Well, the Rocky Mountain Boys had their usual rompin' stompin' time this past weekend! After picking up the lovely and talented Sarah and getting lost in Cheyenne, we finally arrived in Thornton, late as usual. Met Ron at the door, and soon spotted Mack, and heard Brian (I swear, that guy didn't stop playing for more than 5 minutes the entire weekend! I think he even made Heather drive!) 'Twas mighty good to see them again.
Well, soon the men folk were comparing our latest creations/acquisitions, while Heather (Brian's beloved) and Sarah (mine) found themselves on the couch talking flutes. More musicians, several kids underfoot, many introductions and much noisy, happy chaos!
During dinner (don't even get me STARTED on dinner!!!) and the session afterword, Kaitlin (Ron's adorable little daughter) discovered that it was outrageously funny to sneak up behind me while I was playing and place random items on my head. I think I looked pretty tough in the "Kill Da Wabbit" helmet. The sombrero was cool, too.
Many tunes, some confusion, much laughter. The playing got a bit more serious after most of the kids turned in...that is, until someone broke out the candy slide whistles (stay tuned for my review). Ah, the horrific noises we made. Let's just say, for now, that Ludwig Van Beethoven is probably sleeping a bit less peacefully in the grave, and "Danny Boy" might never show his face in public again.
Anyway, throughout all this, Ron and his lovely wife diligently kept us supplied with tea and sundry other beverages, and the remaining kids made sure things didn't get too quiet. The party finally broke up, what, around 11:30? Sarah and I laughed most of the half-hour drive to the friends house where we were staying.
I don't know what everyone else did Sunday morning, but after church we arrived at Ron's house to listen to Chieftains albums and shoot the breeze. Mack and Brian were not far behind. Then, off to the chieftains soundcheck!
Well, so we thought, anyway. We got downtown to realize that no one knew exactly where the concert was to take place. Undaunted, we fared boldly forth. Especially to be commended were Heather, who soldiered on despite an asthma attack, and Sarah, who due to a misunderstanding ended up carrying a suitcase full of rocks all over downtown Denver.
But this is getting long, so I'll summarize the next several hours: Found the venue. No Cheiftains. Found back door. No Chieftains. "Check in half an hour." Book store. "Check in half an hour." Music store. Where are the girls? They were right behind us...Tom and Brian to the rescue. Three hours later. "Check in half an hour." Arctic cold front. Nowhere to eat. Worse asthma. Tunes in the parking lot with cold fingers.
Finally, the stage manager invites us in. Ah. Warm auditorium. Life is good. More waiting. No food. Heather's M&M's saved my life. Psst, isn't that Kevin Conneff??!!
Finally. We were all grinning like little kids at Christmas. Paddy joking about the altitude's effect on his pipes. "Sounds like a sick calf!" Then, after they were done, he asked us if we knew three reels. Blank stares. Finally, Brian blurts out three names. None of which went with tunes I knew.
Then over to Bayou Bob's for supper. During the wait, Brian and I sat in the foyer, him teaching and me learning. We weren't sure if the restaurant staff was amused or annoyed. The heck with it, we're playing with the Chieftains tonight!
Dinner was a fast blur of crawfish, French Canadian tunes, jokes, and butterflies in stomachs! Then...to the concert!
The place was packed. The concert was amazing. I don't even know where to begin. Perhaps I'll defer to the others for the high lights.
But at last, Derrick moved to the acoustic piano, our cue to go backstage. Yes. We stood on the same stage with the Chieftains. In my case, that's about all I did, since I didn't know the tunes very well. But little Kaitlin stole the show, running out on the front of the stage, in front of thousands of people, and doing here own version of step dancing.
Even if I'd known the tunes, I couldn't have played for laughing. She was SO CUTE out there!The rest of the evening was sort of a blur. Somewhere in there, Kevin autographed my bodhran. I remember goodbyes in the parking lot (I never got to say goodbye to my dear Mack, nor to properly thank him for the beautiful Bb!), then the drive home.
To sum up: The music was mighty. The craic was mighty. The crawfish was mighty.
Did I leave out anything important?
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