Do you ever wish life would throw you a pleasant curve ball instead of a curve ball that knocks you on the ground? I have. I avoid the news like the plague. Just when you think the world can’t get much worse…. It does. As if that’s not enough, sometimes the reality of life itself can be harsh. Mike and I took a day off to get away to enjoy the beautiful weather and to sneak in some much needed alone time outside our normal environment. We didn’t go far. We went to Lake Murray which is a hop skip and a jump from Duncan. We got to Ardmore mid-afternoon. We had our usual lunch debate…. “What do you want?”…. “I don’t care, what do you want?” We parked at Chili’s and as we were getting out, I said…. “You know, if we wanted to eat at Chili’s, we could do that in Lawton. Why don’t we mix things up and try something new?” Lucky for me, he was willing to think outside the box, so we decided to try Two Frogs which we had never been to. Before we sat down, he was in hog heaven. Autographed guitars and pictures of famous musicians lined the walls. A small stage was in the front. My husband loves nothing more than live music, but it was too early in the day for the music to have started. To top it off, the food was great. We were both glad we had stepped out of our familiar box and tried something new. When the waitress brought our ticket she asked if we had plans for the evening. I told her we were just spending the night at the lodge. She then explained that Clint Black was in town for a concert and would actually be showing up at the restaurant for an after party. She had two free tickets to the concert and wanted to know if we would be interested in going. There was no debate needed about that choice. I thanked her and thanked her (and left a big tip). She said…. “I had these tickets and I said to myself….. That couple doesn’t look like they’re doing anything tonight, I’ll see if they want to go.” When we got in the car I asked Mike….. “Do we actually look so boring that people can take one look at us and know we got nothing going on??” Actually, I think she took one look at us and thought…. “That couple looks like they are up for an unexpected adventure.”
The concert was at The Heritage Hall, a small venue. It was a general admission concert so we got there early and had seats 13 rows from the front. We’ve been fortunate to have seen groups like The Eagles, James Taylor, Elton John, Billy Joel, Vince Gill, Martina McBride and many others in concert. I’ve always like Clint’s music, but I was aware he hadn’t had a hit in several years so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I can honestly say that it was one of the best concerts I have ever had the pleasure of attending. I love his music, but in addition to being an outstanding vocalist and musician, he had an amazing rapport with the audience. His smile is infectious and you can tell he genuinely loves what he is doing, and loves his fans. The majority of his band has been with him for 30 years which means they are tight. Their musicality is impeccable! Such longevity tells me that he is not just a great musician, but also a great man. I don’t know this for a fact, but I think his career intentionally took a backseat when he married, which is admirable. Whatever the reason, I can promise you he is a top notch musician and entertainer which is a direct result of being him being "A Better Man”.
