Sunday, September 19, 2004

Montana, here I come!!

Well, folks....I leave for Montana tomorrow! Hadley and I board a plane at approximately 5:30 PM, and after a brief stop in Salt Lake City, we will arrive in Kalispell, MT. We'll rent a car and then drive about 15 minutes North to the beautiful ski town of Whitefish.

We are getting married in 6 days, and I can't wait! The wedding is taking place at Iron Horse Golf Club, one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Hadley is going to look so beautiful; I can't wait to see her! We'll be in Whitefish all week, getting together with friends and family each day and night to celebrate. After the big day on Saturday, Hadley and I will be going to Missoula and Bozeman to relax and take in as much of Montana as we can!! Talk to you in two weeks!!!!!!

Thursday, September 16, 2004

What a great night!!

Thanks to Chris Posey, I had an awesome opportunity to see Ryan Adams in concert last night. After Hadley fixed me a delicious taco salad, I was almost asleep in my chair with a full belly when Chris called. You see, Chris has a twin sister by the name of Parker Posey, who happens to be Ryan's girlfriend. It just so happened that Chris had an extra ticket AND backstage pass to see Ryan at The Tabernacle, one of my favorite venues in Atlanta. Hadley granted me the infamous hall pass to join Chris and a few other guys (Jay "The Worm" Hale and Michael Brown) as long as I agreed to practice our wedding dance first. We're going to dance to "My Girl" by The Temptations, and that's a fairly easy song to dance to, so I was on my way to the concert in no time.

I got there just as the opening band, Ollabelle was wrapping up. I actually have their album and like their music, but I didn't realize they were opening for Ryan. Anyway, I got there and Jay came out to give me my pass. I followed him backstage, and there was Chris, sitting on a sofa eating sushi with Ryan Adams. The rest of the band was there, standing around shootin' the bull, just relaxing before the show. I was amazed at how quiet and calm everything was backstage. Anyway, I got to shake Ryan's hand, but I really left it at that, as I didn't want to bug him right before his show. He and Chris continued to chat, and then he began writing out his set list....a pretty neat thing to watch!

We were eventually asked to leave so that the band could get ready to hit the stage. We grabbed a few beers and headed out to the crowd. The concert was completely sold out, so when we went out to the floor, there was barely anywhere to stand. The view from backstage wasn't much better, as all of the equipment pretty much obstructed site of the stage. Regardless, it was a thrill to be able to walk anywhere we wanted (thanks to the All-Access Stage Passes) so I didn't complain.

The show was great. Ryan was in a great mood, and he definitely interacted with the crowd. Critics and concert reviews have often pointed out that Ryan isn't always one to befriend the audience or interact. But that wasn't the case last night. He was "in the zone," in a great mood, and gave an amazing performance.

Anyway, it was a great night. Much thanks goes out to Chris, Jay, and Michael for letting me join them at the concert. And even more thanks goes to Ryan Adams....thanks for a great show and for being one of the best singer/songwriters in the world today!!!