I had forgotten how loud indoor concerts could be. Band of Horses graciously reminded me this past week as they ripped and their speakers EXPLODED in distortion during “Is There a Ghost.” All concerts are loud, I suppose, but sometimes, they’re really, really, loud. This was one of those. My ears were awash in sirens of ringing, and I could do nothing but smile as a few people rushed to the exits in dismay.

As the song ended, someone tapped me on my shoulder. I came to the show solo, sitting in the balcony in line with the sound engineer. I turned my head to locate the tap, and a gentlemen, sitting down, with a walker to his left, easily 80 years old, gives me two thumbs up with a big smile on his face, basking in the enormity of sound. I gave him a fist bump, helped him get on his feet at the end of the show, and we went on our way.

This week’s mixtape features a number of tracks Band of Horses played at the show, including two covers, one by Brooks & Dunn and another by INXS. For the record, both covers were phenomenally well done, and I thought the INXS cover was better than the original. But I can’t disrespect Brooks & Dunn, that’s just a great damn song.

Have a great week!