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Yesterday we took a boat tour and did some snorkelling and zip-lines. I wasn't a fan of the ropes course, but loved zipping around on the lines. And all this time amongst the locals is really helping my Spanish.

We went out last night and had dinner at a distillery that overlooked the main strip. Everywhere were people in costumes begging candy from shopkeepers and cars cruising. They closed the road and there was a candy parade with thousands of people mobbing the buses and trucks throwing out goodies.

The food and the tequila was amazing but the balcony view for the festivities was outstanding.

We decided to take the day off and chill by the pool. Tomorrow is the wedding and then we have some ATVing and stuff. It's good to go with a big group for the activities.

I'll let you know if we get around to parasailing.

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The Plain White T's started things off right, engaging the crowd with favorites. They played some new stuff which was exciting to hear. Their sound has gotten a lot smoother and more accessible which was evidenced by all the people singing along.

After a longer than expected break, Snow Patrol woke everyone up with some rowdy renditions of popular singles. Some of the lesser listened to music took on new life with passionate and powerful stage performance.

The Paramount in GA mode remains a great venue, especially for smooth rocking bands who feel intimate but have a full presence on stage and a diverse audience who aren't necessarily used to rubbing shoulders.

Snow Patrol captured my ear again and the chance to hear the accent live and watch the guitars rip in real-time was a treat I'll always be down to catch. If you have half an ear you'll want to find a performance to watch for yourself.

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It's hard to compare this show, as he was headlining with a band, and the Showbox SoDo was in it's more intimate arrangement. But having Evan Taubenfield open was a flash-back that made me smile.

Usually I'd be seeing gigs like this at El Corazon or Chop Suey, so it's nice to see the artists upscaling to the likes of the Showbox and the venues expanding their audiences.

Watching acoustic songwriters transition from carrying a show to performing in front of a band isn't always the easiest. They can over- reach and end up sounding formulaic and repetitive. Take Matt Nathanson for example. I'd quit a job, lie to my mom, stand-up a date with Mrs. Draper, or mug an old lady for tickets just to watch him play a 5 song solo set. But tell me he's headlining his band again and I'll have to check the calendar to see if there aren't any good movies playing first. The difference is that significant.

All in, the bands were engaging and lively, while the crowd was festive and typical for Seattle. I'll definitely head back to SoDo whenever it's in small setting though, because that was well done.

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The surprise tonight was a band I'd never heard called Handful of Luvin' that is from Seattle. They had a really unique sound with clearly Irish influences melded with reggae and folk. A solid vocalist and gifted bassist drove their music which was smoothly danceable.

The Proclaimers were a treat to see if a bit on the novelty side.

All in all, another great night courtesy of the ShowBox and my friends at TicketMaster.

LIA.

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 I've seen it in 4 cities almost a dozen times and I was just as excited for tonights performance as for any previous. It's simply that good.

 Refreshingly the audience tonight dressed up a little more than Seattle audiences have been known to do. It always distresses me when this city can't seem to appreciate the culture to which they have such access.

 If you have an opportunity, make the time. It will change your life. Or at least give you a new found love of musicals.

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 A few times he seemed a little hoarse but that boy can play some serious strings, I tell you!

 The light show was very well done and everyone took advantage of loose security to stand up close in the aisles.

 If you don't get to see many shows, his is worth your time.

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 After a thorough education in the ways of professional rodeo, I got to stand up close in the dirt to watch the country folks rock out to Big Green Tractor.

 Good thing I got some strawberry shortcake so I'd have energy to boogie alongside 'em.

 Even though it was packed, it was a fun experience and he puts on a fun show.

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 The weather cooperated for a glorious afternoon which was kicked off by Taking Back Sunday. I've never seen them live and it was interesting to see those harmonies performed.

 Weezer put on a great show. I've seen them before and this was a solid set that did justice to their talent.

 Seeing Blink-182 was something I didn't think I'd ever be able to do and it was a really big deal for me. They did not disappoint in the least. They played all the old hits and sprinkled in a bunch of new singles.

 The experience was all-around exhilarating and inspiring. If you don't catch a stop on this tour, you're really missing out.

 As for me, I rest easy knowing I've crossed a big item off my list.

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 The boys dropped at various times and I outlasted all of them in the race to sunrise. When finally those gorgeous rays of sunshine hit the beach I was exhausted and ready to crash.

 Still awash in body paint and fading memories from last night, we swap stories and down grub to restore some normalcy.

 It really is one of the best parties in the world. And Thai food for the next day? Yummy.

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 Part of the gang went touring on scooters, preferred to enjoy the sun on the beach for a few hours. Now I'm going to nap in the hammock and watch the sun go down so I'll be energized for tonights craziness.

 Wish you were here.

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 @triceratopshead and @coolmarie knew all about the different fish we saw. We also got to check out Maya Beach which is famous for being where they shot the movie The Beach. It was really spectacular.

 Today we've had rain on and off but still managed to climb to the viewpoint to look out at all the islands.

 Tomorrow we head to Koh Phangan in a marathon travel day.

 Wish me luck!

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 Riding around the BTS is a great way to check out the city. It's very
reasonably priced usually taking me about a buck to get from one of
the city to another. There terminals are very clean and accessible
and even at peak times it's not ridiculous (a la Tokyo or Mumbai).

 The monuments are beautiful and tasteful, with a sense of pride in
evidence at the places of honor. For some reason I didn't find myself
taking as many pictures as usual. I guess it was either things I
didn't want to take pictures of, or things I didn't feel it was
appropriate to snap.

 The lightning storms at night have been really dramatic. Being on the
17th floor offers a great view of the lightning striking all around
the city. I'm hoping the weather is much different in the islands for
the next week.

 Things are coming along well with Pivotal, and I'm almost done
crafting up a resume. What a major pain that has been.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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 Turns out they are an incredibly well-produced and it's more clear why they don't have the largest following. Too much diversity in music and ability makes for a slightly schizophrenic show.

 It was a great show nonetheless and I enjoyed every minute of it.

 Once again the Seattle pop punk scene didn't let me down. The crowd was the perfect size and very social. Lots of light moshing cranked the energy to the right level and kept it there.

 Definitely an experience I'll cherish if I don't need to repeat it.

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 Jack's Mannequin I've seen before and they never disappoint. Especially in a great venue like the Paramount in GA configuration. They played all my favorites and really pulled in the crowd.

 The Fray had an amazing light display. They used mini-cams, lots of them, projected on an LED strip over the stage. They changed cameras with each song so it was a very intimate connection watching close-up of the drummer and keyboardist for example. Being able to watch the fingering and specific work each artist did for each song was genius.

 Beyond that, it wad amazing how each artist played multiple instruments. They are a very versatile band and even swapped vocalists for some songs.

 All together, it was a great show and whoever does their stage production needs a huge bonus because it was magnificent! Easily one of the best I've witnessed. And if you're reading this, you have some idea of how many shows I see.

 On a side note, one of things I'm enjoying most about having a consistent companion these days is the easy way it is to go out. I guess I learned something about why some couple I know who don't seem to have a reason to stay together, end up staying together. It's just so freaking comfortable and reassuring to be with someone else.

 More to come on that subject later, I guess.

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