From Bad Pants to the Jennys.

Confusing title hey? Its a brief synopsis of my day yesterday. I had found out on Monday morning that the Wailin' Jennys were playing in Edmonton...on Tuesday night! No notice whatsoever, but somehow, I actually managed to arrange the childcare, and it all came together. Rob has guitar lessons on Tuesday nights, so I had to find someone to watch the kids so I could leave during that time. The three people that I know that remotely enjoy the Jennys (one of them being my husband) were all busy. Tuesday nights are bad nights for such things apparently.

So Tuesday morning rolled around and although I did have the childcare arranged, I had no one to go with. I was still toying with the idea of going. After numerous people told me how I should definitely go solo,* I finally just did it, and went ahead and bought the ticket!
(*Although I do have to point out that most of the people who told me to go, have personally never attended a concert alone - they just thought it would be a good idea for me to do it!).

So I did this very last minute on Tuesday morning. I was printing off my ticket confirmation a few minutes before we had to leave for preschool. I had already dressed for a morning of walking with Gabe while Abbi was in preschool. So I was wearing the pants that my husband told me I should never leave the house in (I'm so thankful for an honest husband. Although perhaps a little too honest after that whole antiperspirant saga). Of course I would have worn them in front of the preschool crowd, but that's different! So out the door we zoomed, me in the bad pants, with the ticket confirmation in hand.

On my way to preschool I realized that I should go to pick up the tickets during this 2 hour time slot allotted to me. Now all you Edmontonians can tell me how there is a Ticketmaster outlet across the street from my house, but the "closest" one I could find after a quick look on their website was at the U of A Student's Union building. So after dropping Abbi off, I was on a mission. No address, just a general idea of where the monstrous university is!

After 30 minutes of searching, I finally found it. I was being re-directed by well-intentioned students who seemed to be a bit confused themselves. I parked in a $2 per 30 minute parkade (this is precisely how the University makes its money. Highway robbery!). I got out of the parkade, and it was at this point that I realized just how hideous my pants were. Don't get me wrong. They aren't all entirely bad, but these were my, "I've just had a baby (Gabe), just let me be comfortable" pants with a ingenious drawstring waist. They used to be black, and now they're, well, brown. I'm sure there are a few grease stains. They've definitely shrunk up after a few too many tumbles in the dryer. I was most definitely not wearing the appropriate underwear (eg. bad panty lines). It was just all bad.

So I felt not only like an outcast walking through the hip and trendy Student's Union Building because of my stroller...but also because of my terrible pants.
"That poor single mother, can't even afford decent pants."

So fast forward to that evening. I'm gussied up (no bad pants in sight!). The kids are ready to go to the babysitters. The house is immaculate (minus the kitchen, there is only so much a woman can do!). Off we go. I get to the church 30 minutes after the doors have opened. I find parking nearby in the most excellent underground lot under Telus Plaza. Seriously, that curvy driveway down into the parkade may have been the most fun I'd had all day! And for $3? I think I'll have to go do it again just for kicks!

During the Breakforth conference in January, I went and saw Robin Mark in this very same church, so I knew what to expect when I went inside. I found a seat off to the side, 2 rows from the front. An excellent seat considering most of the people had already been there for 30 minutes before. Much easier to find a seat for one person.

The view from my first seat. Not bad. But that speaker was bound to be trouble.

The incredible organ behind the stage.
A view from the back of the church.

Once the Jennys came out, a few people seated beside me scooted into the handicapped aisle that had not been filled. I will admit I just went with the crowd, but yeah, I now had an excellent seat. Minus the few heads in the way.

Some concert shots. I wish I would have taken more, but it just didn't seem like the place. And yes, that is a boy (not what you would expect in a band called The Wailin' Jennys). Jeremy Penner, an incredible violinist and banjo player. They used to call him their "Boy Jenny," but he became a father in the last year, so now he's the "Man Jenny."
The second set. Very mellow. Just the girls, often singing acapella. INCREDIBLE!
At the end of the concert, after the shortest encore wait time I've ever seen (like maybe they were off stage for 45 seconds), they ended the show by coming around to the front of the stage and singing the Irish Blessing to the crowd. The Parting Glass.
*Note the fantastic shoes. I was especially taken with the red ones.
The final cheer. I do enjoy how pleased they look with themselves.
Left to Right: Niki Mehta, Ruth Moody, & Heather Masse
They had the most impressive assortment of instruments on the stage. It was fascinating to wait and see after each song which instrument they would pick up next. They are all so multi-talented. I was quite impressed with Niki who in one song did some singing, played some harmonica, all while playing the snare drum. In another, Ruth not only sang and played guitar, but also was tapping the tambourine with her foot.

A few of the instruments...
After the concert they came out and had a signing table, so I figured, why not? So after about 5 minutes in line I got to meet them. I told them how I keep telling Rob that I want to be the 4th Jenny. I said I can play the spoons (which perhaps is a bit of a lie, but I could learn). They said they always have room for the spoons. Sigh, I was nearly famous, if only for a moment.

So all in all, a fabulous day. Minus that whole bad pants thing. I figure it was the essence of the saying, "Do one thing each day that scares you." While I wouldn't recommend wearing bad pants, I would recommend getting out of your comfort zone and doing something that you wouldn't normally do. Eg. In this case, going to a concert alone. I so enjoyed it. Of course I would have enjoyed it even more with company, but regardless, their music is incredible, and it was an experience I won't soon be forgetting.

And finally, the best part? It turns out CBC Radio 2 recorded the performance and will be sharing it with the rest of the world in the coming months (likely in the fall when the Jennys have a new CD coming out). So I'm thrilled that I can somewhat share my experience with Rob (who I know would have really enjoyed the show), and whomever else loves these gals!