I turned 31 earlier this month. When I was younger I thought I would want to celebrate with big parties or something like that.  I never really got around to it, although a couple of the years I went out for drinks with a few people.

The past couple of years I’ve been sort of lucky.  The party has somewhat come to me.  Last year, I saw Hank & Cupcakes and Mission Zero perform (well, one half, since the other half was touring with another band at the time, but it was a great introduction to a duo I enjoy quite a bit today). This year, Swing Out Sister happened to be in New York the night of my birthday, so that finally fulfilled my chance to see Corinne, Andy and their touring band live (seen above in the best picture I could grab).

I’d never been to B.B. King’s, so I was a bit surprised how similar in setup to Caroline’s comedy club it was. The set was at many points similar to how things were arranged for “Private View,” which makes sense as they’re adjacent sequentially. A few fun mash-ups and surprises were rolled out through the show, including their inclusion of “Through the Sky,” which they posted a preview of on Facebook, seen above, and got such a reaction they added it to the set list.

It was a great way to celebrate my birthday, and have a chance to catch live an act I’d admired for quite a number of years.  I’m looking forward to when they can make it back, although it took a few years this last go-around.  (I also FINALLY got my own copy of “Filth and Dreams,” one of my favorites from their catalog, on CD!)

Meanwhile, I’m enjoying the tradition of seeking out something fun or different for me to do to celebrate. Hopefully there’s a lot more to celebrate, and more activities to enjoy. Meanwhile, below, enjoy one more additional video from their rehearsals for the tour.