A New Not So Miserable Experience

As you may have heard, last week I won tickets from www.vita.mn to see the Gin Blossoms perform at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis. This was my first time seeing them live, as well as my first time dining at the Dakota Jazz Club. Overall, the experience was incredible. The age of the audience members ranged from gray hair to bleached blonde.  We were located about 5 tables from the stage and enjoyed a great performance. The size of the club provides an intimate setting and the sound of the band playing the acoustic versions of their songs made it feel as if I'd plucked them from a stage and set them in my living room. Frontman Robin Wilson, or "Bif" as he referred to himself, has an amazing voice and is welcome to sing in my living room any time. 

My only complaint, I would have liked them to perform longer (what female doesn't wish this at one time or another?). The show started at 7pm and was done by 8pm. They were performing again at 9:30 but with an hour and half of driving ahead and work the next morning, staying for the second performance was sadly not an option for me. I was elated to hear them play many of their old singles including "Til I Hear it From You" and "Hey Jealousy" but I think my favorite song of the night was "Lost Horizons".  Listening to those songs again reminded me of high school days gone by and the very next day I ordered their New Miserable Experience CD.  So if you see a red Honda Accord driving down the road and hear the song "Found Out About You" blaring through the open windows, there's a good chance it's me behind the wheel.  Oh, by the way, for all you Gin Blossoms fans, the band has a new CD titled No Chocolate Cake coming out Sept 28th and you can pre-order it on Amazon RIGHT NOW.

As for the Dakota Jazz Club, the food was pricey but about what you would expect in downtown Minneapolis.  More importantly, it was gooooood.  I started my three course meal off with Bay Scallop Seviche for the appeteaser (scallops w/ avocado, serrano chile, coriander) this was the first time I'd ever had scallops cold.  My main course was steak and fries, (what can I say, I'm a meat and potatoes gal).  The 10 oz sirloin was tender and delicious.  For dessert, Hubbell (my blog name for my husband) and I enjoyed the Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie, very yummy and highly recommended.  All in all, four thumbs up. 

Singing Hey Jealousy

If there is one thing I have concluded from this experience, it is that I NEED a new camera!!