let me see that tootsie roll...

On Thursday last week, I met up with Neal in Cambridge for the OK Go concert at the Middle East. Before heading over I checked out the band's blog with instructions for that night's show...to bring sculptures of the band. With just a few minutes to prepare, I grabbed four thumbtacks from my studio and initially set out to find some sort of solid tubing (I was thinking metaphor for dynamite) that I could stick the thumbtacks in as heads, each band member receiving a different color. I managed to find a sponge that I cut into four pieces, but on the subway ride over the Charles River, for some unknown reason, tootsie rolls popped into my mind (I've since learned that the Tootsie Roll Corporation is based in Chicago, home of said band...weird, huh?). I popped into the Walgreen's in Central Square and picked up a bag of "midgies," tied four together with twine (and a note explaining the very minimal sculpture) and topped the four "bodies" off with the thumbtacks. I've recreated the tootsie roll band here, sans thumbtacks. I mean, if you're going to go minimal, might as well go all the way, right?

I felt like a dork standing in line holding onto my tootsie roll band (plus it was cold so my hand was freezing!). I thought for sure everyone would have something but as far as I could tell, only one other girl finished the assignment. I think the touring merchandise guy thought I was hitting on him, pumping him for information about the band and what they did with these things. It was never mentioned during the course of the concert and I've since had this very John Hughes highschool movie moment fear that the bandmembers simply laughed at my pathetic little ensemble and tossed it into the cold, wet gutter. They don't seem that harsh, but you never know, fame may be getting to them.

But let me back up a bit...We got in line right before the doors opened at 8. As we neared the downstairs entrance we saw Damian a bit further down on the sidewalk. Nobody mauled him or anything...I'm not quite sure why. He's definitely got that rock-n-roll-lead-singer-girls-dig-him thing going. Local band Scamper (nothing to write home about) and Juliette Lewis and the Licks opened. Two opening bands a tired Becky make. But seeing Juliette Lewis onstage was quite an experience. I'm not a big fan of Juliette as an actress and while I did think most of the songs they played sounded more or less the same, I think she's got quite a stage presence. And a following...there were plenty of people in the audience who were clearly there to see Juliette as the primary attraction.

Not me...I was there for OK Go and OK Go only. They finally hit the stage at about 11:15. The only thing that separated me and Neal from the stage was a throng of 18-year old girls about five rows deep. At one point, Damian walked off stage and reappared in the crowd, made his way to the front, and - I'm not kidding you - stopped right in between Neal and me, before continuing with the song. In that brief silence (Damian touched my arm!!) one girl yelled out, "Damian, you're so cute!" Gotta love freshmen...

Anyway, we were in bed around 2 a.m. and I'm finally catching up on sleep, but it was worth it.