It's Not Big, It's Large

Gary and I headed out to Red Rocks Amphitheatre Monday night to see Lyle Lovett and His Large Band. He comes to Red Rocks every year but we've never gone because going to Red Rocks is expensive.

Luckily, Gary has the best little-sister-in-law in the world and she bought us tickets for his birthday.

Some of you may be aware that I am not the biggest country music fan in the world. Maybe it's because, as a Texan, I am personally offended by the genre's persistent perpetuation of the trashy, alcoholic, unsophisticated-and-proud-of-it southern stereotype...but more likely it's due to the years I spent as a backup singer at The Garland Opry - making $35 a week, so yeah, you could say I was a professional singer - listening to every twelve-year-old sequin-vested Leann Rimes* wannabe in the DFW area butcher songs I might once have enjoyed.

Anyway, all that is to say that I actually like Lyle Lovett. Sure, he's probably the least attractive man I've ever seen, but the dude is a musician. And like most Texas Country singers (yes, they have their own special genre...because TEXAS) he's also a great storyteller. AND. He uses big black gospel singers as backup...which is my favorite thing in the world. I'll not get into the fact that my life's greatest regret is that I'll never be a big black gospel singer. I realize it's scientifically impossible...I'm just not quite over it yet and I probably never will be. JUST LEAVE ME TO MY SORROW.

Also, since most of the members of his fourteen-piece band are solo musicians in their own right, he let three of them perform their own songs and sang backup for them. I'm just saying...that dude is cool.

This is actually the second time Gary and I have seen him in concert. The first time was at Bass Hall in Fort Worth before we were married. I thought I was going to hate it but went anyway because I wanted Gary to think he had a cool girlfriend. Then the backup singers took the stage and the rest is history. I'm telling you - even if you hate country music - if you ever get a chance to see Lyle Lovett in concert, you should go.

As a bonus, the opening act was none other than Kris Kristofferson (or, as I've been explaining him to many of my friends, Jennifer Aniston's dad from He's Just Not That Into You) in all his seventy-seven-year-old glory.

But here was, by far, the best part: We were the youngest people there. That is not an exaggeration or a complaint. I LOVED IT. Everyone was sitting down the whole time, there was no awkward couple grinding on each other in front of us, we weren't bombarded with the smell of weed all night...

Just kidding about the weed. This is still Colorado after all.

*Leann used to sing at The Garland Opry when she was like eight or nine. No other remotely famous person has ever crossed the threshold, but they were very proud of the fact that that's where she "got her start".