Saturday night was a perfect one. I got to take my son Ryan to see my all time favorite and most inspiring band, Blue October. The music of Blue October has personally helped me through some of my hardest times as well as energizing me in my good times. When my father passed away last year, “Into the Ocean” was a song that I played daily after leaving my father’s bedside and it kept me afloat! I have often said that Blue October has been the rainbow through my storms, the light at the end of the tunnel, and the candle during my darkest hours. Oh, how I appreciate and love their music!
Blue October is currently on “the quiet mind tour” and made a stop at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, November 10, 2012. I have been enjoying Blue October for almost 15 years and had the pleasure seeing them almost a dozen times. This concert I would have to declare the Best of the Best of all the times I have seen them. Don’t get me wrong, they always put out a great, great concert but this time, there was such a clarity of musical perfection that they all carried out. It was so apparent that this was going to be a phenomenal concert and it was.
All of the band performed at 150% and with the excellent song choices for this show, it was bound to be an incredible night. Justin Furstenfeld was simply captivating with his powerful vocals and intense honesty that he displays through his performance. I don’t think I have ever seen him so happy and in such a good place. It was wonderful to watch. Then you look to your left and you get the awe-inspiring performance of Ryan Delahoussaye on the voilin/viola, mandolin and keyboard. Ryan’s style on the violin brings such a deep dimension to their music that is an integral part of their sound. Listening to their music, you pick up the variety of intonation but when you get to watch Ryan play you really appreciate every technique and sound he delivers. You then turn to the right and have Matt Noveskey on bass guitar and backing vocals who delivers the perfect tone from his bass and engages you in his fierce bass lines. Julian Mandrake is on guitars and it was great to see his return to the band. Julian on the guitar can deliver the heavy sound needed to create the mood for the songs and was flawless. To round out all the music and create that peak of perfection, you look back and see the smiling face of Jeremy Furstenfeld. I loved watching Jeremy on my favorite songs, “Dirt Room” and “Say It”. He just kills it and is awesome! The last song of the night was the grand finale of “Italian Radio” that I have never been able to see live in concert. It not only summed up the evening with their shear display of intensity and energy on stage but you could feel the thrill of excitement just fill the room. Afterwards as we were walking out, we kept hearing the same comments from the audience, “That was the best concert ever”, “WOW, what a show!” “I can’t believe they played all my favorites”. It was great to come away knowing that it was a collective appreciation of the amazing concert that we all witnessed.
Blue October is continuing on with their “quiet mind tour” and if you get a chance, make sure to check it out. I have included links below to the upcoming dates. It is bound to be a phenomenal concert and be a highlight of your concert memories.
My son Ryan had an incredible time and this was his 4th time seeing them. He got to meet the band prior to the concert and was overwhelmed. Justin liked Ryan’s handmade clothes and asked Ryan about making one for him. On the ride home, Ryan was already sketching out some designs and I am really impressed with what he has come up with. I think Justin is going to love it.
I have included on my facebook page the photographs of the evening and you can take a look at them by visiting here. You can also browse through the gallery below. In addition, I have included video of a few of my favorite performancesof the night. I will continue to add more to the Youtube channel of RockinRyansGarage so keep checking it out.
In addition to the great performance by Blue October the opening bands of A Silent Film and Barcelona were remarkable and I will be following up with their own individual review which is greatly deserving.
So enjoy the music and get yourself to a Blue October show!
~ Marisol
Blue October Links:
- Blue October Website: www.blueoctober.com
- Blue October Twitter: www.twitter.com/blueoctober
- Blue October Facebook: www.facebook.com/blueoctober
- Blue October Youtube: www.youtube.com/blueoctoberofficial
- Blue October on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/entity/Blue-October/B000APUGNQ?ie=UTF8
I saw their show at Ace of Spades in sacramento and all i can say is it was incredible. i have never seen them before and this was the best concert i have ever been to.
Great review, all so very true. It is like someone put pen to paper on how we feel about the band. They just keep getting better and better. Thanks for this and the great pic/videos. 🙂
just saw them in lubbock, tx. LOVE your article. you have captured exactly how i feel about the band, and you’re correct, they are in top form and justin has never looked better. 🙂