Saturday, September 12, 2009

Nanci Griffith

And when he dies he says he'll catch some blackbird's wing
And we will fly away to heaven
Come some sweet blue bonnet spring
-- from "Gulf Coast Highway"

I got to see one of my all-time favorite artists in concert last night. Nanci Griffith came to our local performing arts center. She was every bit as good as I had hoped she'd be.

I almost missed it. I forgot about the concert until the night before. I got on FB and my friends were talking about going, and the local center, which I follow on FB, had a post about the pre-show social and goings-on. I started kicking myself hard for letting school eat my soul again and make me miss something I really wanted to do. I was able to call yesterday and get a left over ticket, though, and it really worked out pretty well because I got one of the released artist's tickets, so I was sitting in very, very good seats.

Nanci was delightful. I can't get over the fact that she used to be a kindergarten teacher. I didn't know that until I looked at the program last night. It fits, though. I could see that in her.

Every song she sings, whether it's one she wrote or one she chose, has words that take my breath. They are all songs that make your brain and heart engage. I admire and respect her so much for that.

She's been a favorite of mine since my freshman year of college. The guys at the Wesley got me hooked on her when we went on a missions trip that first summer. I have so many memories from that trip hooked to specific songs. It was lovely to hear her sing them last night.

I wasn't the only one who felt that way, either. The gentleman who was sitting next to me introduced himself, and he and I were practically bouncing with happiness together the whole night. From the time she started singing the first number, we just looked at each other and grinned. At one point, he leaned over and said, "Have you ever been to a concert that you had to stop yourself from singing through so hard?" I wanted to laugh because I know had just had that same thought as she did "Listen to the Radio" which starts out with what one of my friends from Indiana used to say was the sweetest lyric in all of music, "I am leaving Mississippi in the evening breeze...." I think half the theater was bobbing heads and patting legs to keep from belting it out with her. I love shows like that. At the end, we shook hands and he said, "It was nice to sit next to another real fan." And you know what? It really was.

I've got the music going on iTunes right now, and I'm sure I'll be overdosing on it through the next few days. It was a great evening. She said she'd going to come back, and while most of the artists who come to our little jewel box do return, I hope she really will. I look forward to another evening with her.

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