From now on, I will always look forward to Friday the 13th, and I will never forget this past one.
You may not have heard of the singer Brandi Carlile, yet, but I think you will soon enough. I became a huge fan of her last year when Helen and I saw her perform at Lulu's in Gulf Shores. Until that day, I'd never seen an artist put so much passion into a live performance. Considering that it was a free concert, it says alot about her as an artist. Since that concert was so unforgettable, I had been looking forward to her concert at the House of Blues in New Orleans for weeks. Not only was I pumped about hearing her sing live, but I was excited because I was going to ask her to autograph a picture of me, Helen, and Brandi that was taken at that first concert. If I could accomplish just that one thing, I know I would have been the happiest guy in New Orleans that day. Fate, however, had more in store for me.
My cousin Marvin was joining me on the trip (he didn't know much about Brandi, he just can't pass up a trip to New Orleans!), and his taking so long to get to my house caused us to leave an hour and a half late. No big deal, though, the trip only took us 2 and half hours, and we got to New Orleans in plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful spring day. And that's what we did, after getting a bit lost, we got a good parking spot and started walking around. First thing was first, though, we needed to find the House of Blues. It turned out not to be difficult at all. When we found the place, I recognized Brandi's tour bus out front (she's got pictures of it on her myspace). So I kiddingly thought to myself "I better keep an eye out for Brandi, she might be around!" But then I figured I probably wouldn't even recognize her if I did see her (I'm not the best with faces). After finding the HOB, we kept walking. I hadn't known the French Quarter Festival was going on this weekend, so that was a nice plus to the trip. We walked around the riverfront for a while, taking our time, we even sat down for a while and listened to some great New Orleans jazz. Then I got the idea to head towards the French Market, maybe I could find a little something for Helen, I thought.
We took our time heading towards the market. On the way there, we stopped and sat to enjoy a show by some street performers infront of Jackson Square, they were good, so I gave a buck (c'mon, I only caught the end of the show)! When they were finished we continued our journey towards the market, when I spotted the Cafe Du Monde, and I said to Marvin "We have to be sure to get some Beignets and orange juice from there." I have no idea where the conversation went from there, I don't know if he was talking or if I was saying something. All I know is I spotted someone sitting outside the restaurant that I knew I recognized beyond a shadow of a doubt! So what did I do? Like any crazy person, I yelled out "BRANDI CARLILE??!!" The poor girl was in the middle of taking a big ol bite of her Beignet! I'm sure I startled her, cuz I will never forget the look on her face - eyes wide open, both hands holding onto her delicious treat, looking straight up at me, frozen in time. I continue, "Wow, it's you! I can't believe this! I'm going to see you guys tonight! I'm so pumped!" [thumbs in the air] Tim, her guitarist, responds to my lunacy, "Cool! See ya there!" I don't think Brandi ever had the chance to say a word.
The whole time I'm talking, I'm continuing to walk away. Poor Marvin now has to listen to me talking like a schoolgirl who just got a hug from Jessica Simpson! "I can not believe I just saw Brandi Carlile!" i ranted. But 20 feet down the sidewalk, I stopped and realized this was a once in a life time opportunity to speak with an artist that I really admire. So I tell Marvin that we have to go back. I gather my thoughts, go up to their table and say "Excuse me. You won't hurt my feelings if you say 'no', but would you mind if I sat down and chatted a bit?" They paused for a second, glanced at each other quickly (perhaps taking into consideration the scare I gave them just a minute ago), and graciously said "Yea, thats fine, have a seat."
So there I was, at the world famous Cafe Du Monde, New Orleans, LA, having a conversation with the beautiful Brandi Carlile! My mouth was going 90 miles an hour, poor Brandi didn't get much of a chance to say anything! It was great, though. In the middle of praising her and her work, I asked about touring, The Tonight Show, Grey's Anatomy, anything and everything that my mind could turn out. The sweet person that she is, Brandi even ignored two different phone calls she received in the middle of me blabbing my mouth. When I noticed Tim receiving a phone call right after Brandi's, I knew it was time to make an exit. Our conversation couldn't have lasted 15 minutes...but it's 15 minutes I will never forget.
Marvin and I went about our day, with me on one of the biggest highs of my life, finally reaching the French Market. The concert kicked ass, of course, and I met some cool people! And, like the great artist, true to her fans, Brandi came out after her performance to sign autographs. Achieving my original goal, I had her sign the picture of me, Helen, and her at Gulf Shores. Taking her time to not just sign her name, she wrote "I'm a keeper. Brandi Carlile" (an inside joke). But to always remind me of my experience that day, I had her also sign a drawing of the Cafe Du Monde that I purchased at the French Market. She signed it "You're a sweet guy [heart] Brandi Carlile".
I'm certain that this Friday the 13th will stay with me for a very long time. In so many ways, it was "The Perfect Day" for me, everything just seemed to fall in place. On the days that everything seems to be going wrong, I will take a moment to reflect on this day, and say "Who cares about my troubles...I met Brandi freakin Carlile!", and smile. I hope everyone finds their "day" that allows them to do the same.
Here's to your "Friday the 13th", and your "Brandi Carlile"!
IR
You may not have heard of the singer Brandi Carlile, yet, but I think you will soon enough. I became a huge fan of her last year when Helen and I saw her perform at Lulu's in Gulf Shores. Until that day, I'd never seen an artist put so much passion into a live performance. Considering that it was a free concert, it says alot about her as an artist. Since that concert was so unforgettable, I had been looking forward to her concert at the House of Blues in New Orleans for weeks. Not only was I pumped about hearing her sing live, but I was excited because I was going to ask her to autograph a picture of me, Helen, and Brandi that was taken at that first concert. If I could accomplish just that one thing, I know I would have been the happiest guy in New Orleans that day. Fate, however, had more in store for me.
My cousin Marvin was joining me on the trip (he didn't know much about Brandi, he just can't pass up a trip to New Orleans!), and his taking so long to get to my house caused us to leave an hour and a half late. No big deal, though, the trip only took us 2 and half hours, and we got to New Orleans in plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful spring day. And that's what we did, after getting a bit lost, we got a good parking spot and started walking around. First thing was first, though, we needed to find the House of Blues. It turned out not to be difficult at all. When we found the place, I recognized Brandi's tour bus out front (she's got pictures of it on her myspace). So I kiddingly thought to myself "I better keep an eye out for Brandi, she might be around!" But then I figured I probably wouldn't even recognize her if I did see her (I'm not the best with faces). After finding the HOB, we kept walking. I hadn't known the French Quarter Festival was going on this weekend, so that was a nice plus to the trip. We walked around the riverfront for a while, taking our time, we even sat down for a while and listened to some great New Orleans jazz. Then I got the idea to head towards the French Market, maybe I could find a little something for Helen, I thought.
We took our time heading towards the market. On the way there, we stopped and sat to enjoy a show by some street performers infront of Jackson Square, they were good, so I gave a buck (c'mon, I only caught the end of the show)! When they were finished we continued our journey towards the market, when I spotted the Cafe Du Monde, and I said to Marvin "We have to be sure to get some Beignets and orange juice from there." I have no idea where the conversation went from there, I don't know if he was talking or if I was saying something. All I know is I spotted someone sitting outside the restaurant that I knew I recognized beyond a shadow of a doubt! So what did I do? Like any crazy person, I yelled out "BRANDI CARLILE??!!" The poor girl was in the middle of taking a big ol bite of her Beignet! I'm sure I startled her, cuz I will never forget the look on her face - eyes wide open, both hands holding onto her delicious treat, looking straight up at me, frozen in time. I continue, "Wow, it's you! I can't believe this! I'm going to see you guys tonight! I'm so pumped!" [thumbs in the air] Tim, her guitarist, responds to my lunacy, "Cool! See ya there!" I don't think Brandi ever had the chance to say a word.
The whole time I'm talking, I'm continuing to walk away. Poor Marvin now has to listen to me talking like a schoolgirl who just got a hug from Jessica Simpson! "I can not believe I just saw Brandi Carlile!" i ranted. But 20 feet down the sidewalk, I stopped and realized this was a once in a life time opportunity to speak with an artist that I really admire. So I tell Marvin that we have to go back. I gather my thoughts, go up to their table and say "Excuse me. You won't hurt my feelings if you say 'no', but would you mind if I sat down and chatted a bit?" They paused for a second, glanced at each other quickly (perhaps taking into consideration the scare I gave them just a minute ago), and graciously said "Yea, thats fine, have a seat."
So there I was, at the world famous Cafe Du Monde, New Orleans, LA, having a conversation with the beautiful Brandi Carlile! My mouth was going 90 miles an hour, poor Brandi didn't get much of a chance to say anything! It was great, though. In the middle of praising her and her work, I asked about touring, The Tonight Show, Grey's Anatomy, anything and everything that my mind could turn out. The sweet person that she is, Brandi even ignored two different phone calls she received in the middle of me blabbing my mouth. When I noticed Tim receiving a phone call right after Brandi's, I knew it was time to make an exit. Our conversation couldn't have lasted 15 minutes...but it's 15 minutes I will never forget.
Marvin and I went about our day, with me on one of the biggest highs of my life, finally reaching the French Market. The concert kicked ass, of course, and I met some cool people! And, like the great artist, true to her fans, Brandi came out after her performance to sign autographs. Achieving my original goal, I had her sign the picture of me, Helen, and her at Gulf Shores. Taking her time to not just sign her name, she wrote "I'm a keeper. Brandi Carlile" (an inside joke). But to always remind me of my experience that day, I had her also sign a drawing of the Cafe Du Monde that I purchased at the French Market. She signed it "You're a sweet guy [heart] Brandi Carlile".
I'm certain that this Friday the 13th will stay with me for a very long time. In so many ways, it was "The Perfect Day" for me, everything just seemed to fall in place. On the days that everything seems to be going wrong, I will take a moment to reflect on this day, and say "Who cares about my troubles...I met Brandi freakin Carlile!", and smile. I hope everyone finds their "day" that allows them to do the same.
Here's to your "Friday the 13th", and your "Brandi Carlile"!
IR
VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
hahahahahahahah fatass!
(just kidding)