What a Good Sax will do to a Woman...

     Last night my husband and I went to our second Michael Buble concert, mostly because I sorta liked his music for our Saturday morning breakfast parties. We went to his first concert in our area in 2008, and he was such an all-around engaging performer that when I saw he was coming back down South I bought pre-sale tickets! 

     Anyway, we started off "date night" with some amazing fondue (can I tell you that the brownies dipped in white and dark chocolate was so amazing that we had to ask for more?! Nice restaurant, fancy outfits, four courses before dessert and yet the hubby and I are flagging down the waiter for another round of brownies! DE-LISH!) Then we skidded into the concert after the opening act was done (sorry, guys, I'm sure you were amazing but if you would have tasted those brownies you would have stayed too!) There was a huge group that had taken over our seats so we moved to the next pair of available seats in the next section. The ticket lady insisted on moving the squatters out of our seats, but I had Michael Buble's voice and a glass of white wine and I wasn't in the mood for anyone's night to be mussed with at that point, so we kept our new seats.

Our seats, comically far from the stage...

We sing along and laugh at Michael's jokes (honestly, the man is an entertainer and a half... funny, witty, adorable accent and, oh by the way, he can SING!) And then as he finishes a song he heads off-stage for his goodbye by walking down our aisle... there were security men galore and I angled for a good, fairly close up shot of Michael as he passed. Here is the result...

Not my hand, for the record... Not big on petting celebrities, I'm afraid...

Imagine my surprise when he mounts a set of steps to a big platform behind our row (that I had previously assumed was some mixing booth because we were so far back) and continues the show... RIGHT BEHIND MY CHAIR!! I am now hustling back to my chair, my shoddy "photo-over-screaming-girls'-heads" behind me, and enjoy Michael's "thank you to the Gulf Coast for all of our strength and courage" (yea, we're pretty great! Turns out he gave 400 free tickets to the concert to people affected by the oil spill... I knew I liked this guy...) and his own, four-feet-away rendition of "Home" which always makes me cry thinking about my husband and I being apart for our jobs so often...

Anyway, all in all, an amazing show and one that took place (at least in part) less than four feet away from me! I love Michael Buble and I love that we lucked into such great seats too!! Now if only he would stop dating such waifish model types, maybe I'd have a chance... But wait... is that a ring on his finger?!? Drats... missed my chance! Wink! Enjoy!

Please, I love getting dressed up and going out on dates with the husband!

Hump Day Happiness

This past Friday night we attended The Hangout Beach, Music & Arts festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Though we got there a little late to enjoy the entire festival (those darn jobs holding us back from our weekends! ;P) we did catch the Zac Brown Band who had a real New Orleans jazz band on stage with them the whole night. I've always been fascinated by the power of live jazz, especially the improtu nature that creates so much of the music. Morbid as it may sound, I've always wanted to have a full New Orleans jazz band and a gospel choir to sing at my funeral, whenever that day may come! :) "Oh, When the Saints... Go Marching in.."

But I digress... the jazz band made my night and they played all the way out of the concert that night so I was able to catch these shots of them as they headed out. I have a special love for New Orleans (this past Mardi Gras I would get up early every morning and walk Bourbon Street for miles to photograph in the morning sunlight while everyone else slept off their Hurricanes until noon...) but the without the jazz, the Big Easy just wouldn't be the same. This Hump Day's Happiness is the music of the New Orleans jazz bands... download a bit onto your iPod (or whatever you have... buy a record, make a mixtape, etc.) and let yourself slip into the sunny South for awhile... I can almost taste the beignets now...