If I can't find out I never will recover

When you wake up at 4am it isn't long past noon when the tired sets in. Especially when you've driven from East Nashville to Hotlanta in a non air conditioned car listening to Live 8 on the Satellite and failing to have had a decent breakfast. A breakfast I had, but it was mediocre-his Dogness ate half my bacon. He's somewhat evil that one is. And after I gave him jerky treats. I tell ya.
SO-there I was in Atlanta. Checked into the hostel, showered and fancied up. And by fancy I mean in clothes that didn't look and smell like someone had just worn them for 250 miles in a non-air conditioned car in July.
The directions I got to where I was going were straightforward and I was told it was "so easy." So, of course, I got lost. I was driving in circles when I decided to stop for directions. And I see this bar, it looks like an Irish bar-there's a bartender-behind the bar. But it's called the Highland Inn-so I worry it might be a Scottish bar. And in that case there might be haggis involved but I'm feeling brave. Besides, luckily, I can fit in fairly well at a Scottish bar-not that I've ever been to a Scottish bar-but for the sake of argument. Why don't the Scottish get their own bars?
ANYWAY-it took some time to parallel park. I am a terrible parallel park-er-I could be the only person parking on the street and it would take 3 times re-adjusting the car. I swear to you one night in Nashville I let a drunk park my car for me-he had a can of Busch beer in one hand and was parking my car with the other. There is so much wrong with that scene. And yet...
I parked and walked into this bar-tuns out it is in fact the Irish type of bar. Pub fare, wood panelling, a bartender that knew the name of everyone in the bar. Except me-that lasted 5 minutes. In which time I met everyone in the bar and became their new good friend. Course, to toast our new friendship I had to do a shot called a Red Snapper. The Braves game was on TV and I was bored by all that. Thus the only option was drinking more beer and doing another shot. This time of some outrageously overpriced tequila-which I downed in one gulp and finished with a lime. My new friends were impressed.
They tried to teach me to speak Southern. For example-they kept trying to get me to say something like "How's yr Mama dem?" this is I guess, a common phrase. I never got too good at speaking their language and kept saying things like "How's your Mom and them?" My mid-Western drawl really popped up everytime I tried to rattle off some Southern. It just wasn't working for me. But I was having a ball. I think we did more shots. I was buzzing baby.
Logically, we had to go back to the house of my new friends for stuff and so I could meet their gigantic dog-Tank or Trunk or Truck or something with a T denoting large. They lived in Cabbage Town. Sounds like a swinging place, but all I can really tell ya is we smoked a little chatted a little the dog tried to have his way with me and then I was late for meeting people for dinner.
OH YEH! I'm supposed to meet people! People I don't know! For dinner! Wow. That's gonna be...fun...I was a bit like, you know, laid back at the time and could've come up with a good dozen ways to spend the next couple of hours before the show than sitting with a bunch of strangers eating chicken fingers. (Going to that Ben and Jerry's I'd driven by and enjoying a few scoops of Phish Food came to mind...)But you know, I'd said I'd be there...And I didn't remember where Ben and Jerry's was at, actually.
Now, I just spent a couple of hours with strangers. Really awesome strangers that welcomed me to Atlanta and wouldn't have me paying my (probably close to $30) bar tab--I left a $8 tip the bar tender was all right-he knew how to make a righteous shot to facilitate a good time at the pub. They'd had me to their house, we had a grand time you know.
SO-the people I was to meet for dinner before the reason why I was in Atlanta. It wasn't quite as much fun. Now-everyone was quite groovy. Nice people all around. Until some news comes down the line-news that there has been a change of plans. Someone had a "family emergency" (sick dog? that's what the semi-official word seemed to be) and wouldn't be playing. And here is where my mind really went into boggle mode-a group of people had come to see said someone and they weren't even kind of interested in seeing Jerry Jeff and they wouldn't be going to the show. People that had driven anywhere from 5-500 miles for the show were there just to see himself and had no interest in seeing the headliner.
I was really flabbergasted. There's no secret as to my fondness for himself but dammit-I was there last night to see JJW. When I bought the tickets over a month ago I was not even sure that anyone else was playing. I was interested in seeing JJW I was really excited about that and had been thinking about how awesome it would be to see him live after hearing all the songs all those times. It was Jerry Jeff I was there to see. Anything else was just a nice side dish, but it wasn't what I'd driven for.
But these people, people who go on and on about their kind of music and supporting the musicians and this shit-they found out their boy wasn't playing and sold their tickets or counted them as a loss and just tossed them if nobody wanted to buy them. Sure, I know that some folks were going to get comped for one reason or another (tho I am good at getting listed I never got into that with this scene, not that I haven't at one or two points-but it wasn't really a big deal in this case. For whatever reason that may be) But these people who were going to get in without paying-some of them that had driven quite the distance-they were UNWILLING to pay to see someone that-IMO is one of the greats out there these days or any days. They'd driven a few hundred miles, were staying at an $80 a night hotel and wouldn't drop $30 to see a legend. I was stunned then, and even after close to 24 hours to reflect I remained stunned. Who thinks that way. Reminds me of about a year ago when another show by another band was cancelled-again in a city where there were things to do to amuse oneself and people had litter because their evening was ruined and they spent the night in their hotel watching cable because they'd driven to see so and so and when so and so cancelled everything else just seemed meaningless.
When I got home I was equally amazed to discover that even more people than I had first thought had decided to not go to the show since our man was home with a "Sick dog" and maybe a victim of "Nashville traffic" (funny, I made the trip, I didn't see any problems.) Now, I don't wish a sick pup on anyone-you know I love my Mr. Man the most and if he'd been under the weather my plans would've altered right away. As dogs are babies and need much lovin and everythign stops for them. But still, people would change their plans for an evening of music because the opener cancelled? A-freakin-mazing.
BECAUSE-JJW was amazing. He was just up there with his guitar playing songs and telling stories. He played a short set-essentially he opened for himself he played
that song he's best known for second. Then the rest of the night he just played whatever the HELL he wanted to. It was awesome. I really loved it and had a wonderful time.
I especially loved when he played one of my favorites I kinda got teary cuz it reminded me of the sister. We sang it one day-for no particular reason other than we were just talking about good songs. JJW was really great last night. He'd been screwed too, after all and he gave the crowd a show that was something else really. He must've played close to 2 1/2 hours and that's pretty good for an oulfella. I am just so glad I was there and able to see this show and I really had a wonderful time. I would like to add one couple didn't throw away or sell their tickets, they stayed and had a really good time. The singalongs ruled-the audience was lit when we were supposed to sing and sing we did. I love sing-a-longs.
The show ended and I went back to the hostel. I brushed my teeth and fell into a very deep and restful sleep. I thought I was having trouble sleeping but when I woke up it was 9:45am. And I don't sleep that late at home, so I'm thinking I slept well.
I had some coffee and donuts and a bowl of oatmeal. Talked to a lady doing geneology on her family and a guy from the Netherlands working on getting a student visa. Then, I went on a search for a Bobby Fuller record. I need a Bobby Fuller record in the next 24 hours or I will wimper sadly-I'm obsessed. I've gotta know Who killed Bobby Fuller It's really worth googling-or you know going further down that badly beaten and doused in gasoline road here dead in yr car road
Oh I got sidetracked. This was about Atlanta. And the cancellation and the show I DID see and then I got to talking about the first person to record "I Fought the Law" and that' really how it goes.
When I got home Senor Doggy was glad to see me and all was well on the homefront.
And that is all.