A couple weeks ago, I won some tickets to see John Hiatt and the North Mississippi Allstars. I asked several friends to go with me, but everyone was busy. It seemed not very efficient to ask people one at a time, so at the beginning of the week, I sent out an e-mail to family and friends in the area. Still no takers. People were either busy or didn't know who he was. That last is understandable, as I didn't know who he was either when I won the tickets.
How did I win the tickets, you ask? My buddy, Rachel, found out I had never been to Red Rocks for a concert. Not content to just arrange an outing to a concert or one of the Film on the Rocks series, she wanted to win us free tickets to a Red Rocks concert. She entered me in a radio (KBCO "select-a-set") contest. My entry did not win on the week she sent it in, but the next week, when the prize was different - the John Hiatt tickets.
So, I could get no takers to go with me. I even tried giving away both tickets, as did Rachel - still no takers. By Friday, I had given up. I didn't feel like going by myself and I was considering going to the venue at concert time to give them away. Then, I got an email from Kat: "did you find someone to go with?" Hurrah!
Yesterday we went to the Irish Snug, had a drink (beer for her, hard cider for me) and an appetizer (a yummy cheese quesadilla), then went to the concert. We got there early enough to get a really good standing spot at the very front. We did not get there early enough for the seated spots at the mezzanine level. My legs and my knee got really tired by the end of the concert, but c'est la vie.
The concert was great! The backing band, the North Mississippi Allstars, also played as the opening act, and I would go see them even on their own. They were obviously having a wonderful time playing together and the on-stage chemistry was great. When John Hiatt started playing with them, the chemistry continued to shine. He obviously took a lot of pleasure in the younger musicians' joy in music. They played long and hard and the notable songs were two that were made famous by other singers ("Riding with the King" by Eric Clapton and BB King and "Thing Called Love" by Bonnie Raitt), whom he thanked for putting his daughters through school, and two that I've heard him sing often on the radio ("Perfectly Good Guitar" and "Have a Little Faith in Me"). I found a really good review of the concert when it played in Orlando. It pretty much says everything I would say.
I had a great time, and I have to thank Rachel for winning me the tickets and Kat for accompanying me. Thanks, guys!
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