Day 25

Angel/Better Together (Live) by Jack Johnson

Looking back on it…sophomore year high school summer was an absolute shit show.

I was doing summer baseball, football, and basketball. On top of that I would do baseball tournaments on the weekends in Kenosha. Nothing quite like back to back games with the biggest excitement being passing Mars Cheese Castle on the way to and from.

In hindsight, that summer aged like fine wine. Lots of great memories, but none greater than the Jack Johnson concert with my older brother.

I was racing back from Kenosha to meet him over at Northerly Island (great venue, by the way). My dad dropped me off in travis the Traverse and I finally made it.

I looked up to my brother in more ways than none. One one hand I would quite literally look up to him being 6’4. On the other he always had a great sense of fashion, music, you name it. He’s an adrenaline junkie always looking for the next adventure. He got us tickets and I didn’t look back despite playing in a billion games that day. At the prime age of 15 you just run off hormones. You don’t even need coffee.

I found him with a group and we got a spot at the back right GA stage. He offered me a beer, I refused. I got handed a joint and sent it right back. Looking back there’s something edgy having just the jam and music be your drug of choice for the night. Almost like a nervous energy, but I loved every second of it. We found a random group getting on shoulders and we joined in on the fun.

I didn’t know many of the songs. At many points they would just jam and I didn’t quite know how to dance to the rhythm. I would sway back and fourth feeling like I stuck out like a sore thumb.

Jack saved his best for last, though. One part I love about concerts is when you feel like the songs queued up are just for you. Like there’s a direct tunnel between you and the artist. I heard the chords to Angel and locked in.

I remember listening to the song and reminiscing on all of freshman year of high school. So many great memories it had to offer. I had my first taste of the next chapter in the story, got my first girlfriend, had my first major break up. At 15 that’s the equivalent of a wasp sting that seems like it swells up your whole body but realize it’s just a little scar when you look back on it.

He seamlessly transitioned into his most famous song, Better Together. The whole crowd erupted, singing word for word with my brother and I playing the part.

We took the L home and I could barely keep my eyes open. I had another game back in Kenosha the next day. I remember being in the back of a Chrysler minivan just trying to keep my eyes open.

First words I heard out of the car was “Fay, you’re on the bump.” If you knew anything about me in baseball, you knew I was like a box of chocolates on the mound. You really didn’t know what you were going to get, it was either a solid performance or just an absolute shit show.

That whole time I was on the mound that morning, I had those two songs playing in my head. I pitched the best I had ever pitched that day. I owe it all to my big brother.