Friday, November 15, 2013

Colin Meloy


A couple months ago Liz gave me one of my birthday gifts. Two tickets to see Colin Meloy of The Decemberists. Front row. Center. My initial, pure excitement that took place in September upon receiving the gift soon gave way to focusing on other priorities. At the time November was so far away.
November came. I found myself getting both excited and anxious. Would my admiration and love for The Deceberists result in uncontrollable giggling? It has happened before. Would I be reduced to tears? It has also happened before. I didn’t know.
The night began in our favorite Rigsbee Ave area. We had dinner at Geer Street before drinks at  Fullsteam. We continued with a walk to the Carolina Theatre.
Allow me to take a moment to express how much I love seeing anything at the Carolina Theatre. It is a beautiful setting to watch anything. A Clockwork Orange (first visit to Durham). The Godfather (first Easter in Durham). Moonrise Kingdom. The list goes on. In short, the Carolina Theatre sets the stage for whatever is being placed on your visual and/or audible plate at the time. 
Colin Meloy took the stage. A glass of red wine in hand. You had me a hello, Colin. 
His humor made me shed tears of laughter. He even engaged Liz on a few occasions, asking her in a playful manner, “What are you laughing at?” before prompting her to start singing so that the audience would follow suit. As the evening progressed, laughter turned to reflection, then… turned to joyful tears.
The night was extremely memorable, and one of the best postponed birthday gifts that a guy could have.