Afishionados,
I’ve been out of town for the past couple of days on a road trip to Kentucky. Why the hell would anyone ever go to Kentucky? Why, to visit the Creation Museum of course! Actually, no, that’s not it at all. I won’t drop $20 on some Christian propaganda ‘museum’ until the Reverend Anaglyph comes for a visit. Then I’ll buy two tickets.
My adventure began Friday afternoon, when I left Ohio and headed to my shithole hotel. Kentucky, apparently, never gets tourists because their hotels are about as nice a place to stay as Guantanamo Bay Resort (Remember, it’s not a ‘prison’ because then we’d be held to the terms of the Geneva Convention and we’re Americans and above the law so there).
Upon arrival, the most pierced woman in all of Kentucky signed me in and gave me my room keys. At least, I think it was a woman. It was hard to tell because of all the piercings and because it was Kentucky and a lot of the women there are scary looking. She also had a difficult time speaking correctly because of her tongue piercing(s?). “Thine here, pleath. Thankth. Here are your room keyth. Pleath enjoy your thtay.” I wonder how she escaped the circus and got hired at the hotel.
Not long after arriving, my stepsister Ly and her husband called, ready to meet up for our big night out on the town in fabulous Covington, Kentucky. Happy for any excuse to leave the hovel hotel, I quickly got into my car and headed to the Madison Theater.
I have been known to attend a Missy Higgins concert from time to time to time. And when Missy decides to have a show a mere 45 minutes from my house… well… How could I possibly refuse?
Ly, brother-in-law, and myself arrived at the Madison Theater early, and set out in search of a place to eat. Just down the street was a small hole in the wall diner which looked friendly enough, so we stopped in for a bite. As it turns out, we weren’t the only three people hoping to eat before the concert.
Missy Higgins and Ly
Missy Higgins, Dave Symes (bass guitarist), and Ben Edgar (guitarist) were all seated together. I’ve been corresponding with Ben for a while now, so I walked up and started talking to them. I had emailed Ben prior and warned told him I’d be seeing him at the Covington show, and we’d made plans to hang out for a bit after. The three of us shared a small conversation, mostly about the iPhone of all things. Seems Missy’s a fan and has one of her own.
While I am always excited to see Missy sing, I think Ly was much more nervous in the diner that I was. “I really want a photo with her but I don’t want to bug her,” she said.
“Just ask her for one when they get up to leave.”
“But I don’t want to bother her.”
“Fine. Let me know when they get up to leave and I’ll ask her for you.”
About twenty minutes go by. Missy, Ben, and Dave get up to go.
“Hey, Missy, my sister would like a photo with you but is too afraid to ask, so can I ask you for one?”
Ly goes red, Missy goes, “Sure!”
Not one to miss an opportunity myself, I snagged another photo, too.
The show, as always, was superb. After the show, Ly, her husband, and I all hung out for a while and chatted with Ben. He’s a great guy, very nice and very down to earth. Afterward, Ly and her husband drove back to Ohio and I returned to my slum. The next morning, I woke up, packed my car, and headed for home.
Actually, I am completely lying about that last bit. I didn’t head home at all. Hell, no! I headed another hour in the complete opposite direction! WHAT!? Why would I do that!? Why, to visit Louisville and see Missy and the gang perform at the Phoenix Hill Tavern is why!
Despite a huge crowd of loud, obnoxious women behind me, the show was quite good. The Phoenix Hill Tavern was a nice venue, as I was able to get very close seating and free parking. Missy’s tour bus was parked in the same lot as my car, and on the way back I saw Ben and Dave chatting with some friends and fellow fans. Ben motioned me over, and so I hung out with the ‘crew’ for a while. It wasn’t long before more fans showed up and convinced Missy to emerge from her bus and sign some autographs and pose for some photos. I know how excited I was in Chicago last year when I waited in line for the same opportunity, so I waited patiently with the band and waited for the crowd to thin. Finally, when she was alone, I had the chance to talk to Missy again. Maybe it was because this was my 8th time seeing her perform, but for whatever reason it really felt like I had seen some friends perform rather than an Australian celebrity. Truth be told, I wasn’t even all that nervous talking to her, and we passed the time chatting as her gear was being loaded up. We talked about her music, her tour, and her success as a singer. I also found out (though probably not surprisingly after 8 shows) that she recognizes me in the crowd and at the very least knows my name.
I’ve yet to encounter an Australian that wasn’t one of the nicest people I’ve ever met (except Anaglyph, that guy’s a total asshole). I’m sure ‘bad’ ones are out there, but in my experience they’re all very friendly and fun to be around.
Unlike people from Kentucky…
