Wednesday, September 11, 2013

The Hits Just Keep On Coming

I don’t attend many concerts these days, and the ones that I do attend are usually in small settings with no more than a couple of hundred people in the audience.   That’s because I find that the odds are drastically reduced that I’ll find myself seated next to some obnoxious drunk who spent big money to show up and make a fool of him (or her) self while ruining the experience for those who are unlucky enough to be within a 30 foot radius of him (or her).  Also, ticket prices tend to be a bit lower at smaller venues which don’t usually host “name” artists or bands.

Leftynemesis and Interiors Maven at the Concert
BowlingWidow and I deviated a bit from that plan last weekend.  Along with our friends Leftynemesis and Interiors Maven we ventured a few miles north to the Tulalip Amphitheater to listen to the bands America and The Doobie Brothers.  Two bands that fit squarely within our demographic wheelhouse.  They may not have been the best bands of the 1970s, but are certainly among the most familiar as they were constantly on the radio.  America had 17 songs that made the US Top 100.  The Doobies clocked in with a remarkable 26.

I didn’t have high expectations for this show, but both bands actually delivered the goods and seemed to have a great time doing it.  If America ever gets tired of singing “Ventura Highway” or The Doobie Brothers are bored out of their minds doing “China Grove”, it didn’t show.  And between the two bands they clocked in at more than three hours (which included a half hour break to change the stage), making the $65 ticket stretch a bit further than usual.

The Doobie Brothers Rockin' the Amphitheatre
Finally, two more things about the night:  first, the horse still has no name.  And second, indeed right on schedule the annoying drunk guy was in our row a mere few seats away.

2 comments:

Pilla Leitner said...

Hey Joe, I'm so glad to hear that annoying drunk guys are not restricted to just the shows that I have gone to! I think that emotion is called schadenfreude, being happy at someone else's misfortune. But you made me pull up the America songs on Spotify, and I enjoyed the afternoon!

Anonymous said...

Glad you "found" America again. For me they're one of those bands that I don't think about a lot but really should, as they have so many familiar songs in their library which remind me of some good years in life. If only there would be a "drunk guy" section at these shows...