An Evening With Al Stewart

Editor’s Note – Today is the first of a two-part edition devoted to our weekend roadtrip to spend “An Evening With Al Stewart.” Today’s edition gives you the back story of why the trip meant so much to me.

When I was a senior in high school, I was invited to attend the state high school newspaper convention in Nashville. While I was there, I met a girl from Memphis and we became great friends over the years.

We’re still in touch via Facebook. Maybe she even reads Coach Jeff’s Blog when I post the link? 

In any case, I remember receiving a call from her in 1982 and she was telling me about her family’s recent trip to Vail. Unfortunately, she said, there wasn’t any worthy entertainment in town. Only an Al Stewart concert she said, with great disdain.

And there was no way she was planning to go to an Al Stewart concert.

Al, I promise, she didn’t know what she was saying! You see, I would have loved to see an Al Stewart concert during that era. Or any era.

You might even say I put it on my long-term to do list – I’m not a big fan of the term “Bucket List” – as the one concert I’d always love to experience.

Fast forward to March 28, 2015 and I’m happy to report I checked that box. Lisa, Holly and I – along with a group of a couple hundred other folks – spent “An Evening With Al Stewart” in the suburbs of Augusta, GA. It was part of a concert series presented by Augusta Amusements.

More on that to come.

I told you recently about how I discovered popular music at the end of my freshman year in high school. In fact, I showed you the photo of me balancing a number of the LPs I received as Christmas gifts that winter. One that didn’t make the picture, however, was Time Passages by Al Stewart. My friend Ed bought it as a gift for me that winter and I have always been thankful for it. 

I discovered Stewart’s music that year and I always found his lyrics fascinating; the genre referred to as historical storytelling. The musical accompaniment to Stewart’s unique vocals was at one time haunting and intriguing all the same.

This was perfect for a high schooler trying to sample all the musical styles on the AM/FM buffet. I collected as many of his albums as I could.

If I happened to find myself stressed, melancholy or just in the mood to relax, I’d put on one of Stewart’s LPs and, voila, I was traveling through time or some far-off land.

During the aforementioned senior year, he released his next LP, 24 Carrots, and I saved my pennies and dimes until I could go purchase it. When I hear those songs, I think of that fantastic year. It was great stuff.

Still, he never brought his band to Tennessee (at least not that I am aware of) and as my 20s turned into my 30s and so forth, I went to fewer and fewer concerts and the dismissive concert comment of my friend faded away. 

I still listened to his music but the thought of going to see one of his concerts was no longer on the top of the to do list as life as a twentysomething and thirtysomething unfolded.

Then – about five years ago – I was doing some sort of internet search and I ran across Al Stewart’s website and I noticed some tour dates listed but they were all on the west coast. I didn’t think to check that, again, when we headed to San Fran in 2012. I should’ve.

Then, late last year, I ran across his website again and I noticed some tour dates listed for the Southeastern U.S. Three dates in Georgia caught my eyes and I circled the one for Saturday March 28.

Before you know it, we had tickets purchased, a hotel room booked and we were on our way to the show. Long overdue…

JG

Originally posted 3/30/2015