Just A Moment

Nashville was great. While it did brew up a little thunderstorm and gave us flashbacks to the May 1st flood (apparently we bring rain to that city), the weather dried up quickly. There was that little incident where the gusty wind took control of my lightweight skirt and introduced more of me than I wanted to the folks on Commerce Street. Hello Nashville, meet Hula’s backside! Have you seen my new underwear?

I can report that downtown Nashville is clean and almost back to normal. The Cumberland River is tucked back into her banks.

The street musicians are back under the eaves of shops, and all but a couple of stores and restaurants are open for business.

The Ryman Auditorium was fabulous as always, and it was the perfect place to see rock icon Neil Young. We loved the show. Not many performers can pull off a one man act without a band, but he did, shuffling between a variety of guitars, pianos and even an old pump organ. The typical audience members like Mr. Smells Like Spilled Beer, Ms. Dances Like A Maniac and Sir Pees A Lot made the experience all that more interesting. We were thoroughly entertained, but it was the ride home that made me smile the most.

Somewhere around Clarksville, Tennessee at about 12:30 this morning while we were driving down the interstate I had a moment. Hubby and I were drinking convenience store sodas, eating fizzy Skittles and singing Harvest Moon to each other when I realized it was one of THOSE moments. You know, when everything seems perfect, time seems to freeze and the moment seems bigger than you. There are no worries about aging parents, teenaged children or cancer stricken friends. You are completely taken away by the music and the person sitting next to you, and you have no doubts that for some unexplained reason you will always remember this moment, no matter how old you get. I smiled in the darkness and kept singing off key.

“I’m still in love with you. I wanna see you dance again, on this harvest moon.”

Those moments are like rainbows. They are incredible when they happen, they fill you with awe and then they slip away quickly, making you long for their return. And they are so rare, that you truly appreciate them when they happen. For a brief few seconds, longer if you’re lucky, you get a glimpse into your own heart, and you like what you see. Then it passes, but because of that moment, you know you’re going to be okay, no matter what life throws at you. What a night.

Yes, Nashville is fine. And so am I.

Back to NashVegas

By the time this is posted Hubby and I should be in Nashville, tapping our toes in some little downtown joint waiting for our show. We get to see Neil Young at the Ryman Auditorium tonight, and we couldn’t be more excited. For starters, the Ryman is a fabulous place to see show, with his stained glass windows and weathered woodwork. Secondly, it’s NEIL YOUNG! We have a bucket list of performers we’d like to see before we or they die. Some of our favorite acts are getting old or have lived a hard life and are looking a little rough for the wear, so we feel some urgency about seeing them. We saw BB King a couple of years ago on his 80th birthday, and we squeezed in Willie Nelson last year. Tonight it’s Neil.

We’ve been fans for a long time, Hubby even more so than me. He’s incredibly excited about tonight.

I like Neil for his uniqueness. I love a good songwriter and storyteller. Even more so, I love a performer who stays true to his passions and beliefs. Neil’s one of those folks who has been around for a long time and is probably appreciated more now than he was when he was popular for hits like Heart of Gold and his stint with Crosby, Still & Nash years ago. I didn’t fully appreciate his talents until I reached middle age. He’s developed a rich body of work during ever changing periods of popularity and obscurity. Forty years after he started recording he’s still anti-war. Still preaches about taking care of the environment and still speaks his mind regardless of who he ticks off. If you know nothing about Neil Young, you probably at least know the reference to him in Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama. You may not know he collaborated with Pearl Jam and is considered the father of the grunge movement.

He’s always been outspoken. He started Farm Aid with Willie Nelson many years ago, and he’s still fighting for the causes of the average Joe. Whether you agree with him or not, you have to appreciate his honesty. He performs because he loves music and he’s comfortable around the blue collar guy. That’s why it wouldn’t surprise me to catch him playing a tune or two with a bar band somewhere in downtown Nashville before or after his show tonight or hiding out in a corner taking in the nightly talent at one of the clubs. Hubby and I will probably slip into Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge or another club along Broadway before the show just in case. Besides, we like soaking up the local atmosphere. Even if we don’t catch an up close glimpse of him, we certainly expect to enjoy his concert. Mark one more off the bucket list, a big one.

I leave you with a link to one of my favorites of his: The Painter