ZBB in KC - 2011

What a fabulous road trip! I love seeing live music - one of my absolutely most favorite things to do, hands down. This concert was a blast- great performers, AND great company, with my friend Laura, sis Tara and BIL Luke. Laura and I hit the road Saturday morning at 8:30AM, coffee in hand, ready for the three hour drive to friends Garry and Heather's house in north KC.

I made a "ZBB KC Trip" playlist on my iPod, to play on the trip up - and it was a good thing, because Laura really didn't know much about them at all. In fact, she had told someone the day before that we were going to see "Jack Brown, or something like that" ... so I had to make sure she was educated on their tunes before arriving at the concert!   We had a great time, I was so glad that she was able to come with me, and hang out with my family and other friends - she's been such a good friend to me over the past several years, and especially recently, over the past month. 

We got to Garry/Heather's house about noon, and got to catch up a bit with them before heading to the concert.  Garry turned 40 a couple of weeks ago, and I didn't get to make it up for his big birthday bash at one of the casinos... He and I had a cocktail at noon, so he could break out the glasses that he got in honor of his birthday - they say "Established 1971" and have a "40" engraved on the bottom... sweet!

Heather and 13-year-old Ryleigh - she's grown up so much!

I was so glad that Garry/Heather and Tara/Luke finally all met - Garry and Heather are some of my best friends and have met my siblings Ann and Thomas, but have only heard me talk about the rest.   They all hit it off wonderfully, as I knew they would - hopefully we'll all be able to get together again sometime.

With an estimated 70,000 people at this concert (according to Garry, who opted NOT to come and tailgate with us, for that reason),  I wondered how parking would be, and how close we would be to the stadium.  We did fine, not too far from the main entrance:

Holy smokes, was it HOT!   We put our chairs out and sat down to enjoy our lunch.  But about 30 minutes in, this was how we all felt, although Tara was particularly intolerant of the heat (and we had fun giving her crap about this picture!):

Shortly after this we took my Springfield friends Renee and Brad up on their offer to come hang with them in the shade... Luke was impressed with their set-up- the tent, table, and more.  Definitely not amatuer tailgaters like we were!

Laura, me, Tara and Luke

Thanks, Renee, for sharing your shade!

We headed into the concert in the middle of Billy Currington's set - personally, I don't know a single one of his songs, so I wasn't too worried about getting inside to hear him.   Uncle Kracker opened the concert, but we passed on him as well - I was there to see Zac Brown Band, they started at 6:20PM.  

The stadium was FULL, with the entire field set up with seating and a sandbar area right near the stage:

 

I saw Kenny Chesney with Tara and Luke about three years ago, in St. Louis, and we had a lot of fun then, but this took it up a notch.  This was probably the rowdiest concert I've been to - don't know if it was because it was a mid-afternoon Saturday concert (plenty of time for tailgating), or because it was there in Arrowhead, but everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves, including us!  And because it was so hot, we really didn't have much beer beforehand or during the concert - it was too hot to drink much other than water, and then I think we danced and sweated all that out over the 4+ hours we were in the stadium!



Luke, wallflower that he is, made friends with the guys
in front of us over the course of the evening

 I left my camera with Tara for safekeeping when I went to get a hot dog and drink, and she and Luke had a good time:

Ok, what about the music?  Amazing, both ZBB and Kenny.  Zac Brown is great, but his band is just as big a part of the show- some very, very talented musicians - they played "Devil Went Down to Georgia"
again, and it was just as awesome as it was when we heard it back in November.  As far as getting any good pictures, I was right - I've got to buy a longer lens.  I had to steal these two close-ups from Renee and Brad's FB site, they had a Nikon DSLR with a great lens, and got some awesome shots:

Kenny came on at 8:30 and played for two hours.  When he finished up and the crowd cheered him back out for an encore, Zac Brown came back out with him.   They jammed out for another eight or nine songs, including "Sweet Home Alabama" (Skynyrd), "Dixieland Delight" (Alabama) and Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down a Dream"  -  we sang and danced until they played the last chord and the stadium lights came on.  We were tired, and our feet were aching from dancing in flip flops all night, but we all agreed that we got our money's worth and then some.

Garry, Heather and the kids were still awake and had pizza ready for us when we got to their house about 12:15AM - we managed to stay up and talk for about 45 minutes, and then it was time to call it a night.  They fixed a wonderful breakfast for us this morning, before Laura and I had to head back to Springfield.

Great weekend - hopefully I'll make a return trip to KC in September or October.  We talked about taking Jace and Ryleigh to see Train/Maroon 5 in September at the Starlite. I would love to take him to his first concert - he loves music, just like his mom - and I better take him while we still like the same stuff!

Pancake Night & Paigey

Jace and I have had a Wednesday night tradition for the last couple of years - pancake night.  One of my favorite things for many years has been breakfast for dinner - cereal, oatmeal, pancakes, eggs and more.  So, since he especially loves pancakes, we've turned that into our weekly treat.  For awhile he wanted to help me, then he wanted to be the one to make them for both of us (a treat for Mom!).  But the novelty has worn off, and now I'm back to pancake duties - he does, however, get to do the dishes afterwards.

Tonight we had a special treat, in addition to pancakes - Paige came over for a visit, now that she's home from Jewell for the summer.  It was great to see her and catch up; she's done with her research project and working at Andy's again until she leaves for Oxford in September.   I know she and I will keep in touch, even though Dave and I aren't together - she's such a special young woman, and I so look forward to remaining a part of her life. 

Preparing fruit to put on top of the pancakes

Dinner is served!

After dinner, Paige helped me finish planting the perennials I bought last week.  It has been so hot, I've been watering them each day but needed to get them in the ground, soon.   She is going to be here over the weekend while I'm gone to Kansas City; the doggies will love to have her keeping them company while I'm gone!

Speaking of Kansas City, this is a weekend I've been looking forward to for the last couple of months.  I'm heading to KC early Saturday morning with friend Laura, and we are meeting my sis Tara and BIL Luke at Geather's house around noon.  Then we'll head to Arrowhead Stadium mid-afternoon for the Zac Brown Band & Kenny Chesney concert - how cool is that!?   Haven't seen Garry and Heather for a few months, so it will be great to spend a little time with them, before and after the concert - hopefully they'll join us for a little tailgating.  Jana is also going to be there with a friend, and I have a couple other Springfield friends that we'll also hang out with, have seats near us.

As for the concert itself, we have some awesome seats, we're in Section 123, Row 9:

And I couldn't ask for better company than Laura, Tara and Luke.  I saw Kenny Chesney in concert with Tara & Luke in STL a couple of years ago, and we had a blast.  Now to see ZBB and Kenny will be even better!   It has been a little bittersweet, knowing that Dave and I love both of these groups and had planned to go together, and there will be a few songs that will be hard to hear without thinking of him (I may have to excuse myself and head to the bathroom during "Colder Weather").  But truly, I'm just excited to be going with TT & Luke, and now Laura. 

I will hate to miss Jace's tryouts for the Tribe baseball team on Saturday, but I know his dad will be there, and I'll be checking in with him to see how Jace is doing.  In the meantime, I'm still on the hunt for a cowboy hat (think beach-style) for the concert, and cannot find one anywhere!  Luke suggested I check with Dad, since he has a couple of straw hats he wears out on the tractor when he's mowing (thanks, Luke).

I'm excited to take my new camera to the concert, although I have already realized that I need a longer lens - my point-and-shoot didn't take near as clear of pics, but it did have a longer zoom than the 18-55 lens that came with my SLR.  But the longer lens is another $200, so will have to wait for awhile on that... maybe a Christmas present to myself.

Time to close, and finish up some laundry before heading to bed.

Unpacking and Relaxing

It has just been one of those times where there is so much going on that the last thing on my mind is take time to sit down and write about it. That sounds so negative, like everything is bad, but it isn't. All is good, at work and at home. Long story in a nutshell, we found an incredible deal of a home, right down the street, almost twice as much room, and we were going to rent our current home to a friend. We had a contract on the other home for almost 90 days (and no, I didn't talk about it in the blog, wanted to wait until it was finalized) and then it didn't work out - after packing up our entire home, hiring a painter for the new home, and all that jazz. So the last three-plus weeks have been spent UNpacking all of our things, putting new carpet in our bedrooms, and trying to juggle all the normal everyday life stuff at the same time.

I do love our house, and we have both agreed over the past few weeks that it all turned out for the best. With the uncertainty of the economy, it absolutely is the best financial decision to stay put right here, and not to have two mortgages or homes, even with one being a rental.

This weekend is the first time I'm feeling like I am back to normal at home, can just sit and breathe and relax - things are, for the most part, back in place. One of our projects as we have settled back in has been to convert the third bedroom into what I'm calling the "game room". As I just wrote that phrase, it made me think of the Seinfeld episode where George's dad converts one of their bedrooms into a game room so he and friends can have a man room to play pool, but it is such a tight squeeze that they can't even extend the pool cues to play without hitting the wall! Our's isn't like that - no pool table, just a new leather loveseat and flat screen TV for Jace and friends to enjoy X-box and TV. A good compromise for a second living area, which was one of the things we really were looking forward to gaining in the other home. But this works well, and Jace really likes it.

It has been a whirlwind week, we were out of town last Sunday and Monday (more on that in a minute) and then getting the house back together in time for my parents' visit this weekend. I was glad that they came to visit, it certainly did help me put things in high gear to get everything unpacked and back in order (we just didn't let them into the garage to see the boxes and other stuff that isn't yet put away!). Paige also came home this weekend, her only trip home this semester - she is so busy every weekend with studying, so we were very lucky that she did have time to break away, and Jace and my parents were thrilled to see her. She and Dave made their curry and rice recipe last night; it actually isn't a spicy Indian curry, but rather an Asian curry that Dave's mom taught Paige to make.

After enjoying the curry and rice, Jace got the chess board out and Paige sat down to play a game with him. He joined the chess club at school a couple of weeks ago, and was happy to have someone to play him. Now that baseball season is over, he's signed up for a couple of after school programs - he did cross country after school for eight weeks this fall, and now chess club runs for the next two months. He's already looking forward to challenging my brother Thomas at Christmas, since Thom is who taught him to play chess a couple years ago.

Speaking of Thomas, Dave and I went to KC on Sunday last weekend and met him for lunch along with Paige and her boyfriend, Ryan. Thom was off work for the day on Sunday, and we were in town to see the Zac Brown Band that night at the Sprint Center in the Power & Light district. I didn't get to see his new apartment since we were crunched for time, so he and I made plans for me to come back up after Christmas one weekend, and get together for a day/evening.

He did stay with us until early evening, and met our friends from Dave's work, Dawn and David, who organized a group of us to see ZBB.

I'd not been to the Power & Light district, and it really was a lot of fun. We had a room at the Hilton there by the arena, and started the evening out watching the Chiefs play the Raiders at McFadden's. The boys had a couple of drinks early on, but since the other guys had to work the next day, they were pretty low key with the cocktails the rest of the evening.

The concert was great - one of my favorite things, to see live music. I'm not a huge country fan, but do like a few singers/bands, and the Zac Brown Band is one of them. Some great musicians, and a lot of fun to hear live. Dave likes their "beach music" which is along the lines of Jimmy Buffett, one of their influences. For me, when Zac Brown talked about growing up in Georgia, playing guitar and listening to James Taylor's Greatest Hits when all his friends were listening to Nirvana - that had me clapping and cheering, and our young friends (Dawn and David) laughing at me. Call me old, I guess, but JT is a classic.

We both enjoyed the evening, and have already bought tickets to head back this summer and see Kenny Chesney and the Zac Brown Band at Arrowhead Stadium - AND we bought an extra pair of tickets as well, should any family or friends want to join us!

I'll finish up now, so I can settle in and catch up on my DVR'd Thursday night TV tonight, while Dave and Neil are out in the living room watching a DVD on fly fishing and preparing for a full day of fishing tomorrow. I'll be cozy in bed while they are up and out the door at 6:30 AM - as luck would have it, in our first REAL cold weekend of the year.

Are You Gonna Go My Way?

Just had to include this before I get on with things and post pics from our STL baseball weekend. I love Lenny Kravitz and his music; he's so cool, and has always had a little different sense of rocker style. So, I guess I'll have to try and forgive him for this latest ensemble, with the oh-so-stylish-but-not-so-manly black leather wedge boots:

So, exactly what way is Lenny goin' here?!? I'm no fashionista, but this look is awful. It isn't just the boots - is there anything NOT feminine about the entire outfit? Cowl neck black tunic.... man purse.... and, the BOOTS. I know David Bowie made the androgynous look cool back in the 70s, but I just am not so keen on Lenny's look in 2010.

Ok, now back to my life. Not so outlandish (at all), but still lots of fun. We enjoyed our last two Cards games of the season with a couple of our favorite couples - Friday night was spent with Dave's college roomie and his wife, Scott and Robyn, and some great seats in the outfield. Last time we were in this section was back in JULY, on a Saturday afternoon game, with Jace and his friend. 100 degrees, not a bit of shade, and miserably HOT.

This game was much better - at least the weather was - the Cards still lost big; we (unfortunately) weren't too surprised about that. But the company was great, and the unexciting game just gave us more time to talk and get caught up. Dave and Robyn compared pros and cons on the iPhone/iPad, and Scott and I chatted about all the good old times after he and Dave were out of college, and Dave made friends with an old guy behind us who was also from the Boston area, and wanted to talk about how much he loved living in the Midwest.

When the game was over we hopped on the Metro Link back to their house in the suburbs, and ended the night with a couple of yummy spinach/chicken pizzas, and a lot more catching up on life. Scott and Robyn have a son that is Jace's age, and a daughter who is 15 going on 25, and their lives are as busy as ever!

After a leisurely breakfast the next morning, we said goodbye to Scott, Robyn and kids, and headed back downtown to check into a hotel right near the stadium. We were excited to spend Saturday with our friends from Kansas City, Garry and Heather, or "Geather" as Dave likes to call them. They live about 10 minutes from Paige's college, and have been awesome to her and to us - so nice to have friends like that! With that in mind, we just wanted to thank them for all that they do, with all-inclusive tix and night in St. Louis.

They took a scenic Amtrak trip from KC to STL Saturday morning (and loved it!), and after we picked them up from the station we headed out to start the day. First was some music and a beer at an outside pub near the field, and then we headed over to explore the stadium. I've been to several games in the new stadium, but had never seen the plaque and green & yellow line that shows where the old and new stadium overlap.

Once we headed inside the stadium and to our seats, it was an afternoon of eating, drinking (both all-inclusive!) and just plain fun. AND, a very close and good game, although the Cards still lost.

Later that evening we made our way around the Landing, and enjoyed some libations and more unhealthy food! Cheers!

And after a long and very fun couple of days, some of us (ok, all of us) were very tired.

(Actually, this would be a great ending picture for the weekend, but it was actually Dave resting in between the game and going out that night. Dave will no doubt give me crap that I was not up late enough to take a picture of him going to bed, as I was in bed a good hour before him that night, and he and Garry sat down in the bar and had Bailey's and coffee.)

THE END!

John Mayer: 2010 Battle Studies Tour

Pretty awesome picture, isn't it? I got a couple of good shots like this one, and not sure quite what exactly I did on the camera to get them! And of course a bunch that weren't so good- too much light, too blurry, etc. I was very fascinated with the ongoing quality pics and videos taken by the guy right in front of us, using a simple point & shoot camera. I chatted with him at the break, and he was modest about his abilities but his friends bragged on his other "professional" camera, and the pictures he took at their daughter's birthday party... obviously he knows how to take photographs, no matter what kind of camera he's using. I was lucky to get my couple shots, but I'd love to learn how to adjust the exposure etcetera, to get even close to the kinds of photos he was getting with a basic camera.

Anyway.... John Mayer, Saturday night, Scottrade Center in St. Louis, with friend and fellow music enthusiast, Stephanie. Our seats were great, and the music was absolutely amazing. One of my very, very, VERY favorite things to do is to see a live concert; just the excitement, the booming thump of the music, the cheering of the crowd, the anticipation of what hits and deep cuts the artist will include in the concert set (we nailed the guess on what song Mayer would open with - "Heartbreak Warfare", excellent intro) and the feeling of being "right there" with the music and the musician.

Opening act Michael Franti with Spearhead

I have loved John Mayer's music for the past several years, and this concert certainly showcased his breadth as a musician; he's grown so much musically since I saw him in 2005 with my sis Annie. My favorite music of his is from 2008's Continuum album - my blog title is from that album. As a musician, he's phenomenal on the guitar - one of the best blues guitarists of our time, according to many of the guitar legends from the past 30 years.

But his songwriting is what speaks to so many of his fans - songs about growing up, about growing older, about love, anger, and angst. He played so many great songs Saturday night, but one of my favorites was "Wheel" - at the time I thought it was from Continuum, but it was actually from 2003's Heavier Things:

	John Mayer - Wheel
	Found at skreemr.com

As Stephanie and I walked back to the hotel after the concert, we talked about some of his comments while he was on stage, just discussing where his life is now and that hopefully he's learned from his mistakes, etc. Stephanie hit the nail on the head when she commented that John Mayer obviously is a spiritual person, and his emotions run deep, to be able to write like he does. But he is also so clearly searching, for something, and is really lost in his life, despite (or because of) the fame, money and success he's experienced.

Of course, isn't that how many songwriters are? It is the searching and the torment that enables them to write the songs that speak to so many people. So I guess it is a double-edged sword - if he finds happiness and completes his life, will his music then change for the worse? Let's hope not, that both can happen in conjunction - that he can be happy AND write great music.

It was a great trip, and nice to have six hours in the car to catch up with Stephanie - we're both so busy, there's never enough time to just talk. The only downside to the weekend was getting sick - started with a scratch and sore throat on Friday, wasn't feeling the greatest all of Saturday, and progressively worse by Sunday night. The diagnosis via urgent care visit today was probable strep throat and definite infection in both ears, but I'm already on pill two of my antibiotics, so sure to feel much better by tomorrow. Dave's home from his four day NASCAR trip to Bristol, but he's steering clear of me this evening, hoping to avoid the crud!

Jace is on break from school this week, so I'm looking forward to a day or two off work with him, later in the week. Off to bed now, to catch up on sleep and get back to work tomorrow.