Last November my sister and I had tickets for a show in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It was to be a dual performance by Eddie Caner -- a member of the band Hey Mavis -- and a cellist. I had heard good things about Hey Mavis, so I figured this would be an excellent birthday outing for Anne and I. (We both have November birthdays.) Then Mother Nature decided to play a nasty trick on us. Extremely bad weather, including ridiculously high winds and horrendous amounts of precipitation, caused us to cancel our evening out. (To be fair, I was game to go anyway, but my sister is more cautious about driving in severe weather -- and her wiser mind prevailed.)
Fast forward a few months to the release of the Cain Park summer concert schedule. There was Hey Mavis! And the tickets were only $2.00 each, as it was a Two Buck Tuesday show! Of course I asked Anne if she would like to go -- and also asked my friends in the Cleveland Jumping Fleas. The final group was to be Anne, Nicole, Nicole's roommate, Sal, and me.
Ironically, the weather forecast for the day of the concert was decidedly poor -- or should I say pour!? Because that is what it did! In the afternoon the deluge began. I began to wonder if the concert would be cancelled, as there was heavy rain and a lot of wind, and Cain Park is an outdoor venue. After a while the weather improved, so after work I set off to meet my companions at Tommy's for a pre-show dinner.
Unfortunately, I ran into a traffic nightmare. Here is a portion of the Cleveland.com article about the accident that added 45 minutes to my drive across town: "Traffic is backed up on westbound Interstate 480 ... A United Parcel Service truck banged off the center wall of the highway, then hit another vehicle... Multiple reports say packages were knocked out of the UPS double-trailer and are all over the interstate. The collisions caused a light pole to fall onto the highway, adding to the traffic mess." Happily, I was able to call Anne from the car (while stopped) and she ordered for me after I got past the snarl. Everyone's food was delivered about two minutes after I arrived at Tommy's -- and it was delicious!
The weather had been clement when we entered the restaurant, but it was extremely inclement when we exited and headed for our cars. Rain was pouring down again, but most of our party had been smart enough to bring umbrellas. There was only one who had neglected to do so. Me, of course. Anne tried to share her umbrella with me, but not very successfully.
After a short drive we found parking spots and rushed to the pavilion. We were soaked, but the show was well worth the minor discomfort! Hey Mavis played some awesome music! For obvious reasons, the audience was small -- but the music-lovers who braved the awful weather were very enthusiastic -- and the band was appreciative of the fans who came out on such a stormy night.
It was very cool to sit under the roof and listen to wonderful music while the rain poured all around us. Thunder and lightening added their sound and visuals to the experience. A fantastic night -- even though it took days for the shoes I had been wearing to completely dry out!
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| We made it under the roof where it was nice and dry, but it was too late. We were all pretty damp. Check out how hard it's raining outside the pavilion! |
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| Hey Mavis bravely playing through the storm. They were awesome! |
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| Sal hanging out with Hey Mavis's Brent Kirby and a lovely young lady. |
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| Sal with Eddie Caner and Laurie Michelle Caner. Amazing musicians! |
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