(Please oh please let them play this song at Wednesday's show)

This has been a rough week for me. Two of my favorite bands of ever and all time decided September, 2011 is the perfect month to step away from the tambourine and call it quits.  Oh REM and the Bluetones, I will miss you so. Your songs have made life worth living on many a day and I thank you for the memories.  

The only thing that has made the last week musically bearable is the fact that my dear Bright Eyes is going to be in Seattle this Wednesday, September 28, 2012 at the Paramount. 

I'm going to the show with my favorite fellow BE-fan friend, Cori, who saw Bright Eyes perform at Sasquatch this year. His explanation of how the show ended still makes me weak in the knees (not verbatim):

As the band wrapped up their set with a song off the new album, "One for You, One for Me," Conor explained that we need to remember to be kind and love everyone.  He reached out to the crowd but he was unable to make physical contact with the admirers in the front because of the barrier fence and security. As the song and the almost-touching-angst rose to maximum fever pitch, Conor grabbed a gal from the front row and laid a big kiss on her. The crowd exploded with love.

(Sidenote: Why I can't find this moment on youtube is beyond me.)

I witnessed this kindness sentiment repeated at SXSW and Lollapalooza this year (thanks NPR for streaming the video!) when he jumped off the stage and hugged the concertgoers and even the security guards as he made his way off the stage.

Love. LOVE all around!  

So, while I'm not promising there's going to be lovefest at Wednesday's show, knowing that there's a slight possibility that someone in the room might get a Conor hug or kiss is enough to help me get through my REM+Bluetones grieving process.  

And the best part of the whole thing? We've got a pair of tickets to giveaway to the Bright Eyes show! Email tig at threeimaginarygirls.com with your name, a reason why you need a hug, and the subject line "Conor HuggyPants" to enter to win the tickets. We'll draw a name on Tuesday 9/27 at 8am.