Saturday -LEAHY-and Sunday

Boy am I glad I let Bill drag me to that concert on Saturday night. What an amazing contrast from Friday night's entertainment.

On the way, we stopped in Lovingston for a bite. The Prime Rib was very mediocre, but the service was great. Very nice folks. After a couple of wrong turns(and some tense moments there in the cab of the Ranger), we made our way to the theatre.

Let me just say a bit about the theatre itself. The Paramount is an old, newly renovated theatre located on the downtown Historic Mall of Charlottesville. Apparently, many millions have been spent to restore the place to something above and beyond it's original glory. It just reopened in December with a fund raising gala featuring Tony Bennett (wish I could've seen THAT show!). The outside of the building features this old-timey-looking marquis lined with flashing lights and the name of the act currently showing. The inside is plush and elegant with rich material-lined panels on the walls, opulent chandeliers and some of the most beautiful crown moulding I've ever laid eyes on. Wine at intermission and a wide balcony with an ample view of the stage helped to make the place just that much more pleasant.

The group we came to see was called Leahy (LAY-hee). I had never even heard of them. By the end of the show, however, I knew I would never forget them. They are a group of 11 siblings, of Irish/Scottish descent from a remote, rural part of Ontario. This particular show consisted of 9 of the siblings who played various instruments and sang and danced. There were 3 fiddles, 2 keyboards, rhythm guitar, electric guitar, base guitar, mandolin, banjo and drums. They played everything from pop to waltzes to bluegrass to gospel to traditional Irish and more.They did some numbers of their own composition and some recognizable old favorites. The anchor of the show was the eldest brother, fiddler extraordinaire. I wish I could even come close to describing the ability that this man possesses with his instrument. Prior to intermission he brought the house down with a rendition of The Orange Blossom Special that was quite frankly, unbelievable. I don't know how any human being can do what he did as fast as he did it. It was absolutely breathtaking! (I seriously would have considered marrying that man if he had asked right after that performance). The energy and enthusiasm and talent of the whole group were just incomparable. I really felt like they were doing the thing that they were put on this earth to do and they were enjoying it immensely. They poured out their heart and soul on that stage and the audience responded in kind. How could they not? WOW.
If ever you have a chance to see this group perform, I BEG you not to deny yourself the experience. I will be keeping a close eye on their touring schedule, myself.

Sunday was pretty dull, in comparison. I stole a nap in the middle of the day to recover from the previous night's lack of sleep. I talked to Mom for a bit and shared the Leahy experience. In the evening, I did a 2 mile hike with Bill and Elvis in the National Forest. After supper (Chinese) I watched America's Funniest Home Videos with Bill and laughed til I couldn't breath. That show just kills me.