#496 True Love

One of my true loves is music.  I listen to music every day, whether I’m in my car listening to the radio or a CD (yes, my car has a CD player), at work streaming Spotify, or my ultimate favorite – live concerts.  In 2019 I went to nine concerts.  (I just counted my tickets that I keep in my scrapbook.) 

This year?  Zero live concerts.  I streamed a few – the Opry, Radney Foster, Junior Brown, and Sammy Hagar and Tom Petty’s birthday concerts (separate events).  Fun but not the same.  My last live concert was Dec. 28, 2019.  It was a doozy. 

I am outspoken about my love of Harry Connick Jr.  (See posts 48, 352,427, 444)  I follow him on Instagram and late last year heard he was bringing a show to Broadway to celebrate Cole Porter.  I imagined how great it would be to see him in person again, and on Broadway no less!  When the dates came out, I noticed it was a limited three-week run in December – Harry Connick Jr, A Celebration of Cole Porter.  In late November I sent an Instagram message to Julie (who has been with me to see him in concert and at his TV show) about going to New York to see the show.  I was partly joking.  I included a photo of his IG post and added, “We need to go to this!”  She replied, “Okay!”  It was that easy.  We picked a date, made reservations and flew to New York for one day. 

Since Julie was still working the week of and after Christmas, we booked flights arriving late Friday, Dec. 27 and departing Sunday, Dec. 29.  After checking into our hotel around 10 p.m., we were too excited to go right to sleep and walked to Rockefeller Center to check out the Christmas tree.  Twenty years ago we visited New York in early November and saw the tree bound with ropes and no lights.  Disappointment.  This time we were determined not to miss it.  We milled around the moderate crowd, walking right up to the tree.  Incredible!  We were in awe gazing at the approximately 50,000 LED  multicolored lights, then entertained ourselves by watching the skaters, and people-watching in general.  New York never disappoints.  Around the corner we saw the amazing Saks Fifth Avenue Christmas light show and later, St. Patrick’s Cathedral. 

Ever the planner, I mapped out some holiday hotspots for us to see if we had time.  Our first Saturday stop was Columbus Circle and the shops thereof.  We ended up walking mostly around Central Park and trying to get into The Plaza.  

It’s a good thing we saw the Rockefeller tree when we did.  The crowd multiplied Saturday and there was no getting anywhere near the tree.  On to the next stop – Bryant Park and its Christmas market.  We browsed the shops, taking in the smells and festivities, and resting our tired feet at a small table for a snack. 

On to Macy’s to check out the Christmas windows and interior decorations.  As we continued on to the Chelsea Market Place, we saw the High Line a few blocks to our right.  Although it was on our list of things to see, we stuck to our holiday-themed locales.  We spent a long time at the Chelsea Market and both agreed it was our favorite place.  The Christmas market at Union Square Park was already closed, so that was a bust. 

I failed to mention Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment stoop being on my list of things to see.  After Union Square Park we realized we were a few blocks away from this historic landmark.  We had to see it.  For me, this was a close second behind the Chelsea Market. 

We hit everything on the list!  We were tired and we still had Harry’s show, so we returned to the Travel Inn in Midtown and collapsed on our beds after taking some ibuprofen.  We’re in our 50s after all, and even though we’re both active, we were a little worn out and sore after walking 15 miles.  We ventured out for dinner (I don’t remember where?) then it was time for the main event – Harry on Broadway at the Nederlander Theater. 

I am calm around celebrities when I see them in public or backstage, but sometimes I turn "crazy" and make signs.  (I saw Brad Paisley in concert with my niece and asked her to make a sign for me that said, “I’m six foot five and I look damn good!”)  For Harry I made this sign to hold up during the show: 

The show began and I realized that it was not a typical concert, but a somewhat scripted show.  I held the sign up a few times hoping he’d see it and maybe say something, but I soon gave up.  Our seats were in the back on the main floor, but most Broadway theaters are on the small side, so we still had a great view.  The show was amazing!  Cole Porter is an Indiana native so I was familiar with some of the songs, but I bought the CD before the show so I could sing along (quietly) during the show.  

We exited the theater and overheard one of the ushers say that Harry comes out after the show, so we hung out by the side door.  Maybe a half an hour later, his daughter, Georgia, emerged with her video camera.  When Harry appeared soon after, my "crazy" appeared and I held up my sign.  When he saw it, he smiled (somewhat) and said, “That’s awesome.” and then moved on to the next person after signing it.  I did manage to take an awkward selfie with him before he moved on. 

After the show we took one last look at the Rockefeller tree.  Back at the hotel, we fell into our beds for the second time that day.  I fell fast asleep with visions of Harry dancing in my head.  Our flight left the next morning.  What a weekend!

Fast forward to January 2020 - I was at a small music venue with another friend to see one of my favorite local artists (I don’t count this as a full concert).  Our conversation drifted to my recent New York trip and my friend commented, “You must be loaded!  Who goes to New York for one day?!”  Her tone was a little harsh.  I know she wasn’t angry at me, but I was taken a little off guard.  Number one – I’m not loaded.  I did spend a lot of money on the weekend, but I watch my pennies in other areas to be able to do things like this.  Number two – to answer the question, Julie and I do!  It began as a “joke,” but I’m thankful to have a friend who is ready and able to fly somewhere at a moment’s notice.  Especially since we won’t be going to any in-person concerts for a long, long time.