Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Ooo la la! It's outdoor concert season!!!

 Thanks to my new friends Mark and Steve, I was able to take my Dad (who was visiting) and my brother  to see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, and Michael Franti and Spearhead at the Ives Concert park in Danbury. I had never been there...it being an hour away, and...well, I have no other excuse. This particular show was on a Monday and I had Tuesday off, so off we went to the Westside campus of Western Connecticut State University.
 Doors at the Ives open at 5pm, and the opening band (this week it was Bronze Radio Return out of Hartford...they were very good) starts at 6pm. I have been to plenty "bring your own lawn chairs, pick an area to call your own and hope nobody stands up in front of you" outdoor concerts. But not in a while. We didn't bring food, but you can and there is plenty there to buy. We did buy a bottle of wine, and...walked around with it. That was different! And kinda fun. We had seats (there are both reserved and lawn seats) but next time, I'm bringing a blanket and sitting on the lawn...and there is not a bad "seat" in the house. The stage is on the water, on a small, what appears to be a man-made pond, with a lovely fountain in the center. And the Ives center is NON-PROFIT. Most of the folks who work there are volunteers! They did a fab job. From all the folks directing traffic (get there early, there is a lot of traffic as people try to get in to park), to the people searching your bags, (you cannot bring alcohol or other drinks in. food yes, drinks, you buy there), to those taking tickets, or working at will-call, to the young girl who gave us a huge "HELLO THERE!" as we approached the under the tent bar, all nice folks, working so we can have a nice outdoor concert experience. Win.
 And when the second band came on stage, we were mezmerized. Grace Potter is hot, with her short dress, high heels, long blonde hair. But she is good, too. Not good, great. She scream sings, rocks out, jumps around the stage, with her two other guitar players, drummer and chick bass player. She runs between singing behind the piano, and the middle mic while playing guitar (a flying 'V"). Amazing. She made us wait for the Ooo la la song (the one getting radio play) but it was worth it, and we didn't suffer as we waited. Think Janis Joplin meets Gwen Stefani, but she looks like Heidi Klum. Yeah. Then, if you weren't sure if she could hit those crazy notes, she sent everyone else off the stage and sang her tune called "Nothing But The Water" ACAPELLA. Uh huh. She's got it, kids. Cause I know. (kidding, I'm kidding). But I am a music fan and I am now a fan of Grace Potter. Plus it was kinda fun at the end of the show when she pulled her shoes off so she could jump around a little more, and then her bass player (also a girl) pulled hers off and, yes, threw them into the moat in front of the stage. Ha! That was after the drummer sent his sticks flying into the water.
 Wonder who has the job of fishing all the band paraphanalia out of the moat?
 Great bands are coming to the Ives center soon like Earth, Wind and Fire, Peter Frampton and Alison Krauss. Get there. Good times guaranteed, kids.

*Music is the elixir of life, take the time to take a good, long drink*