A Night With Joni

Last night's pre-birthday celebration was not spent at Bec's place with a few friends. Rather (much to my delight and surprise) it was spent with a few thousand friends at Carnegie Hall! Bec masterminded a plan that involved me meeting her at the Columbus Cirlce Whole Foods. She asked me to "help carry some groceries home," and, being the extremely gullible person I am, I bought right into it. I met her there where she was waiting with no groceries but a small bag. My curiosity knowing no boundaries or patience, I continued to plug her with questions about what we were doing there, but she wouldn't relent. We waited in the food court area for "Karl to meet us so we could all go home together." Wait, wasn't Karl supposed to be in a pilates class?

Then Mark showed up. Wasn't he supposed to be at work?

Then Karl. Then Annick. Then Bec opened her bag and revealed a cheesecake and blackberries. Dessert before dinner? That's very unlike Bec (and so is cheesecake!) The clock was inching towards 8, so I guessed out loud that we were going to a show. "A show?" Bec replied, aghast, as though I asked her if she had eaten a McDonalds' hamburger for lunch. But Annick and Karl went to get coffee, and Mark went to get dinner...and I finally got Bec to give up with act. We were indeed going to a show: The Music of Joni Mitchell at Carnegie Hall, to be exact.

With Joni being one of my favorite all-time singers, there couldn't have been a better show to take me to! The five of us (John joined us at the theatre) sat among many aging hippies (who no doubt spent a few choice days at Yasgur's Farm) as we listened to Marc Cohn, Judy Collins, Shawn Colvin, Cowboy Junkies, eels Amy Grant, Richie Havens, Jesse Malin, Me'shell Ndeg'Ocello, Tom Rush, Neil Sedaka, Suzanne Vega, Dar Williams, and Michelle Williams (of Destiny's Child, not Brokeback Mountain), and more. Best of the night, in my opinion: Jesse Malin singing Carey, Michelle Williams lending youthful exuberance to Help Me, and a bewigged, but beautiful Judy Collins with Both Sides Now (not Chelsea Morning...which was previously butchered by Nellie McKay).

Despite the lack of an appearance by Ms. Mitchell and a few sleepy moments, the show was excellent and a fantastic way to kickoff my birthday month! Thanks again to Bec for organizing!