2001-07-27 - 1:45 p.m.

Shawn and Lyle

okay, let me start by saying that i'm a moron. i have this "rain coat" that is made of nylon. when i bought it, it also had a coating of some sort that made it water-proof or at least water-resistant.

last night i discovered that the coating has vanished. the "rain coat" is now water-porous or even water-absorbing. in that state, it doesn't really deserve the moniker of coat anymore. so basically in an extended rain storm, it is just another layer of clothing to hold more cold water next to your skin.

all of this is relevant because it rained buckets at the concert last night. they even shooed Lyle off-stage for awhile because they were afraid that he and the band might be electrocuted. i sat out under the open sky and froze my ass off. it rained and stopped, and rained and stopped, and then rained a hell of a lot. the wind kept coming and coming, and those of us without adequate rain coats froze. it could very easily have been miserable.

except that it wasn't.

it was wonderful.

Lyle and Shawn. Shawn and Lyle.

ye-friggin' gods, the musical talent at Red Rocks last night was nothing short of miraculous. i find myself speechless. it was so damned cool. i really can't even describe it.

Shawn's daughter came out and sang "Doe a deer". an absolutely adorable little girl who couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. the crowd ate it up, and gave her a standing O. she was this pudgy, blond little ham and we all fell in love with her immediately. if i hadn't been freezing, i might have melted.

Lyle came out during Shawn's set and sang with her on "Diamond in the Rough" during which he sounded kind of like Bob Dylan, and wasn't completely in tune. but then they did "The Facts about Jimmy" and that was incredible. That song jumped into my top twenty all-time best concert moments after the second bar.

The second song Lyle did was "Here I Am" and he inserted a new break where he talked at great length about how great it was to work with Shawn, and how long they've known eachother, and how much had happened to her recently and then he ends with "Sometimes people change in ways you don't expect. Sometimes their breasts are bigger." i about died.

Shawn came out during Lyle's set and did two songs (neither of which i recognized). Lyle had 17 folks in his band. Francine was there, and they did "What Do You Do", and CD and i were laughing our asses off and shouting the lines along with them.

Lyle mentioned at one point that his boyhood pastor was in the crowd. he finished his set with four gospel songs in a row. CD and i kept saying he was trying to atone for the breasts comment.

i'm sick and running a fever today, and i may crap out on the camping trip. i'd love to hang with CD more, and CandyBarGuy and RedQueenGirl will be there, and they don't know CD all that well, and i feel somewhat obligated on their account. but eRoommate can't go because of work, and i don't know if i want to drive to Steamboat by myself, and i really do feel like hell. it would probably be best for me to just stay home this weekend and try to get healthier.

besides, i'm a lazy bastard.

tired, so tired now. i wish i were home in bed, and able to sleep.