When your mind's made up...

Probably my favorite tune...








Glen talks Irish English...



Falling slowly...



Kansas City opener ... Say It To Me Now...




Kansas City Falling Slowly....



Kansas City Your Face...

Out of this world...

Maybe the best concert I've ever been to...I've never seen an audience so in tune and in sync with the performers. Took my breathe away. What a gift.

Once...

So I’m reading the paper this morning and “wow… Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova are coming to the Uptown (which is like a mile from my house and 2 blocks from Brads)… yikes, tomorrow night! Why am I just now hearing about this?!” These are the two stars from Once, whose song won best song at the Oscars. So I call Brad since he’s the one who turned me on to the movie and he’s got his phone off (because he was at conference the day before and he forgets…) so I leave a message, email him and nothing.

Since I’m heading out in a few hours on the bike and going right by his place, I figure I’ll pop over and let him know … and make plans. Which I do. He’s there and we jump on the internet but nothing’s working. It’s not sold out like some other concerts are noted as being. But it won’t let me by tickets. Hmmmm… so I get on the TicketMaster phone que and wait 15 minutes to hear a nice but basically clueless gal repeat what I had found. No advice. No problem. So I figure the next best thing is to get there tomorrow a.m. when the box office opens and plead…and if that doesn’t work, get there before the show and repeat the pleading.

Brad’s going to work, so I talk him into riding his bike to work – which is a
block off the urban trail I’m heading for. He agrees and we head out. Four
blocks later we get into the heart of Westport (drinking/dining historic
part of town) and stop at a light and … wow… there they’re both walking
across the street right in front of us, but on the opposite side. Totally
blending in. I say to Brad who’s pulled up alongside me – “look there they
are”… “who?” I’m so dumbstruck I can’t think of their names, so I say
“Once” – “Cripes, how did you even spot them!?” So I tell him how much I want to go up to them and let them know how much their music meant to me and how terrific the movie was…so we head around the block to meet them from the side (rather than come up on them from behind) and they’re waiting to cross the street and here’s how it went….

Me: Pardon me… but I just have to tell you how much your music meant to me
and I loved the movie – I’ve seen it so many times I can’t remember. (I’m
holding my hand over my heart and nearly gushing.)

Glen: (nods, smiles) Thank you, enjoying a bike ride? (it was a spectacular
California-esque day)

Me: (stumbling over my words) Yes… we both tried to get tickets all
day…didn’t find out you were coming…. Well, we’re going to keep working on
getting them but I’m so glad you’re here… (or other blathering.)
Glen: You’ll get the tickets.

Me: (pause…question) Oh, thank you (me thinking he’s offering an affirmation
or something – Brad thought so too.)

Glen: No, you will. What’s your name?

Me: Pam

Glen: They’ll be two tickets waiting for you at the box office under the
name of Pam.

Well, as you can imagine I thanked him several times and nodded and we
headed off to enjoy the ride and the day.

I am still on Cloud 9 ... talk about serendipity.