Here I Am
January 22, 2019
Air Supply 
Richard Russo
Here I Am
Kathy and I go to a
lot of concerts, usually we are fans of the band we are going to see, though we
are not against checking out new and unfamiliar acts. But sometimes there is
the rare occasion when we go see someone that we are not really all that big of
fans of. In fact if you would have asked me back during their 80s heyday, I
would have laughed at the idea that I would go to see Air Supply in concert.
They just were not on my radar as something cool and there is little chance
that I would have attended one of their concerts.
Fast forward forty years and when the tickets went on sale
for an Air Supply show at Sunset Green, not only did I immediately order
tickets, but I was happy and excited to do so. I am not sure if my musical
tastes have changed all that much or if I just was experiencing what I like to
call the nostalgia factor. Whatever the case, we were excited and looking
forward to attending.
In fact we even had the VIP meet and greet experience so
that we were able to go in early, attend the sound check and meet the band and
place our chairs right up in front of the stage for the show. When they came
out and started singing the first sound check song, I knew we had made the
right choice. It was like a trip back in time as they sang songs that were huge
hits and radio staples that were literally inescapable to anyone of my age
bracket.
The crowd at the show was amazing, singing along to almost
every song and basically having an amazing time. It was one of those shows that
was way more fun than it was good, and it was pretty damn good. The duo’s
voices really haven’t lost a thing over the years and it was obvious that they
are the consummate showmen. They announced that they have played well over 5000
shows, yet somehow had never played Key West.
I am so glad that we went, it was a total blast and one of
the more enjoyable concert experiences we have had in some time. It was
actually only one of the fun experiences that we had this week. In what was the
final event of the Literary Seminar week that I attended, Pulitzer Prize
winning and KWLS workshop faculty member, Richard Russo did a reading and book
signing at Books and Books at the Studios of Key West.
Russo with Books and Books staff 
It was a packed event, which began with a private reception
in the bookstore attended by workshop participants and KWLS staff and board
members. That was followed by an even more crowded reading in the Studios main
gallery by Russo. The author of eight
novels, most recently “Everybody’s Fool” and “That Old Cape Magic” two
collections of stories, with “Trajectory” published in 2017; and the
memoir “Elsewhere”. In 2002 he received the Pulitzer Prize for his novel “Empire
Falls”, which like “Nobody’s Fool” was adapted to film, in a
multiple-award-winning HBO miniseries.
The reading was amazing, Russo was funny, charming yet down
to earth and relatable and the crowd was enthralled by his personality and his
writing as well. He did a book signing afterwards in which the huge line of
fans was a testament to his popularity and skill. The completion of that event
marked the official finale of an amazing two weeks of literary events that are
associated with the literary seminar and I could not have been more pleased
with how everything turned out.
Richard Russo and Christine 
Emily and Arlo 
Of course there was other stuff going on as well. The “normal”
Key West activities which this month includes the annual month long visit by my
friends Reverend and Breezy Peyton of Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. They
take time off their almost constant touring schedule to spend a month
decompressing and fishing in Key West each year and we love getting to hang out
with them.
Reverend Peyton 
Once again this year, they invited us and many of their Key
West pals over for an amazing meal featuring the bounty of Rev’s masterful
fishing here and Breezy’s amazing cooking skills. It is always one of the
highlights of our January and the opportunity to hang out and to listen to one
of my favorite story teller’s amazing tales of life on the road and other
adventures is always appreciated.
posted by Michael and Kathy @ 2:10 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home