Piano Men

I realized that I haven't said anything about the big concert we went to last week. Was it really only last week? It seems like months ago. Well, in a word, the concert was fantastic! I am not a big concert person but this one was amazing. How can you go wrong with Elton John and Billy Joel? Mom sent me this review that was in the Omaha paper so I thought I would include it here. It describes the concert better than I ever could.

Review: Sir Elton, Piano Man put on an electric performance
BY KEVIN COFFEY
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Sir Elton and the Piano Man sure know how to put on a show.

In front of a sold-out crowd Tuesday at the Qwest Center Omaha, Elton John and
Billy Joel played all of their own hits, plus a few by other artists.

The evening was - in a word - electric.

The two musicians have slightly different styles, but both put on performances
that had fans on their feet, singing along, waving their hands in the air and
dancing in the aisles.

Joel - in a simple black suit - acted like a goofball. He twirled his
microphone, danced on top of the pianos, pantomimed smoking a cigarette while
John performed a solo, walked around like Frankenstein's monster and cracked
jokes between songs (drawing laughs when he referred to seats at the back of the
arena as being in Council Bluffs).

John was flashy as can be, both in his piano playing and his attire. Wearing his
trademark sunglasses, a bright, shiny shirt and a long, black coat decorated in
a rainbow of colors, his fingers danced up and down the keys. And after each
song, he walked around stage shaking hands, waving and blowing kisses to the
audience.

This stop on the duo's "Face 2 Face" tour was more like a face-off. Each
appeared to be trying to one-up the other, which consummated in a piano duel
during John's "Bennie and the Jets."

Like a piano-styled question-and-answer session, each improvised a solo more
complex than the other. The duel ended with Joel and John playing together to
finish out the song.

Though nearly every song was a memorable hit, some songs had some extra depth as
duets. The performers sang each other's lyrics in their own style, giving new
twists to songs such as "Uptown Girl" and "The Bitch Is Back."

As for the audience, despite the priciest seats in the arena approaching $200 a
pop, more than 17,000 fans packed the Qwest Center, filling the arena from the
floor to its highest reaches. Most in the crowd looked like veteran fans of John
and Joel, both of whom have been performing since the '60s. Quite a few young
folks also dotted the audience.

And, boy, was the crowd loud. Whether screaming when the duo took the stage or
singing along to John's "Tiny Dancer," the crowd filled the arena with cheers.

The show started with Joel and John taking the stage together and alternating
songs. John then took the stage with his band, encouraging fans to sing along if
they knew the words (which they did). Joel then took the stage with his band,
leaving the piano only twice (to play electric guitar on "We Didn't Start the
Fire" and do his best Elvis Presley dance impersonation during "It's Still Rock
and Roll to Me").

For the finale, Joel and John took the stage together with both bands. They
played a few more hits together and even played the Beatles' "Birthday" and
"Back In the U.S.S.R."

They finished off the performance with duets of their biggest hits, "Candle in
the Wind" and "Piano Man." Lights from cell phones and lighters filled the
arena, and voices from the crowd sang along to both songs and screamed every
time Joel played the harmonica solo on "Piano Man."

• Contact the writer: 444-1557, kevin.coffey@owh.com

Copyright 2009 Omaha World-Herald. All rights reserved

Back to Work

I'm all confused about what day it is. It took me a long time to figure out why The Bachelorette was on Sunday night! Yep, it was really Monday but I was all confused there for awhile.

So, back to work today although it is going to be a short day. Kate started running a fever last night and still had one this morning. She seems fine otherwise, a slight cough but that is all. Poor baby. Grandma and Papa were good to help out so I could come get a few things done at work. Besides blogging, that is.

We had a nice weekend, didn't do much of anything, but that is nice in and of itself. I got the last of my flower planting done and we got new handles for our kitchen cabinets and drawers. The girls and I had a cookout one night...hot dogs and s'mores...can't beat that! There was a birthday party at the lake for my niece on Sunday. Took the girls to Burger King so they could play in the play place. And that's about it.

I have a ton of pictures to post so stay tuned!

He Did It!

Woo Hoo! Kris won! Can you tell I am excited?

This was the most amazing season of Idol. I loved Adam but was so happy that Kris won. Adam was always just a touch too theatrical for me. I like the artists that can sit down with their piano or acoustic guitar and sing a song. That is Kris. He doesn't need the fog or strobe lights to make you sit up and listen. So I am very happy with the outcome but truly hate to see the season come to an end.

I didn't get to see the whole show last night, I just skimmed through to the end to see the results. I saw bits and pieces and it looks like it was quite the shindig! I did see Adam's rendition of Beth...awesome! I tried to get Kevin out of bed to see Kiss perform but he wouldn't. I'll show him tonight. And Queen! I love Cyndi Lauper so really enjoyed her and Allison's performance. And David Cook! I can't wait to be able to watch the show in it's entirety.

But for now...YAY KRIS!!!!!

Must See TV

I have been glued to the television set this past week or so...

Joan Rivers as the Celebrity Apprentice. I was glad to see her beat that witch of a poker player, Annie Duke. Side note, Jessie James is a hottie!

America's Next Top Model...I was hoping the other girl would win. I have already forgotten her name, the one with the big eyes. I liked her.

Danny Gokey got sent home on American Idol. Unelievable! I love Kris Allen. I think he is the most marketable of all of them. The teenage girls must feel the same way because someone is sure voting for him. I think it will be Adam's win though.

Poor Izzie! Poor George! The Grey's Season Finale was a big surprise (and heart wrencher).

Who did Mike marry last night? My vote is on Susan. Poor Katherine is way too desperate, even for a housewife.

Can't forget about Pam and Jim!

I agree with the folks that think the Biggest Loser lost too much weight. She is skinny!

I don't usually watch the dancing show but I have it recording tonight just to see their final numbers.

I think that is all of my telelvision shows that have had endings this past week or so. I am ready for some new shows to start to help pass the time until fall.

St. Louis Bound

It's finally time for the Elton John and Billy Joel concert tomorrow night. I am so excited for the concert and the time away. Kevin was in charge of finding us a place to stay and I guess it's a surprise because he hasn't told me but has assurred me that he has a reservation.

Kevin is extremely traditional and unoriginal so I have my suspicions. We will either be staying at the Mayfair in downtown St. Louis or in St. Charles at the Boone's Lick Trail Inn. The Mayfair is a gorgeous, renovated hotel that we chanced upon years ago on Priceline. We got a last-minute reservation in an exquisite suite all done in dark cherry wood and marble. It was impressive. We stayed at the Inn in St. Charles for our fifth anniversary. We stayed in the cottage and it was so cute and fun. The Inn is right on the historic Main Street, which we both love to wander and shop. The best part was the huge jacuzzi tub. Either way, it will be a wonderful trip.

Hypothetical Question

Is it bad that I wanted a new CD to listen to on my way to work and the only thing that remotely interested me was the Hannah Montana movie soundtrack?

I didn't buy it.

Lunch Date

I am so excited for my lunch date today. My dear friend Tisha is in mid-Missouri visiting her Mom and is going to drive over for lunch. Tisha and I became friends when she came to work at a home I was managing, back in 1997. As a manager, it's not a good idea to become friends with the people you supervise, but with Tisha, I just couldn't help it. She is one of the prettiest, sweetest, funniest, funnest people I have ever known. She can tell a story, in her southern accent, that will have you rolling on the floor laughing. She is kind and compassionate, the folks that we served just adored her.

Tisha and I are exactly one month apart in age. My birthday is May 29 and hers is June 29. We came from different areas, had different upbringings, but there was a common bond right from the start. I remember sitting up late into the night, talking and laughing and crying. She had my life story out of me within weeks of knowing me. If you know me at all, you know this is hard to do!

Tisha had to move back south in January 1999 and her move devastated me. This was before email and facebook made it so easy to keep in touch. We've seen each other a handful of times in the past ten years but Tisha is the kind of friend, that makes time irrelevent. We will greet each other today as if we had just seen each other a few days ago. And I can't wait!

TGIM!

After the longest week and weekend ever, I was so happy for Monday to come. Except that I couldn't get out bed for anything. I finally got up, and went upstairs to wake Kaelyn up, and she was sleeping so deeply, I couldn't bear to wake her. I let her and Kate both sleep in. I took them to school and daycare around 10 am so they didn't miss much. It was such a crazy week for all of us, it will take time to catch up.

The recital is over and everything went well. I have tons of pictures to share and will make everyone watch the DVD version when I get it. Highlights of the week included helping back stage for the dress rehersal. Imagine 25-30 little girls (they moved too fast to count!) and six mom's in a very small room for almost four hours. Not so much fun. Someone told the girls that there were bats in the theater so every time we went to go on stage, all the little ballerinas covered their heads and ran. I watched the performance from the audience on Saturday night. It was amazing how it all came together to create a show. I didn't have much hope on Tuesday. Kaelyn lost her tooth backstage Saturday night trying to open her water bottle. That was exciting. We took Kate on Sunday, and she didn't really appreciate the arts and wanted to spend the time going to the potty over and over again. I walked around with her and let Mom and Dad and Kevin watch the show. Afterwards, we went for a celebratory dinner at McDonalds. It was an experience, that's all I can say about that!