The west coast has been traumatized and I think I'm the only one still alive...

There are albums that you enjoy, listen to occasionally, and introduce to others casually. All is well with them. But then there are albums that become cornerstones of your life. With songs that bring back instance vivid memories of times gone by. These albums are secrets that you only share with a select few until the time is right.

Jimmy Eat World's Clarity is one of those latter albums for me. Saturated by the angry testosterone of Korn, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, etc. I was introduced to Clarity in the summer of '99. Walking into the Zia Record Exchange in Tempe while working a summer job in Phoenix, I was drawn to that record for the main reason most guys are drawn to stuff, because of a girl.

Listening to this record day in and day out, memorizing each lyric, chord, and beat, it was the record that apparently made me a romantic. She and I bonded over this record for the next two years deeply, quoting lyrics, humming the chorus in each other's presence, singing along loudly while driving in the deserts of Arizona basking in its clear night sky. This record and I have an intense relationship that sadly last longer than the one with the girl, but that's another story for me to tell when I am the right amount of buzz with the appropriate company.

So standing in the crowd at the 9:30 waiting patiently for Jimmy Eat World (JEW) to come onstage to play Clarity in its entirety for its 10th anniversary was a tense period. What will I remember, what will I forget, what the heck was I doing here attempting to relive the past in my feeble head. I was ready to leave. But when the house lights went down, I looked towards the stage, at the minimalist backdrop of black and white glowing in the deep blue light, JEW walking onstage and I stayed. With little wait, JEW jumped right into the slight hum of "Table for Glasses," followed by the drums and them all singing in unison..."It happen too fast, to make sense of it, make it last..." Truer words have never been spoken so clearly, the night was a rush.

So many things were different from the recording, the bass was louder and more intimate, the guitars were looser and reverbed a bit more, the cymbals crashed a bit longer, and Jim and Tom's voices warbled and vibrated more so. Directly going into "Lucky Denver Mint," the rhythm guitar chords were more pronounced and I could feel every string vibrate. The drums were steady, but warm, as was the bass. "Your New Aesthetic" was rife with angst and energy not present on the record. It had more life here, and a bigger following. "A Sunday," with its child-like intro, was like a warm, comforting hug that engulfed the crowd. And the crowd knew to sing loudly from the start of "Just Watch the Fireworks" just like she used to, myself included. And the riffage of "Clarity" was a whole 'nother beast, with their backs bent, sweat dripping from their brow, arms pumping into the guitars. And the crowd shaking in their stance, just waiting for that chorus to release "I don't know, but I know I want out!"

This all led up to the most intimate moment of this year for me, experiencing "Goodbye Sky Harbor" live. What can I say, the lyrics, the acoustic guitars, the drums, the fragility and yearn in Jim's voice as he sings "you are smaller, getting smaller, but I still seeeeee yooooouu." It was like having a long, intimate dinner with someone you thought was the one and you're getting reacquainted after a long period apart; with the background music sponsored by the lingering instrumental ending of "Harbor." And then it was over.

Thankfully, JEW came back after playing Clarity, playing "Work" and "Pain" fluidly from Futures, as well as "The Middle" and "Sweetness" from Bleed American, which garnered the loudest singalong from the venue. And like a message from above, "No Sensitivity" was on the set list and I sang with my entire body, eternally grateful to JEW for playing the song that helped me get over that girl.

In the end, it was organic, spacious, exhilarated all the senses, and made me close my eyes, breathe deeply, and take one giant leap forward, towards closure. Yeah, I'm melodramatic, I know.