Best Neighbors Ever

Friday night's Snoop show was about what I expected: Snoop was awesome, the show itself was pretty low-budget, low-key, and the audience was as white as white can be. The biggest bummer was the 1.5 hour wait between the opening act and Snoop's entrance, during which we were "treated" to a few projected music videos. It was funny to see Snoop w/o Dr. Dre, because he performed a few Snoop/Dre songs, but only did his part, so they felt... amputated. In spite of my nitpicking, it was a good show, a lot of fun and I'm glad I went.

One of the nicest parts of the evening was running into our next door neighbor who does photography for many of the shows at the Rialto. 

On Monday afternoon she knocked on our door and said: "My partner and I really tired, but I know from running into you on Fri that you like live music, so we were thinking you might like our 3rd row center tickets to see B. B. King tonight."

Uh. Yes, please?!

So we spent Valentine's Day, 3rd row, center watch the Bluesman. It was a brilliant show (marked contrast from Snoop, although, again, nearly everyone in the crowd was white), and a once in a lifetime opportunity. There is really nothing that compares to live music, and good, live blues and jazz just takes my breath away. B. B. King is getting up there in years, but he's still a captivating performer and an amazing musician. I smiled so hard that after an hour and a half my face ached. The last time that happened was at my wedding!