’s explanation in regards to taking photos in the mansion just didn’t make sense to me at all. Otherwise, it was a beautiful house! 

Later on that evening, Mom dropped me off at a vape shop in North Charleston that was right across the street from the venue where Brand New was playing. If you’ve never listened to Brand New, please do yourself a favor and listen to Your Favorite Weapon in its entirety. Then you can happily move on to Deja Extendu then The Devil and God are Raging Inside Of Me, and so on. Basically just listen to their entire discography, is what I’m really trying to say. I’ve been to a lot of concerts, and I really do mean a LOT. We could easily just say I’ve been to, uh, a shit ton of a lot. But Brand New is not on that list, whatsoever. I can’t say that I haven’t had opportunities, because I’ve had plenty. And I can’t say that I didn’t want to, because throughout my childhood Brand New was a band that always knew the right things to say when I was blasting them in my bedroom so needless to say I definitely wanted to. So okay you get the point and I saw them with this guy that I met at a meeting in NC and it was so amazing. You’ll find some shots I took below, and I’m not sure how I ended up in the eighth row from the stage  because I kind of vaguely remember choosing a seat further away. The lighting was perfect, the singing was mesmerizing, and the crowd was so beautiful as some of them belted out along to the newer hits from their latest album Science Fiction, while the rest of us seasoned fans practically cried when Jesse Lacey came back on stage for a solo acoustic encore which happened to be “Soco Amaretto Lime” from Your Favorite Weapon. It was a beautiful evening and for once I wasn’t that guy who basically had his phone glued to the stage, recording every moment of it. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate those people who post entire concerts on YouTube but for me personally it’s about being in the moment and enjoying every second. I got the verse and chorus of my favorite songs, and the only one I recorded the entire thing was the encore. They announced their future breakup happening in 2018, but other than that they just played music for us for about an hour and a half. That’s probably the only concert I’ve been to where they spoke so little to the crowd. Again, it was so beautiful. 

I’ve met some of the coolest, laid back, funniest people here in Charleston. They’ve been so loving and kind and people aren’t lying when they reference the southern hospitality. The other night this fabulous human being that I came into contact with invited me to her 1 year celebration, and the dinner that occurred afterwards. Seriously? What an honor! It was so great and it always warms my heart when I meet people who are coming up on a celebration. 

Tomorrow we continue our adventure down the east coast at 7:00 in the morning. Information has gotten a little bit confusing, but I believe if I’m not mistaken our next stop is Beaufort, SC but it could also be Hilton Head, SC - I’m not entirely sure. So I guess I’ll leave you hanging in a tiny bit of suspense awaiting our next stop... Thanks for reading!