Finally!

Last night I was blessed with my first David Wilcox experience, thanks to Ben. And I really mean...blessed.


I had listened to Ben rave about David and how his concerts are nothing like you would ever experience anywhere else. So when Ben heard David was going to be in town he told me far in advance to reserve the date. Ben would play his songs on his mp3 player in the car while we were out driving and we'd sit back and listen to David play and tell stories that intertwined with his songs. I love that kind of story-telling acoustic music. It's relaxing and easy to listen to.


He writes such simple songs with great messages to them. I, who am not prone to tears, got a little misty when he sang about a car. That's right...I cried about a car.

It was about this car's life, but sung from the car's perspective. How it had the chance to be apart of its owners' lives. Their baby was brought home from the hospital in the car, stains from spilled drinks were on the carpet, tears from the kid who spilled the drinks on the seats, grass stains from soccer practices, a long lost Starburst that got smooshed in between the seats leftover from Halloween, pine needles from years of Christmas trees on its roof and so on. Then the song continues to when the kid grew up to be old enough to drive. The car then hopes the owners don't get rid of "the old and weathered" car and allow the kid to drive it. The ending line of the song, the car is wishing the teenager to drive safely and stay alive so that the car can continue to build sweet memories with the family.

I really did get teared up. It reminded me of my beloved International Scout that had been in our family since the beginning of time.

It was a '79 and I believe my parents got it when it was either brand new or very close to it. It was the last year that Scouts were made, so we wanted to hang on to it. That car...beast really...was such a trooper. It had been through everything with our family. Many drives to Sunriver, Mt. Hood in the snow, Christmas tree hunting, drives in the gravel and mud on the gun range with Dad. It had so many things wrong with it throughout the years but it still hung on.

Originally it was Dad's car, then Mom drove it for a long time after Dad got his Ford van, then when Tara was able to drive she drove the Scout for years, then it was my turn. By the time it came around to me I had so much love for this car, I never wanted to see it go. We gave it new seats, new paint job, new tires, new parts...it was my baby. It really became a member of the family. I drove it for about six years before it started to poop out. We could have spent a lot of money to keep it going, but it wasn't realistic. I needed a new car that was more reliable and safe. It killed me to think of giving it away. But it had to be done.

Dad posted the ad on the Internet and within a week probably, a man on the east coast saw it and contacted Dad. That was it. My Scout was gone. But to my surprise a few months after my Scout was taken away...we received an email from the happy new Scout owner. He was giving us an update on our baby. He had put some new parts in it and it was living happily on the east coast. It was bittersweet news. I was glad it was being taken such good care of by a genuine Scout lover, I just wish I could still have it with me so I could romp around freely in it on pretty much any terrain. I love my Ford Escape that I have now...but it's just not the same. Far from it.

So this song David sung about the car loving it's family just hit home with the Scout and I began to miss it and feel bad that we didn't still have it. Kind of silly I guess to those who may not have had a similar experience with a car like that.

Long story short...I LOVED the concert. It was an intimate group of people who all knew David's songs from years ago. It was so laid back. People would randomly shout out requests and he would jump at the opportunity to fulfill. I told Ben at intermission that I feel like I should be in my pj's with a pillow and blanket because it was such a cozy setting. Funny because after intermission that's exactly what David said. He could picture his audience with blankets and pillows and that would be great to him. It was a really great concert, probably my favorite that I've ever gone to. I don't think I remember laughing that much in any other concert. 2 1/2 hour long concert may seem long to some but Ben was right...I wouldn't want it to end.

I'm so glad I finally got to experience a David Wilcox concert. I will probably become the biggest concert critic and snob now. None will be quite like his. :)

I look forward to the next time he is in town for concert. I would love to see him again. Thank you to Ben for introducing his music to me.