We took an overnight road trip this week to Portsmouth, VA.YES, another one.
That’s because Grenville learned that one of the summer tour stops for our favorite NPR radio program, A Prairie Home Companion® (APHC) would be at the outdoor Ntelos Wireless Pavilion there on August 17. He suggested we plan an early anniversary celebration. As readers of this blog may know, we need no excuse for a road trip, even if only anovernight one.
Getting there was an adventure driving on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-tunnel, which connects the VA Eastern Shore with the Virginia mainland at Virginia Beach near Norfolk.
Anyone who visits The Frog & PenguINN on a Saturday evening, will find us listening to APHC featuring Garrison Keillor
with music from The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band, sound-effects by Fred Newman, the exploits of private eye Guy Noir, trail stories of cowboys Dusty and Lefty, and guest performances. And, of course, the latest news from Lake Wobegon where “all the women are strong, the men are good looking and the children are above average.”Accustomed to not being able to bring a camera into a concert venue, I left mine behind, only to find out that Keillor apparently doesn’t mind fans taking photos. Several times, he went off stage and performed walking through the audience oblivious to photo-takers using cell phones and digital cameras.
All the radio show characters were not included in this performances, which featured several funny monologues by Keillor accompanied by Newman’s sound effects. We heard some wonderful duets between Keillor and talented vocalist Heather Masse. Updates from the tour, including a video from the Portsmouth show can be viewed online at APHC’s Summer Love Tour Notes.
Intermission was an audience stretch and sing-along, something we’ve never seen at other performances where everyone dashes to the concession stands. Sure, some did that, but most stood and joined Keillor and Ms. Masse to sing along to selections that included, “Dream, Dream, Dream, She Was Just 17, Home, Home on the Range, America the Beautiful.
Since the 68-year old Keillor plans to retire from APHC (eventually), we’re hoping to get in another show, possibly at the 101-year old Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota, home base for the show. Of course, we might have more time since Keillor left the show once before in 1987, only to return to the airwaves two years later.
12 comments:
How very cool! We had tickets to one of his shows in Cincinnati, but he got sick and had to cancel. We weren't in town when he finally got here.
We've been listening to Keillor for years and years. I think the story that made me laugh so hard I couldn't breathe was the one about throwing the tomato at his sister's butt.
We really liked the guy until he got political. Then our admiration cooled. Oh, well, such is life. He's so very funny when he is just being funny. Why do entertainers have to get political!
That's a fun post!
Sounds like a wonderful excuses for a roadtrip! You must remember to always take your camera, even if you don't think you can use it. The best photo ops always come up when you don't have a camera handy. Even so, you had a lot of fun, and you have the memories, and that's what's important.
That is exactly the sort of thing I would love to do. However, I am not married to a wanderer and I have to accept that. I'll just come here and read about your travels and adventures!
Hugs,
Mona
Hope your not neglecting the garden. :-)
Now that is a trip I would not pass up! I adore APHC and Garrison, I had many of his books but passed them on to family. WE still get the old reruns every Saturday night here on TV radio. I cook dinner listening...
What a fun trip that must have been. Sounds like a wonderful concert/performance by Keillor. How cool that there was a singalong too!
That would have been fun to attend. I have always liked him and enjoyed the reruns in the past that they showed on public television.
I guess the guy is a legend down there. We are sort of familiar with him and Lake Woebegone etc.
Isn't it funny how GK transcends many age groups? My mid twenties son has been to see him twice!
Fun post!
Hi Everyone, thanks for sharing your comments about A Prarie Home Companion, NPR, or Garrison Keillor.
Lois, maybe you will get another chance to see a show.
Elaine, I had the camera - almost, but left it in the car. I may get a smaller one and can then have it on a belt clip and out of sight of gate checkers.
Tammy, we enjoy Sat night dinners listening to APHC!
Daisy & Larry, much fun especially the sing-along during intermission.
Thanks BOTH Monas (Montana & CA).
AC, you could try a listen online at the website.
Hi Grace, there was a wide age range at the concert too.
Bet I've driven past those signs in the first frame hundreds of times over the years. We lived 2 blocks west of where the CBBT makes landfall in Virginia Beach for over 40 years and I spent many a summer day lying on the beach watching people "going to sea in their cars" as the old ad campaign described it. In fact, I spent many summer days when I was a kid watching crews build that rascal.
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