Well, that was fun.
I was fortunate to attend three great events over the weekend, experiencing a variety of culture it would be hard to match anywhere else.
CLASSICAL MOMENTS: Let’s start the Corkestra event at Norton Commons on Sunday. I had no idea there was such a gorgeous amphitheater there, and since Paula is such a great fan of the Orchestra, she insisted we go. After the initial disappointment of learning that Teddy Abrams wasn’t there, we were thoroughly entertained by Conductor Bob Bernhardt and the talented group on stage.
The Orchestra breezed through a two-hour set under sunny skies, and our $25 general admission tickets got us down on the front row, where we sipped on wine and whiskey samples. Bernhardt introduced classic pieces (none written before 1978) with some humorous observations, starting with Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story. It’s not like I knew many of the pieces, but Paula did. My favorites were “The Entertainer” which I remembered from the movie “The Sting” and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s powerful tunes from Phantom of the Opera.
HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH: It was difficult to fathom actually losing to Houston at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on Saturday. But the tailgating was great, and our seats in the UPS Flight Deck, at the 45-yard line, afforded a great view. Bobby Petrino knows a lot more than anyone in Section 6, but it was obvious to all of us that the problem with this batch of Cardinals may be … that they’re not that good.
It looked like somebody forgot to tell the Cougars how good rookie QB Lamar Jackson is, because unlike last week’s game against Auburn, he was neither accurate nor explosive. Kyle Bolin came in and almost saved the day, but the Cards’ vaunted defense failed miserably when it tried to hold on to a 4th quarter lead. And suddenly, with 12th-ranked Clemson coming to PJCS Thursday, 0-3 is looking like a real possibility.
TAKING THE LOVE WITH YOU: I introduced a few friends to Paul Thorn on Friday night at the Kentucky Center, and they weren’t disappointed in the big show. Paul opened with an acoustic set, punctuated with some jokes and stories about trailer parks, old girlfriends and being raised by pimps and preachers. We were down front, so when Paul came in to crowd singing “Take My Love with You”, Paula got herself a hug.
