There are times in your life that you just have to share your experience with the fellow music lovers out there.  As many of you know, Belle and Sebastian is all time favorite band.  They are not Swedish, but Scottish so I’m going to depart the land of Swedes for a day and head over to the Land of Scots.  As the band The Orchids tweeted me last week, “Swedes are Sweet, but Scots Are Hot.”  Well kind sirs, I will agree with you and I will break the rules of my blog to tell you why.

I have said many a times that dancing on stage with Belle and Sebastian and meeting Stuart is something on my bucket list.  For years, I have traveled to see them play within my own state and to other states.  Last year, I had the opportunity of seeing them play in both NY and Chicago.   But this year my sunny home state of California made both my dreams come true.   The two things I had only dreamed of happening, happened within little over a month of each other with my favorite guy(my brother) making both come to life.

Early September when “God Help the Girl” was being released, Stuart Murdoch was doing an in store at Origami Records in Silverlake.  Luckily for me, I was on a trip home to see my family.  It was my brother’s birthday, but it felt like it should have been mine.  Anxiously, I stood in line with my “God Help the Girl” record waiting for Stuart to arrive.  All the things I wanted to say or could think of saying were rushing through my mind.  Part of me wanted to cry, but I didn’t want to seem like a blubbering idiot who just saw New Kids On the Block.  We were about ten people back in line, and I couldn’t stop staring at the man who’ve I’ve admired for ten years.  The one whose music has mended my broken heart, helped me move on, and inspired me to achieve so many things .  The closer we got to the inside of the door, I began to shake.  I was nervous, anxious, scared.  Was I going to make a fool of myself?  Was I going to say something utterly stupid?  So I get up to Stuart, who was accompanied by the films star Emily Browning(who at that moment, did not matter to me.  I am sorry Emily I meant no disrespect)  I looked at Stuart he said hello, and all I could say was “I’m shaking.” As humble as he is he asked why and all I could say was “I never thought this day would happen.”  He asked me where  I was from, told me I should be relaxed cause I’m in LA and not as fast paced New York.  He signed my record, and I asked him to take a selfie.  On my way I went.  Those two little minutes were all I need to make me happy.  And I will cherish them forever.

Now backtracking to sometime in June/July.  I am on my computer and I see that Belle and Sebastian is playing LA but not New York.  At first, I get a little sad but then I text my brother.  He said he got tickets and one of them was for me if I’d be able to make it.  Of course…I was going to make it happen.  I booked my ticket for early October knowing that even though the tickets we purchased were on the second night and in the far back.  I’d still be seeing my favorite band and would not care.  Well, as the months got closer and closer I did care.  For one, I was flying in for this and two.  I needed to be as close as possible to get on that stage and dance with them.  This was my year to make it happen.  So I searched the ticket broker sites and found two front row seats for the Monday night show.  I said this is my year!

I always have this thing in my head where I think I’m jinxing myself. I have been having a few stressful weeks at work and just was not going into this with full happiness or excitement.  But all that changed as soon as they got on stage, all my worries and cares faded away.  I was in the moment.  I felt a little bad for the pregnant lady next to me cause I was bopping in my chair.  When all I really wanted to do was stand up and dance the whole concert, but out of courtesy to my fellow Belle and Sebastian lovers, I sat.  Well that was until Stuart mentioned there was a gap and every one moved up close to the stage.  Immediately stood up and rushed my way to the front.  That was when I knew that I was going to get up on stage.  They started the dance party with “Suki in the Graveyard” pulled a guy up on stage, he pulled up the girl my brother and I labeled as “God Help the Girl.”  Then people started to flood the stage.  It was my chance.  I jumped up and began to dance my little heart away.  I was so happy.  My heart was racing and I just danced my way through Suki and “Boy with the Arab Strap” After that people were starting to go off stage and the whole time I was dancing next to Stevie, he looked over and said “Youcan stay.” Of course, I was not leaving that stage once he said that.  This was when they began to play “Legal Man”  I stood up there between Stevie and Stuart and danced my little heart out.  At that moment, I think I could have fainted or had a heart attack.  My ultimate dream had come true and nothing or nobody could take that moment away from me.  This morning I am still in a haze of happiness.  Everyone who knows me knows how important this moment is in my life.

I could drag my blog on for days going through the emotions and feelings I felt and am still feeling this morning, but I don’t want to keep you guys much longer.  So I will end with here and with this…this year has been great for me musical experience wise.  Six months ago when I started this blog, I never thought it would get the attention and appreciation it’s getting.  Never did I think this year I’d meet Stuart and dance on the Belle and Sebastian stage.  I also did not think that hearing Lykke Li sing “Never Gonna Love Again” at the Apollo Theatre in New York would bring me to tears.  I will soon be taking this blog to another level, maybe a side project called Scots Are Hot, or a Danes are Dandy.  All I can say right now to all the musicians who continue to inspire me, heal me and move me…Thank you for what you do!