The only complication was that the surprise party was in Cary, IL outside of Chicago and I had a concert ticket for a show in Des Moines the next day. So I couldn't extend my visit and had a longer-than-usual day of driving on Sunday. But everything went smoothly, I didn't hit major roadwork and my books on tape kept me entertained.
The second "blast from the past" this weekend involved another Judy! I was seeing one of my folk favorites Judy Collins perform at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines. I had positively worn out my Judy Collins LPs growing up and even sang some of her songs in my brief time performing in the fad "Hootenannies" back in high school! : ) Hoyt Sherman Place is a lovely old (1927) auditorium seating 1400. It was added on to the mansion of Civil War Major and later Equitable Insurance tycoon by the Des Moines Women's Club that had taken over his homestead after his death in 1907. It is a very attractive and intimate venue and I had a nice seat upfront but off to the side. I had listened to some Judy Collins CDs on my ride and was looking forward to hearing some of my old favorites at the show.
I enjoyed the show and did hear a couple of my old favorites, but not nearly as many as I had hoped for. Judy's current tour is promoting her most recent book of memoirs, so during a good portion of the show she regaled us with stories of her encounters with various famous musicians from the sixties and seventies. Interesting stories but they did not warm my heart or create that nostalgia that hearing more songs might have. Judy still has her bell-clear voice and thrilled her Des Moines audience when she sang.
Listen to her singing Jacques Brel's "Sons of"
and Stephen Sondheim's Send in the Clowns.
We also sang to her, in return. One on-the-ball fan realized it was the week of her birthday and got the whole crowd singing happy birthday to Judy, to her delight. So I celebrated two "Judy" birthdays this April weekend!
No comments:
Post a Comment