Andrea Hylen

Concert 25-Las Vegas, Nevada: Feeling Nostalgic
August 1, 2009

I was feeling a little nostalgic today. This was the 25th concert of the summer and my 50th Jonas Brothers concert since 2007. It has been a week of nostalgia with the anniversary of the death of my husband, the anniversary of our journey with the Jonas Brothers and then tonight a landmark reached with the number of concerts I have attended in the last two years.

Here are some details of the day yesterday and the concert. Keep reading down the page to listen to the beginning of a “Memories of music section” with youtube links. I will keep adding more over the next two weeks.

If you have been reading the blog, you may remember a blog about a woman named Lauren, who e-mailed a dinner invitation before the Portland concert. I felt an instant connection with Lauren and had a great time at the Jonas Brothers party in her home a month ago.

Today she was in Las Vegas with her husband, Jim. He had a high school reunion with students from an International school he attended for high school in Belgium. They invited Hannah and me to breakfast at the Hash House A Go Go. (Hannah and I both agreed we needed a break from each other so I went alone.) Jim and Lauren picked me up at the hotel and off we went on a breakfast adventure. It was a huge, delicious breakfast of eggs and potatoes and assorted goodies. . Really, really, good food. Our waiter was Eric who is an up and coming musician with a band. I will post info about his band when I do some band segments in the fall.

Tonight’s concert was at Mandalay Bay. It was like old home week. We hadn’t been to a concert since July 30. Two days of driving and a day in Vegas, I was looking forward to seeing everyone. (I know this sounds crazy that we would miss them, but when you see people almost every day and then it stops…well…I missed them!)

I saw Jesse and Mikie from the Verizon Wireless Recording Studio. High fives for this being my 50th concert and 25th of the summer. Owen from Raised by Radio, also joined in. The high fives were creating a musical resonance in the area of the building. We wanted to keep doing more high fives just for the music it was creating.

We did the Honor Roll, a dance to See U in the Dark, an Honor Society song to see if we could win meet and greets but they never give a prize to me. Do I never win because it is age discrimination or maybe they recognize me and are looking for new people? I know the dance and I am good at it!! I want to actually win a meet and greet, but am grateful for all of the gifts I have received.

Lauren and I went to the concert together tonight. Two vibrant, alive women, dancing, singing and rocking to the music. I loved having a girlfriend to hang out with last night.

There was a sweet moment tonight during the Jonas Brothers concert when the mother of a little girl, held her up to Joe for a hand touching moment. Joe reached down and picked up the little girl, carrying her around the stage during a song. Many hearts melted during this tenderness.

A crazy moment was when a fan jumped on the stage and ran up to Joe for a hug. Well, I am glad she had her moment but now the security will be increased for the rest of the concerts. It always happens and it creates more of a barrier. Safety for the guys is important. We don’t want to read about one of the Jonas Brothers being loved to death by a love attack!

As I was listening to all of the music tonight, I could feel so much emotion and feelings of gratitude welling up inside of me. I was thinking about the songs by the Jonas Brothers and how there are certain songs that will always have special meaning for me, a meaning that came in the beginning. They were songs that helped me to remember parts of my self that I had forgotten.

Take a minute now and think about the songs that have impacted your life or carry a special memory. It could be a song that your mother sang to you as you fell asleep as a child, or the song you played over and over one summer. A song connected to your first kiss, first dance, a wedding, a birth, a death, or another moment in time.

I could probably list thousands of songs. I love music and I love words. The power of both has impacted my life with joy, healing, forgiveness, insight and on and on Below is the beginning of some memories of music with links on Youtube.

When I think of my grandfather, Phil, I think of the songs Mairzy Doats and There’s a Hole in the Bucket. Both are songs that have a play on words or limerick type energy which were a reflection of his passions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dny_JDlwGFM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD-ffhvefsw

From my early childhood it was Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, the Beatles, and dancing with my Dad, his arm around me and my feet on top of his as we glided across the floor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_KDPUTyDyQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6j5bve7O5E

When I was 12, Mama Cass, The Supremes, the Beatles, and Spiral Staircase. Hearing “I love you more today than yesterday,” still brings my hand to my ear like I am listening to a transistor radio, in a bikini in the back yard and dancing back and forth dreaming of someone singing the words to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEQxEJ5_5zA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQQ2jPm0CO4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDlCcGBtGd0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j45ezAAeMDw&feature=related

More in a few days. I will move into high school, college, various decade songs and then the Jonas Brothers and more.