So, the Avett Brothers came to town. My sweet husband ordered tickets at the soonest possible moment and looked forward to it like it was Christmas morning. Or better. We dropped off the big kids with Grandma and Grandpa and headed into town. Dates for us always involve a LOT of driving - usually at least 2 hours - which is kind of nice in a way because it's good talk time, but kind of not nice when it's late and you're ready to be home and you still need to pick up kids and take them home. But we were super blessed because one of their aunts brought them home and put them to bed for us, since we weren't going to make it back until at least midnight, with a 8pm show, so that did make things a lot easier!
We planned on having dinner at a little pub that specializes in local foods, since we had a gift certificate, but sadly they had too long of a wait for that to work out. So we walked around the corner and found a fun little Asian restaurant. Levi chowed down on the stir fried broccoli off my plate, and I really enjoyed my sweet and sour chicken - very good! I love Asian food and it's not something I'm good at recreating at home, sadly...we also enjoy Mexican food, but I've had better luck at making that at home.
Anyway, after we ate we headed over to the show, where the doors had just opened. We ran into a friend and chatted for a while before heading inside and finding our seats. Levi was just along for the ride in the ring sling, and very much enjoying all the new things to look at. He is usually a pretty regular baby as far as sleep time, so I was unsure how he'd do at a super loud concert at bedtime. As it turned out, with the aid of a pair of junior earmuffs, he did GREAT. He had a little trouble going to sleep in the seats, since he was watching the lights and enjoying them, but I knew he had to be exhausted so I took him out and fed him and he was out like a light snuggled up to me in the ring sling. And he stayed asleep... even through the super loud songs, even through the teenagers behind us screaming for an encore, even through ME singing along and whooping. I was so thrilled! The reviews had me hoping that these would be the ticket to protecting his ears and keeping him happy and able to sleep, and they certainly delivered. :) Plus now that we have them, I am sure we'll be using them again. Maybe for taking in a movie? Or another concert? Or for fireworks that might scare a small one?
(Note: I am truly this weirdly enthusiastic about these. This is not a paid review, nor was I given these by the company. No, as strange as it may seem, especially to those of you who are not yet parents, I genuinely just am tickled pink to own a pair of baby ear muffs. True story. Although, yes, that is an affiliate link. But beyond that, I am not profiting by extolling the virtues of these things. They're just that awesome.)
Shelving the topic of the ear muffs, it was a truly fantastic show. The Avett Brothers gave it their all and really put on a wonderful performance. They are one of our favorites, and we frequently listen to their music, so I loved recognizing their songs and enjoying the extra dimension that a live performance gives. It was absolutely great being able to see them live and hear them do our favorites. They even came out and did a very generous encore, even though they must have been absolutely exhausted from doing such a high energy show already.
On a funny note, the crowd was a really interesting mix. Hipsters, college students, teens, older folks, parents with kids (we were definitely not the only people with a child there, although I think Levi may have been the youngest!) - it was a fun and varied crowd. Although I'm not sure when I've seen more plaid shirts and Tom's shoes in one place before! ;)
We hit the drive through for some coffee on the way home, and finally fell into bed at 1.30am. Unfortunately, this all happened to be the weekend of the time change. Hahahahaha. So we lost an hour the next morning. All I can say is the next day involved a whole lotta coffee.
But it was worth it!
