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I tell you what… I was about as excited to see Brandi Carlile last night as my seven year old would be to see Big Time Rush. And she did not disappoint.
There are few things I love more than going out to listen to music. Especially when the venue is Gruene Hall, Texas’ oldest dance hall. The last time I was here was in college, summer break I think (Weezie correct me if I’m wrong), and Chris Isaac was playing. We didn’t have tickets, so we sat outside on the grass, under the screened in windows and listened to his whole set.
It was fantastic, and a memory we both cherish to this day.
Before the concert, we went to dinner at the Grist Mill, where we spent many an evening back in the day having dinner, horrifically sunburnt after tubing down the Guadalupe River. Their food is still great, and they have the best round cut fries on the planet. Over a couple of buckets of beer (Christy, I won’t tell anyone you were drinking Michelob Ultra… gag), enough laughter for the hostess to thank God she seated us at a far outside table, and a round robin of food sharing, we headed over to Gruene Hall.
The crowd was probably not what you’d expect from a small Texas town, but suffice it to say it was about 75% female and the only straight guys were the bartenders and the ones whose girlfriends/wives drug them out to see the show. 800 or so people crowded in on those old wooden floors, and listened to the opening band, Ivan & Alyosha.
These guys were darling, and a lot of fun. They’re from Seattle, and the lead, Tim, recently got married and has a baby at home. I definitely enjoyed meeting them, and talking about Portland and the Pacific Northwest. I’ll admit it, sometimes I’m a little homesick for Washington.
Fast forward to Brandi… holy crap. That’s really the best way I can describe her. I have never seen her live before, and many times, someone’s voice does not sound as fabulous live as it does on a studio recording, but damn… she was AMAZING. Wall to wall people, unairconditioned dance hall, antique wooden floors vibrating, I percolated. She played for nearly two solid hours, sang Patsy Cline’s “Crazy”, Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues”, her well known favorites and songs from her upcoming new album. “Rattle My Bones” is phenomenal.
So the concert wraps up, we head home (remembering that we live no where near Gruene any longer… was a lot quicker to get there when we all lived in Wimberley!), talking. The radio is on, and somewhere between Kyle and Driftwood, Katy Perry’s “Firework” comes one. Weezie, Christy and I have a collective memory jog from the last time we were all together, which was in a club, in Vegas. That song played, and we had quite a fit of laughter remembering exactly what we were all doing at that moment in time. (In order to stay within the Hot Women/What Happens in Vegas code, I will not provide details. Sorry 🙂
By the time we got back to Weezie’s Stabbin Cabin in Dripping Springs, then Christy and drove back to my place in Austin, it was 1 in the morning. Christy and I visited for a bit (because I don’t see her nearly enough), she grabbed some paintings to take to her friend who owns a coffee shop and wants to hang some of my work, and I prepared to sleep hard and fast.
6am came very early this morning, but after 4 giant mugs of coffee, I’m doing well. Meaning, I’m upright and not drooling on myself. Pretty successful, I think! I want to give a huge shout out to my friends for providing me with one hell of a Tuesday night. After a couple of shitty, shitty, very stressful weeks, this was just what the doctor ordered.
Rocker Mom Rambles 