Beloved Blogger Moves To Big Apple

I should apologize for my blog inactivity. You avid readers must have been going through withdrawals. It's mostly because I've been busy arranging a move to NYC. It's a bit of a surprise move to most. If all you have is my previous entry to go by, you may think that Farm Aid alone was enough to convince me to move. While it was an amazing concert, I assure you I have other reasons. Lacey lives there, the job market is fantastic for my line of work, the women are beautiful, it has live music, and I have many good friends already positioned throughout the city. They know who they are, because I've been sleeping on their couches for the last two weeks.

Long story short, I got the bug. The city beckoned, and I had no reason not to answer its call. I'm optimistic. Now I have a few days to say goodbye to DC while I also pack and brush up on my knowledge of the finance industry.

I am officially moving into my new place on the 14th, and I start work with my new company on the 15th. I have a one-bedroom apartment on the Upper East Side with a view to the East River, and I work in Herald Square.

Farm Aid (It's Not Just for Hippies Anymore)

Willie Nelson, playing his old guitar "Trigger"

It was such a great show, and the culmination of a great weekend. I headed up to NYC after work on Friday (guitar in hand), and I stayed with Michah for the three nights I was there. The show was on Sunday, and we met up with Lacey and some other people to take the ferry from Manhattan to Randall's Island. The actual attendance still hasn't been calculated, but there must have been 15 to 20 thousand people there, all of them spread out on blankets and t-shirts for a long, sunny day of live music.

The point of the concert, as Willie Nelson puts it, is to support, "family farmers, good food, a better America." The food on premise was definitely better than average as far as I've come to expect at concerts and festivals. (That organic fruit smoothie I had around 1:30 really helped fix that hangover I was suffering from the night before.) But I was happy to see that despite the noble cause of the concert, the music still took precedent.

And I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Allman Brothers can still rock the house. Gregg Allman muttered incomprehensibly between songs, and then Derek Trucks or Warren Haynes would suddenly burst into some soulful, scorching Southern guitar riff. Gregg also backed up Dave Matthews and Willie Nelson for a memorable acoustic rendition of "Melissa".

But the highlight of the show, without a doubt, was the Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds set. Before I could even see them, I heard that first D major chord of "Lie In Our Graves", and the crowd went wild. When everyone quieted down, Dave and Tim played a long and impressive set as the sun set over the East River.

Tim Reynolds & Dave Matthews

SET LIST:
Jesse Lenat
Pauline Reese
40 Points
Jimmy Sturr
The Ditty Bops
Danielle Evin
Billy Joe Shaver
Supersuckers
Montgomery Gentry
Matisyahu
* Kodesh
* Beatbox - Jam
* Indestructible
The Derek Trucks Band
Guster
* Captain
* Manifest Destiny
* Satellite
* Amsterdam
* Airport Song
Warren Haynes
Counting Crows
* Rain King
* Satellites
* Washington Sq
* Long December
Gregg Allman
* Midnight Rider
* Melissa (with Dave Matthews & Willie Nelson)
* Will the Circle Be Unbroken
The Allman Brothers Band
* Statesboro Blues
* One Way Out
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds
* Lie In Our Graves
* Grave Digger
* Crush
* Maker
* The Dreaming Tree
* Dancing Nancies
John Mellencamp
Neil Young
* Human Highway
* Silver and Gold
* Beautiful Bluebird
* Too Far Gone
* Everybody Knows
* Heart of Gold
* Homegrown
* Strong Winds
Willie Nelson

Neil & Pegi Young

Popular Blog Changes Name, Web Locale

Well, the summer is seemingly at an end. The weather is growing colder, the days shorter, and the grass on the greens is starting to thin. I've had a lot of new experiences over the last few months... gliding, skydiving, whitewater rafting, shooting a 75, surfing in a Northeaster...

I feel an impulse to get a little misty now, because this summer was also a time for finding new friends, and growing closer to the people I've known. I just want to say a brief thank you to everyone who spent time with me over the last few months doing the things I love doing.

And at one friend's suggestion, I'm continuing my blog under a different name. Naturally, I can't call it the "Summer of Liam" anymore, so henceforth this weblog will be known as the "Era of Liam". The forwarding web address has also changed to WWW.ERAOFLIAM.COM