SHARING THE SHOWS
So the school year ended today, and I officially stepped down as Interim Chairperson of my department. It was a good experience, but I’m officially ready to go back to my old role as faculty come fall. And I have plenty of ideas for teaching and research. But this Friday night was about dancing.
I originally wanted to stay home, but my friend and fellow concert hound Maggie cajoled me into going to see this local Grateful Dead cover band called Blind and Dirty, a band that got me back into the music scene in 2015, after a hiatus. I wasn’t even wearing a Grateful Dead T-shirt or most of my jewelry, which I typically sport at a show. I was wearing a shirt from the Muse Writers Center in Norfolk, where I took a screenwriting class. The back of my shirt says “Write Where You Are,” which seemed fitting for where I’ve been in the moment, trying to step it up in the area of writing. After driving through a characteristic southeast Virginia thunderstorm, we parked in a tight space and made our way into the venue. The place is your classic dive bar, offering an aroma that’s essentially a combination of beer, crab cakes, and macaroni and cheese. Being on the low-carb diet, I had to resist some temptation. After saying our hellos to some of the band members, the band teased us with about 53 seconds of “Deep Elem Blues,” a good song to tune up to. “One more song!” I yelled facetiously. After a few minutes of tuning and greeting the audience, they began with “Cold Rain and Snow,” a fitting dude, one the Dead often started with during crappy weather. From there, they went into Bob Dylan’s “Quinn the Eskimo,” a song that always gets me spinning. In between, they teased AC/DC’s “TNT,” which got me thinking about both times I saw them in New York. Maggie and I agreed that AC/DC just couldn’t possibly be the same with Axl Rose as the frontman (shudders). This was the first time I heard the band bust out Joe Cocker’s “Feelin’ Alright.” During that song, this dude started blowing bubbles and I spun around pretending I was being rained on. “Ramble on Rose” is a good tune, but a slower tempo generally has me going toward the bar to get hydrated, which I did. After the “breather” song, they went into The Band’s “Up on Cripple Creek.” That’s an okay tune, but the band really brought that to life, sending me into some serious high-stepping. “Sugaree,” another good tune with a slower tempo, had me refilling on water, and this time, Diet Coke, because I needed something sweet. Other highlights include “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” “Franklin’s Tower,” and “Tangled Up in Blue.” The songs aren’t the only entertainment at these shows; the people also make up part of the act, especially for those who aren’t part of the “Deadhead” scene. There was the dude with the Hawaiian shirt I kept bumping into, the tall guy blowing bubbles, and various styles of freeform dancing. The highlight for me (and for many others) is this older lady (I think she’s in her 70s), who just “gets down.” I’m told she’s a regular, and an inspiration to some of the women in the audience (“when I’m in my 70s, I hope I can still dance like that”). So does this dude. And a dialogue exchange that took place toward the end of the first set: Me (with a serious countenance): Maggie, I just came to a realization. Maggie: What’s that? Me: I don’t go to enough shows. (Bursts out laughing). (Maggie laughs.) Since I have to get up early tomorrow and don’t like dealing with the drunks later in the night, we took off at the end of the first set. All in all, a fun way to celebrate my fourth year at my job and kick off the summer.
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
April 2024
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