I will tell you a little secret about myself. I’m a Michael Bolton fan. It’s been several years since I last had a chance to see him in concert, so when a friend called me last fall to let me know he was going to be in Jacksonville this past Friday, I was more than a little excited. The day tickets went on sale I was texting another friend to see if he wanted attend the show with me. He never got back to me, so when I went online and found one seat on the front row, I admit, I ditched my friend. If he really wanted to go, we could find him his own seat somewhere else in the theater.
I’ve had the ticket for close to six months and yet it still seems like just a few days ago I was ordering it. The show was at the Florida Theater, a venue I never had a chance to visit during my college years in Jacksonville, but had always wanted to. The theater itself is gorgeous. I arrived just as the doors were opening and had time to enjoy the architecture, feeling like I was in one of the grand old theaters on Broadway.
The show was phenomenal, of course. I was sad that I didn’t have a real camera with me, only my iPhone, which never seems to take great pictures when I really want it to. The lady next to me was on her own as well and we chatted about the theater and other shows she’d seen there. Afterward, I got up the nerve to ask her if she would email me a couple of photos. She had a nice camera and had gotten some excellent photos. She took my email address and I really hope she sends me even just one picture. It seems a shame to have been so close and not have a photo to prove it.
I’m amazed at how much social media has changed the rules at concerts. Another show I went to before Christmas was not only encouraging photo taking, but provided a hashtag to share the photos so the radio station sponsoring the show could do a photo round up. I will certainly be better prepared for my next concert.
Since I was in Jacksonville anyway, I decided to make a weekend of it, staying at a friend’s condo right on the beach. Something about being able to open up the patio doors and hear the ocean makes me feel free of all the entanglements of life. I was able to whiz through ten chapters of edits on Jessie and read a good portion of my mindless chick-lit book. I feel more energized and ideas about how to promote this next book are starting to take shape. A good concert, a great view, and I’m feeling refreshed and ready to take on the riggers of publishing again. Be sure to check back soon for a sneak peek at the first chapters of Jessie.
