The drive heading downtown was nice. Traffic wasn't so bad. Maybe it was because I took Birchmount Road down. We left work at around 17:15 and got downtown at just before 18:00. I wanted to park on this one street where you can park for free. Too bad word has now got around that you can do this. There wasn't a free spot available. So, I parked in my regular downtown parking lot. It was $10. That wasn't terribly bad. If I had parked a block closer to Massey Hall, it would have cost me $20 instead.

Trying to figure out where to have dinner can be a challenge with the president's son (PS). He's not great at making decisions. He didn't want to go to Baton Rouge. It apparently was too pricey for his liking. I suggested that we find something at the Eaton Centre. I tossed out Mr Greenjeans for dinner. He seemed to like that idea.

The hostess there didn't seem all that chipper. She gave me the impression that she didn't want to be there. Anyway, the restaurant was full, but we were happy that we had lots of room around us. The table, unfortunately, wobbled a bit.

There was a lot of progress made by PS. Every time we've had a meal in a restaurant, he will order first. He won't ask if I'd like to go first. I don't know if he got hit by a lightning bolt earlier in the day, but he actually asked me to order first. Wow. I could like this new change. So, I ordered nachos with beef that we had agreed to share. I then ordered a large rum and coke, and a hamburger with sauteed onions, mushrooms, and cheddar cheese. He ordered the same drink, but opted for a steak sandwich.

The food was fine, except that you get a lot of buffalo chips (they're kettle chips). I left the majority of them on my plate. There were simply too many to consume.

Another huge step that evening: he paid for dinner. Maybe he felt obligated to, for I tend to shell out the dough for parking. I did so this evening, too.

So, I had to get some money from a bank machine and did so at a machine on the first floor. We then walked over to Massey Hall, where folks were filing in. I suggested that we go downstairs to see what merchandise was available. I bought the neatest blue travel tea mug with Jann Arden's signature on it. It's for loose tea leaves and it came with a pouch. I also bought Bob Kemmis' latest CD. I have a feeling that the woman remembered who I was. She was the same one at the show in Winnipeg.

I had to use the bathroom and the lineup was ridiculously long. Sadly, it didn't have to be. Most didn't realize that there were two sets of stalls and that the queue led to a fork in the road.

We sat in the second row, off to the right when you are facing the stage. They were excellent. PS couldn't believe how great they were.

Bob Kemmis was promptly on stage at 20:00. He changed his songs up a bit. He started off with "Freak luck". He introduced himself the same way, although he looked more tired than he did in Winnipeg. He continued to do "Letter to Gotham" karaoke-style. He was his charming self. He shared his excitement about spending fifteen minutes in the same recording studio that the Beatles had used in London to record a song. I'll have to download it one of these days.

So, he sang two songs in a row about car accidents. He profusely apologized for singing about the topic and promised not to do it for the rest of his set. Cool.

He ended his set with "Late night advice," which I like. I just realized that I'll have to edit my about me page. By the end of this week, I will have seen Bob as many times as I have seen Melanie Doane, I reckon.

PS and I chatted during the intermission. I ended up scratching his back in various places. I'm not sure if he was allergic to his new shirt or if he needed to take a shower.

Jann Arden came on stage just before 09:00, I reckon. She had a chocolate brown jacket on. It looked like suede. She had jeans on that had holes just below her knees. She wore black shoes, and a black shirt underneath her jacket. She looked great. Two photographers were in front of us, getting all snap-happy.

The greatest thing about being so close up is that you see more of what takes place on the stage. Jann made a widen gesture with her hands a couple of times, signalling to her audio person to make her sound a tad louder. She also whistled with her fingers to the audio person at one stage, as if she were hailing a cab. I need to learn how to do that. My grandfather did that once and I was in awe of him.

She was wondering about a couple of seats towards the left of the stage that were vacant. She thought that maybe they had changed their minds and didn't want to see her. She invited anyone to sit there. Two people eventually did so.

Her voice sounded terrific. She told the popcorn joke that she had mentioned in Winnipeg. She delivered it so well. I laughed hard during it once again. She was approached by a scalper outside the venue. She asked him how much the tickets were. He asked her to name a price. She said $10. He told her that she priced them too high and told her to scram. "Well, he obviously doesn't know who I am," she stated.

Our eyes met during "Calling God." Maybe it was the fact that I was the only person singing along to it in the area? I don't know. I do like that song immensely. It was great. "Will you remember me" got to me. She played her favourite songs. It was delightful. It was like seeing her in Winnipeg, except that it was at a smaller concert hall. It was more intimate.

She ended with "Good mother," playing bells during it. She got a terrific ovation from the crowd. She left the stage first, and then her band did. The stagehands were setting up the stools for the encore. Jann brought out Ike, her manager's son. He's such a cutie.

Jann and her band sang, "How much is that doggie in the window?" and it made Ike clamp enthusiastically at the end. She then sang and impromptu piece, which made the entire crowd chuckle.

She sang "The sound of," "Waiting in Canada," and "Insensitive" acoustically with her band. Russell played a small guitar, the keyboardist played a miniature keyboard, the bassist played the bass, as in the member of the violin family, the newest member played the guitar, and the drummer had a shaker in one hand and a drum in front of him.

She graciously thanked her fans for supporting her for the past fifteen years. She wished that she could have coffee with us all the time, but knew that it would be difficult. She knew that we'd all end up being good friends with her.

The show was wonderful. PS loved it. He said that I was lucky to be going to more of them. I am indeed.

|

Song that's stuck in my head: Jann Arden's "Where no one knows me"
Yummy food eaten today: Rum and coke
What I crave: More of Jann's singing

Recent thoughts:
Readings, lights, and random thoughts - 2009-03-15
Thoughts about work, school, and peeps - 2009-03-09
Working from home and a mini life update - 2008-12-19
The weekend is here! - 2008-01-06
A new year - 2008-01-01