They Probably Thought I Had A Bad Time

On Saturday, St. Patrick’s Day, Jackie, Maria and I went to Birmingham to see The Avett Brothers at Boutwell Auditorium. We left Huntsville around 4:00 and headed south. Our plan was to find the location of the show (since we had not been to this particular venue before) and then find somewhere to eat.

We arrived in downtown Birmingham about 20 minutes to 6:00 and quickly found Boutwell. Then we went to The Fish Market and stuffed our faces with delicious seafood. The Fish Market is one of my favorite places to eat. You may recall my dad and I ate there back in December. We Parkers try to eat at The Fish Market as often as we can. Dinner was great and really hit the spot. I wish I had some more right now!

After we ate, we found a parking spot behind Boutwell and as we were walking towards the entrance we happened upon the Avett Brothers tour bus. Maria wanted to knock on the door and see if they were inside. She is a little head over heels for these guys. I can relate. As you may recall, I love Harry Connick, Jr. more than a little. We lingered around a little while and I took a photo of Maria and Jackie by the bus.

Once Maria resolved herself to the fact that she was not going to meet the band, we made our way inside and found our seats. There were a ton of people at the show, most of whom were in general admission. Thankfully we were in seats so we didn’t have to bump elbows with people young and old. A couple of guys from Mississippi sat in front of us and we talked to them before the show started. Once the show started a little after 8:00, the guys were being loud and having a good time and some people in front of them told them to stop being so loud. So, the guys moved and found somewhere else to sit. I mean, it’s a concert for crying out loud! I couldn’t believe those people complained or that the guys moved.

Maria and Jackie stood up the whole show and on the rare occasion Maria did sit down she jumped out of her seat five seconds later because the band started playing another song she loved. I sat the whole time and I’m sure the girls thought I wasn’t enjoying myself, but that’s not true. I am not as familiar with the band as Jackie and Maria and so I didn’t want to stand up and scream for songs I didn’t know. The few songs they played that I did know I enjoyed quite a bit. If it had been a Pearl Jam show I would have been 10 times worse than Maria was on Saturday night. There was a guy sitting next to me who kept bouncing his leg rather quickly and I almost grabbed it to make him stop on more than one occasion.

After the first encore, I went out for a bathroom break because I didn’t want to stand in line after the show. I stayed outside while they finished playing and met Maria and Jackie when they came out. We walked back by the tour bus on the way out but there was no sign of the band, much to Maria’s chagrin.

We made it back home around midnight at which point I promptly washed my face and went to bed. It was nice to get away for a night and I really did enjoy the show. Hopefully the next time I see them I will be more familiar with their music, but I doubt I’ll be as crazy as Maria!

At the tour bus