We had a really fun time this past week and a half (give or take). We went to Louisville and St. Louis for two Mike Gordon concerts, stayed in great hotels, and drank our fair share of Bloody Mary's and Tequila Drinks :) I'd say that's a good start to "summer" if I do say so myself!
We used to travel to way more shows a few years ago than we do now. When Bobby and I first met in 2005 (yes, this year marked TEN years, and I'm so happy!!), we used to go to concerts every weekend or two, mostly in St. Louis and Chicago. We would see bands like Widespread Panic (75+ shows!), and lots of bluegrass shoes, and attend lots of festivals every summer.
We have been going to far less concerts lately. The music scene here in Carbondale just isn't anything that is sparking my fancy. We used to get a few good bands through the area (mostly bluegrass), playing at out favorite venue in town, The Hangar 9, but it seems like the better the music, the smaller the crowd. It's sad to see less than ten people attending a concert, I'm sure it would be hard to survive on ticket sales when there's no one there!
It's also harder now to leave the dogs home with a friend watching them, with Lily not in her best health, and we do realize how expensive it gets to see a show for just one night. The hotel can easily be $100 + Tickets + Drinks = $$OUCH! So, now that we do these shows less often, they are even more special!
A SHOW + BRUNCH IN LOUISVILLE, KY
The Mercury Ballroom in Louisville was a great place to see a show!
Gordo Show was rockin'!!! So much fun!
We stayed right next to the Mercury Ballroom at The Hilton Garden Hotel The rooms were incredibly nice.
We brunched at Wild Eggs in Louisville before we went home, their Bloody Mary was not super strong, but really really good. Hot Chocolate (below) was good, too!
The second best waffle ever, second only to the Passion Pie Cafe, in Truth or Consequences, NM.
ON TO ST. LOUIS
A couple of nights later, we headed to St. Louis to see the boys again! We stayed in the hotel right next to the venue, where the band also stayed, which is always cool. The Moonrise Hotel is also dog (and cat) friendly, and so we decided to bring the dogs along for some fun.
See, our dogs LOVE the Moonrise Hotel!
Round TWO, We had a little fun mixing drinks for ourselves before the show at The Pageant.
The Pageant is a place where we have been many times. It's usually PACKED beyond belief, which makes is hard for a short girl like myself to see the stage if we want to dance in the GA area, in front of the stage. But, we were pleasantly surprised to see the place less than half-full. This was one of the first times I have ever been able to get up to almost front row for my favorite band, ever! They put on such a good show, and the vibe of the crowd was also great, also not always the case.
After the show, I visited the merch table and met the band. I even chilled with them for a bit, an experience I will never forget! The poster from STL was one of the best we have seen for Gordo, also, and were super happy to pick up two copies of the poster, and had Mike sign the poster that wasn't already up in the room :) Wow, what a fun night.
AND MY BROTHER GRADUATED...
My brother also graduated high school and I am SO proud of him! He also turned 18 yesterday! Time flies...FAST
It was nice to spend time back home last weekend. Springfield (IL) has grown quite a bit. Their downtown area is much nicer than it was when we lived there about 10 years ago, and there are more small businesses downtown than there used to be. My mom visited the Farmer's Market, Urban Sassafras, Vintage Pop and the connected antique furniture stores, and Shabby Shack - a shop with hand painted furniture. We had a great time and I will post about those fun businesses soon!