Date Night

Scott and I don't get to go on date nights very often. Last night was one of our best!

We were supposed to start the night with dinner with some friends. Unfortunately they came down with a bug and weren't able to make it. :( I missed you Mel! So we had to come up with alternate plans for dinner. In case you've missed it, I should tell you I'm becoming a bit of a football junkie. So when Scott suggested we eat at Fox Sports Grill, I was excited. It's a sports bar and grill run by Fox Sports. Most sports bars I've been to have been rushed, trying to get as many people in and out as they can. This was a completely different atmosphere. We had a great corner booth, big enough to seat 6 if necessary, with great views of multiple large screen tvs showing Monday Night Football. It was awesome. And we never once felt rushed. In fact, it seemed that they expected we'd be there occupying that booth until the end of the game. Scott and I ordered different things, then split them. He ordered a buffalo chicken burger that smelled like it was so hot it would burn your mouth, but ended up to be just the right amount of spicy. I ordered what they called a backyard burger. It was a mushroom swiss burger with the addition of caramelized onion and bacon! Yum. So great food and a fun atmosphere. It was a fantastic way to start our evening. But by half time we were off. On to the main event!

(I'm working on my self portraits, Jenn. I don't have your monkey arms!)

I haven't been to an adult concert in more than 10 years. So when I heard Jason Mraz, one of my all time favorites, was going to be in Seattle, I immediately begged Scott to go. Unfortunately, his Seattle show was on a Sunday. But just a week later he added a second acoustic only show on Monday! Scott's not the Mr. A-Z fan that I am, but he likes his music, so he agreed to not only let me go, but to come with me. :) (Thanks Babe. I'm glad I got to share the experience with you.)

The show started with an Irish woman named Lisa Hannigan. Scott liked her so much he came home and googled her to find more information. She had a really interesting voice, and she and her band used all kinds of interesting instruments, some I've never seen before. I could definitely see why she was chosen as an opening act. Rather mellow, but still really great.

Then came Jason. I've been a fan of his music for a few years now. But live, he's just so much fun to watch. He plays barefoot and really gets into the music. He and his band have a great chemistry, and you can tell they have fun and love what they're doing. The music is never more fun than when played live by people who love it as much as you do. I was surprised at what songs were played. He didn't do Wordplay or The Remedy, or any of his most well known songs. The one exception was I'm Yours, which is the one playing on the radio right now, but that didn't come until the encore. Being a fan, I knew all but one or two songs he played and I enjoyed hearing the variety. For a casual fan like Scott, it wasn't quite as fun. But Scott knew enough to keep it interesting. Another thing I loved about his live show was how he changed the songs. He sings it close enough to the original that you can sing along, but it's never exactly the way it is on the cd. He changes things up, and I would bet a lot of it is improvised. He makes it feel very free form and organic. One of the things I like best about his music is the way it flows. Live it was even better. It was so fun to hear music I love being performed by someone who obviously loves what they're doing. It was a fantastic show, one I'd happily attend again.