Tag: Concerts

Posted on

Gentle Jack Jones…

…won’t you come home to me?

“Brown Eyed Women” is my favorite Grateful Dead song. Hands down. Probably because I have brown eyes. Or probably because it’s about the only one where I positively know every single word and don’t have to mumble any of them. Either or.

And every time we go see Dark Stark Orchestra, I hope beyond hope that they play it, so I can finally belt one out with the best of the hippie crowd.

DSO is a most excellent Grateful Dead cover band, except they don’t just cover they Dead, they play actual entire past Dead shows. Set list for set list. They are incredible.

Much like Aussie Pink Floyd, if you close your eyes while listening to DSO you could actually think you were hearing the Grateful Dead themselves, Jerry and all.

We try to go see them every year, as they make an annual winter stop at one of the theaters in downtown Milwaukee. And tonight’s the night. Grandma’s coming up to babysit D and spend the night, so R and I are going to the show. Huzzah! (huzzah? i don’t think i’ve ever said that before)

I love these guys, and even though I won’t be partaking in the, ahem, *spirit*, of the show as most of the crowd will be, I’ll enjoy it just as much. Plus these theaters usually have splendid beer specials, like $4 tall boys. Nice!

For those of you unfamiliar with DSO, here’s a clip of them playing “Brown Eyed Women” this past New Year’s Eve. Please pardon the less-than-stellar filming – I can only imagine the camera person’s state of *being* at that moment.

And yes, that chick on stage does twirl and do the hippie dance the entire show. Sometimes I end up just watching her the whole time…

 

 

Posted on

Buffett recap

Here’s a photographic recap of the Jimmy Buffett concert at Alpine Valley last Saturday. Once again, fun was had by all and plenty of shenanigans ensued. Unfortunately I left my phone in the grass where we were tailgating when we cleaned everything up to head into the show. Fortunately the guy who was set up next to us told me our friends had it when we got back to our car at the end of the night, so I had to go get it on Sunday afternoon once Grandma headed home. It’s always something out there…

R with the fixins for Roaring Dan dark & stormies

 

I will play for gumbo!

 

The giant tiki bar was right next to us this year - awesome!

 

The boys

 

The girls

 

Our group

 

Me & some swimmers - I was apparently overserved and finding something utterly hilarious

 

Still drunk. Still hilarious.

 

Wastin' away again in Margaritaville

 

 

Posted on

FF

Fins up!!

Tomorrow is the annual Jimmy Buffett concert at Alpine Valley, and I can’t wait! I say annual, but he did skip a year in 2005 when he played down at Wrigley Field over Labor Day weekend instead. Jerk.

I was just figuring out how many Buffett shows I have now attended, and this year will be my 8th. Sweetness! I went in 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and now this year. For some reason I can’t find any pictures from 2007 or 2009, but I know we went in 2007 because I saw my Ticketmaster order. And I know we went in 2009 because it turned into a night that will live in infamy. The weather was shit, it started raining so hard we actually left the show early, I drank an entire bottle of Jeremiah Weed sweet tea vodka mixed with lemonade then transformed into a complete and utter ass, was a bitch to R, and basically ruined the night. Ugh. Note to self – don’t drink whole bottles of liquor single-handedly anymore (not that it was ever a good idea).

Each time we go now we meet up with a woman I bartended with the year after we moved back to Milwaukee and her husband, and sometimes some of their friends from their neck of the woods. They’ve been to well over 20 Buffett shows now, and holy shit, do they bring a spread! She brings table upon table of food, we always set up a tent, there’s booze out the wazoo (which was just divine last year when i was pregnant. 1,000s of drunk, hot, sweaty Jimmy Buffett fans and me sober. awesome), and often festive accessories of some sort make an appearance. We’re not the full-on Parrothead costume types, but we do like to decorate a little for the day. I know most of the people they’ve brought through the years from the bar where we worked (which she still runs), but we are definitely in agreement that when it’s just the 4 of us we have the most fun. And tomorrow it’s going to be just the 4 of us again, plus it’s her token Saturday off this whole summer (again, that bar she runs, it has a beach bar, so summer is prime time), so look out! R’s cooking up his famous gumbo and teriyaki shrimp skewers to add to all the food they’re bringing, so we are set for a great time.

Here are some pictures from our past shows. My photos from 2001 weren’t digital so I’d have to scan one of those in for you, and frankly, you know I’m just lazy. But if I get ambitious I might toss one of the oldies in when I post this year’s recap. Your fingers are crossed, I know.

Hula R & our friend we go with G, 7-10-04

 

Me, R, & our friend S, 6-10-06

 

Me & sis A, flanked by 2 of our friends' friends, 7-19-08

 

R & me, 6-26-10

 

This show is seriously one of the most fun days of the year. Everyone’s in a good mood, everyone’s just out to have as much fun as possible, and we’ve lucked out on the weather most years (knock on wood!). Right now they’re calling for mid-70s and mostly sun tomorrow, so let’s hope they’re right! I said as long as it doesn’t rain, we’ll be golden. For slopping around in the parking lots at Alpine in the rain and mud can make for a miserable day and night.

Happy Friday, Parrotheads!!