Concert is more than music

We had a nice weekend in between rain showers. It was the perfect weather to finish the book I was reading. It didn’t end quite the way I thought it would but it was believable. 

We had planned to go to an outdoor bluegrass concert in Muncie on Saturday. It had rained off and on all day and was still sprinkling when we left. There wasn’t any sign of rain once we got a few miles away from home.

This time we knew where we were going and even managed to find a good parking space. We set up our lawn chairs and engaged in my favorite sport of people watching.  

The audience was mostly older people although there were several younger ones who had brought their children. One family brought their dog. The dog was on a leash and appeared to enjoy the show as much as we did. 

The children looked to be mostly preschoolers. Two of the younger ones were definitely sisters.  At one point they discovered the dog. The youngest of the girls tried to straighten out the dog’s curly tail. It didn’t seem to mind having the child mess with it. 

I assume that some of the people were either relatives or neighbors as they seemed familiar with two of the little girls. Once the music started the children danced. Did you know that playing ring around the rosy is the perfect thing to do at an outdoor bluegrass concert? 

At one point two or three adults and at least three or four kids were all dancing in front of the stage. When the song ended one of the band members asked where the dancers were as they had disappeared. He said the next song was a fast one and speculated that maybe the dancers couldn’t handle it. He challenged them to come back and they did. 

At one point the band was just beginning a song when two ambulances and a couple of either city police or sheriff’s cars raced by. The band stopped and waited for the sirens to subside before starting their song over. Best of all they didn’t complain about pausing their music until it could be heard.

Bluegrass is not my preferred type of music. I am not fond of banjos. I don’t care for that nasally quality that some singers have. But, I do like live music. I like to watch the performers as they deal with sirens, dancing girls, and any number of small interruptions. 

This was perhaps the only concert I’ve been to where the sound wasn’t too loud. The instruments didn’t drown out the singer or each other. It was nice to listen to music that didn’t slam into my chest and make me want to flee. This one made me want to stay. 

Toward the end of the show people began packing up and leaving. I am guessing that at least a couple of the children fell asleep as soon as they were buckled into their car seats. The band played a few more songs before they said goodbye. 

All in all it was a good weekend. I’m glad I didn’t back out just because I don’t care for bluegrass. There is so much more going on than just the music and that is the part I enjoy.