Just for Augustana

My friend Russell Rush works at the top 40 radio station here in San Antonio. Because of this job, he gets many perks; such as, but not limited to, free concert tickets. Well, Russell being the great guy he is, and me being the unrelenting fan of Augustana that I am, he gave me two free concert tickets to see Augustana. There was a catch, however.

The catch being that the concert was in Corpus Christi (2 1/2 hours away) and on a Tuesday (I have a 9-6er) so, that being said....I rented a car and took a half day from work! lol Now, it's not that I don't respect my job or that I'm a slacker, it's just that my thought process was this: How many times will Augustana come to TX? (not many judging by the past); Out of those times, what is the likelyhood of me actually getting free tickets to said show? (ummm again, judging from past experiences, never); and out of those never times of going to see them for free, how many of those times will it be a private showing for >50 people!!!! (I think you get the idea)

So, then came the dilemma of who to take and blah blah blah.

I decided to take my 15 year old sister, Sara. I mean, when I was in high school, I dreamed of having an older sibling to take me out of school and whisk me away to the beach! It doesn't happen often people. So, she and I drove down, in our fantastic, rented 2008 Ford Taurus. I drive a 1990 Volvo with no a/c and I'm not really even sure it has air bags...I did the right thing here :) Trust me! hehe. So we have a pretty good drive, uneventful for the most part but it was what happened when we got there that's the exciting part!

Being that Russell is in the entertainment industry, he has contacts who are also in the music biz. He set me up with their tour manager from Epic Records (OMFG!!!!) who so kindly invited me to lunch - couldn't make it due to us still driving there and all! - and also invited me and my sister to the show that Augustana was playing the next day in McAllen.

Let me just tell you. As much as I love Augustana and if Dan (lead singer) wasn't married that I would most certainly jump his bones,  the only way of getting me to McAllen is by gun-point. Ghetto. Ville. Ok? Alright so I naturally and graciously declined but I have an Epic connection. Who got me and my sister in for the sound check - we were the only ones there - and personally introduced us to Dan (<3 <3 <3 <3) and Chris (eh) as his friends. Coolest thing ever.

So the concert consisted of 50 people. There were 18 chairs. I don't have to tell you how ill-prepared they were at the radio station; but the set was great. They played 8 songs, took questions during the show, held conversations with the crowd (and ME!, oh yeah!) hehe

sidenote: my obsession with Dan is purely physical and emotional, I will not; however, steal him from his wife.

She's welcome. :P

So back to the story...My sister and I sat in the front of the 3 rows that were set up. I held onto every word he sang/said. I cannot explain to anyone the beauty of his voice. Control. Clarity. Just plain beautiful...I didn't know anyone was capable of that. Unfortunately for everyone else, but fortunately for me, this was one of very few acoustic sets, and apparently in the "real" concerts, the energy is 27 times higher than it was acoustically. Again, I am one lucky gal. So they ended the set, took pictures, signed autographs and had a slight conversation with everyone who came. Seriously, those are some down to earth guys. They made everyone feel so special. Except for me...mainly because Dan wouldn't come near me - like at all.

Notice the huge gap between he and I in the pix. I was bummed, but Sara got a hug out of him, so I kind of lived vicariously through her.

After the show she and I decided that we were so close to the beach, that we may as well take the ferry from Corpus to Port Aransas and get some island seafood. Good idea. We got out of the car and took a few pictures on the 2 1/2 minute ride and jumped back in the car. We got a little lost when we first got onto the island, mainly because I haven't been there in about 3 years, and because they don't believe in lights on the road. Damn islanders ;P But we found the place - Moby Dick's - and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Port Aransas, TX. Their Hawaiian Mahi Mahi is the best that Sara and myself have ever had.

Get it with the side of cole-slaw and french fries. Mmmm I think I need another trip down there! hahah

So that's my story. We headed back to San Antonio and got home around midnight. My little sister is such a good travel buddy too. I asked her to stay awake so that I wouldn't get tired and not only did she stay awake, she kept the music loud and always sing-a-longable (yeah iIjust made that up!). From Augustana to Led Zeppelin...the variety was great. Oh yeah, and we listened to Sweet Child of Mine...twice! ;)