I went to see Dan Bern on Saturday. (That’s my head on the left!) Before I left I thought about the pile of Dan Bern posters ((many years ago I volunteered to put posters around town advertising Dan’s shows — I was a very bad rep since I had so many left over)) that were sitting under my office sofa. I didn’t need more than one each so I decided to take them to the show and give them away.
I placed them on the merchandise table. The table had a sign to pay what people wanted to pay for the items there, so hopefully Dan made some money on the posters.
Declutter 2018 count 50:
32 Dan Bern Posters
2 crystal unicorns, broken
9 letters from Sue
1 Loon Magic sweatshirt
1 shedding scarf
1 pair of fingerless gloves
1 wool underlayer shirt
1 birthday poster from Sue
1 baby shower thank you card from Chris and George
1 Christmas postcard from Auntie June and Uncle Harold
As you stand on the stage at Jammin’ Java on Thursday night you’ll notice something is not quite right. Something about the crowd is a little off-kilter, but you won’t be able to put your finger on it – won’t be able to figure out what, exactly, is different this time from all the other times you played at Jammin’ Java. Or Iota. Or Birchmere*.
You at Jammin’ Java September 2006You and Rupert at Iota 2002
I’ll tell you now, so you’re not distracted on Thursday night. What is different (or what will be different, rather) is the unfortunate fact that I’m not there.
It’s not that I didn’t want to be there – in fact I replied “yes” on your Facebook event. It’s that I can’t be there. See, a friend passed away last week and the memorial service is on Thursday at 7:00 pm. You understand, I know you do.
And before you suggest I go to Friday’s Night Cat show in Easton – not terribly far away from Bethesda, where I live — I cannot do that either. My son, a senior in high school, is a wrestler and has his county wrestling tournament this weekend beginning on Friday. Again, I’m sure you understand why I cannot go to the Friday night performance either.
Good luck on your performances in both Virginia and Maryland this week. May your audiences behave and be appropriately lively and not request “Tiger Woods” too often. May they listen attentively and appreciate your new material as much as they appreciate your older stuff.
Please make plans to return to the area soon. Barring deaths and wrestling tournaments, I’ll be there, I promise.
Love,
Dona aka cedarwaxwing
*That you headlined since 1997. I missed your most recent Birchmere performance when you opened for Todd Snyder. I did see you open for him there once, and while I like Todd Snyder, it is hard to hear you for a few songs and then have to hear someone else for the rest of the evening. I also missed your 930 Club performance even though a member of your band at the time got me VIP passes. My babysitter didn’t show up that time.
I remember very little about the first rock concert I ever attended. I’d heard of Boston, but didn’t follow the band and probably couldn’t name a song sung by the band. I certainly cannot name one now. With the lead singer’s suicide last week, Boston has been in the news lately. Thus my memories of this band. (which are next to none)
It was 1978 and I was working as a waitress at an all night pancake house to pay for yet another trip to England. One of my co-workers – her name escapes me now but I’m pretty sure she’s mentioned in my journal of the time – had an extra ticket to see Boston in Chicago and asked if I’d like it. We’d ride in together and it would be fun. I figured it would be an experience if nothing else, so accepted the ticket.
I don’t even remember where the concert was although a website indicates it may have been at Comiskey Park. Our seats were pretty high up – I remember there were a lot of lights and maybe even smoke on the stage. The security was not very good because everyone around us was smoking pot – as were the folks I was with. On the way there, the guy who was supposed to be my date showed me a little glass vial he brought and explained it was a drug that you inhaled that opened your veins or something and you got high. He may or may not have used it at the concert – I don’t remember. Much later I heard more about a drug called poppers and guessed that the vial contained a nitrite inhalant. I was glad I didn’t try it like he’d suggested I should.
All-in-all, I cannot really say I was disappointed in my first rock concert because I had no expectations. However, the music was too loud, the people were too rowdy, the smoke was too thick. Not my cup of tea, I suppose.
Clutch Cargo Lips 