My brain is probably still way too polluted to do this post justice, but we won't know till we try, will we?
We departed last Wednesday at way-too-freaking-early-o'clock for the twelve-hour drive to Bloomington, Indiana. We got checked into our awesome room at the Walnut Street Inn, just a few doors down from the Bluebird Nightclub, venue for the next night's concert. It was Cody, not the whole band, for an acoustic show with his bassist and another musician... which was fine with me. I've wanted to see one of his acoustic shows for a long time.
The next morning/afternoon got a little hectic. I was standing at the bathroom sink when, reflected in the mirror, I saw the tour bus drive down the street. Peachy. I was behind schedule already.
I had shopping to do.
So down the street we went, so that I could obtain souvenirs and - eventually - lunch. I also got some emergency phone calls from home (nothing serious, but I did have a few small panic attacks), before we settled in at a sidewalk table near the club to have lunch and observe the bus-related activity.
And there wasn't all that much of it. Last year, Cody spent the whole afternoon strolling around town, mostly talking on his phone, but not this time. So, fine. Time to change clothes and stake out our spot at the door.
While there, I met Ragweed Rick, who had his laptop with most of Cody's songs from the previous night's show. Then Lori & Mike showed up. She and I started chatting before last year's show, but she wasn't able to attend then. It was fun to have another couple to hang around with this year, though. We did learn that she and I together can lead to trouble. She's an instigator, and I'm the one who always says stuff like, "Yeah! Awesome idea! Go ahead, and I'll be right there with you!" Bad influences? Maybe. But more fun than I should probably be having at my age.
(Double Trouble)The show, of course, was incredible. After it ended, we chatted out front with some guys from the opening band, but then I decided I might feel better if I went to my room and retched for a while. Today's lesson: If you're going to ingest copious amounts of alcohol, you should probably have more to eat during the day than a small platter of deep fried dill pickle chips. Just sayin'.
On our way to the room, though, we women-folk (Lori-Squared, Lori X 2...) did get hit on by a couple of 20-something guys. I patted cutey-boy on the cheek and told him I had a kid his age, and maybe he should go play with someone closer to his own age.
Eventually, we were all hanging out in our room, and we sent Tom & Mike out on an errand. And - of course - they ran into Cody. By the time they came and got us (Tom had neglected to take his cell phone), he was gone again. We sat outside the bus for about an hour (making it now close to 2:30 AM) before giving up.
My other lesson: When I've been acting much less than my actual age, I do "hit the wall" 'long about 2:00 AM. I run all out of wakey-wakey. I mean, when your usual bedtime is 9:00 PM... Exhibit A:
(Sidewalk comfy...)Lori & Mike roared off on their Harley, and I... went to sleep.
(Oh, yeah, also out on the latenight sidewalk, Tom accepted free pizza from a stranger. He didn't die, so I guess it was okay.)
From the show that night:



The next morning, it was off to Springfield, Illinois. We got checked in at the Sleep Inn, had lunch, headed to the Sangamon County Fairgrounds, and met up with Lori & Mike again. More alcohol, more brain pollution, more fun.
The show, this time with the full band, was spectacular. We were right on the rail at the stage. (And, right against the stage at the show at the Bluebird the night before) At one point, Tom had to protect me from a big fight that broke out right behind us. I thought he was going to get pulled into it, but he just got beered on. But he kept me from being knocked down or hit, which I appreciate because I am old and brittle. Plus, it's kind of nice to have a big, strong husband who is willing to risk a bunch of rowdy, punch-throwing drunk guys to save you from injury.
From Night 2:




Our new friends weren't able to find a room, so they ended up staying with us. A slumber party, complete with pizza! And... well, it was a party. At least the severe storms held off until after the show. Last year I was shin-deep in mud after having to "seek shelter" in the car twice while we waited to see if we were going to get sucked up in a tornado.
Next morning, blah blah blah, 8 1/2 hours on the road to get home, and here I am back in Minnesota.
Tom still has concert fever. I
always have it, but his outbreaks are sporadic. We've already planned to go to two shows on consecutive nights in Iowa this October. The next night is the band's last scheduled show before they take an unspecified amount of time off (possibly all of next year)... in Chicago. Tom got thinking about this, and next thing I knew he had booked us a room in the Windy City for that night... so we'll be doing three shows, three straight nights.
Considering how exhausted I am after this roadtrip, I hope I survive October!
And, yeah... I was right. This is a pretty lame post. But talking about all the awesome fun is making me sad because it's over till October. :-(