Concerts in the park and at Stubb's

It's a challenge getting outside these days with the heat being what it is in Texas (100+, cooling down to mid-90s at 9 PM), but nonetheless, I managed to make it out to a few concerts the last couple of days.

Concerts in the Park

Austin Long Center

On Sunday, we went to the Long Center for this week's installment of Hartman Foundation Concerts in the Park. The Austin Symphony's string ensemble was performing a variety of pop hits, including Lady Gaga's Alejandro and MJ's We Are the World.

I was pleasantly surprised when they started playing Don't Start Believin' (video below), which immediately reminded me of Kellogg.

After the show ended, we stayed for a few more hours, lying on the grass as the sun set and the first few stars came out. It was uber relaxing and the perfect way to end the day.

The Decemberists @ Stubb's
Last night we went to Stubb's to watch The Decemberists. It was my first time catching them live, and they were absolutely fantastic. They are one of those bands that sound just as good, if not better, live as they do in their albums.

At the end of the show, they pulled a rare double-encore, coming back out a second time to play one last song after energizing the crowd with The Mariner's Revenge Song (below).