about that concert

Last Saturday we went to the event I have been waiting a long time for: the James Taylor concert. First, a little backstory. The last time I had a chance to go, I was getting MARRIED! When I found out about this concert, I was very excited until I realized it was going to happen while Rob was out of town. I was initially stymied about what to do. He suggested asking our friends Tim and Sue if they wanted to go. I did and they did so I bought three tickets and the wait began.

In the meantime, Rob's plans changed and he was now going to be in town for the concert and really wanted to go. Unfortunately, the concert was sold out by then and the only tickets I came across were on sale by people looking to make some money. I told Tim and Sue about the situation. Since they move in much larger circles than us, we figured they'd come across a fourth ticket before the concert. They never did and neither did we. Tim said he would give up his seat for Rob. (What a great friend!)

It was decided that all four of us would go out before the concert for beers and wings and Tim would be our chauffeur. The restaurant we went to was within walking distance, so about an hour before the concert was to begin, he went over to see if there were any affordable options on a ticket for him. He was gone about 15 minutes. When he returned, he sadly said, "They are all sold out at the ticket office." Then the grin appeared. He had approached a couple of people on the sidewalk selling their tickets. They wanted too much, so he wandered inside to see what the situation might be. He ran into a woman who had a friend who was sick and wouldn't be attending with her. She gave him the friend's ticket. For FREE! Yes, you read that right, Tim got a free ticket to the concert.

We were all thrilled. Though we wouldn't be sitting together, at least he'd be able to go. His seat was way up in the "nose bleed" section. He sat there for about 5 minutes before he went to go get a beer. He ended up not sitting for the entire concert but enjoyed it immensely anyway. He even got to wander the main floor where we were because as soon as we got seated, Sue gave him her ticket in case anyone asked what he was doing.

Rob, Sue and I had the primo seats. We were near the center in Row 6. I could see everything about James Taylor I wanted to. He's a great performer. He seems so humble and yet connected to the crowd. He really seemed to be looking at the crowd, making eye contact. Most of the playlist was made up of his enormous run of hits: Sweet Baby James, Fire and Rain, Steamroller, Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight. He also did some of his 80's & 90's hits: Copperline, Line 'Em Up. Honestly, I was so focused on being present and just enjoying I don't remember the exact playlist. It was simply great and fun and romantic with Rob by my side.

In spite of having had such a nice time, I'm not sure I will do it again. Rob and I were talking over the next couple of days and while we thoroughly enjoyed the experience, it is just crazy what it costs to get there. For what we paid in tickets, we could have had every single one of his cds to enjoy anytime we wanted AND have some beers to go with them. It is simply an extravagance for us that we don't intend to repeat. I love live music but in this case, the equation just doesn't add up. I'm glad we went because this particular experience has been on my list for a long time. Now I can cross it off and be satisfied.