In a very unusual move, I went to my second concert in one year last Friday: Clint Black at Clowes Memorial Hall!
While Keith Urban is one of my favorite country artists, Clint Black is one of Mom's. I like him a lot, too, so it didn't take much convincing at all to get me interested in getting tickets for this show.
I bought our tickets on the first day they went on sale, and as a former usher at this venue, I knew what seats to ask for. We ended up in the center of the 12th row -- close enough to see every expression on his face.
The acoustics in Clowes Hall are fine-tuned for operatic performances, so the sound quality is really excellent. He performed without an opening act, and we got to hear many of his number-one songs. What really amazed me was how talented a musician he is. Not only does he write his own music and play the guitar, but he's also amazing with a harmonica and proficient on drums.
Mom and I were both impressed and really enjoyed the concert.
One of my Christmas traditions involves going to the annual Butler University Christmas music special, "Rejoice."
For five years now, I've been going with my mom and grandmother. We meet up early, drive into Broad Ripple to have dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, then grab our favorite seats at Clowes Hall to watch the performance.
The selections are different every year. This year the highlighted selection was Bach's "Magnificat."
The performers did a great job, especially some of the student singers. Normally the faculty is showcased more often than the students, which is disappointing, so I was glad to see students have the chance to shine.
Honestly, though, while the performance was very well done, it left a little to be desired. The point of the show is to feature holiday music. But not a single Christmas song could be found in the entire night. Instead, it was all classic religious music, mostly in Latin.
I appreciate that they vary the selections every year to keep the program from becoming stale, but is it too much to ask that we get to hear something recognizable?
Dennis DeYoung with the Indianapolis Symphony orchestra
When it comes to classic rock, Styx is my favorite band. I give full credit to my parents, who bought a CD of Styx's greatest hits when I was in high school and forced me to listen. It didn't take long before both Chase and I were no longer being forced into listening but absconded with the CD and listened on our own.
Now, when I hear Styx, I actually think first of Chase. Our interest in the band's music peaked not long after I got my driver's license in high school. When I'd accumulated enough road time for Chase to be legally allowed to ride with me, I started driving us to and from school each day.
And you know what the cool thing to do is when you're in high school: play your music loudly. And for that, we chose Styx.
We loved the music, we loved the true rock 'n roll quality of it, and we loved that we were the only car in the parking lot playing it. While other kids were focused on blasting the latest radio hit, we cued up "Renegade," rolled the windows down in my bright blue Volkswagen Beetle, and had a ball.
Dennis DeYoung, the lead singer and primary songwriter for the band, is still touring on his own, playing Styx hits with symphonies and orchestras. I opted out of the chance to see him when he came to Clowes at Butler while I was in college (something more enticing came up), and Mom has never let me live that down.
So, when we saw an ad publicizing his return to Indy -- this time with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra -- she and I bought tickets as soon as we found out.
He played with the ISO at Hilbert Circle Theater in downtown Indianapolis. While I've seen the ISO several times (at Symphony on the Prairie last summer), this was my first trip to their winter-season home. I'm sad to say that Hilbert Circle Theater has fallen into disrepair, but the show itself was fantastic.
At 64 years old, this guy's still got it. He sounds just as good as he did 30 years ago. He had a couple excellent guitarists with him, one of whom sang the lead on a handful of songs (to give DeYoung's voice a break, we assumed) and did a great job. DeYoung's voice is entirely unique, so taking the lead on his songs is a big undertaking.
If you're not familiar with him, check out this video from a similar concert. "Lady" is one of my favorite songs.
If you like classic rock and get a chance to see him, I recommend it!
This past weekend, I officially reached one of my life's milestones: my five-year college reunion. Time for Homecoming at Butler.
I met some girlfriends on campus on Saturday afternoon—a gorgeous October day—and we wandered around outside, checking out the scenery to see what had changed. In many ways, it was like time had frozen and we'd never stepped away. In other ways, things have changed enough that it's evident we've moved on with our lives.
This bulldog statue in front of Atherton Union (the centerpiece of thousands of Butler photos) is exactly as it was when I left. But the dedicated spaces for Zip Cars on the west side of the building were new—and I was glad to see them!
I arrived on campus while the actual football game was happening, so the areas of campus not near the football field were quiet and peaceful.
One thing hasn't changed: the boys of campus love a good game of Campus Golf. I never did get a chance to play, but it always looked fun. The rules, as I understand them, are pretty simple: using a golf club, hit a tennis ball from one end of campus to the other. There are designated "holes" along the way (sorority rocks, statues, etc.) that form the course, and you have to hit them with the tennis ball.
These guys were definitely enjoying themselves. With the Homecoming celebration in progress, they may have been having an extra amount of fun with the help of some adult beverages.
I went back to campus on Sunday afternoon for the conclusion of Butler Creates: An Alumni Art Exhibit. I participated in the inaugural year last year, and this year they selected two of my photos for the show! It's an exhibition open to all alumni, and a panel of faculty and board members chose selections from about 25 alumni to hang in Clowes Memorial Hall throughout the month of October.
On Sunday afternoon, the exhibit's finale included an artists' reception and a gallery tour, during which each artist stood with their work, and visitors were able to speak to them about it.
Mom and Grandma came by to say hello while I was there. (And Mom immediately claimed the framed magnolia photo for her house when the show was over.)
I've marked a milestone in my photography career: I've now had the honor of having one of my photographs accepted for a special exhibition!
Butler University, my alma mater, created an alumni art exhibit this year to help promote the new Art + Design major being offered. They welcomed all alumni to submit up to three pieces for consideration in the exhibit, and I was thrilled when they accepted one of mine! More than 70 alumni entered, and they selected 24 pieces.
The artwork was displayed on campus at Clowes Hall (my favorite performing-arts venue in Indianapolis) from October 12-24, through this year's Homecoming. All of the artists gathered on the final day for a reception and gallery tour, during which visitors could view the pieces and speak to the artists themselves.
I had a fantastic time at the event and met some wonderful people, both alumni and guests. My photo, on the right in the photo above (recognize it from this post?), hung next to a watercolor painting created by a woman who graduated in the 1950s. I could have stood and continued talking to her long after the show ended.
Being accepted and included in the exhibit was a huge honor, and I'm thrilled that I got to be a part of it! The organizers have already said that they're going to make this an annual event, so I'll look forward to submitting another piece next year, too.
