A Night Out in Nashville

Well, I never found the post I lost. That is seriously one of life's great mysteries. So, I'll try to recreate it as best I can. 

So, earlier this year when I wrote this post, I mentioned it was the last concert of 2015, but apparently I was a liar because as luck would have it, the concert gods had one more show in store for me. the Sunday after the Foo Fighters show, I was having dinner with my cousins and some friends of ours (Russell and Cindy) were over as well. Lauren and I were telling Russell about our Foo Fighter's experience and somehow it triggered him to tell us all about Tab Benoit and what a great show he puts on. Tab is from Louisiana and sings a Cajun/Zydeco type of music and Russell was pretty fired up when he was talking about the show he had been to. The next thing I knew, Russell was looking up the dates for upcoming shows and then we were all buying tickets. 

The show was last Tuesday and there ended up being 13 of us who went up to see it. The show was held at City Winery in downtown Nashville which is a very nice venue. I had never heard of it before buying my ticket to the show and was very impressed with the place. I rode up with my cousins Jan, Benny, Anna and Randy and because of rush hour and a couple of accidents, we arrived a little after 6:30. The seats are such that you are actually seated at a table and you can dine before the show, which is why we arrived early. I think everyone was happy with the meals they ordered. I had the steak which came with a cauliflower and mushroom puree and asparagus, all of which was delicious.  

The opening act, who's name I cannot remember to save my life, came on stage about 7:30 and played for 45 minutes or so. He was actually quite good and I enjoyed listening to him. Tab took the stage around 9:00 p.m. and seriously, the folks in the crowd went a little nuts. It was rather humorous. Tab can play the guitar like nobody's business and doesn't have a bad voice to boot. That particular night was hi birthday and I'm here to tell you the man was three sheets to the wind (or drunk for those of you who are not familiar with the expression). He ended up doing a whole lot more talking than singing and playing which basically amounted to us getting a stand-up show in conjunction with the concert. I couldn't tell you the last time I laughed that hard. I don't know if he always talks that much, but he sure talked that night and it was hilarious. 

The stand-up show/concert ended around 11:00 p.m. at which point we discovered that one of the couples who came with us paid for everyone's meals, which was an incredibly nice gesture and took everyone by surprise. We collected the truck from valet parking and then headed back south. Most of us stayed awake for about 45 minutes of the drive before nodding off to sleep. Big thanks to my cousin Benny for driving all us sleepyheads home through the night. It was a very fun night and a great way to end the 2015 concert season! 

The Last Concert of 2015

I saw the Foo Fighters on Monday night and y'all, it was so good. My brother has always said I'm the biggest Foo Fighters fan he knows, which I personally consider a huge compliment. So, when they announced a tour and tickets went on sale back in February, you'd better believe I took advantage of that pre-sale and ended up in the nose bleed section. I was in the building, people and that's all that matters. 

My cousin Lauren accompanied me for the show which was in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena. We made plans over the weekend to leave town at 3:30 p.m. so we could get to Nashville in time for dinner before the show. That morning, I was scrolling through Twitter when I notice that my friend Grayson said he was pumped about the show and so I contacted him and his wife Margaret Anne (who is one of my closest friends) to see if they wanted to ride with me and Lauren. They had gotten tickets at the last minute which is a long story in an of itself. MA and Grayson got to my house a little after 3:00 p.m. and we soon headed over to pick up Lauren and made our way north. 

We got to Nashville a little after 5:00 p.m. and met MA's sister and her boyfriend at Five Points Pizza for dinner. MA's sister had the tickets that MA and Grayson were going to use that evening. Is this story getting confusing yet because I feel a little confused and I was there. Anyway, we ordered pizzas and sodas and enjoyed a yummy dinner together before parting ways. We found a spot to park downtown and walked to the arena. Grayson and I bought t-shirts because we each were in desperate need of a new t-shirt (she types sarcastically); but, it was the Foo Fighters and truth be told I've had a Foos shirt on my Christmas list the last couple of years so it's justified. 

As luck would have it, MA and Grayson's seats were in the section right next to mine and Lauren's seats which worked out perfectly because we were able to find each other very easily after the show. Gary Clark, Jr. was the opening act and he wasn't too bad. I'd never heard of him before so I was pleasantly surprised. Gary wrapped up his set a little after 8:00 p.m. and the Foo Fighters were scheduled to come on at 8:30 p.m. 

The Foos came out right on time and put on a fantastic show. They played for about two and a half hours and played songs old and new. There were a few songs I had my fingers crossed for that didn't get played, but that's the way it goes. I suppose they can't play every song or else we'd be there all night. Really, that would have been okay with me. Dave Grohl was hilarious as always and seriously big props to that guy for playing this tour with a broken foot. He had a "throne" designed so he could still play and sing while keeping off his foot. I had a great time at the show and cannot wait until they go on tour again, hopefully some time soon. 

We made it back to the car around 11:15-ish and were back in Huntsville around 1:30 a.m. We were all exhausted but everyone did a great job of keeping the conversation going so that no one would fall asleep. I think this is the last concert for me for 2015 which is kind of sad. You never know though, in a weird twist of fate I may end up at another show of some kind; but if the Foo Fighters is who I end the 2015 concert season with than it was a good note to end on.Can't wait to see what the 2016 concert season holds!

The Concert Was A Bust

So, this past Friday night I had tickets to a concert. The concert was in Huntsville, which is weird because usually people I like don't make it to Huntsville for a concert. The person who was performing was Jason Isbell. I bought my tickets the day they went on sale and have really been looking forward to the show for a long time. 

I asked my friend Nevin to go with me. We always have fun when we hang out and so I thought he would make a good date for the night. He came by to pick me up and we went by Taco Mama for dinner. I'm a big Taco Mama fan, but for whatever reason the food was just okay on Friday. It might have had something to do with the fact that there were no seats inside and we had to sit outside where it was cold, the wind was blowing and it was sprinkling rain. It would have been nice if Taco Mama had maybe put up the outdoor umbrellas for us, but I guess that was too much to ask. I was also a little miffed because Nevin didn't offer to pay for my dinner. He was getting a free concert, after all so it would only have been the right thing to do; but, then we must remember that he is 26 and young and immature and these are all the reasons why we would never be a good match. It's just all so much more than my old self can tolerate. 

After dinner we made our way to the VBC and I paid for parking because Nevin didn't have any cash (are you beginning to see a pattern here and maybe why I was beginning to be in a bad mood. Lesson learned I hope). The other person playing that night was John Prine, who I had never heard of. So, I wasn't in a big hurry to go inside because I didn't know any of Prine's songs and figured we would go in after Prine played and just listed to Isbell. So, after sitting out in the lobby and people watching for 30 minutes, I caught on to one of the songs being sung and realized that Isbell was actually playing at that moment. We went inside, walked over 20 people to our seats and heard three songs before Isbell's set was over. As it turned out, Isbell was the opening act and Prine the headliner and as I've mentioned, I have never heard of Prine and had no desire to hear him. We asked the man next to us if Prine was any good and didn't get a resounding yes. The man told us Prine was in his 70s and he doubted his voice was any good at this point. So, with that, we left. At that point, I was just not in a good mood and was ready to be home in my warm bed and so that's where I went. 

Yes, that's right, I bought concert tickets and heard about three songs. It was very disappointing to say the least. We should have gone in to see who was playing before assuming it was Prine. Apparently a lot of people were upset about it because I heard people rumbling about it in the lobby and Isbell made mention of it on Twitter. Seeing as how he is from Green Hill in North Alabama, I think more people were there to see him and were also disappointed when it was discovered he wasn't headlining. To top it off, that afternoon I sent off my second set of tickets for his show at the Ryman because I had sold them on Stub Hub that morning. Really, I'm not too torn up about that because I made really good money on the tickets and had decided I just didn't want to go to Nashville for a show on a football Saturday; but, still, it was kind of laughable. On the bright side, I think Isbell has a promising career ahead of him and I'm sure I'll get to see him perform more than three songs at a show some time in the future. 

Cancelled in the Park

The 2015 season of Concerts in the Park kicked off at the beginning of June with a really great group called Unknown Lyric. I had big plans to go but all my friends backed out on me and I didn't want to look like a loser sitting by myself so I didn't go. That particular night it rained and the concert got pushed back by 30 minuted because of a quick rain shower that passed through. 

The next week I had other plans which got cancelled because of rain and was going to head down to the park instead, but the concert got cancelled too...and it never rained downtown. The third week I was in Boston, in a coat in the middle of June and that was just fine by me. 

Finally, this past Monday, I made it to the park for the concert. This particular night was the one I was looking forward to the most because it was military night and the US Army Materiel Command Band was playing and there were going to be fireworks after the concert. I met my dad at the park, we set up our chairs and went and got some dinner from the food trucks. 

As soon as we got our food, and sat down in our chairs, a lady from the Arts Council came onto the stage and said that the National Weather Service has issued a thunderstorm warning and that it was supposed to rain at the park in the next 15 minutes and so everyone needed to pack up and head home in the interest of safety. Y'all, I was so disappointed!

Instead of leaving, my dad and I just sat in our seats and ate our dinner and talked about this, that and the other. We actually ended up sitting there talking until about 8:30 p.m. That's right folks, we sat under a tree, in the park, in the nice cool summer night and not one drop of rain fell in the park. The concert was cancelled for no reason at all, but at least I got in some good conversation and quality time with my daddy. 

Around 8:30 p.m. we parted ways and about 15 minutes after I got home as I was cleaning up yet another mess made by Pippa, the doorbell rang. It was my dad and he had lost his phone and wanted to know if it was in the chair he had been sitting in. It wasn't. So, we headed back to the park with my big lantern in tow to look for the phone. Thankfully, I spotted it right away, without the help of the lantern I might add. Just call me eagle eye! 

Concerts in the Park supposedly continues on Monday nights through July and August. Maybe one day this summer I'll make it to the park and the show won't get cancelled. 

New Kids on the Block in Concert

Y'all, I saw New Kids on the Block in concert this week and it was fabulous. I'm not even sure I have the words to describe how great it was, but I will certainly give it my best shot. 

A few months ago I received an email that NKOTB was coming to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. My friends Candy and Kendra had seen them a couple of years ago when they were in Nashville and at that time I had no idea they were even touring. C and K kept talking about how great the show was; so. when I saw they were coming to Nashville, I asked them if they wanted to go. Long story short, we bought tickets. There were five of us who got tickets... me, Candy, Kendra, out friend Amy and Kendra's roommate Courtney. 

We have been so excited about this show ever since we got tickets and finally this Wednesday the day arrived! Candy came to my house a little before 3:00 p.m. and we hit the road pretty soon after she arrived. We made one stop at the Elkton exit to pick up Amy who lives around the corner from that exit and then we made our way to Nashville. There was a lot of traffic (of course) as people were getting off work and lanes were merging because of construction, but we managed to get parked around 5:30 p.m. I paid for the parking spot and did not get a receipt so then I had to call a customer service number which no one answered and then emailed a lady whose information I found online and another long story short, she confirmed we would not be towed for the night which was a great comfort to me. 

We ate dinner at one of my favorite Nashville spots, Demos' (they seriously have the best 1000 Island dressing of all time) and were done with plenty of time to walk the three tenths of a mile to the arena. We met Kendra and Courtney at the concert. They were supposed to have met us for dinner but were stuck in traffic and couldn't make it. So, while we were eating, Kendra managed to exchange our tickets for handicapped seats. Kendra, Candy and Courtney are all little people and so the handicapped seats make it much easier for them to see the show since no one is directly in front of the handicapped row. The seats were really great and I think we were all pleased with our location. 

The concert got off to a late start (not surprising) and Nelly opened the show for about 30 minutes or so. Y'all, I had no idea there were so many Nelly fans in the world. I feel like everyone but me was singing along and waving arms in the air like they just didn't care. I actually went and got a coffee during his performance because it wasn't doing much for me. I'm not a fan by any stretch of the imagination. The second act was TLC and they did a good job. I only knew about three of their songs, two of which were Scrubs and Waterfalls because who doesn't know those songs? 

Finally a little after 9:00 p.m. NKOTB came on the stage and the place went even wilder than it had for Nelly and TLC. I've been to a lot of concerts in my time on this earth, but I think this one contained the most screaming of any other concert I've ever intended. I thought my eardrums might explode before the night was over. NKOTB sang for around two hours and had two or three outfit changes. The stage, which was the length of the arena,  moved up and down in various sections and there were lots of pyrotechnics, streamers, confetti, etc. Their choreography was even more fantastic than it was the last time I saw them 26 years ago. They had so much energy and got the crowd involved. They went into the crowd and danced with people, brought people up on stage, etc. The atmosphere was electric and really just so, so much fun! Carrie Underwood was also there as a member of the audience! She had requested them to sing a song and they sang it for her and they showed her and her friends on the screens in the arena. It was such a fun night. I was surprised at how great the show was. I thought it would be okay but had no idea I would leave there blown away by how much fun the night was. I would go see them again in a heartbeat. I'm ranking this one in my top 10 concerts - it was that good. I know, I can hardly believe it either!  

When the show was over, we walked back to the car and as promised, there was no ticket or boot on the car so we were good to go. We hit the open road, dropped Amy off in Elkton, and made it back to Huntsville by 1:15 a.m. on Thursday. Another successful trip to a Nashville concert and so worth the trip. Can't wait for the next NKOTB show. Feeling like a 12 year old is fun! 

My First Night at The Ryman

This past Monday, I had the privilege of enjoying my first ever show at The Ryman in Nashville and y'all, it was absolutely magical. Earlier this year when The Ryman announced that Ryan Adams was coming, I decided that nothing was going to stop me from getting tickets to the show. He played two nights, Monday and Tuesday, and I was lucky enough to get two tickets to the Monday night show. I invited my friends Margaret Anne to come with me and we had such a fun night! 

I left work about 2:30 p.m. Monday afternoon and made a stop by the chiropractor before going home. MA, who is a high school teacher, made it to my house just a few minutes after me and we were soon on the road. While we drove to Nashville, I took the American history finals MA had written for her 11th grade students. Y'all, I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I made a 55! Worst test score I've ever made I think. There is clearly a lot about the Vietnam War and the Cuban Missile Crisis that I know nothing about. I've asked her to give me my terrible test paper so I can study up on what I don't know. 

We met MA's sister for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory (sorry Mother!). We were going somewhere else close by, but that place was closed and so the Cheesecake Factory was the second choice. We enjoyed the dinner and got coffee and cheesecake to go. The coffee to help keep us awake and the cheesecake to eat at a later time. 

After dinner we made our way to The Ryman. Natalie Press opened the show at 8:00 p.m. We had never heard of her, but she wasn't terrible. Apparently folks in Nashville are familiar with her because I heard a lot of people say they loved her. Rayn Adams came on stage at 9:00 p.m. and absolutely rocked the house. As it got closer to 10 p.m. he was playing more mellow music and I thought MA and I might fall asleep right there on the pew of The Ryman; but, then, one of my other favorites, Jason Isbell, made a surprise appearance and it woke me up quickly. I even got tears in my eyes I was so excited! Jason played a song with Ryan and then headed backstage only to appear later with his wife while the three of them played and sang and it was so, so wonderful. The night ended just a little before 11:00 p.m. It was a fantastic evening and made my heart so very happy. 

We hit the road back home and made it back to Huntsville around 1:30 a.m. in Tuesday. Thankfully I had made the very wise decision to go in late and so I slept until 7:00 a.m. and went in at 9:00. I was tired, but not as tired as I would have been had I gone in at my normal hour. 

I'm so glad I finally made it to a show at The Ryman and I'm glad MA got to experience it with me! I'm headed back in October as I got tickets last week to see Jason Isbell there - oh, the irony! I can't wait! 

Memphis Road Trip

Friends, Romans, Countrymen, I am here to assure you that I am, in fact, alive. I apologize for the long break in posts. Last week was extremely busy and I had little to no time to do any sort of blogging. The good news is that my time away from the blog was so busy that it has afforded me many topics to write about so I hope to do some posting every day this week - provided I find the time. Fingers crossed that I will. 

Today, I'm turning back the clock to last Tuesday when my cousins Anna and Lauren and I went to Memphis for a Peal Jam concert. This was my fourth and their first Pearl Jam show. I'm sure I've mentioned it, but last year, I made myself a promise that I would see Pearl Jam every year they tour the United States and so far I'm keeping up the bargain with myself. 

The three of us left Huntsville around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday and made a stop for snacks and a bathroom break along the way. I'm not sure what time we arrived in Memphis, but I'm guessing around 4:30 p.m. We easily found our hotel and let the valet park the car. After checking in, we went up to our room to change clothes and get ready for the show. We stayed at the SpringHill Suites Downtown so everything was within walking distance which was nice. The hotel was clean and nice and had a great view of a courtyard. I think we were all pleased with the selection. I had booked on Priceline so I wasn't too sure of how the hotel would actually be. 

After freshening up, we walked towards the FedEx Forum and found a local restaurant to stop in for dinner. The placed was really busy with what we assumed were concert goers. We had an appetizer of spinach and cheese dip and then for dinner, Lauren and I had a burger and Anna had chicken and waffles. The burgers were okay, nothing to brag about, but I think Anna really enjoyed her dish. 

Once dinner was over, we walked to the FedEx Forum and every bar we passed along the way had Pearl Jam blasting from the speakers. We arrived at the arena and I got in line at  the merchandise table that had the fewest amount of people. I was able to get a poster for this show and a bag (which subsequently shrunk in the wash) and a sticker for everyone. Pearl Jam does show specific stickers and posters and so I try to always get one of these. 

We found our seats which were just as wonderful as I had hoped. We were to the side of the stage in the middle section with a great view of everything that took place during the show. I loved these seats. It was totally worth calling Ticketmaster and finagling my way to better seats all those months ago. The show time on the ticket was 7:30 p.m. but it was around 8:15 p.m. or maybe later before Pearl Jam came on stage. There was no opening act. 

The band played for three hours, as per usual, but performed a lot of lesser known songs which was kind of disappointing because the crowd didn't get into it as much. Also, Eddie Vedder was a little under the weather and his voice was strained and I didn't feel as much energy off of him as I have in past shows; but, it was still a good show nonetheless. Anna and Lauren enjoyed it as best they could. After the first set, Lauren asked if it was over and I said that the first set was done. Her reply, "There's a second set?" After the second set she asked if there was a third set. I said, "No, just an encore." I neglected, however, to tell her the encore would be 20-30 minutes. 

When the show was over, we walked back to the hotel and called it a night. We had free hot breakfast at the hotel the next morning which was really very good. After we got ready to hit the road, we left the hotel and went to the Nike Clearance Store before leaving town. On the way, we passed Graceland where people were lined up to take a tour. We shopped at Nike for a while and then headed home, making a stop in Corinth for some lunch along the way. It was a quick but fun trip and I'm glad I was able to spend it with these fun-loving cousins of mine. 

Here is the list of songs from the show:

Set 1

Pendulum

Wash

Low Light

Why Go

All Night

Mind Your Manners

Even Flow

Lightning Bolt

Sirens

1/2 Full

Garden

Alone

Wishlist

Given to Fly

Let the Records Play

Spin the Black Circle

Black

Rearviewmirror

Set 2

Nothing As It Seems

Come Back

Elderly Woman Behind A Counter In A Small Town​

Do The Evolution

Breathe

Porch

Encore

Once 

Crazy Mary

​Better Man

Alive

Rockin' In The Free World

Yellow Ledbetter

​

Dallas - Part Two

After our trip to the merchandise table, we found our seats which were in the upper level behind the stage. This may seem like a terrible seat to some people, but honestly it wasn't bad at all. When you think about it, we were closer to the stage than those on the other side of the arena. There were also screens on which we could see the "up close and in action" shots so really, you will get no complaints out of me and I would definitely sit in this type of seat again. 

The band that opened was called Midlake and they were from nearby Denton, Texas, of which they reminded us on multiple occasions. They weren't too bad, but all of their songs sounded very similar and I doubt I'll be rushing out any time soon to buy their album. They took the stage around 7:45 p.m. even though, as mentioned, the show was slated to start at 7:00 p.m. and played for about 30 minutes. 

After the Midlake set, the stage was switched and finally at about 8:45, Pearl Jam came on stage to the roaring applause of the 20,000 or so people and opened to one of my favorite songs off the new album which is called "Pendulum," and it only got better from there. They played a perfect mix of both old and new songs for three hours and Eddie Vedder's energy was amazing. I didn't want it to ever end. This was the first Pearl Jam show I had seen indoors and I think that contributed to how electric the atmosphere was and the sound was incredible. I thought my eardrums might explode and I honestly didn't care. Eddie Vedder's sister and nephew were in attendance and maybe he wanted to make the show extra special because of that; because to me, he sounded better than he ever has and while he always puts a lot of energy into his shows, it just seemed even more incredible than it usually does. 

Before the Dallas show, there was about a two week break in the North American tour and I had noticed that during the last show before the break, Pearl Jam had played "Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns" and I thought to myself how much I would LOVE to hear them play this duo of songs live. "Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns" was originally sung by Mother Love Bone and I had it on a cassette tape which Justin and I proceeded to wear out by rewinding and playing over and over and over again on our way to school in the mornings. Well, as luck would have it, "Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns" was one f the last set of songs in the second set and I could hardly believe my ears. Even though they had not played "Elderly Woman Behind a Counter in a Small Town" (AKA "Small Town") yet (which is my all-time favorite and was requested by me via Twitter), I didn't care since they had played "Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns."

After the second set, they took a small break and then came back out. The drums were elevated on the stage and there was a little platform behind the drum set. Eddie Vedder took the stage and instead of going to the front, he came to the back to that little platform and sang "Small Town" while facing us in the back. With that, my dream concert was complete. There was seriously nothing else they could have played that would have made it any better. It was absolute perfection. As is always the case, they sang "Keep On Rockin' in the Free World" at the end, but surprisingly sang "Indifference" after that and then what was a magical night in Dallas came to a close. 

We walked back to the car and then drove to Nevin's grandmother's house, finally arriving around 2:00 a.m. It was obviously dark and since we were in farm country, there weren't many lights and at one point we turned onto a small dirt road where the sign said, "Darden Cemetery" which was a little creepy. I slept surprisingly well seeing as how it was a strange environment but the exhaustion from the day before had apparently taken over. 

The next morning we were up and ready to go earlier than we anticipated and we headed out around 8:30, stopping for gas and breakfast before hitting the interstate. We only made two other stops on the way home which will come as a big surprise to those of you who are familiar with me and my tiny bladder. We made it back home around 9:00 p.m. and the drive was really not as bad as I had anticipated. While there wasn't much to look at, there was good conversation and music and really, what more can you ask for? 

I'm so thankful I stepped out of my Type A comfort zone and took this trip. It was such a great experience and has provided me memories to last a lifetime.

Dallas - Part One

I'm sure you're probably wondering about Dallas, or at least how my trip to Dallas was because if you're anything like my best friends then you have about 134 questions to ask about my trip. Sorry, but I probably won't provide the answers in this post; but, I will provide a synopsis of the trip and maybe that will appease you all for now. 

My flight for Dallas left Huntsville at 10:06 a.m. Everyone seems perplexed that I didn't take the American Airlines direct flight from Huntsville to Dallas, but last time I checked, money wasn't growing on that one tree in my backyard and so I opted for the cheapest and fastest ticket out of town. That ticket happened to be on US Airways which meant that I had to fly to Charlotte first. Yes, I realize this does not even make the slightest bit of sense. I had about 45 minutes scheduled between my flights, but because the Vice President (yes, Joe Biden) was in town, a lot of flights were late coming in and people were running around like crazy trying to make it to their next gate. I was just casually walking to my next gate and felt like at some point I might be run over by a running man or women in a business suit. 

My flight from Charlotte to Dallas was about three hours and I was hoping that they might actually show a movie and was disappointed when that did not happen. I had a window seat (my favorite) and the guy next to me slept most of the way and it was really an uneventful flight. I felt like there was more legroom on the US Air flight than I usually have on the Delta flights so that was nice. 

I arrived in Dallas a little after 3:00 and finally wound my way down to the baggage claim where I met Nevin. I didn't have any bags to pick up, but it was the easiest place for meeting I suppose and it all worked out. We walked to the car where I met Nevin's brother, Nolan and we set off for the JFK Museum. I had bought tickets for the 4:30 - 5:00 p.m. time slot and had also printed direction before I left and gave them to Nevin before we set off. In typical man fashion, Nevin totally ignored the directions I gave him and instead wanted to use his phone which took us into Fort Worth. I knew all along that we were not headed in the right direction, but was trying to be polite and so I didn't say anything until we ended up in the wrong place and now I can never let him forget it. 

Nevin turned the car around and we headed back towards Dallas and he would probably like for me to mention that we made it to the museum in 30 minutes when the GPS said it would take 50. I have no proof of this, but this is what he said so I have to believe him. We ended up arriving at the museum at 5:05 and I was concerned they wouldn't let us in since this was past the time slot for our tickets. Thankfully, they still accepted the tickets and we had no problem at all. 

I had seen online before leaving that the museum has extended hours right now and is open until 7:00 p.m. but at 10 minutes until 6:00 p.m. when we were not even halfway through the exhibits, a security guard came round and told everyone the museum would be closing in 10 minutes and I was like, "huh?" So, I started zipping through exhibits as if there would be no tomorrow and clearly the museum did not close at 6:00 p.m. because we didn't finish up until 6:45 p.m. and no one attempted to kick us out. There were a few things I skipped and so I obviously wished I had more time to spend there, but at least I've been. 

From the JFK Museum, we walked to the American Airlines Center, which was six blocks away, for the concert. The tickets said the show started at 7:00 and there was an opening band, but I should have known there was no way the show would begin then because I've never been to a Pearl Jam show that started on time. In other words, we totally had time to find a place for a sit down meal, but instead I had a hot dog and a Diet Coke which I proceeded to spill all over my sleeve. No one's ever called me graceful. 

I came to the concert with the intention of buying one of the limited edition posters that Pearl Jam sells specific to each show and so we headed to the merchandise table after I cleaned myself up. I was one of the lucky ones who actually got a poster, because as predicted by yours truly, they sold out. I'm so excited about this souvenir and plan to have it framed as soon as possible. The poster is actually double-sided and so I want to inquire about having it framed with glass on both sides. This might be someone's project for my February birthday. 

This is where I will leave you for now. I'll continue the story tomorrow because I'm sure I'll end up saying a lot about the concert and well, there's not much to say about a 12-hour ride home. Plus, if I keep typing this post will be forever long and you might want to stop reading. So, until tomorrow...

Michael Buble In Concert: Nashville 2013

Time flies when you're having fun they say and I guess I've been having so much fun that I am posting about things long after they happen, or at least it seems that way. 

Last Wednesday, I left work early to drop Pippa off at the vet so she could stay the night in preparation for her surgery (she got fixed) and soon after that, Jackie met me at my house and we hopped in the car and headed north to Nashville. Many months ago, Michael Buble announced his 2013-2014 World Tour and as luck would have it, he had a show scheduled for October 23 in Nashville. As you may or may not know, I am a lover of the jazz and adore Michael Buble. I wanted to see him about three years ago when he performed in Nashville, but I had just had foot surgery and couldn't drive and there were no willing parties to drive me to the show. So, when the tickets went on sale this time around, I logged on to Ticketmaster as soon as they went on sale and shelled out a ridiculous amount of money because there was no way I was going to miss it again. 

When I decided to order tickets, I asked Jackie about being my plus one. She's not a huge Buble fan, but she does love music and we always have a good time together. I told her my intention would be to get a date (because let's face it, Buble would be much better with a date) but if I didn't (and clearly I didn't) would she go? She said she would go and so I bought two tickets and circled the date on the calendar. 

We left Huntsville about 4:00 p.m. and met Jackie's sister Melissa at Chuy's in Nashville for dinner. We made good time as we were going against the flow of traffic and there were no problems along the way. I had never eaten at a Chuy's before, but had heard wonderful things about it. The dinner was great and the company was even better. Chuy's has a really yummy jalapeno dip that is almost like ranch and quite addictive. I think I could have drank it! It was so nice to see Melissa and catch up with her. Jackie and I need to try and go up to Nashville for a whole weekend sometime soon. 

After dinner, we drove to downtown Nashville and found a parking spot pretty easily. Another friend of Jackie's had recommended a spot and it worked out beautifully. We walked to the arena and found our seats and got settled in for the show. The opening act was Naturally Seven, a group who does not use instruments, but instead makes instrumental sounds using their voices. They sang for about 30 minutes and were really quite impressive. They sang covers, the best of which was "Fix You" by Coldplay. Jackie shot some video with her phone. I did not because I apparently don't realize I live in 2013 and can easily do this with a touch of a button.After Naturally Seven completed their set, there was a 30 minute break and I headed to the bathroom (shocking I know).

Michael Buble took the stage right at 9:00 p.m. opening with "Fever" and some exploding pyrotechnics! His second song was a favorite of almost everyone's, "Haven't Met You Yet." Meri and I had been singing it at work earlier in the day and so it was appropriate that it was the second song of the night. The stage was amazing with great backgrounds and it also moved up and down and the band was on moving platforms so sometimes they would be towards the back and sometimes towards the front. There was also a stage at the back of the arena (to our left) and we wondered if he would walk back to it and perform. Sure enough, towards the end of the show, he strutted down one long aisle singing away and did some songs with Naturally Seven in the back. Then he strutted on back to the front to close out the show. 

One of the last songs was "All You Need Is Love", made famous by the Beetles and when he was singing this song, red and white confetti hearts were blasted throughout the arena. It was a like a large party. For the encore, he changed from his tuxedo into a lounge type jacket than shimmered and sang "Cry Me a River" (with a very theatrical ending I might add) and then ended with "A Song For You" which he finished up without a microphone. He seemed very humble and it appeared that he even got a little teary-eyed at the end. I like it when performers are emotional and appreciative of their success. 

The only bummer of the night was that the couple next to me decided to use the concert as their own personal make up/feel each other up session which made me rather uncomfortable. Other than that, the night went off without a hitch. We were even able to get out of downtown in a timely manner which was a miracle in and of itself. It was such a fun night and I'm so glad Jackie and I were able to get out of town and enjoy this show. It was an amazing performance and I will definitely buy tickets again the next time he is close. 

 Naturally Seven opening up the show

Apparently I take terrible concert photos with my phone, but that is Michael Buble.

Ingrid, Is That You?

Monday night was the start of the 2013 season of Concerts in the Park at Big Spring Park in downtown Huntsville. It has been years since I had attended one of these concerts, but Sunday, my cousin Alexandra mentioned she was going and invited Jackie and I to come along and so we did and it was such a fun night.

I sent Jackie a text on Sunday night and asked her if she wanted to walk to the park from my house. I came up with the idea that I could pick her up from work (she works downtown) and then we would go to my house, walk to the park, enjoy the concert and then use her car parked downtown to get back home. She agreed and that's exactly what we did. I picked up sandwiches at Subway before I picked Jackie up so we could also enjoy some dinner while at the park. 

We left my house about 5:15 and headed towards the park. Before leaving we packed a backpack with drinks, our sandwiches and Chex Mix as well as our phones and Jackie's keys. I asked her to bring her key to my house so I wouldn't have to bring my keys along and she checked to make sure she had it before we left and I asked her again before shutting the door - you can never be to sure about these things. 

It took us about an hour or so to walk to the park. I, after all, am a slow walker. I think the distance is a little over three miles, but it's a lovely walk through Five Points, Old Town and downtown and so it didn't seem like it took as long as it did. 

When we arrived we staked out a spot under the trees. Alexandra and Indigo were running late and so I sent her a text to let her know where we were sitting. Our friend Maria, and later Denny, also joined us for the night. Not long after the first band started playing, a nice looking man was standing close by and it looked like he was searching the crowd for someone. He asked Jackie if her name was Ingrid. She said, no, sorry. He then told us that meeting someone for the first time at Concerts in the Park was probably not the best idea. Bless his heart, I hope he found Ingrid and she didn't stand him up. 

Alexandra and Indigo showed up around 7:00 or so and sat with us under the trees. We eventually moved to the grass because sitting on dead magnolia leaves was not comfortable on the backside. The two bands that played were really great and it was such a fun night. It wasn't too terribly warm out and after the sun went down it was actually comfortable. 

The concert wrapped up around 8:00 and we headed to Jackie's car and then back to my house. Jackie put her key in the door and it didn't budge. She tried another key and it still didn't budge, and long story short, she didn't have the house key and we were locked out. So, I called my dad and he graciously pulled himself away from the Women's College World Series and came to unlock the door. 

Concerts in the Park takes place each Monday night beginning at 6:30 at Big Spring Park in front of the Huntsville Museum of Art. It's a really fun event and I definitely plan on going again. The schedule for the rest of the summer is listed below, and I would like to add that I had no idea my late grandfather had a band. I cannot wait to check it out!

June 10 - Cristina Lynn, Tangled String Band
June 17 - Tropical Breeze Steel Band, The Brakers
June 24 - The 911 Reporters, Groove
July 1 - Strings of Pearl, Olde Towne Brass
July 8 - Jimmy Henderson, Bourbon & Shamrocks
July 15 - The Ben Parker Project, DiscOasis
July 22 - U.S. Army Materiel Command Bands
July 29 - Step Heavy, Jeff Whitlow and the Old Barn Band
August 5 - Winslow Davis, Mambo Gris Gris
August 12 - Ashley Smith, Rocket City Jazz Orchestra

Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a copy of Boo Mama's new book, A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet, as well as a lovely set of measuring spoons. Contest is open through Thursday night! Good luck! 

Indigo enjoying the night out on the town!

Dave Matthews Band at Oak Mountain - Part Two

Yesterday I brought you part one of mine and Justin's Dave Matthews Band concert experience and today I bring you part two. Please try to contain your excitement. 

Before I get started on part two of this tale, I must backtrack for a moment and mention an observation from the parking lot before the show. I actually wrote this tidbit down to remember and share with you and then didn't pull out any notes when writing part one and therefore forgot to mention it. At any rate, there were three guys and a girl parked across the row from us and one of the guys had a koozeball. What is a koozeball you may ask, it is a koozie shaped like a football. I realize this is completely irrelevant to any part of this story, but Justin and I found the koozeball to be quite hilarious and before we left the parking lot, these lads were tossing the koozeball around like it was a real football. To us, it was quite entertaining and I wanted to remember it when I look back on this blog years from now. 

Now, to pick up where I left off yesterday... 

I went back to my seat and then Justin decided to make a pit stop and by the time he came back the doofus that had the seat next to mine had arrived. He had been drinking and was just generally obnoxious. He was with a married friend and to the right of them were two girls who drunkie and his friend started hitting on. Y'all, it never ceases to amaze me the ridiculous things guys will say to try and impress and girl. Seriously - so dumb. The guy was also broad, not fat just broad, and took up a lot of room. At one point he elbowed me in the face. I let it slide since I knew he was about two sheets to the wind (he hadn't quite reached three. Justin soon came back to the seat and not long after I reached down to take a sip of my $5.50 Diet Coke and it was gone, vanished, nowhere to be found and I was crushed. There was no way I was about to buy another one though so we just went through the remainder of the show without anything to quench our thirst. It was seriously a bewildering moment. That missing Diet Coke always remain one of life's greatest mysteries. 

The Dave Matthews Band came on stage about 8:30 and opened with Proudest Monkey, which was apparently my cousin Bennett's guess  on what he would open with. Bennett and his dad (also my cousin) Chris were there but Justin and I never saw them. It's a large venue. Most people immediately stood up when the show started, but Justin and I are old and the folks in front of us were still seated so we remained seated until they stood up and therefore forced us to stand up too. The guy beside me started dancing and I was generally afraid for any future blows from his elbow. The band played a lot of newer songs in the first set, but the second set had mostly older songs which made us 30 and 40-somethings happy. All the boozers on our row (and the rows below us for that matter) made multiple trips in and out of the seats for bathroom and beer runs and were sometimes gone for 20 minutes or more, which just baffles me. I mean, let's think about it for a minute, why pay $75 for a ticket to a concert and spend the majority of the show in the bathroom or at the beer cart line? It's a lot cheaper to just listen to music at home and drink beer on your front porch. I'm pretty sure these feelings of mine are a sure sign that maturity has set in and that kind of saddens me. 

There was a lot of pot smoking going on at the show and as Justin put it, you could tell who had the good stuff and who had the not so good stuff, and that's the truth, folks. Even the guy sitting directly in front of us brought a bowl and would look back behind his shoulder and take a hit and this gave Justin and I a large laugh on many occasions. The guy was obviously trying to not get caught but his mannerisms were those of complete paranoia and it was rather hilarious. 

The band played for almost three hours, with the show ending around 11:15 p.m. We maneuvered our way through the masses to the car (where Justin immediately tor into those Dunkin' Doughnuts) and then bobbed and weaved our way out of the parking lot, trying to avoid all manner of people and car. We finally made it to the interstate at midnight - yes, a five minute drive turned in to 45 minutes and that was the most frustrating part of the evening. Once we got on the interstate it was smooth sailing. I had been worried earlier in the day when, as we were driving south to Birmingham, we noticed a TON of people driving north on I-65. Seriously, the traffic going north on the interstate was basically bumper to bumper from Birmingham to Huntsville. I think a lot of people must have been making their way home from spring break beach trips. Thankfully all the vacation traffic had cleared out by midnight and there were no obstacles in getting home. We made a stop for a soda and a bathroom break on the north side of Birmingham and quickly returned to the road. Justin cranked up the volume on Blue's stereo and played DJ until he fell asleep leaving me listening to Green Day and volumes that were probably not safe for my ears. I, however, sung at the top of my lungs and felt quite wired, most likely a result of all the drugs I inhaled at the concert. We pulled in front of my house about 15 minutes until midnight at which point Justin decided to wake up. He made the trek over the mountain while I walked in, let The Tide out and then hit the bed. It was a fun evening and a great brother/sister outing. 

Dave Matthews Band at Oak Mountain - Part One

I did not originally intend for my recap of last Saturday's Dave Matthews Band show to be two posts; but, you know me - long winded - and the post was getting way too long. So, I've split it in to two posts and today bring you part one.

Saturday afternoon, Justin and I headed south to Birmingham for the Dave Matthews concert at Oak Mountain Amphitheater. I found out some time back in January that Dave (yes, we are on a first name basis) was coming to Birmingham, and immediately made a note for myself to buy tickets the day they went on sale. I asked Justin if he would like to go and if so, then I would buy his ticket for an early birthday present (his birthday is May 3). He said yes, that he would like to go and so the plan was set in motion. 

The tickets went on sale back in February and I logged on as soon as they went on sale and was able to purchase a couple - with the help of Jackie who I was on the phone with and was logging on as well. Whichever one of us got through first would do the actual purchasing. As it turns out I was able to get through and buy the tickets without any problem. 

Justin and I left my house around 2:00 Saturday afternoon and arrived in Birmingham about 3:45 or so. Our first stop was The Fish Market, my favorite place to eat in Birmingham. There was no wait and we were able to get in, get a table, order and eat in less than an hour. Needless to say we had a lot more time on our hands than I anticipate we would; but, I'm a sticker for having plenty of time and arriving early so it was no problem. 

I got my usual - the combo with fish and shrimp - and Justin wanted to order a plate with fish fillets but somehow ended up with a plate that had not only fish, but also shrimp and oysters. We both cleared out plates and left with full bellies. Justin pointed out that it had been exactly four months since we had last eaten there (December 6 when coming back from the State Championship football game), which I found to be quite interesting. After dinner, we went over to the Dunkin Doughnuts across the parking lot and got six doughnuts for the ride home. I figured we might be hungry by the time midnight rolled around. 

We left downtown and made our way to Oak Mountain. I had bought an advance parking pass with the tickets and our spot was very close to the entrance which was nice. There were lots of people out tailgating and boozing it up. Justin and I just sat in the car and observed all the shenanigans going on around us. Then we started reminiscing about Dave concerts from years past and ended up calling our mother to ask her about one such show. It was (I think) my sophomore year of college and mother brought Justin to Oak Mountain to meet me and some friends. I don't even remotely remember the plan to get him back to Huntsville. Maybe he was going to stay the weekend in Tuscaloosa with me. At any rate, I remember there being beer in the trunk of the car and that it was confiscated by mother. I wasn't old enough to legally drink at the time. Justin didn't remember any beer; so, we called mother to see what she remembered. She also didn't remember beer being confiscated. She remembered leaving the beer with all of us. Obviously none of us can remember exactly what happened that night long ago. Suffice it to say Justin and I probably killed those particular brain cells and mother can blame her lack of memory on MS. 

We made the decision to go in to the venue around 6:30ish. We honestly were not sure if there was going to be an opening band or not because the ticket didn't indicate one way or the other. So, we made our way inside and found our seats which were in the middle section of what was once the lawn at Oak Mountain. I don't know when they put in seats there, but they did and they are actually quite nice and we had a great view. The seats are at a steep incline and we could see the stage very well. At this point of the evening we reminisced about all the shows we had seen there on the lawn when it was a lawn, including the Widespread Panic show in the summer of 1997 that we were both out but didn't know the other was there until this past weekend. Yeah, I know. 

There was a trio of women that came in and sat to the left of Justin (I was on his right) which included a mother and her two daughters (one pregnant). The concert was the mother's early birthday present as well and they were from Mobile. They were nice people and were calm and not rowdy which was a plus. As it turns out there was in fact an opening band called Vintage Trouble and they were not very good. There sound was nothing like I expected and neither Justin nor I enjoyed their performance. I left towards the end of their set to get a Diet Coke. I was thirsty and decided to go ahead ans shell out the ridiculous amount of $5.50 for a 20 ounce soda. I first made a pit stop and then went to the main concession stand where the people working there were not letting people have the caps to their sodas because supposedly people in the stand might throw them down towards the stage or at other people. Listen, I'm not about to pay $5.50 for a soda and 1) not get the three Coke points associated with it; 2) leave it open so someone could slip a roofie (I doubt that's how you spell it) in it; 3) leave it open so someone can kick it over and get the place where I'm standing sticky with Diet Coke or 4) not have a top so that I can safely transport said soda from Point A to Point B. So, I found a beer cart that was also selling soda and bought one from there - cap and all. My guess is that one of those Pelham football boosters is a collector of Coke Points and was hoarding all the caps for his or her self. 

Come back tomorrow for part two of this very enthralling story.