John Denver: A Rocky Mountain High Concert

First off, let me just say that this post in general runs the risk of making me sound like a total dork. To which I say...whatever. Been there, done that.

This past Sunday night I had the pleasure of attending "John Denver: A Rocky Mountain High Concert" at the State Theater in downtown Minneapolis. Husband gifted me with two tickets for Christmas, with the caveat that he was NOT going to attend. So, logically, I invited my mom!

We made an evening of it and ate dinner downtown before the show. I took her to Solera, described as "an upscale tapas place" (tapas are Spanish appetizers). We had wine and enjoyed bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese (SO GOOD), prawns (for Mom), lamb stew (which we didn't care for ), and special paella croquetas (yum). At one point Mom said, "your dad wouldn't survive in a place like this." Which, I reminded her, was exactly the reason we were there together. :) The only disappointment besides the lamb stew was that my stomach was acting up a bit, so I couldn't enjoy the food as much as I was hoping. But still, good food, and definitely good company and conversation.

Then it was off to the concert. I'm sure you are thinking - what the hell? John Denver is dead. Why yes, he is. But it was really cool how they pulled this off. All of the songs performed, with the exception of maybe three, were indeed performed by John himself via video, accompanied by a live band. The musicians on stage were people who had actually played with John. In fact, in many of the videos we saw those band members 10-15 years ago, and then there they were standing on the stage (looking a bit older). Surreal! They told stories about John and it really was a delightful experience. The first notes of each song brought smiles of recognition and fond memories. After Annie's Song my mom said, "were you thinking of your wedding?" Why yes I was, and she was too. I just love me some John Denver. It was so wonderful, yet bittersweet to see him in video like that. It was almost like he was actually there. What a marvelous voice, and what a tragic loss.  I've had the pleasure of seeing him twice in concert, and would have loved to have seen him again - but this was the next best thing. It was lovely to sit there next to my mom and enjoy such a unique experience.

Thanks, Mom!