Carrie Newcomer Concert Travels

Last night I got back from a whirlwind trip to Tampa to see Carrie Newcomer perform.  I'd heard her music and an interview or two, and I really like her.  I have a friend at church who likes her too.  When I saw that she would be in Naples on Sunday, I let my friend know.  She couldn't go on Sunday, but there was a Tampa date on Monday.  And thus, a plan was born a few months ago.

At first, we thought our spouses might go with us, but that didn't work out.  And in a way, that might have been a good thing--two personalities can be easier than four.  I've traveled with my church friend before, in a group going to a retreat, so I knew we could travel together.

We decided to spend Monday night in a hotel, the Barrymore, right across from the arts center where the concert would be.  That was a wise choice.  I knew we wouldn't be able to go to the concert and drive home.  We didn't find any alternative lodging that was much cheaper.  We had a good time exploring the riverwalk area before the concert, and we were in walking distance to great eating spots for dinner and breakfast.

The concert was wonderful.  She plays with her guitar and a pianist who is quite skilled at jazz improvisation.  His accompaniment gave her songs a depth and richness.  I love her voice, a much deeper alto than we usually hear in popular culture, with a non-wavering strength that never lurches into full throttled and/or caterwauling.

I was tempted to come home and buy all of her CDs--the sales table afterwards didn't have any because they had sold out.  She stayed for almost an hour after the concert, giving autographs and posing for pictures like this one:

As we came back, we stopped at the Ringling museum.  The west part of the Florida southern coast was developed in part by circus money, and the Ringling brothers left a lot of land and money when they died.

I had heard about the museum, but I had no idea how extensive it was:  an art museum, two circus museums, lots of gardens, and a historic house.  We didn't have time to see it all, but we did spend a few hours wandering through the galleries.  We both got the Florida educator discount, which meant we got a $10 admission, instead of the $25 regular price.  Hurrah!

Along the way, we had great conversation.  My friend plays bass and ukulele, and she's begun to try her hand at song writing.  We're both interested in spiritual development, and we're both the same age, which means we've begun to think about the future in different ways.

In short, it was a restorative trip in many ways, and I'm glad we made the effort.