On The Rocks With A Splash of Water
or Rhett Miller gets Yorkie (part two)

Photo of The Strand from the stage courtesy of the lovely blue-eyed one

Okay, so Friday found Geo and I in downtown York, PA at the Strand Capital Theater, which should be pronounced the-A-ter because it looks similar to the promotion photo for Old 97's new CD, The Grand Theatre from their website.

Anywho, York is in the middlest of middle Pennsylvania. We've never been there before because honestly there was nothing to draw us there, and it seemed a little too right-winged, Bible thumping, scary conservative for us. And yet it had a terrific Irish pub as well as a kick-ass sushi restaurant.

Sushi. In York. Who knew?

We sat with our friend Tracey and her sister who are a lot of fun. We also met up with Stephanie from our girls' New York City outing in August. I really enjoy Stephanie. She is so sweet and ADORABLE!! We get along well, or at least I think so. Hopefully she does, too. Being the last of five kids, she's like the little sister I never had.

Geo surrounded by babes--just the way he likes it
Heather, Tracey, Geo, Moi

Geo, Adam, Steph, Katie, Me

Steph brought her cousin Dave and his wife, Kelly along for the Rhett ride. Dave had asked Steph to request Come Around for Kelly. He was floored when Rhett not only played it, but dedicated the song to them. In a self-professed act of intuition, Steph captured the entire moment on tape for her cousin.

Rhett with Steph's happy cousins

She tells the story much more eloquently than I, so treat yourself by reading her account here. Plus there's this hilarious bit about a suggestive eggplant, buxom buns and 12 year old boy humor. When you read it, you'll understand why we get along so well. And yes, she really did propel herself on stage in one brilliantly graceful move, as if she had jumped on one of those mini trampolines. It was a thing of beauty to witness. Ha Ha!!

That evening my fantasy husband was completely on and fabuloso. The crowd loved every minute of him. He rocked them Yorkies!! He played old favorites and threw three new tunes into the mix, including A State of Texas-- a guaranteed crowd pleaser to those living in the biggest state in the lower 48, but rollicking enough for the rest of us to enjoy. Besides he sings it with such unbridled passion, how could you not get into it?

Can you spot the sexual innuendo within this song?


I decided not to spend so much time recording the evening so I could freely sing along. Bad news for my neighbors. I enjoy taping songs from the shows to revisit the fun later, but I hate the sound of my voice and frankly some songs are just too much fun not to sing along with. By shutting off my camera, I was free to join Tracey bellow the long-discarded "you got the teeth of the hydra upon you" chorus from Singular Girl, La-La-La along with 4 Eyed Girl and holla a great big "YEAH" at the apex of Big Brown Eyes.

Sweet!

However, I just had to tape Won't Be Home, the first song we heard them play live. It's one of my favorites. Okay, who am I kidding... they're ALL my favorites. But really this song perfectly conveys an I'm-sick-of-your-shit-and-want-you-out-of-my-zip-code break-up. I love the phrasings, and the chorus is packed with great imagery. It's like you're sitting in the backseat watching this train wreck of a relationship dissolve before your eyes.

"...and you're getting smaller in my rearview mirror. And you're getting smaller in my rearview mirror. Yeah you're getting smaller..."

LOVE that! Who hasn't dated someone you wanted to unceremoniously dump at the side of the road and watch him disappear in the rear view mirror, shedding his bad relationship stank as you speed away?

Afterwards Rhett made his way to the merch table to meet members of his fold, take photos and sign whatever. I'm always amazed by how approachable he is with his fans. I've met performers who didn't want you to look them in the eye let alone shake your hand. I'm talking about you, Tim Finn. Rhett's always so gracious and patient.

Doofus with Blue-Eyed Beauty

Take this night, for instance. After we walked Cynthia (a lovely woman from Pittsburgh whom we've seen at three venues) to her car, Rhett came around the corner with his gear. There was a gaggle of young people through which he walked. He chatted a bit with them, and as he headed to his hotel, the group trailed behind him--single file--like children following the Pied Piper. Someone else might have been openly annoyed and acted like an asshole (Tim Finn-ok I don't hate Tim, but he had some weird ass, paranoid parameters going on), but he was never mean or rude with them because he is that sweet. The perfect gentleman. Clearly, his Momma taught him well.

Again, do you see why I love him?

The last evening of our current run ended way too early. Of course if he played for an entire five hours and sang everything in his repertoire, it still wouldn't be long enough.

I'll just have to be content obsessing over... er, I mean learning the lyrics to the new CD until December when the hardest working man in the music world and his buddies roll into Manhattan on a big black tour bus.