Date night....

I have discovered a new plan for monthly date nights.....travel to a nearby town to see a concert.

There was a time in my life when I went to a lot of live music shows. By an early age, I had seen a lot of bands that I still love to this day (several thanks to a couple of years of Lollapalooza). I got to see the Grateful Dead before we lost Jerry, Dave Matthews a couple of times, a handful of Phish shows, Blues Traveler, Lenny Kravitz (before he lost the dreadlocks - priceless), Prince, The Beastie Boys, George Clinton and the P-Funk at least twice, Primus, Rush, YES, Pavement, The Violent Femmes, Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians (my first concert ever - thanks, sister, for taking me to a very cool concert for my first), and more Widespread Panic shows than I care to admit. The list could go on, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head.

I'm fairly certain that I have suffered some minor hearing loss thanks to all of this live music, which will probably lead to major deafness later in life. But I will say this, it was all totally worth it.

I feel moved in a way when I get to see a band that I love in a way that I nearly cry when I see a famous piece of artwork in real life. My reaction to VanGoghs is kind of embarrassing.

So, instead of longing to see that Steely Dan show in Atlanta (that I missed) or wishing I could one day see Paul Simon or James Taylor live in concert, I've decided that I can make this happen!

Joe and I deserve a date night at least once a month. That is never going to happen as frequently as it should, but every couple of months is totally doable. So, I'm going to start scouting out concerts that will be going on within drivable distances - Montgomery, Birmingham, Atlanta, Columbus, and Tuscaloosa. It makes for a long night for a babysitter, but it is a chance for Joe and I to spend some time in the car to talk - just talk - not about kids or work or obligations, but about interests and gossip and silly stuff. Then we can enjoy a quick bite in a different city - always a treat, even if it's at a chain restaurant that we don't have in Auburn. And we can take in an amazing show.

Our first such date was this past Saturday night to see Ben Folds at the UAB performing arts center in Birmingham. I adore Ben Folds, and to see him is truly impressive. I have a lot of admiration for true songwriters who can play an instrument with the kind of mastery that he can play the piano. This was a small show with just Ben - no band, no back up singers, no nothing, just a man with a piano. And it was amazing.

Our drive over was painless and really very pleasant. We stopped into the English Village on the way downtown to eat at Chez Lulu, because if ever given the choice, I will always choose French food. After a bowl of eggplant soup and a goat cheese pesto sandwich for me and a slow cooked rabbit dish for Joe, we headed to the concert hall with the tastes of rosemary and red wine filling our cheeks to enjoy the show. Our tickets were kind of weird - behind the stage in a balcony with a possible obstructed view - but it was perfection. We were front row up there with a direct view of Ben Folds, and he did not disappoint. He sang all of my favorites, including "Kate" which is the song I was always convinced was exclusively all about me when I was in college, and he even entertained us with short stories and a spontaneous drum solo that proved his diverse talents. Here's a little shot I managed to get with my phone. Look at how close he is!!! I think seeing him live has inspired me to actually watch "The Sing Off" on tv, which is huge for me because I generally restrict my reality show viewing to Project Runway and the occasional Kardashians fix that I tend to watch with a furrowed brow due to my total lack of understanding of why I am so interested when they are so NOT interesting. Although, I'm sure that when the show doesn't involve him singing or playing the piano at all, I will quickly lose interest.

So, if you know of any concerts going on in our vicinity sometime soon, let me know. This night was the most perfect date ever, and I want to make it happen over and over again.