Early birthday surprise!
I've known for a little while that Amy had an early-birthday surprise for me this weekend, and it involved going out-of-town. I was excited, but I'm not the sort who needs to know details of a surprise before I get it. Where's the fun in that? (I grew out of that phase pretty quick, I believe. I only unwrapped-the-retaped Christmas presents once, if memory serves, hehe. Didn't fool a soul.) So, I waited patiently...partly because I was content in not knowing, and partly because it frustrated Amy that I wasn't pestering her all the time. ;)
The first part of the surprise was that we were going to Charleston, SC. I hadn't been there before. It is such a beautiful city. Aside from the heat, the weather was perfect. The skies were clear as could be, the air wasn't heavy with humidity, yet the heat index was pretty high. We spent the early afternoon checking out a great marketplace, frolicking in a waterfront park, and just enjoying the downtown area.
At lunch, she unloaded part two of the surprise: tickets to see Patty Griffin at the Charleston Music Hall! Fifth row seats, too. It was such a treat. Amy's been a fan of hers for years; she turned me on to Patty last Christmas. It was the last show of the tour, and Patty hardly ever comes out to this part of the country. Amy had never seen her live, so it was a real joy for both of us.
Scott Miller opened, and he was a lot of fun. I'll check out more of his music soon enough. Patty and her band were amazing. She played stuff from all of her cd's, which was nice. Her performance of "Top of the World," which she wrote and the Dixie Chicks covered, absolutely enthralled me. "No Bad News" was amazing...Scott came out for a little practical joke (there were a few throughout the evening, from both acts) and ended up playing his harmonica with the band near the end. It quickly erupted into a full-on impromptu jam session, with all the extremely talented musicians (and everyone in attendance, for that matter) just losing themselves in the music.
It was an amazing evening. We came back to Wilmington a little early today, but that didn't lessen the joy at all. Amy was on cloud nine the whole time, too, which was fantastic. Great weekend. It was the best way to cap off a great summer.
The first part of the surprise was that we were going to Charleston, SC. I hadn't been there before. It is such a beautiful city. Aside from the heat, the weather was perfect. The skies were clear as could be, the air wasn't heavy with humidity, yet the heat index was pretty high. We spent the early afternoon checking out a great marketplace, frolicking in a waterfront park, and just enjoying the downtown area.
At lunch, she unloaded part two of the surprise: tickets to see Patty Griffin at the Charleston Music Hall! Fifth row seats, too. It was such a treat. Amy's been a fan of hers for years; she turned me on to Patty last Christmas. It was the last show of the tour, and Patty hardly ever comes out to this part of the country. Amy had never seen her live, so it was a real joy for both of us.
Scott Miller opened, and he was a lot of fun. I'll check out more of his music soon enough. Patty and her band were amazing. She played stuff from all of her cd's, which was nice. Her performance of "Top of the World," which she wrote and the Dixie Chicks covered, absolutely enthralled me. "No Bad News" was amazing...Scott came out for a little practical joke (there were a few throughout the evening, from both acts) and ended up playing his harmonica with the band near the end. It quickly erupted into a full-on impromptu jam session, with all the extremely talented musicians (and everyone in attendance, for that matter) just losing themselves in the music.
It was an amazing evening. We came back to Wilmington a little early today, but that didn't lessen the joy at all. Amy was on cloud nine the whole time, too, which was fantastic. Great weekend. It was the best way to cap off a great summer.