Up north

After heading south on Thursday, I turned to the north on Friday and drove to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Since I arrived home pretty late from Thursday's activities, I was slow getting around and didn't get to spend as much time in this lovely downtown as I would have liked. I did see a movie at the theater with this lovely marquee.


This theater is just a few doors down in what was quite the hopping downtown. The sidewalks were packed, and it seemed like something was going on. There was a really good energy to the place.

My visit was spurred by the chance to see Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis again. I figured that since they don't play often in the region, I might as well take the opportunity and make the trip. I've previously been to The Ark, the place they played tonight, and really like the venue. I also had planned to use this day as an excuse to check out more of downtown, but I left home later than I intended.

I didn't quite realize it until I almost passed them, but on the way from the movie theater to the club, I walked by them on the street trying to get into a guitar shop right as it was closing. (Turns out they needed something.) As it is with small shows like this, I did get to speak with them briefly after the concert, which was nice.

I didn't plan it out this way, but on consecutive nights I attended drastically different concerts. Thursday: Paul McCartney, stadium show, hundreds of feet from the stage. Friday: Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison, small club show, a few feet from the stage. The ticket fees for McCartney covered what it cost to get into tonight's concert. This isn't a knock on seeing the Beatle. Both shows were terrific in their own ways. It's just interesting to consider the massive differences between these experiences.

And I write this to you from my parents' home in Indiana. I've driven quite a lot these two days. Time to stay put for a few.