By Vicki Scott
My husband Alan and I recently attended a Vince Gill concert. What a night we had at the Montgomery Performing Arts Center! I was expecting an opening act but the evening started with Vince Gill. He walked out on stage playing and singing one song after another. In between one of the songs, Vince explained how this was the first time he has played in front of an audience in three years because of the COVID pandemic and that he wanted to play until he was tired. We had no problem with that!
This was our third time since we have moved back to Dadeville that we’ve attended a concert at the MPAC. The first time we saw Paul Thorn,, and we were able to park close and sit on stage the whole concert. The second concert was Zac Williams, which yielded a higher attendance, and we could not find close parking. We were almost late to this concert and learned an important lesson. For Vince Gill, we arrived early, parked close and found our seats without a hitch.
Everyone was around our age or older with a bedtime of 9 or 10 p.m. Some folks partook in cocktails served, and me being a people watcher, the cocktail drinkers were part of the entertainment. This was especially true with a group of ladies in front of us, which acted like drunk Golden Girls who left Dorothy at home.
One of said Golden Girls seemed to have started on the alcohol earlier in the evening, as she attempted to carry a drink in each hand to her seat. Another Golden Girl tried to help her and got yelled at for her troubles. Two Drink Lady had purchased a Vince Gill T-shirt and had it tied around her waist showing off the name. She hooped and hollered the whole concert. If she was not throwing her hand up rock and roll style, she was trying to stand up and cheer.
While Vince Gill was sharing with the audience his inspirations for some of the songs he wrote, Miss Two Drinks was yelling, “I love Vince Gill!” While Vince Gill talked about a man named John Anderson, she yelled, “I love John Anderson!” Vince Gill mentioned something about a Cadillac, and Two Drink Lady yelled, “I have a Cadillac!” Then she went beck to hooting and hollering.
Miss Two Drinks’ friends seemed like they were having a good time at first but eventually they left her for a long time. Two Drinks Lady did not seem to notice. When they came back, they brought her another drink. The three ladies left together, but later I spotted the two friends without Miss Two Drinks. They were probably staying in the hotel adjoining the concert building.
Vince Gill had to take a bathroom break at about 9 p.m., and I took this time to speak some acquaintances I spotted. They were regulars at the winery I worked before our move to Glencoe, and I had not seen them in over 10 years. I could not remember their names and they did not remember mine, so we laughed and presented our “Glad to see you’s” before returning to our seats. They are the cutest couple, whatever their names are.
When the concert was over a little after 11 p.m., the elevators were overcrowded with people with like-minded agendas. We could not find the stairs, so we decided to walk to our car to the fourth level of the adjoining parking deck. Round and round we roamed on the edge while dodging oncoming traffic. I just hope Miss Two Drinks and her friends were staying at the adjoining hotel.
Vince Gill said in a recent interview that he celebrated his 65th birthday and that he’s been performing for 50 years. That left me with a new perspective. Kenny Rogers was being interviewed as well, and the interviewer asked Kenny if he wanted his new album to be successful. He said that he wanted the album to be significant and wanted to make a difference.
The next concert on our agenda is an Allman Brothers Band salute. We are so excited about all the upcoming events as the threats of COVID are slowly fading away. It’s time to get out and enjoy life again, but in the process, stay safe, y’all!
Vicki Scott can be contacted at lily200383@yahoo.com.