Friends Don't Let Friends...

...write semi-true reviews about their tour kick-off show.

Mellencamp concert a performance symphony

~from our local paper. JM's friend is the reporter.

Just saying...

On the 29th of October my kids were hosting their dress up Halloween party from 6-11 p.m. The night before I was up until the wee-wee hours of the morning working on costume finishing touches. The day of, I was busy buying food, preparing food and helping with last minute decorations. By the time the party started, I was ready to sit down or maybe even go to bed!

At 8:10, a good friend called my husband. He had scored excellent tickets late that afternoon for the Mellencamp concert which was starting at 8:30. Unfortunately for our friend, he hadn't checked with his wife about what she had on her plate for that night so he'd have to go alone unless my husband could join him.

My husband had spent six hours on the road and another four plus hours in meetings that day. He'd be up for some fun, except he said to our friend that really, I was the bigger John Mellencamp fan. I thought both my DH and our friend were pulling my leg. Seriously, the concert part of Mellencamp's show started in less than 20 minutes!

*****

Twenty minutes later, my husband dropped me off close to the auditorium, I went through security and waited for our friend to show up.

My friend had scored INCREDIBLE tickets! Third row, center...just 20 feet from the stage. All the pictures here were taken by my friend with his iPhone.

My take on the concert would be that it was very dark and filled with sadness as the artist expressed his emotions on life and death; heavily emphasizing the death part. Mellencamp is at a very different stage in his life and it shows in his music. The concert was good, but it was not at all what the fans were expecting. Certainly the artist's intention was to share his "art". Several times as JM paused to reflect on a song, shouts from the crowd would beg to hear an old familiar classic. When those classics finally were played...and it was only a hand full of them, mostly they were changed up melodically. Jack and Diane sounded like it had a calypso influence. Odd. Different. But it worked! I liked it.

Overall I enjoyed this concert. I get where JM is coming from as a soul who has experienced death in ones close to me. It sounded like JM realizes he's not invincible and although not ready to call it quits, has made his peace with his part of the life cycle. I can't help but wonder what the reviewers in other cities will say about this concert? Will fans truly appreciate the art of this concert? I am recalling a few years ago when one of my DH's and my favorite rock band, Van Halen was "re-born" and we very much wanted to take our teenage son to experience Edward's guitar greatness. Being able to have our son hear those old favorites, live, cemented a new generation of Van Halen fans in our household; butter for the Van Halen bread. I don't think anyone taking their teenager to experience JM on this tour will walk away with the same feelings.

Three things that bothered me most about the concert didn't even have anything to do with the music. Living in this small-ish town that the artist does, I realize that JM has heart problems. Yet, when he took a three-minute break guess what smell filled the auditorium? Did I see him smoking? Not this time...pretty sure he did though. The other two items that annoyed me...he spit on stage and later took a piece of gum out of his mouth and tossed it away. YUCK! I guess I hold icons up to higher standards than us regular folk.

I didn't walk away from this concert feeling happy and loving life. I'm glad my friend's wife, who lost her mom just a year ago couldn't attend this concert. Maybe next time JM can be a little less of an "artist" and a little more of a "performer." For the fans you know. Just saying...

Would I like to own JM latest album? Yep. Like I said, I can relate to this stage in his life. That part makes me feel like even an icon has the same feelings about the world as little old me.

Brad Pitt Tutorial?

Not quite. Sorry, Lauranie!

***

This is really my Halloween-with-the-Teens Wrap-up.

Being almost too old to trick-or-treat, my kids hosted a dress-up Halloween party for their friends on the Friday before hand. We had 23 kids at our house in costume. The party included food, a bonfire and a Best Costume Award. I thought I'd show off what my own two decided upon for the party.

My son ended up transforming into one of Brad Pitt's characters, Tyler Durden from the movie Fight Club. The imaginary character of Tyler is pictured above and my son is pictured below...just to clarify!

My son found this AWESOME leather car coat on eBay for $15.50. I think it was from the 70's and it was in great shape. It cost way less than what I would have spent on the materials. We were having trouble finding just the right look for a shirt that "Tyler" would wear and I did end up making his shirt. The only other thing I had to help with was cutting my son's hair. He made fake blood (from his "fights") out of corn syrup, cocoa and red food coloring. I think we spent a grand total of about $40.00 on this costume, and the coat has all ready been worn non-stop since the 31st.

Fight Club trivia: Brad Pitt found the leather coat he wore for the role of Tyler at a used clothing store!

*****

Being a girl...my daughter changed her mind from

Jeannie, of I Dream of Jeannie,

to The Bride...a.k.a Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thurman)

in her yellow jumpsuit from Kill Bill,

to Miss America.

While looking for a leather coat, we found a fantastic used clothing store in our town called Material Plane. My daughter's costume was an 80's style pink dress. I made a sash and dusted off one of my old tiara's to round out the costume.

This was probably the easiest year to date of my

costume making chores for Halloween!

Albino Chipmunk!

I am NOT enjoying chipmunk season with Winston. He goes crazy after these little fellows each time we are on a walk. I have abrasions on my arm where I have banged into trees as my hunter quickly darts around the base...pulling me along in the hunt.

For the most part, chippies are too quick for W. They make their little warning cry and then scamper away down into fallen logs. W is quick too, but he really can't cover the distance needed to get to his prey while on a leash and pulling a dead weight. I feel for my hunter, but he is supposed to be RETIRED now.

Winston has a great sense of smell. He knows when a chippy is in a dead log, down in the rocks or burrowed into a hole. He will rip logs apart with his teeth, inhale deeply into the rocks or dig, dig, dig enlarging any hole. He is amazing to watch. Nine times out of ten, his prey escapes. Is is wrong for me to admit that I root for the chippies and run interference when I can?

While on a recent 'hunt', Winston found an unusual chipmunk...it was an albino! At first I wasn't sure I was seeing it correctly. For fun, I have posted a normal chipmunk photo along with the albino.

What an amazing hunter I have! :)

HIdden Mickey...In the Woods of Indiana?

Do you recognize the shape above? If Mickey Mouse first popped into your mind, then you know how to identify a Hidden Mickey!

Originally used as an inside joke among Disney Designers and Imagineers, common folk can search the Disney property while on vacation for these hidden symbols too. Click here for a more detailed description about them: What are Hidden Mickey's?

I found this HM on a tree base near my house. It looks like some sort of a fungus on the tree to me, but I immediately thought Hidden Mickey! before I thought fungus.

Fall! Happy October!

Yesterday morning, as the sun was coming up, I captured Fall!

The cicada stopped singing a month ago. The frogs are silent and harder to find. The butterflies are less noticeable and must be transforming into their winter states or migrating south. I saw the last of my hummingbirds on Sept. 30th for this year too.

Tomorrow I am hosting my neighborhood's 52 annual potluck. This get-together is our human way of connecting with one another before retreating, then hibernate for the cold of winter. You can count on me not to hibernate though. Winston will keep my DH and me out doors all Fall and Winter long! :)

Payday!

Did you know...

...that candy corn and nuts taste just like a Payday candy bar?

It's true! What a fun fall snack too! :)

Pirate!

My months of handy work were ready for our big night, Sept. 10. Save the boots, head wear, jewelry and belt for "Jack", I made it!

With the rented Shipwreck.

*****

Background for the evening: The event was a gala to benefit our local children's science museum and was called: Science Night Out: Sail the High Seas.

As one of the event co-chairs, I thought it was important that I help set the mood for the other guests...my husband went along. I think there may be a little bit of "Disney" pirate in both of us! My DH truly got into his role. He enjoyed going up to friends that he knows well and baffling them as they puzzled over who he was really. At the end of the night I went to one friend and asked if he knew where my DH was, sure that he had figured it out. Our friend said, no and ask me if my DH even came to the event. When I said my DH was dressed as "Jack" our friend was stunned. "Yes!" he said. He came to his table, stood right behind this friend and spoke to him. With his best Jack Sparrow accent he said, "You don't know who I am, do you?" When our friend responded no, my DH smiled (if you could see it under his mustache) and walked away.

I will be back working on a Christmas stocking (in progress) for my February born niece. While I was making my pirate costumes I had Halloween requests from my teens: Jeannie, from I Dream of Jeannie and Tyler Druden, from Fight Club. Guess I need to cracking on these costumes next! :)