In all ways except physical, I am still in Chicago right now.
Well, my work mind is in Cleveland, where I just reported on an architect who believes mushroom byproducts can be the building blocks of new housing. I'm now looking into air-quality issues caused by Canadian wildfires.
Covering the environment can be a heavy lift some days. Weekend getaways, whatever your job may be, can be restorative.
So back to Chicago, where my mind is still on last weekend, surrounded by locals and visitors eager to see Kendrick Lamar and SZA on the 17th stop on their Grand National Tour.
I still see myself walking through the stands at Soldier Field to our seats, watching SZA flying like a fairy through the air and hearing Kendrick expose his biggest enemy live and in person.
It was the best impulsive purchase I've ever made.
I called it my big BOGO weekend, inspired by the way I talked my friend Nora into coming with me.
It was early December, and tickets had only just gone on sale. We were sitting in my car parked in her driveway. Ticketmaster was open on my phone and our seats were selected, but Nora was, understandably, put off by the price.
"It's Kendrick Lamar and SZA," I said to her then. "It's like a buy-one-get-one special!"
What can I say? I'm very convincing.
This was my first time at Soldier Field, and our view from our nosebleed seats was better than we both expected. We were high up, but had a straight on view of the stage, and could see the Chicago Skyline peaking out on the horizon.
This was my first time seeing both artists live, and the experience made me a bit emotional.
Kendrick's "TV Off," "Reincarnated" and "Love" were songs I've enjoyed streaming, but somehow evolved as the crowd sang along and fireworks popped from the stage. And, of course, the stadium erupted when it came time for "Not Like Us."
Hearing SZA perform "Love Galore" and "Doves in the Wind" took me back to my senior year of high school, feeling more nostalgic for that time in my life than I typically do. Her performance of "Kitchen" sticks with me the most.
To my surprise, our musical weekend didn't end when Kendrick and SZA left the stage.
At brunch on Saturday, our waiter let us know about some festival going on at Millenium Park. No ticket necessary. We were already set on going to the park to see The Bean sculpture, so a free mystery festival basically sealed the deal.
Turns out, it was the Chicago Blues Festival. I'd never even heard of it before last weekend, but the park was filled with vendors and blues music from local artists echoed throughout the area.
We enjoyed the sun, the music and the culture all before heading back home to Cleveland later that evening.
I'll admit, I wasn't necessarily eager to come back to the Forest City. Leaving one corner of the Midwest to explore another — just about a six-hour drive away — was a refreshing break.
It's back to work, now. My music-filled weekend allowed me to detach from my responsibilities of the beat, even just for a moment. By the time I got back to work on Monday, I felt like I packed a week-long get away into a long weekend.
For me, buy one get one deals typically come in the form of a half-off discount on a second pair of shoes, but this time I got way more than my money's worth. With summer on the horizon, I'll be looking for more BOGO trips that allow me to rest and recharge before helping to shine a light on what's happening with our environment.
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