Joe Cocker: "A Little Help From My Friends"

Friends,

Welcome back to Dai(ly) Jams! We (that's the royal "we")* took a hiatus after Lollapalooza in August, but we're back and ready for a steady, daily stream of good live music old and new.

The leaves are changing, jackets and boots are on the rise, school's well into session, and this weekend was my third college Homecoming. I took Friday off work and spent a long weekend in Evanston, just a few miles north of my home in Chicago, but it felt like a whole other world. An autumnal, purple-tinted, fantastically gorgeous other world full of marching bands and football and Seth Meyers. It was also a reminder of what an incredible group of people I got to attend college with. It's easy to get wrapped up in life and let friendships slip, especially the long distance ones. But sharing this weekend with friends scattered about the city and the country, reminiscing, catching up -- it was Wildcat heaven.

As for the game itself, there were some fantastic moments -- except the secondary and the coaching and the butterfingers, oh my. It was the typically exciting Northwestern football game, and I screamed and growled and pretended to play trombone for hours on end. As a result I sound a lot like Joe Cocker when I answer the phone at work this morning. So we're kicking off the fall Dai(ly) Jams season with Mr. Cocker and a tribute to friends. My friends do much, much more than just help me get by. Hugs and growls to the entire Northwestern University community -- I hope you all had a happy Homecoming! Go 'Cats!

* But actually, if you're interested in writing a day a week (or even a day a month), let me know at daijams (at) gmail.com.