19. & 31.

last night jess and i went to see john mayer and colbie caillat at the pnc arts center. it was, in every way, the perfect night.

a few weeks ago i was driving by the pnc and the sign quickly flashed that john was going to be there on the 15th. jess told me a few months ago that he was coming and suggested we go but we'd never discussed it any further. i went home that afternoon, got on stubhub and 3 days later we had tickets. i surprised jess with the news at the party on the 5th and she got so excited that i actually got chills! tickets to an outdoor summer concert was the perfect gift to give for simply no reason at all!

first up...falafel wraps, dolma and hummus from zaitooni, a fantastic lebanese deli in red bank. the food was great and we enjoyed it in the comfort of our AC'd car while watching the younger crowd ramble around the parking lot. i told jess that we could tailgate but that we'd have to shift the stroller, diaper bag and potterybarn kids box around to make room. we decided the front seat was just fine.

up next...a beer for me and wine for jess. we found our seats and, WOW, were they great. we sat right next to the sound booth in the dead center of the stage. we were on the front row of our section with seats on the aisle. PERFECT! we chatted with an odd older couple next to us who were HUGE john mayer fans and had seen him the year before from the lawn. they assured us that the seats we had were much better. we chatted and laughed while doing some great people watching...you wouldn't believe the varied crowed john mayer draws. well, then again, you probably would. we were most confused by two people in their 50s or 60s who looked like they come straight from africa to see the show. music knows no boundaries!

colbie caillat was up first and she was amazing. i first learned of colbie from listening to the singer/songwriter channel on sirius. jess had heard her too and lent me her cd. she is an amazing singer/songwriter from california with a beautiful voice, a mellow sound and she put out a damn good album. the songs are beautifully written and her voice rich voice accompanies them perfectly. you might've heard her songs bubbly or realize on the radio. the entire album, coco, is fantastic and worth a listen. she was great in concert (not just a studio voice) and did a fun rendition of the jackson 5's one more chance.

after she finished we took a bathroom break. i saw the realtor that sold us our house get busted going into the men's room and i shouted out, "barb, what the hell????" the security guy that was taking her out of the men's room dropped her off with me and we had one heck of a laugh. i cannot believe that i saw someone i knew at a concert in NJ...a place i have lived for only one year. small world.

john mayer...what can i say? he started with springsteen's i'm on fire (i gave a mental shout out to rita during this song!) which was a nice way to greet the fans of NJ. the crowd went wild and never stopped. he was absolutely awesome (highlights for me: tom petty's free fallin', gravity & say) and brought the house down for 2 hours. jess and i sang every word and laughed and hugged and danced our way through the show. it was, as jess said, a spiritual experience.

jess...you were a great date. i'd do it again with you anytime. thanks for a great time...my side still aches from all the laughing. if you'd like to see more pictures of our night...click here.