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.
