I have enjoyed excellent live music in nearly every circumstance — during a summer thunderstorm, in a loud, poorly ventilated dive bar, under the stars at the gorgeous Red Rocks Amphitheater, at Cranky Pats with a table full of my mom’s tennis buddies. But, I have never experienced anything like the concert I saw last Friday night at Northshore Country Club.
Under Biblically challenging conditions that included lightning and an historic heatwave, J-Council and Cory Chisel soldiered on.
Then the locusts hit and I thought about calling my firstborn to make sure he was safe and sound.
“Could we kill the lights?” Cory said as hordes of lake flies swirled around his head.
The band played on as the lake flies continued to gather. We were all impressed by the music, the dedication of the performers and the tenacity of those pesky, gross flies.
“How are they not swallowing bugs up there?” my sister Kathy asked in a voice muffled by the hand she clamped firmly over her mouth.
Really, it was a shame because we’re very loyal fans and even we had trouble enjoying the music we love as we ducked our heads and worked very hard not to swat at the swarms hovering everywhere.
Let’s hear it for live musicians who brave all kinds of terrible conditions to showcase their work. Buy their albums, download their songs, pay the cover to see them perform, listen to their lyrics and applaud their efforts.
We’re really lucky to live in an area that produces such talented musicians and encourages touring acts to perform here as well.
Thanks to Jon Wheelock, his dad Steve Wheelock, Sam Farrell, Ryan Seefeldt, Alex Drossart, Matty Day and Cory Chisel for their heroic performance Friday night.
P.S. Mile of Music starts in eight days. Woo hoo!
