entertainer of the year

Over the past several years, the music played at our house has morphed into constant country. Thanks to DirecTV playing satellite radio, Larry tunes in to all country-all the time stations from morning to night. I am learning to like it through osmosis. Most of the songs have melodies and words I can understand, but I'm not crazy about all the messages. For example, who can get revved about a big green tractor? Oh yes - my husband! He'll ride HIS big green tractor while mowing our 3 acres and sing along with his iPod at the top of his lungs. Good thing he has a good voice, cuz everyone driving down our country road can hear him.

We had to watch the CMA Awards the other night on TV and Brad Paisley won Entertainer of the Year. Larry was in heaven, because he had purchased tickets for us to see Brad in Rochester just a few nights later. We were going to be seeing Country Music Royalty!

(photo by Brady Dillsworth, Democrat & Chronicle)

The Blue Cross Arena was virtually sold out and the fans were psyched. Justin Moore and Darius Rucker opened for Brad...and then there he was. The stage was huge and the digital graphics were amazing..

We had great seats - second row, just one section away from the stage. And there was a runway right in front of us. Brad was not even 6 feet away:

I took this closeup of his guitar from the big screen. His finger work is just amazing...

He never left the stage during the entire show, had boundless energy and a great sense of humor:


We enjoyed every minute of it and loved our great seats. Thanks, Brad - you well-deserve your Entertainer of the Year award!

adam rocked!

It's 11:30pm on Saturday evening, and I am just so jazzed!

As a surprise Mother's Day present, my husband lurked online and ordered tickets for the American Idol tour's stop in Rochester. Tonight was the night. I figured we'd be the oldest people there (we weren't) and that we'd be surrounded by 12 year olds screaming their heads off (we weren't). We were surrounded by 40 and 50-somethings screaming their heads off.

The show began with Michael Sarver, #10 this year, and progressed through #5 before taking a 20 minute break. The crowd was ready for the Top 4: Allison, Danny, Adam and Kris. Every time Adam's picture was shown in a video clip, the fans went wild. Wilder than for Kris. (Sorry, Olivia).

When Adam finally took the stage, electricity shot through the arena. His showmanship was amazing and he just galvanized the crowd. His vocals were strong (I had read that last night in Hamilton, Ontario, he was suffering from laryngitis - no evidence of that tonight) and he performed two of my favorites, "It's a Mad, Mad World" and "Slow Ride" with Allison. The crowd went crazy. I went crazy. I normally don't go anywhere near crazy!

Kris finished up, but the electricity was gone. Adam rocked!

And taken from the jumbotron:

This guy is the next Freddie Mercury. Iconic. Ready to be a superstar. You heard it here!

last weekend of summer

While summer doesn't officially end for another few weeks, Labor Day weekend at the lake is always considered the last weekend of the summer. The weather on this family-oriented weekend has run the gamut from bone-chilling cold, windy and rainy to spectacularly gorgeous - blue skies, a light breeze, glorious sunshine and calm seas. We were blessed with the beautiful version of the weekend this year.

On both Friday and Sunday evenings we attended the last two concerts of this year's Canandaigua LakeMusic Festival. Friday evening Jon Nakamatsu and Juliana Athayde played to a large, appreciative audience - certainly the largest audience in the 4-year history of the festival. Standing ovations were the order of the day and then we were delighted to be included at a reception for the artists at the home of a festival supporter.

The grounds of the home beckoned to us, so we took a stroll outside, walked out on the dock and looked back at the house. The plantings around the house were just magnificient, all lit by subtle yet skillfully positioned low-level lights. A woman approached after she heard me make a remark about one of the beautiful plants. She introduced herself as the gardener for the property and asked if we would like a little tour of the yard. She showed us huge white blooms that only come out at night and also pointed out the completely hidden dog run - hidden by climbing, flowering vines that would be cut back down to the ground before winter. A fabulous concert and then a behind-the-scenes garden tour -- what an evening!

Saturday was a busy day at the shop, followed by our traditional family gathering for Flare Night. That's what we call it, but most everyone else calls it the Ring of Fire. A bonfire was lit high atop Bare Hill at 9pm, signalling to those around the lake to light flares that had been placed along the shoreline every 10 feet or so. The 16-mile long lake was rimmed with the red glow of the flares for about 30 minutes. Fireworks (illegal in New York but somehow smuggled in to many lakefront homes) exploded from neighboring docks and beach bonfires sent up smoke and crackling flames. Another summer season at Canandaigua Lake had come to an end.

Sunday evening we returned to Zion Fellowship for the final LakeMusic concert. Included on the program was the husband/wife duo of Maya Hartman and Noam Sivan. Sitting side by side on piano benches, they mesmerized the audience with their 4-hand playing of Stravinski's Rite of Spring. It was like watching a ballet of hands on the piano keys. Following intermission we were treated to Copland's Appalachian Spring performed as a suite for 13 players. Magnificent! The second standing ovation of the evening followed and the festival was over for another year.

Today was a day of rest, sort of - reading on the porch overlooking the lake, digging a few weeds out of the garden, placing an order for some new joolz and just enjoying a perfectly beautiful day. Sure wish all summer weekends could be as spectacular as this one has been.

lakemusic festival begins august 22

Now in its fourth season, the Canandaigua LakeMusic Festival concerts begin on Friday, August 22nd. The Zion Fellowship venue on Bristol Street is superb - comfortable seating, air conditioning and excellent acoustics. There is a feeling of intimacy between the artists and the audience, as if the concert is being played in someone's living room. And the artists are some of the best in their field.

Larry and I had the pleasure of hearing Jon Nakamatsu play "All Gershwin" with the RPO at the Eastman Theater this spring. We were able to get last-minute tickets in the second row, just left of center. It was almost as if we were sitting right next to Jon, watching his hands fly across the keyboard. His technical skill and emotional passion for the music combined into a performance that we will remember for a long time to come...and now we get to hear and see him play again in Canandaigua.

Another of our favorites is Juliana Athayde, concertmaster of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. A highly skilled musician, Juliana is equally at home playing with the full orchestra or with only two or three other musicians. She can also do a spot-on impersonation of Christopher Seaman, the RPO's British conductor. Juliana has a zest for life that comes through to her audience and it is a pleasure to see her perform.

Jon, Juliana, co-Artistic Directors of the festival, Edward Klorman and Amy Sue Barston and other talented musicians will bring traditional, contemporary and even improvised music to their Canandaigua audiences. Check out the festival website for the performance schedule and for ticket information. We'll see you there!

an evening with kenny chesney

Canandaigua is lucky to have a recently expanded and refurbished outdoor entertainment amphitheater on the grounds of the local community college. With the backing of the largest wine company in the world, Constellation Brands, the facility has become THE place to see big-name entertainment this summer. Kenny Chesney and LeAnn Rimes brought their "Poets and Pirates" tour to town last night and over 12,000 fans attended the concert. Just about every other fan was wearing a straw hat, a la Kenny, and most of them stood for his entire set. The noise was deafening (I think...I hope...I have full hearing back this morning) and the energy high. During the middle of the concert the heavens opened and it poured. There were thousands of soaked fans sitting on the lawn....but we didn't see anyone leave. We were grateful to be seated inside, under cover.

Kenny interacts with his audience and gives a great show. He spoke of flying in right before the concert and how he saw beautiful lakes and green hills below (yes, the Finger Lakes area is gorgeous). He thought of his boat down in the islands and decided to play...for the first time live, on any stage..."Be As You Are." Now, I am not a rabid Kenny fan like most there last night, but I was pleased that I had already been introduced to Kenny's "Be As You Are" album by our family friend, Mike Donofrio, when he and Angela visited our famiily over the 4th of July. Mike knows his music (he's a part-time DJ) and when he heard we were going to see Kenny, he punched up this album on his iPod for us to hear. I loved it! And hearing it in person, when no other audience had, made for a special evening. Thanks, Mike! and thanks, Kenny - it was a night to remember.