Thanks Andrea!!!

Well, thanks to Andrea, I found out about the Leon Russell show this past weekend just in time!!!

Ryan actually had a three day weekend, so whenI found out he didn't have to work Friday, I decided it was destiny for us to go see Leon. Ryan NEVER gets a Friday off work. I was supposed to be on call, but got someone to cover for me until Saturday morning.

So, Ryan and I had the pleasure of seeing Leon Russell live this past weekend. It was an awesome show. Leon is looking a little older than his age, but after a life on the road, I guess a little premature aging may be expected. We were laughing with some of the other fans about how Leon already looked old in the seventies when he was touring with Willie Nelson.

We picked up a DVD called "Out of the Deep Freeze" which is made up of footage from Leon's shows that was thought to be lost. However, someone found it just a few years ago in a deep freezer of one of the guys who had helped with the tour years ago. It is crazy to see Leon in 1972 when he was only my age (30) and he looked 60 then. I can't believe he's still touring....and doing a great job at it!!!

Energy is not exactly on his side these days. In fact, after the main part of the show, Leon said, "OK, now this is the part of the show when I would normally leave the stage and you would yell for an encore. If you could all just pretend I left and came back, that would be great, because my feet hurt, I'm old, and if I leave this stage, I leave for good."

I only came to tears once throughout the show. it was exactly when I expected it to happen....when Leon was singing "A Song For You" which is the song he and Ray Charles sang to Willie on his birthday. I still cry when I see it.....I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that there's a line that says something like "when I'm gone, remember when we were alone and I sang this song for you." Oh man, it's hard to see Ray say those words knowing he wasn't around long after that was recorded.

Overall, it was a fantastic evening. I'm very happy to say that I've had the chance to see Leon Russell live. I would love to see him again sometime. We'll just have to see how he does on this tour. there may be another tour in the works if his health holds up for a few more years. He'll definitely be on my must-see list as long as he's around!!!

Thanks again Andrea!!!!!