Hopefully this post will get me all caught up. Although some of these things may seem really late and not relevant anymore, you can always mark your calendar for next year or find similar upcoming events. These recaps are mainly to give you an idea of what to expect at downtown happenings - mainly good friends and fun!
First up is the second St Patrick’s celebration, this one on the day itself. I started on Beale Street at Silky’s for the annual raising of the goat and the blessing of the keg. After hanging out on their patio for a bit, we decided to change venues for more St Ps fun in a warmer setting.
The keg is blessed, Brian and I pose in front of the raised goat, then get our picture with Sikly O'Sullivan!
Green shirts green beer, the inside of Silky's was packed with green for St Pats and blue for the Tigers game, hanging on the patio.
The next stop was the Saucer where a lot of other friends were partying as well. Now, I understand that the Irish don’t actually drink green beer, but the refusal of bars to serve it upsets me. So… what else to do… but bring green food coloring with me!
After awhile, the advertised Irish dancers showed up. To our surprise, they were much younger than expected, but put on a great show of traditional folk dancing. The bagpipers began parading around the bar a bit later, delighting the crowd with their kilts and music.
Showing off potato (yes! those are potatoes) beads, traditional Irish dancers put on a show, the bagpipers parade around the bar.
The next stop was Bardog, where we made it just in time for the McSorley sign drawing. All night long, if you bought a McSorley, you got to keep the glass AND receive an entry. No one I knew was the lucky winner, despite the numerous attempts and beers.
The giveaway sign, Aldo draws the winner, more green beer!
The final stop was the much needed late dinner – at Kooky Canuck. Now they did serve green beer – BIG green beers - but at this point, I switched to wine. Their Irish food specials of the night were absolutely delicious, especially the corned beef and cabbage.
Delish Irish food specials and huge green beers.
People came from various St Pat's celebrations to come eat, Chad is sad because I stole his hat, Shawn and Lana pose with fun headgear!
The next weekend continued the excellent recent concert lineup at the FedEx Forum with John Mayer. Arriving a little late, I caught the end of Michael Franti’s opening act. They were excellent. I would definitely go see them again in a smaller venue (in fact, I think they are coming here in the next few months).
Then John Mayer took the stage! He opened with Heartbreak Warfare off the new album, then took us through a mix of new and old songs. He even threw in a cover of Walking in Memphis. It was amazing to see and hear his true guitar skills. He did close with a slow song, which was kind of confusing, but overall put on a great show!
We were in a suite slightly behind the stage but could hear perfectly! I went to the show with my dad!
Last but not least, Stormtroopers invaded the FedEx Forum during last weekend’s Grizzlies game! They were promoting the upcoming Star Wars: In Concert coming up on May 18th. More details here: http://www.fedexforum.com/displayArticle.aspx?id=477.
Nice poop (I mean potato) beads! ;-)
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