Admit Two!

One of my favorite things to do with Eric is to go and see a concert or musical theater production together.  Access to those kinds of activities is pretty easy in Los Angeles, so I didn't know what to expect when I moved to Washington.  Happily, there have been plenty of opportunities!  In fact, as I think about it, we've been to quite a few different shows together.  Here's our list, as of now:

********************
Mary Poppins (Los Angeles)

Chicago (Los Angeles)

Wicked (Eugene)

Donny & Marie (Las Vegas)

Josh Groban (Portland)

The Fab Four (Longview)

Celtic Woman (Portland)

Jenny Oaks Baker & Portland Ensign Choir and Orchestra (Vancouver)
********************

This is since January 2010.  I still feel like I'm forgetting something, but I'm not sure what...hmm..

All of them have been wonderful in their own way.  I loved seeing Chicago on stage.  It was so different than the film, but still incredible.  It was fun to see Wicked with Eric, because he had never seen it, although it was the 4th time for me.  The Josh Groban concert was his 1st and my 4th too. (He is great to see in concert.  What a voice!)

The Donny & Marie show was a quick whim and a whirlwind of a trip.  I had had the chance to meet Marie Osmond at a doll-signing event at Disneyland in January 2011.  When I returned home and told Eric about it, he had the impulse for us to fly to Las Vegas and see them in concert (HIS 4th time and MY first.)  Three weeks later we were on a plane with our VIP tickets all ordered. It kind of counted as a 6 month anniversary trip, but it was more like a "let's blow out of town and go to Vegas" kind of a thing.  At the meet-and-greet Marie even said that she thought I looked familiar, but the fun part is that she recognized Eric because she had pulled him onstage to sing with her a couple of years before!  He and his great singing voice had made himself very memorable.  I wish I could've seen that!

The Celtic Woman concert in Portland was only 2 months ago.  We had donated some money to PBS in order to get those tickets.  It was my 3rd time to see them and Eric's 1st.  They put on a beautiful, beautiful show.  It was my first time to see them perform indoors, because the previous two concerts had been at the Greek Theater in LA, which is an outdoor amphitheater.  Eric loved it, we were in the 7th row, and it was a really fun night.

The Fab Four is a Beatles tribute band that is incredible.  It is probably the next best thing to seeing the Beatles play live.  I have seen them more times than I can count, because they used to play at Disneyland on a regular basis (I do mourn the loss of my Premium Annual Pass!) And it just so happens that a high school acquaintance of mine plays Paul McCartney (who turns 70 today--Happy Birthday Sir Paul!)  The FF actually had a gig right here in our little town at the local theater last year.  We took Eric's parents--his dad is a big Beatles fan--and had a really enjoyable night.

This past Saturday night we drove down to Vancouver and saw Jenny Oaks Baker (an accomplished violinist) play alongside the Portland Ensign Choir and Orchestra. It was all movie themes and Disney music, which was fun.  It was also in a high school auditorium, but not like any high school auditorium that I've ever seen. My high school had a rinky dink little stage and people sat in metal folding chairs.  This auditorium was gorgeous!  This is the only picture of it that I could find online:

The choir reminded me a lot of the Southern California Mormon Choir, although SCMC does not have their own orchestra that travels with them.  Jenny Oaks Baker was wonderful.  She plays with a lot of expression.  The only thing that detracted a bit was some immature teenagers sitting in front of us who clearly did not want to be there.  Fortunately, these were not $100 tickets, otherwise I would've definitely said something!

I am a firm believer that these kinds of cultural experiences makes one's life much, much richer.  I have a tradition that whenever I go to one of these shows I always buy a magnet (if there is one) to stick on the fridge and remind me of the fun evening we had.  Our fridge is becoming a mini scrapbook of our adventures (along with Solvang, Carmel, The Winchester Mystery House, the Norton Simon Museum and the Arboretum.)  All of these fun things weave themselves into the tapestry of our life together.  So far it has been pretty fun.

(My wish list includes:  Seeing Michael Buble' in concert, The Lion King, Les Miserables, and Phantom of the Opera.  I've seen them all, but I would love for us to go together...)