A Kindred Spirit

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There are many advantages to going to a concert. The thrill of live music, of course, is the main reason I go. In a number of cases I will discover new music (such as last night, when I fell for the opening act, and will hopefully go see them again next month in Nashville!). And, of course, being around fellow fans after spending most of your day saying you're going to see someone and getting a blank stare and a "never heard of him/her/them" reply. But on occasion something really special happens. You'll meet a kindred spirit. Someone who's just not a fan of the act you're seeing that night, but knows what it's like to do the weird things you do when it comes to music. That happened last night. A gentleman, about my age, was waiting for the doors to open. He was talking to the other three people there when I walked up. He mentioned Squeeze and got blank looks from the others. "Squeeze?" he said to me. I flashed a thumbs up. "Love Squeeze," I replied. From there we spent the rest of the night, save for when the bands weren't onstage, talking. He's not from here. He lives over in Paducah. He just came to Louisville to see the concert. (So there! ) His mention of Squeeze came from the fact that he'd just returned recently from going to Chicago to see them there. (So there again!! ) And he was there early to get near the front of the stage. I told him the main reasons I like to be up front are simple: one, I'm short; and two, in 99.999% of the cases, people who want to talk will not do it right up against the stage. (There are exceptions, such as the Flat Five show here in Louisville earlier this year, but generally the refuge you can find from people who pay $20 to sit and talk instead of listen to the band is near the stage.) We had a blast. It was instant friendship. As we parted ways he said he'd probably see me at another concert. "Like the Secret Sisters in Indy next week?" I offered. He smiled. "My friend was raving about them not too long ago," he said, "but I've never heard them." I described their sister harmonies and traditional country sound, and he nodded. So maybe we will see each other again next week. In any case, a great night was made greater by meeting another music geek. The concert last night was Pokey LaFarge. He didn't sing this song, but it's one of my favorites of his: