Natalie Merchant at Monday's Tricycle benefit

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On Monday, through a very kind friend, I'm going to this Tricycle benefit with Twanna. You can still get tickets - performances by Natalie Merchant, John Giorno, Philip Glass, and Nico Muhly.

I don't know if it's even possible to describe how huge a 10,000 Maniacs fan I was in high school and college. I was pretty obsessed, and went to so many shows and listened to those CD on repeat a bazillion times. Then I kindof stopped, and don't even have Natalie Merchant's latest album or know what's going on with her aside from her becoming a mom, but I'm still extremely excited. Once, while wearing a 10,000 Maniacs t-shirt, I was backstage at Lilith Fair (courtesy of Mary Lou Lord and her guy Kevin) and in the same room as her and way too nervous to say a thing.

I found this on YouTube...my mom used to play the Bette Midler cover of "Hello in There" when I was little, and so it's a very familiar song, performed by Merchant, Michael Stipe and Billy Bragg (what a combo). I think I once saw Natalie Merchant and Billy Bragg do "Wonderwall." I haven't seen her perform in a loooong time and am very excited.