Lenny Dykstra

Top 5 Shows (Concerts) of 2012:

5:  Title Fight
I drove to Ogden to go to a small club I've never been to.  I sat, sory stood, thru good bands but not great. Title Fight started the set strong.  Three or four song into it, the cub owner gets on the mike & tells us only 45 people can remainin the club.  That is it's occupancy rate. That meant with all the bands, roadies, & club workers only 8 people could remain. These guys came out back & played 3 or 4 more songs.  They didn't want the cops to ruin in our experience.  I walked away being a bigger fan than I already was.  I wish they'd make it up to Utah.  I hope that experience hasn't ruined Utah for them like other

bands. 

If you look close enough, you can see me chewing a rhythm on my bubblegum.

4:  The Avett Brothers
During my layoff from work, I threw caution to the wind & experienced The Avett (like Pave it) Brothers.  When I say experience, I fully believe that.  This band is my friends Mel Led & Jason's favorite band.  I had not seen them yet. Just hadn't.  Being off of work made it the perfect time, meaning I had time to stand in line.  I met Jason at City Creek walked around a bit & went to lunch.  We got in line about 1430 (Military Time).  Doors didn't open till 17 or 1800.  When doors did open, I saw my responsilbe friends make a mad dash to the front of the stage.  Never have I seen this.  I'm a stand in the back kinda guy. (See Above.) But I wanted to live The Avett Brothers.  Let me tell you, they did not disappoint.  Worth every penny & some.  They know how to please their fans.  I will see them again.  Maybe even up in the front.  Ill have to se how my old bones age.



3: The Revival Tour feturing Chuck Ragan, Tom Gabel, & others
       I almost didn't go to this.  Still jobless (Reading my thoughts, you'd think I've spent a lot of time unemployed.), my dear, dear friend Ingrid told me she'd pay for me to get in. I'm glad she did.  The tie between Chuck, HWM, Drew, Ingrid, me, Trent, Adrien binds us. Needless to say, I had fun.



2: Nothington
This band came thru on a very, very bad day for me. Work had not gone as planned. Stressed from the day & drivin home, my phone chimed in a text. Lisa, a friend from Logan & Utah State, wrote me that Chris King had unexpectantly passed away from a heart condition. I was floored at this point. I was balling. Chris is one of te few people I met while on campus. He came to Utah State on a music scholarship from New York. I'm a shy guy & keep to myself. I don't go out of my way to talk to people, but I had seen Chris a few times in my friend Aaron's office. Over time, he was one of maybe three people I stopped on campus when I saw him. He had a voice. I was lucky enuff to see him perform 3 times. I am honored t hve known him & will keep him with me always. Nothingon, a punk band from San Francisco, played a great show to me & 10 others. They made the day and my sadness melt away. I eagerly bought their catalog & play on Maggie a lot.

I have a tie for first...

1b: Band of Horses
I've been a fan forsome time now. Jason introduced me Everything All the Time. It was instant. I was in love. Jason, Mel, & I were lucky to see them then. I had not seen them since. Last tme thy rolled thru, I had a math quiz & couldn't. When Twilight announced them on the roster of bands for the summer, I was pretty giddy. Even luckier for me, I learned themy friends Wade & Amber were going to come down. Luckier even still, my friends Mel W. & Lin were going to be in town too. Then I met the infamous Amy Willis that week & she joined in, along with th usual suspects, Jason & Mel Led for the awesome reunion, only missing John & Kelsi, Aaron & Lauren, and Adam & Tori. Next time. We got all the hits The Funeral, NW Apt., Knock Knock (Off the new album,out now), Laredo, & the Great Salt Lake not once but twice. They called everysong Great Salt Lake after they played it early in th set. So when the encore rolled around & tey said this one's called the Great Salt Lake. I didn't think they'd it. BUT they did. Thank you Band of Horses for making it a great night.

1a: The Naked & Famous
I learned f this band thru my musings with Lin over ichat. He sent it & I loved the first track. I think I listened to it 100s of times. I began to pass this amazing work around to some of my friends. Two years later, they finally come to Salt Lake. Even better, The Depot. I gathered some change (still unemployed) & bought a ticket. I'll tell you it was maybe the best twenty I spent all 2012. I see bands perform all the time. It's fun, but old hat to me. I will always appreciate live music. Love it actually. But this band from New Zealand blew me away. They played Passive Me, Agressve You from top to bottom or at least every song. I came away wanting to see them istantly again. In my years beyond years of going to shows, that is a good sign. I came away with a new fave song stuck in my head. Thank you to The Naked & Famous for making 0h 12 memorable.

Thank you all the bands I saw throughout 2012. I hoe to more of you along the way.

Ps... SLC is a great place to play a show.

See you in the future...