Lucy Kaplansky concert

Even though she's one of my (ten or so) favorite folk singers and I haven't been to a concert of hers in a few years, this morning, I wasn't planning on going to this evening's Lucy Kaplansky concert.  I was tired and depressed.  The holidays, starting before Thanksgiving, were wonderful, but they were over.  Daughter headed back to UNC-Asheville yesterday.  It was a grey and drizzly day which turned into a foggy evening and morning.  Everything made me grumpy this morning.

However, older son wanted to go to the concert so we did, and I'm so glad.  It was wonderful.

However, I think I used as many Kleenexes during her concert as I used while watching Les Misérables.  The songs that made me cry the most were the two about her daughter (who's 10).  Those songs sounded so familiar to me, and with daughter having left yesterday, I had tears running down my face.

I loved her introductions to the songs where she told about her past and how the songs came about.

She sang a number of songs off of her new album, Reunion, which we bought afterwards, and she also sang a number of my favorites.  She did a few cover songs, including a Bruce Springsteen song, the Beatles' Let It Be, and I Wish It Would Rain, by Nanci Griffith.  It was difficult not to sing along with that one because I used to sing it as a bedtime song to older son:

 One of the two songs she sang about her daughter was Manhattan Moon:

I love the words to this one, particularly the end:

...I used to travel in a straight line
Now I'm walking on a road that winds
You take my hand and we take our time
Oh we take our time
We take our time

You hear music in everything
The rain's a drum
The traffic sings
I listen too and I dance along
We keep on dancing when the music's gone
When the music's gone

I was much more purposeful and straight-line before I had kids, and I'm much more wander-y now.  I want to stay that way, but I'm finding it difficult because I feel like I "should" be more organized and get more done.  

We bought two of her CDs after the performance, the new one, and one where she sings math songs written by her father (she sang two in the concert - they're good).  We actually stood in line to get her to sign the new CD, which I've never done before at a concert.  

I've turned off so many of my emotions the last few years, but, somehow, going to this concert turned lots of them back on again.  It stirred up all sorts of things inside me, and made me want to keep stirring things up rather than going back to being more safe, comfortable, and... not blank, but not all there either.  

• Lucy Kaplansky's website and Facebook page
• Previous postsaboutLucy Kaplansky

[This post is more choppy than I would like, but it's after midnight, and if I don't post it now, I'll never get back to it.  I haven't written in almost a month.  I spent the holidays exactly the way I intended.  Older son graduates from college this spring, and we have no idea where he'll be next year.  This was the last time I could be sure that both daughter and older son would be home for the long, college, winter break.  I didn't think about house cleaning or any other unnecessary details of life.  I knew blogging would come back later.  I threw myself into enjoying doing things with my family, and I'm so glad I did so.]

Comments

[Reticula]

I thought this was a fabulous post, written from the heart. And it's not just because I'm a Lucy Kaplansky fan. But her songs evoke tears and laughter in me too. That's why she's one of my top (10 or so) folk singer/songwriters. I'd love to see her again.

And like you, I need to get back to the blog. I think I might give up on my annual Christmas post and just move on.

[M Light]

Thank you. I hope she does a concert near you soon.

I gave up all my annual January posts this year because Kristin's college started really late this January (the 14th), then I got sick, then...