Went and caught Calexico at the Aladdin Theater last night.

Man, so refreshing.

In Minneapolis, back in the reckless days of my mid-twenties, I basically burned myself out on “live music.” It seemed like something worth seeing was going down each night. I saw a ton of good shows. But the whole experience started to get a little old after awhile. I often found myself standing there thinking, “Man, I should just be listening to this stuff on my stereo, hanging on my couch.” Some bands just do that to me in the live setting.

I’m in it for the entertainment. I’m not into this sort of “suffering with the band” shit. Who’s worse off, the band who has to stand in front of some mangy fans or the fans who have to stand in front of some mangy band? Things just got to the point where “going out” felt a bit too predictable.

So I took a break. Nowadays, I limit my shows to experiences where I know I be entertained or fascinated or surprised or flat out blown away.

Last night took the cake.

1. The joint had theater seats. Sitting down, watching a real “show.”
2. Calexico is a band. Musicians. Multiple talents. Swagger.
3. Considered lights, good sound and no smoke in my face.

They were excellent. Horns, stand up bass, marimbas… and not in that “Widespread Panic” or “Cherry Poppin’ Daddies” “wow-we’re-diverse” sort of way…the real deal. Musicians, inspired by the sultry sounds of the Southwest. It’s the sort of live show where you could take yer parents and they’d enjoy the contagious rhythm.

John Convertino plays the drums. Once again, he plays the drums. His punctuated blasts, his swagger and rolls. His elegance. His grace. Contained and confident. A relaxed professional.

Mark these words: I will roll through the dusty backroads of the great Southwest again, with Calexico on the dashboard stereo.