Bronze Radio Return with Greg, Gregory and Alex

For Christmas, I gave Gregory and Alex (and Greg) a night at World Cafe Live to see Bronze Radio Return with Michael and me.  (One of our favorite bands!)

 They agreed graciously and they were sold on the idea of a concert, but I'm not so sure they were sold on the band or the small venue.

We got there in time for soundcheck...

...and dinner (notice the look of excitement on everyone's face.  I think this is called "humor the old girl")

Alex and Greg

Gregory and Alex

But when the band started to play, it was a whole different story...

This band rocks!

(By the way... you can find Bronze Radio Return on Pandora Radio)

It didn't take long for Greg and Alex to move to an adjacent table at the edge of the stage, right in front of the drummer (Alex is taking drum lessons and is doing GREAT)

Within 10 minutes, Gregory screamed at me across the table (Did I mention that this band is LOUD?)...
"They're awesome!!!!!!"

According to Gregory's Facebook page, this was absolutely the best concert he had ever been to!

If there were 50 people there, I would be surprised.  Wilmington is just not "with it" yet - as far as Bronze Radio Return. Next time will be a different story!

On Friday, they are at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia and the concert is totally sold out!  Michael and I are able to go, but it was too late to get tickets for Gregory and Alex and Greg.  We'll be ready next time!

It was a great evening!  SO much fun to share something that I love so much with my family.  And to have them love it?  A bonus!

Standing outside after the concert, waiting for Michael to bring the car, Gregory laughed and said to me, "This is something I never thought I'd do - go to a rock concert with my Grammie!"

Live and learn, kiddo! 

Life IS good!!

Chase's Christening

Chase was christened today...

 Christening

Julie and Chase

 Rich, Julie, Brynn, Kate, and Chase

...and the whole family was at the church to share the joy.

Amy. Greg, Matthew, Alex and Gregory

Scott, Crystal and Bryce

Kate and Brynn looked so cute...

(All pictures above courtesy of Tony, Julie's dad)

And then...

         ...back to Richard and Julie's to celebrate the day.



Most of us started inside, but that didn't last long...

Bryce and the dreaded cracker pose

Wiffleball was the game of the day for most...

Bryce looks like a hitter

Big ol' reach but.... 

There he is on 2nd base... ready to go!

Matthew's up to send that run home!

A lot of laughing going on in this game!

Alex is so tricky that he can pitch..

and then grab the bat and hit his own pitch!

(okay.. .okay... not buying it, eh?

Richard started off pitching but the pillar on the porch blocked the picture of him sooooo

here he is at the plate

Two pitchers??

Okay... Greg can pitch

Scott will catch.

Matthew decided to take a break with molly

(or Molly decided to take advantage of Matthew's break)

Gregory was the silent observer

And it was my job to observe Gregory

It was Brynn's job to bounce..

and bounce... and bounce

(in pearls)

... and to have lunch with Amy

Sweet Kate...

... with a furrowed brow

... and her extraordinary "Kate hair" - so beautiful!

If there's anything better than family, I don't know what it is.

God bless Chase on his christening day... 

     and God bless the family that I love so very much.

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Vince Gill

Okay... when I saw that Vince Gill was going to be at the Keswick I thought... (as I often do)... "What the heck! Why not!".   It's Vince Gill and he's going be close.  So.... sure.  I'm in.

I was sure it would be okay... or even good, but I wasn't expecting it to be as great as it was!  Color me surprised!

When we got there, the sign on the door said "No Intermission."  Hmmmm... I thought (I know you like to know what I'm thinking)... must not be an opening act".  Unless, of course, they were thinking of doing some kind of tag-team switch between acts, which I seriously doubted.  (Nothing gets by me.)

Vince (Yes.. first names.  We're close.) said at the beginning of the show that he had spent a lot of years as an opening act - got to play for 25 minutes.  Sometimes he was the 2nd act and he was able to play for 45 minutes.  He told us that playing is what he loves to do and that he decided that when he did it again, he would just play a lonnnnnnnng time!

 

And play he did!  The show started at 8:00 and it was almost 11:00 before we were on the way to the car. He played lots of old ones... some new ones... had great stories.  It was a great night!

Vince said that one morning, shortly after his 55th birthday, he went to breakfast and noticed the menu for folks "55 and older" and it made him laugh that he was now in that group.  (I hit that age quite a while ago, and it never made me laugh.)

There were 8 in the band - plus Vince.  A great group of musicians!  I teasingly told Michael that this was the "no spring chickens" tour because the musicians were old enough to have "played for a few years"  (she said, tactfully).   We were definitely in the hands of people who knew what they were doing - and who had a good time doing it.

The man can play PLUS... the older he gets, the better he looks. (It doesn't seem to work that way for women)  By the way... those Martin guitars looked (and sounded) pretty good too. 

 A great night of music!  Would I go again?  You bet your boots, I would!

Thanks, Vince!  See you next time!

Any musical surprises in your life lately?

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