Come Hell or High Water

I took my Mom to Austin for a birthday trip this week. I didn't tell her where we were going - only that it was to a concert, outdoors, and to pack appropriately. We headed out down 35 Thursday afternoon, ran into some pretty nasty traffic once we got to Round Rock, checked in, ate dinner, and proceeded to try to find our way to an outdoor amphitheater called The Backyard. Luckily, we gave ourselves plenty of time because we got lost twice, then got stuck in more traffic, and finally found our way there. By this time I had told Mom about where we were going, because I wanted her to be as excited as I was. We trudged through the mud (it had rained the day before - lots), through the parking lot and made our way to our seats. At approximately 8:05, the living legend of Carole King walked out on stage, by herself, sat down at a grand piano and proceeded to charm and entertain us beyond belief for the next two hours.

The venue itself was just perfect. It was an unusually cool Texas evening, and we were treated to a pretty sunset in the background, followed by a clear night sky full of stars. There's not a bad seat in the house, considering it only holds 3000 people. There are trees surrounding the stage, and you can hear crickets and katydids in between sets. The audience was mostly over-40, but there were alot of mother-daughter sets, and parent-kid sets. The stage was set up to look like a living room, this being her "In My Living Room Tour". Couches, big overstuffed chairs and houseplants surrounded the piano.

As for the show, two other male musicians joined her occaisionally - one guitarist that she's performed with for years, and another guitarist singer/songwriter from Nashville. But it was mostly Carole - explaining what each song meant to her, or where it came from before performing it. One of the first things she said was that she was 63 - and I can only hope I look HALF that good when I'm that age. She's petite, and in great shape, and looks like she's in her forties. She was so relaxed and engaging - and seemed to be having the time of her life.

She had a good mix of classics with new songs. But all of the songs were great. I don't think the woman has a bad song in her. I had forgotten about the song she wrote for A League of Their Own. I didn't realize she wrote the Monkees' "Pleasant Valley Sunday", one of my favorite songs of all times. A highlight was a medley of all of her sixties hits - ending with a very slow version of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" I called my husband during that one, and he couldn't believe how good and close she sounded.

But the greatest part of this evening was that I got to take my Mom. She's not really a concert-goer, but we had made a pact years ago that if Carole King ever toured, we would get there, come hell or high water. Can you imagine my luck that she picked the day before my Mom's birthday to come to one of her two stops in Texas? (The other being Houston). We sang along to every word of "It's Too Late". We stood up and danced ourselves silly to "I Feel The Earth Move Under My Feet" and "The Locomotion". And we held onto each other and cried when she played "You've Got a Friend", both of us feeling so blessed to have each other and share such an unbelievably special moment.

We had trouble getting out of the parking lot (only one way in and out), almost got lost on the way home, and had to deal with a bunch of guys playing quarters in the hotel room next to us when we got back. But you could have thrown even more obstacles, boundaries or problems my way - and I would still have to say that every bit of it was worth the trip. It will always be one of the most special evenings of my life. Happy Birthday Mom!