A Memorable Evening with Rockaday Johnnie & Bill Martin

I slept really well. I didn’t roll out of bed until 5:40am. By then the irrigation system was into full swing and the morning’s coffee finished brewing. I completed my exercises and headed out the door with Ykraps. It was a comparatively cool morning with clear skies and temps hovering at or near 60 degrees. The cool morning air felt terrific on my itchy eyes. Back home by 6:00am, I poured myself some coffee then took to the internet. I read the Daily Om as well as the morning’s headlines. Nothing new on Brett Favre coming to the Vikings. Many expect word this week. As usual, I did my morning meditation and stretching next. I was slightly behind schedule but didn’t fret over it. It was 6:45am before I headed out the door for my run. I did my typically outdoor stretch routine too. That takes no more than two minutes. My run went really well. I took my time and pondered mostly good thoughts. For one, I reviewed how my day might unfold, this being Elton John/Billy Joel night. After my four mile run I moved to food prep. I whipped up a sharp cheddar cheese omelet for breakfast and then cut up some veggies for lunch. After finishing my breakfast I headed up for a shower with Mindy’s coffee in tow. On rare occasions she won’t wake/budge when I place coffee on her night stand. This was one of those mornings. I didn’t try to wake her either. Figured she needed her sleep. I was ready to go by 8:00am. Mindy was awake by then but elected to stay in bed when I left for work. I confirmed my intentions to try and leave work a little early to be home with plenty of time to prep for the concert. I drove the Trooper being too lazy to move the Honda despite an absolutely glorious weather forecast – 82 and sunny. Just under a half tank of gas I didn’t stop. The price is down to $2.29 per gallon. I arrived at work around 8:30am. The work day was busy. I ended up working straight through until 5:15pm. The day went fast due to a number of conference calls. I left for home at 5:15pm and arrived by 5:30pm. Mindy was already ready to go and had already walked Ykraps. I brushed my teeth but decided to wear what I already had on. Kara arrived by 5:40pm. We left soon after she got there. We decided to stop at Barley’s for a beer and food before the show. The tickets said the show started at 7:30pm, but we figured it wouldn’t truly get underway until 8pm or so. We had oodles of time. We arrived at Barley’s before 6pm. This was ‘dirty old man’ Tuesday, or a Katy night. She’s a young attractive blonde that works only on Tuesday & Sunday. The guys typically pile in on her work nights. We ordered drinks: me a Centennial and Mindy a Pinot Noir. I didn’t notice until it was too late that they had Double Dog Dare DIPA back on tap. Maybe my second beer! After a few minutes we ordered some food. I ordered KC wings and Mindy ordered a salad. Calvin stopped in for a beer, just as he often does along his way home. We talked with him for about 30 minutes. I couldn’t wait to try the Double Dog. Katy brought me one straight up. Yuck! Sadly, it’s bad! The problem, that same butterscotchy taste that troubled many of their beers last year. I apologized to Katy but then and asked for an Avery’s Maharaja DIPA instead. She gleefully honored my request. Oh man, that’s good beer! We left Barley’s at 7:20pm. Mindy was determined to get down there, expecting that the show might begin promptly at 7:30pm. She drove the short distance in. I tried convincing her otherwise but she insisted on parking in the main Nationwide Arena lot. It was full. We ended up parking in the very lot we sued for Todd Rundgren and the Clipper’s home opener. That set us back $7. The lot’s right next door to the arena but requires a longish walk due in part to train tracks that separate it from the venue (have to walk up and around). As we entered the arena it sounded as if the show was already getting underway. Even still, we both had to pee, so took care of that problem first. It was 7:40pm. We hustled off to our seats, section #106, row #5, seats 1 & 2. The gentleman checking tickets said right section, wrong side. He sent us to the other entrance where a guest services employee guided to our seats - pretty nice seats. Elton & Billy had already gotten underway. The two had their grand pianos facing one another and the band playing behind them pretty much in the dark. They played several tunes, one of Elton’s then one of Billy’s with both singing the vocals. I was impressed with how complementary their voices were. That phase went on for roughly 45 minutes then Billy’s piano sunk into the stage leaving only Elton and his band to do an hour long set. He opened with a powerful rendition of Funeral for a Friend. During the hour long set he played most of his greatest hits including: Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me, Good Bye Yellow Brick Road, Daniel, Levon, & Crocodile Rock. He also did an extended version of Rocket Man. A very strong performance indeed. In fact, after Elton finished, Mindy stated that she felt we’d already got our money’s worth. The stage went dark for several seconds as Elton’s piano disappeared and Billy’s rose. Billy played many of his top hits over the next hour. He’s probably a better piano player than he is a vocalist but still quite strong. What surprised the two of us most was his ability to entertain. He was very funny, and spent time between each song talking to the audience, often making light of his self (failed marriages). After an equally brief break, both reappeared on stage for another 45 minutes playing another eight songs (4 from each). As an encore, they played Elton’s Candle in the Wind and Billy’s Piano Man. Both were powerfully delivered. All totaled, the show went on for a whopping 3.5 hours. I didn’t expect that. And while the music carried the night, the visual were top notch too. The lights and video were just enough to accentuate but not dominate the performance from the two piano playing icons. Next on my list of must sees, David Gilmour. No tour scheduled at this time. We were home by 11:30pm. Mindy settled up with child care provider, Kara. I popped a bag of popcorn and woofed it down quickly. We were in bed just after midnight.