May I just begin by stating how nice a date is with one's honey even after 43 years of marriage. Since my last Blog I have filled my days with those things that must be done, that need to be done, and that others need us to do.
Papa has had a head cold all week so each day I checked in on him, bought some groceries he needed so he wouldn't go out of his apartment, bought some more cold meds to get him through the worst of it, and visited with him to break up his monotony. I've covered the Wednesday afternoon at the nursing home. I've done my own laundry and Papa's. I've prepared and taught my Institute lesson. And the list just goes on. These are things that don't truly inspire a Blog post but they are important and fill the days with productive living.
Last night was the change that adds the fullness to life. Claude and I went to Louisville to listen to Frankie Valli for the evening.
Frankie Valli told us his career really started in 1962. Do the math. This is 2013. That is 51 years of career. One has to admire just that length of work.
Claude and I talked about that on the way home. We both are aware that most of us work for a 'retirement' at some point. Most of us are looking at the dollars and trying to find that right place for us to quit full-time employment and focus ourselves in a direction at retirement that we couldn't do while we had that 9-5 job. Yet, here is a man that will be 79 in May and still going strong. Surely he has met that financial road block to retirement. But he showed and talked and gave no indication he might stop anytime soon. I read an article in AARP Magazine about Dustin Hoffman. He states in there that when a person is doing the things he loves he just doesn't look at it as a job so he doesn't feel a need to retire. I'm thinking that is where Frankie Valli is regarding retirement.
He has a quartet of young men singing backup for him. They are excellent. They do all the synchronized moves that would have been done by the Four Seasons. Frankie is the lead voice and moves a bit on the stage but not in those synchronized moves. There was a brass section, a drummer, a percussionist, a base player and two guitar players, a young man that played a sax, a flute, the tambourine and the keyboard, and the real keyboard player that directed them all. This director has been working with Frankie Valli for 35 years. He owns that keyboard and is all over it. The music and all the vocals were superb.
Our seats were on the Grand Tier level in the middle of the row of Whitney Hall at the Kentucky Center. Perfect location. Whenever I purchase tickets for a show there I pick seats in this area. This time we were in row D. Seated in Row C directly in front of us were and older distinguished looking gentleman and his companion. She had every diamond looking rhinestone on her she could possibly wear, lots of animal print furs for her vest and purse, bleached short hair that was spiked out as though she just got up from a good night's rest and ran her fingers through her hair and tons of make-up. This couple seemed to be so very happy to be together. At one point in the show the lady in Row A in front of us stood up to dance and sing with the music. This apparently gave the lady in front of me in Row C the right to stand and dance also. She was a very tall lady and I was already having trouble seeing around her head with her sitting. Her standing completely blocked my view of center stage where Frankie Valli was standing and singing. I was trying to peek around her and even asked the man next to me if I was getting in his way. He assured me I was fine. After a bit the distinguished looking gentleman tugged on his companion with the fur clothing and accessories and spiked hair and told her she needed to sit down. I don't know if he was aware of my trying to see around her or if he was aware that the lady in Row A sat down and now his companion was the only one in the Grand Tier standing and dancing. She sat down alright but she was not at all happy about it. We all enjoyed the rest of the show and at the end all of us stood to give all the musicians a standing ovation. Then I noticed that all of us stood except the lady in Row D. At one point we all stood again for another standing ovation and again the lady in Row D did not stand. This time her distinguished looking companion reached down and put his arms around her and tried to say nice things to her so she would stand. Nope, she was not going to do that. I found myself chuckling. This lady was clearly older than me. Old enough to not be pouting...but alas, that is exactly what this lady was doing...and she was doing a most excellent job of it. She wouldn't hold her companions hand as they left the theater. I explained all of what I saw to Claude as we walked to our car. The bottom line was this lady made a spectacle of herself by both of her choices. She stood out like a sore thumb when dancing alone in the very center of the Grand Tier and she stood out by sitting alone when everyone else stood and gave credit to the entertainers for their performance. I am totally blown away by the pouting of a lady clearly into her 70's. Unbelieveable.
Frankie Valli has a new CD. He sang some numbers from it for us to enjoy. Basically he stated that when approached about making a CD he knew he couldn't do the current style of music. He said they researched and found songs from the 60's that were 'stolen' from the Four Seasons. Really they are all just great 60's songs that he is singing. One of them was "Let It Be Me". Oh my, the audience was singing along. I'm enjoying singing melody and harmony. Claude's singing. The nice man to my left is singing. Great fun. After that song I turned to Claude and we both said, "That is worth the price of that CD!" I have researched and we will be purchasing that CD.
I can highly recommend seeing Frankie Valli if he comes to a venue near you. He is still in great voice and puts on a grand show. We left refreshed and totally enjoyed our date night.
No comments:
Post a Comment