Remember When…

Concert of the Year!      (2004)

Harry Connick Jr. came back to town on Monday, June 14, 2004, for his make-up concert, just as he promised. Earlier in the year at the Oak Mountain Amphitheater—renamed for some cellular service but it will always be Oak Mountain to me, Harry’s concert at the open air arena was rained out after about twenty minutes. We would have stayed, but you can’t argue with a lightening storm.

There was no charge for those of us with tickets to the rained out concert. Julie’s HCJr fan club connection got four seats for herself, her local cronies Charlotte and Debbie, and friend BreAnne who drove down from Huntsville when our fourth had to cancel. We were in the Civic Center Concert Hall, so it was a much drier event—but only in that it did not rain on us. Maybe once you have been soaking wet with someone, that experience erases any restraint there may have been—you’re closer, you have a shared experience. For whatever reason, the Birmingham audience was looser, freer, louder than I have ever seen at his concerts in the Civic Center.

Shoe Shopping on Saturday

Granddaughter Gwen and I went shoe shopping this morning and it went better that I had feared. She has inherited a narrow and thin foot that is hard to fit — no shoes from the discount stores for her! I took her to the same children’s shoe store that I bought her father’s shoes from. Her shoe size is on the cusp between children’s and women’s sizes. We were in luck and found a pair of athletic shoes and a pair of burgundy loafers, each of which needed an added footbed and tongue pad to take up excess room. Dress shoes did not work as there was no place to put a tongue pad. But with two pair of shoes that fit and a stack of socks, we felt we had done a good morning’s work.  The shoe store keeps track of purchases and according to their “Buy Twelve pair and get the Thirteenth Free” policy,  I had a nice discount!

“What’s that smell?” Gwen asked as we left the shoe store. “I’ll bet that comes from the bakery next door,” I replied.  Gwen thought it a very good idea to draw customers in by venting the good yeasty, cinnamon-spice smell into the street.   We each picked out a pastry to take home for our luncheon dessert.

We drove over Red Mountain where a statue of Vulcan God of the Forge looks down over the city of Birmingham.  The leafless trees afforded us a good view of Vulcan and his pedestal as we passed by Vulcan Park on our way to Birmingham’s Southside, the restaurant and entertainment district.  “What’s the difference” Gwen asked, “between a cafe’ and a restaurant?”  Her question arose at the right time.  We parked on 10th Avenue and walked back toward the Five Points South fountain. “Here is a cafe” I said, “with tables on the sidewalk–casual dining. Restaurants are usually more formal, darker and more expensive.”

Harry Connick Jr. comes to Birmingham

Great time tonight! My friend Julie and I went out tonight.  First we had Indian food and then went to the HCJr. show at The Alabama Theater.

Harry Connick is the consummate showman. He played with his music and with the audience, too. But he doesn’t appreciate the historic Alabama Theater as The Showplace of the South — he thinks it’s creepy. That’s not creepy, Harry, that’s rococo.