Category Archives: Music

Bob Dylan & Willie Nelson Concert

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Bob Dylan & Willie Nelson Concert

Howdy!! This past weekend, Johnny and I checked off another concert on our summer lineup list. It was Outlaw Fest at Blossom Music Center and Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson were performing. We were supposed to see Willie Nelson at Blossom during the pandemic and had to skip on it so we were so happy to have been able to make up for it. I mean… kind of? Because the night definitely didn’t go accordingly to plan and it was basically one of the wildest nights out I’ve had since the after party at our wedding lol. Take a look at some pics that I don’t even remember a random stranger taking and let’s discuss:

Like any big event, the concession prices at Blossom are absolutely insane. To remedy that, literally everyone going to a show there pregames in a great big parking lot tailgate. Johnny and I got to the show with about an hour to kill, White Claw ready to go, and we posted up in the trunk of our car to sip away. As we were having our trunk time, a young couple who went with family across the way approached us to talk about our tattoos and they became our instant BFFs. We were chatting up a storm and, eventually, the entire family joined us. They were absolutely hilarious and we spent our pregame in stitches together. We were having so much fun that I don’t think any of us noticed we were all getting a fair bit tipsy.

Once we all felt good and ready to head into the venue, we did so as a team and found a nice, shady spot to watch from. We couldn’t see anyone on the stage, but we could hear the music and that was perfectly fine. Besides, Johnny and I were DEEPLY invested in conversation at this point. You guys, I kid you not, Johnny and I held individual sidebars with every single member of the family. Lol, they came to us with their complaints, we essentially gave them the “you have to get your ish together” motivational speech and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the mother’s daughter’s boyfriend would get a job and a license. We stepped into our roles as therapist beautifully and hope for nothing but the best!

Once Johnny and I had our fill of other people’s problems, I REALLY needed the bathroom so he waited for me while I did my thang. When I emerged from the facilities, I found Johnny standing there with two mixed drinks that featured a commemorative plastic pink cowboy hat. Lol he just couldn’t help himself! At this point, I was gone to the wind (Johnny was responsible because he was driving!) and we broke free from the family therapy session. We had been outside in ninety plus degree temps for close to four hours, Willie Nelson was going to be on soon, and we wanted to be able to fully enjoy it.

From what I recall and the poorly shot videos on my phone, both Willie and Bob tore it up. Those senior citizens still sound great!! Also, I was a little busy while Willie was playing because I ended up somehow with a new job perspective lol? One of the people we were standing by needed some social media assistance and we exchanged information! The night just kept getting better and better and I joked that Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan were simply our background music for the evening. By the time the show was over, we were totally and completely beat but it was so worth it for a whole lot of fun!

When we drove to the concert, we were not expecting for our night to transpire the way it did. It was, however, a memory (Or lack thereof!) for the ages!!

What is the craziest night out you have ever had? Are you going to any concerts this summer? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New & Improved Concert Lineup

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New & Improved Concert Lineup

Hello!! During the pandemic, Johnny and I had a plethora of concerts that we were going to attend but, sadly, couldn’t. One of the most painful losses was easily not seeing My Chemical Romance for their reunion tour and I am still Not Okay about it! While it was a bummer to forego all of these shows and experiences and basically eat my money, I am so happy that Johnny and I are making up for it this summer. We have already seen AC/DC and will be seeing Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson next weekend and Weird Al in September. But wait! There’s more!!

For my birthday, I was surprised by not one but two sets of tickets. For my gift, Johnny ordered us two tickets to see The Struts for their tenth anniversary tour at the House of Blues. We are avid fans of The Struts and to make it even better, they are playing at my favorite venue! I have seen countless shows at the House of Blues and they have always been some of my favorite concerts. It is a smaller venue and gives you the opportunity to get up close and personal with the stage. It makes for such an exciting evening and being in such close proximity to your favorite musicians is intoxicating. I have been dropping helpful hints that I would love to see The Struts since I learned that they were coming to Cleveland and I am so happy Johnny caught on. 😀

Not only did Johnny gift me with concert tickets, but my beloved big sis did too. We recently learned that Lil Wayne was coming to Blossom Music Center and I let Kristen know but we didn’t do anything with that information. This was okay because I actually saw Lil Wayne at Blossom Music Center when I was a teenager (I definitely sneaked out to see that show!). I had kind of forgotten about his upcoming show because I assumed we weren’t going. Then, Kristen texted me with the most beautiful sentiment I ever read on my birthday: “Do you have tickets to Lil Wayne?” I was on cloud nine and Kristen, my brother-in-law, and I will have a banner night on the town. So nice, I’ll see him twice and I can’t wait for my belated birthday outing!

This was a musical birthday, indeed, and I am so excited to make so many amazing concert memories this summer with all of my favorite people!

Are you going to any concerts this summer? Who would you love to see live? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

AC/DC Concert

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AC/DC Concert

Hello! Wednesday the 28th was a fantastic, wonderful day because Johnny and I went to see AC/DC in Cleveland at Huntington Bank Field!! AC/DC is one of Johnny’s all time favorite bands and he has wanted to see them live ever since he was just a little guy. When I learned that they would be playing their last show in America in Cleveland for their Power Up tour, I decided to make his bucket list dreams come true with tickets for our birthaversary. While the opening act, The Pretty Reckless, sucked eggs lol, AC/DC delivered with over two hours of nonstop, high voltage rock. It was absolutely astounding!! Check out these pics of all of the ultra cool lighting and be sure to stop by my TikTok for videos:

When Johnny and I arrived at the stadium, The Pretty Reckless was already playing and as I was saying, they sucked eggs. And, as I told Johnny, they are REALLY trying hard to be The Dead Weather and failing miserably. Anyways, we were basically ignoring their portion of the show because we had more pressing matters to tend to. We were in the nosebleeds. And, when I say the nosebleeds, I mean that to the fullest extent because we were in the literal last row at the top of the stadium. We climbed the mountainous stairs up, up, up and all the while, I was deep breathing and refusing to look down because it was terrifying!! When we made it to our seats, I was panicking – we were up SO high!! It took me a phat minute to calm myself down and then I could actually appreciate our view. We were looking right down on the stage!

Blessedly, The Pretty Reckless wrapped up shortly after we were settled and we waited on pins and needles for AC/DC to take the stage. And, when they did, it was the best. Yes, it was cool to see them but it was even better to see Johnny’s reaction. He lit up like a kid on Christmas day! The show opened with If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It) and the hits just kept on coming. The set was filled with all of the crowd pleasers like Thunderstruck, Back in Black, Stiff Upper Lip, Shot in the Dark, Hells Bells, Have a Drink on Me, and the list goes on and on. The lighting was nothing short of spectacular and, my god, did they sound good too. Brian Johnson simply nailed it and Johnny and I were in awe that his vocals still sound SO crisp after all of these years. We also just adored his little dances lol. And, of course, seeing Angus Young duck walk will never be forgotten. That man can shred like no other and seeing his iconic moves IRL really was a dream come true for my main squeeze.

The set continued with banger after banger (IE: Shoot to Thrill, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Whole Lotta Rosie, Rock ‘n’ Roll Train, and You Shook Me All Night Long) and it was truly one big party. To be in such a huge crowd of fans, sing along to every word, and dance like crazy was intoxicating. And, when it got darker outside, it was even more special. The sea of concert goers was lit up with devil horns a la Angus Young and it was a sight to behold. Unfortunately, Johnny and I began making our long trek back to the parking garage at the beginning of their last song pre-encore, Let There Be Rock. However, we could still hear them playing as we made our way to the car. We walked to the beat as we reveled in the high of one of the best shows we have ever seen.

What a night it was at Huntington Bank Field!! Being able to see AC/DC with Johnny was a once in a lifetime experience and we cherished every moment! ❤

What is the best concert you have ever been to? Are you seeing any concerts this summer? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Can’t Wait!!!

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Can’t Wait!!!

Hello!! During the pandemic, Johnny and I had tickets to several concerts that we could no longer attend. We were going to go to Riot Fest for the My Chemical Romance reunion and that hurt deeply. We also had tickets to see Willie Nelson at Blossom Music Center and that fell through too. It was all extremely disappointing, to say the least. However, I am thrilled to say that we have an excellent concert lineup for this summer and the festivities are going to be starting very soon because…

Johnny and I don’t merely celebrate birthdays, but a birthaversary. His birthday is June first, mine is the seventh, and we got married on the fourth. So, when this momentous occasion happens – we do it big! My husband has wanted to see AC/DC live since he was just a little guy and when we found out they were coming to Cleveland, I had to make it happen. We will be in the nosebleeds and that is A-okay because we are going to be there!! Since the beginning of May, I must have heard Johnny say how excited he is at least one hundred times and it never gets old. We have been listening to ALL of the AC/DC even more so than usual and I can’t believe the big show is only a few weeks away since I purchased the tickets forever ago. It’s going to be so special to have this experience with him and I wish it would just hurry up and get here! 😀

Not only do we have AC/DC on our roster but we are also going to be seeing Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan for Outlaw Fest as well as Weird Al, both taking place at Blossom Music Center. We will finally be making good on seeing Willie Nelson together and this will be mine and my brother’s third time being blessed by Weird Al. Blossom has gifted us with an amazing lineup this year and I am chomping at the bit to fill mine and Johnny’s summer concert series even more. Ghost will be coming to Cleveland as well as The Struts and we would absolutely love to see them too. Needless to say, my honey and I are going to be living it up this summer! ❤

So many concerts, so little time and I am so excited to be able to share them with all of you!!

Are you going to any concerts this summer? What is the best concert you have ever been to? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Guitar Lessons

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Guitar Lessons

Hi! My Johnny is an exceptionally gifted musician and it is one of my favorite things to hear him play. He truly brings music with him everywhere he goes – whether he is playing you a song he thinks you would love, expanding his record collection, or accurately playing air guitar anytime we are listening to a sweet solo. And, of course, he revels in being able to teach others too. He adores showing our eldest niece the ropes on the keyboard, guitar, and ukulele and they practice under the name: The Rainbow Band lol. So cute! He also recently began giving my dad guitar lessons:

About a month or so ago, my dad asked me if Johnny would be willing to give him some guitar lessons. I immediately told him “of course” because I knew Johnny would say the exact same. He lives for this! My dad has had a guitar for forever and knows some of the basics and wanted to improve on them. So, every other Wednesday, Johnny comes over after work to help make it happen. My dad has been practicing every day since their first lesson and that in itself is music to Johnny’s ears. This is his love language to the T and being able to express that is a gift for all parties involved.

This past Wednesday, I ran an errand for my parents and when I got back, Johnny and dad were setting up for their lesson. I stuck around for a bit to get a progress report and was so impressed. They were strumming along to Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses together and it sounded pretty good!! That song is actually the first one I ice skated to in competition and, of course, it’s hilarious if you have seen the movie Step Brothers lol. They spent their lesson working through the song, which is exactly how Johnny learned to play guitar. It makes me so happy that my dad and Johnny are doing this together and my main squeeze always looks forward to it. I know my future rock star dad does too!

Should my dad and Johnny’s band hit the big time, you now know how it all started. I see a triple platinum record in the future!

Do you play an instrument? What instrument do you wish you could play? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Something Silly

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Something Silly

Hello!! There is honestly never a dull moment in the apartment community that Johnny and I reside in. Crazy things are always happening and after living here for so long, you just eventually get used to it lol. This past Thursday, I had a difficult time falling asleep and was treated to something that I don’t hear very often: The apartment community at night. Johnny and I go to bed insanely early because we both get up for work insanely early. So, as I attempted to fall asleep, I was hearing ALL of the things that I would normally be sleeping through. There was a heated argument in the apartment beside ours (So juicy!), a car alarm incessantly blaring, and something that made me laugh hysterically and quietly as to not wake Johnny up!

As I was just laying there, I could hear a car zooming through the property. That’s totally normal, but what made this occurrence different was the music being played. Whomever was in the car was straight up BLASTING Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen and I wasn’t even mad about it. They had great taste! And, of course, it was impossible not to immediately think of this iconic scene from Wayne’s World:

^^^ I have no rights to this song or video!

I like to think that the passengers in the car were recreating this video together and it was one of those goofy things that I felt compelled to share. That’s apartment life for you!

Have you ever lived in an apartment? Do you have any stories about your time there? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sweet Surprises: New Record Edition

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Sweet Surprises: New Record Edition

Hello! My Johnny is not only an incredible musician but an avid lover of all music. He has an insane record collection, boasting over five hundred vinyls and it is his payday treat to hit up a few of his favorite haunts and pick up a new record or two. Despite his insistence on me purchasing records for myself, it is honestly something that doesn’t interest me. At the end of the day, you can wear a new pair of shoes but you can’t wear a new record lol. Because of this, Johnny makes it a point to surprise me with a new record every so often and he did so this weekend. While I was out with my nieces, Johnny placed one of my all time favorites under my pillow for me to return home to. I couldn’t contain myself when I saw that it was Sing the Sorrow by AFI:

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Johnny and I are elder emos through and through and were blessed to have been around for the surge of emo and alt bands in the early 2000s. While Johnny was a My Chemical Romance kind of guy, I was a total AFI gal. AFI became one of my favorite bands after one listen and Sing the Sorrow was actually the first album I bought with my own money. I am SO lucky to have seen them perform live twice with my sister and have the fondest memories of both shows as well as the top of our lungs sing alongs in her first car. AFI is a band that has been with me for such a long time, through the good and the bad, and will always hold a very special place in my heart.

Whenever I am out shopping, I love to look for “little treats” for Johnny and tend to go the clothing route. Buying records for me is truly his equivalent of this and it really is sweet. Of course, it’s nice to be thought of but his sheer excitement for it is the best. Little by little, he has made an effort to expand my record collection too and it is working! Just like Johnny, I tore my AFI record open and wanted to listen to it immediately. So we did. While we played video games and chatted away, one of my desert island records played too and It. Was. Glorious!

I felt spoiled rotten by my surprise from Johnny and it made our standing weekend date of records and games even better! He is just the best. ❤

What do you like to collect? Do you have any vinyl records? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Making Music

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Making Music

Hello!! My Johnny is an incredibly skilled musician and it is one of my greatest joys to hear him play. He is skilled in several different instruments including guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and piano and it honestly blows my mind every time he creates a little music magic. Prior to the pandemic, Johnny was playing A LOT with the band he was in called The Outside Voices. It was freaking awesome. Unfortunately, like a lot of things during the pandemic, the band came to a grinding halt and hasn’t played since. That’s not to say that Johnny wasn’t still playing at home, but after a while, he kind of dropped off. Which is why I am SO happy that he has been picking up his guitar again for the past few weekends. Don’t mind the mess in Johnny’s record room lol:

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Every Saturday for the past month or so, Johnny has been back in the record room Making Music and it is music to my ears. He is so gifted and being able to hear him in his zone is just the coolest. Johnny really does play a MEAN electric guitar and I love to sit there and watch him. He makes everything he does look so effortless and I am always clapping and cheering away for these solo performances. And he claims that he is “rusty”. As if!!

This Saturday, I had an amazing three and a half hour chat-a-thon with my blogging bestie, Kate of Live In The Nautical. As we talked, and talked, and talked some more, Johnny was playing the entire time. And, by the time Kate and I said our goodbyes, he STILL kept playing! Not only was I impressed, but I was elated that the concert wasn’t over so I could rock out more to my all time favorite musician. How lucky am I that said musician is also my husband?!

I am so proud of Johnny for making an effort to get back into music again and I can’t wait to hear what he plays this upcoming weekend! ❤

Do you play any instruments? What was the last concert you saw? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

A Moment To Complain

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A Moment To Complain

Hello!!! Nothing pleases me or Johnny more than an amazing concert and the most recent one we attended was Alice Cooper. We both like to keep tabs on when our favorites are coming to Cleveland, Columbus, or Pittsburgh and I was simply elated by the news I recently discovered… Jack White would be playing at The Agora in Cleveland in April of 2025. For those of you who don’t know, I am his number one fan and have been for as long as I can remember. In fact, I have a portrait of Jack’s face tattooed as well as some of his lyrics. So, needless to say, I was stoked to hear that he was coming to Cleveland so I could see him for the third time. It would also be Johnny’s first time seeing him live too!

As soon as tickets were on sale, I pounced and was pleased to see that the General Admission tickets were right in front of the stage. This is always appealing because you can get yourself up close and personal with some fancy footwork, which is exactly what I did when I saw Jack White at X-Fest and Stage AE. The tickets were one hundred bucks a pop and I considered it to be well worth it to 1) See my all time favorite and 2) Have the opportunity to get to the front of the stage. I was about to place my order and then everything went terribly wrong. And by terribly, I mean expensively.

Now, I am all for treating myself and would never, ever call myself cheap. However, my purse strings instantly tightened when the grand total for two one hundred dollar tickets ended up being three hundred and twenty dollars because of fees. The fees costed more than one ticket!!! As much as I would have LOVED to attend the show with Johnny, we were both in agreement that the total price was absolutely ridiculous and couldn’t justify it. It was extremely disappointing, to say the least.

This truly begs the question of when TF did ticket prices become so expensive?! My mind was honestly blown by the grand total because I paid less for two tickets to a full fledged two day music festival in Chicago. Unfortunately, Johnny and I couldn’t attend because the pandemic, but you get the point. All week, I have been wrestling with the buy the tickets or not buy them dilemma. And, every time I think that I should just do it, my pride gets in the way because it seems insane to me. I know, I know it’s not good to complain and I am thankful to have seen my beloved Jack White twice. I’m not saying it wouldn’t have been nice to see him thrice, though!!

MAN do I feel better after getting all of this off my chest! And, in conclusion, a big fat middle finger to the dreaded fees that skyrocketed the ticket prices into something unacceptable!

How much would you pay for concert tickets? What is the best website to buy tickets from? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Funko Pop Albums

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Funko Pop Albums

Hello! A few weekends ago I went with Johnny and my brother to Akron Comicon and a wonderful time was had by all. It is a tradition of ours and we look forward to it every year. It was so much fun to see all of the vendors, cosplayers, and D-list celebrities and we all walked away with a little something something for ourselves too. I recently learned of the Funko Pop Albums collection when I purchased a Britney Spears one for my sister earlier that week. There were plenty of them at Comicon too and Johnny and I simply had to get these to display by our record player:

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When I saw the Albums Funkos being peddled, I immediately locked eyes on Alice Cooper. Johnny and I are huge, avid fans of his. In fact, we plan on being Alice Cooper and Cold Ethyl for next Halloween! I honestly don’t think we have ever come down from the joy of seeing him in concert a few months back so the Welcome To My Nightmare Funko was as good as ours. It looks perfect in our record corner where we frequently play his vinyls. And, if you haven’t seen the 1975 TV special that Alice Cooper did with Vincent Price called The Nightmare – watch it and thank me later. It is one of mine and Johnny’s favorite things in the world and we quote it constantly.

What Johnny was drawn to wasn’t Alice Cooper but Angus Young. Highway To Hell by AC/DC is one of his desert island record choices and also features his favorite form of Angus: Lil Devil lol. We got the biggest kick out of the little Funko in his likeness! Johnny dressed up as Angus Young during our very first Halloween together as a couple and it sounds silly but this Funko makes me highly sentimental. His band at the time was playing a Halloween show and I will never forget Johnny in his schoolboy getup duck walking across the stage! All Halloweens are my favorite, but that one holds an extra special place in my heart. ❤

Alice Cooper, Angus Young, and Funko Albums – oh my! We absolutely love the newest additions to our knick knack shelves!

Do you collect anything? What are some of your desert island albums? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah