I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to meet some interesting people over the years. My time at Spring Creek Ranch put me in some cool situations with cool people. I would like to say I never got nervous or "star struck" in any way. So much so, that I didn't think I ever could.
That was until I met Eliza Doolittle.
Now, I am sure Jamie, as well as our friend Trisha, would like to spend time focusing on how "star struck" I was over dinner last Saturday at a downtown Brussels pub. It's true. I was in shock. My jaw had dropped. My face was bright red. I couldn't hold my fork. The beer went down much quicker. You get the point.
To put it in another perspective, I purposely asked Jamie if I could write this blog entry as I am sure she would have spent 10 minutes laughing and joking about how "star struck" I was. I can't blame her.
Allow me to explain...
Last Saturday, Jamie and I went to the Museum Night Fever with our friend Trisha. After a couple of museum visits, we all decided to grab a bite to eat. Ten minutes into dinner, I recognized a guy that looked a lot like the guitarist from Eliza Doolittle's band. Ten minutes, 2 seconds into dinner, I recognized a girl that looked a lot like Eliza Doolittle. In 2 second intervals after that, I then saw more guys resembling the rest of the band walking past our table. I have chosen the word "recognized" because it was during this time that I was experiencing shock and failing to accept the fact that it was, in fact, Eliza and her band.
It didn't take long for Jamie to talk me in to saying something to the group. About that time, the guitarist walked past us again and I grabbed him. With a shaky voice, I told him, "I enjoy your music." He spent some time talking to Jamie, Trisha and I and told us to check out their concert the following night at the AB Club. Very cool guy.....
"Trisha. Search Eliza Doolittle tickets now!"
Not long after, Eliza got up and I grabbed her too. I didn't get enough time to rehearse so I went with something totally unique, "I enjoy your music." She too spent some time talking to all of us as we also tried to coach her into finding a waffle stand. Very cool girl....
Soon after, each member of the band walked by and spoke to us and said "Goodbye." They were going elsewhere as the restaurant did not serve waffles.
After waiting a century for the check (very common in Brussels), the guys from the band came back in and stopped by our table. We told them that our Google search yielded "Sold Out" results only. Bummer. The guitarist, Charleston, immediately said no problem and asked for our emails. Five minutes later, he came back by our table and said we were his guest for the following evening.
The next night was great! We found a perfect spot to the right side of the stage. This was Eliza's first "headline tour" as they call it in the music biz. Her opening act was the singer Sherman who is a name to remember. In the spirit of supporting singer/songwriters, check his stuff out. Begin here.
Eliza started off with a very 50's-like song called "Missing." Her entrance was grand and worthy of the "favorite video clip honors" that we got from the show. Bare with me as I hadn't found my balance at the time of filming. I assure you it gets steady after 10 dizzy seconds. Enjoy the video (and break in reading) below....
Untitled from Robert Williams on Vimeo.
She played her entire catalog including Rollerblades, Mr. Medicine, Skinny Genes and the most popular "Pack Up." For those of you who know me, I have spent a great deal of time traveling around enjoying live music. This show definitely made it in my top-ten.
After the show, we happened to run into Eliza's manager who we had also met the night before. He told us that Eliza and the band were coming out to say "Hello." We stuck around and waited for them to sign all the tickets and take pictures with the fans (me included as noted in the evidence below).
Though Eliza retired for the night, the guys were kind enough to include us "senior citizens" in their quest for a late night pub. We went to the Sablon area to socialize with our new friends over a few cold one's. The guys were quite humble and nothing short of entertaining. We spent the evening talking about bands, soccer, the U.S. and the formation of the their band.
As Jamie and I left, we reflected on how odd it was that the very band that we've listened to the most since arriving in Europe was the very group that we now considered "our friends." And the random events that made it all happen are well worthy of a lifetime memory.
We wish the best of luck to Eliza Doolittle and her band and we insist you all visit her website at www.elizadoolittle.com, buy her music at itunes and spread the love with a "likey" at facebook and a tweeter on top!
Pack up,
Robert
That was until I met Eliza Doolittle.
Now, I am sure Jamie, as well as our friend Trisha, would like to spend time focusing on how "star struck" I was over dinner last Saturday at a downtown Brussels pub. It's true. I was in shock. My jaw had dropped. My face was bright red. I couldn't hold my fork. The beer went down much quicker. You get the point.
To put it in another perspective, I purposely asked Jamie if I could write this blog entry as I am sure she would have spent 10 minutes laughing and joking about how "star struck" I was. I can't blame her.
Allow me to explain...
Last Saturday, Jamie and I went to the Museum Night Fever with our friend Trisha. After a couple of museum visits, we all decided to grab a bite to eat. Ten minutes into dinner, I recognized a guy that looked a lot like the guitarist from Eliza Doolittle's band. Ten minutes, 2 seconds into dinner, I recognized a girl that looked a lot like Eliza Doolittle. In 2 second intervals after that, I then saw more guys resembling the rest of the band walking past our table. I have chosen the word "recognized" because it was during this time that I was experiencing shock and failing to accept the fact that it was, in fact, Eliza and her band.
It didn't take long for Jamie to talk me in to saying something to the group. About that time, the guitarist walked past us again and I grabbed him. With a shaky voice, I told him, "I enjoy your music." He spent some time talking to Jamie, Trisha and I and told us to check out their concert the following night at the AB Club. Very cool guy.....
"Trisha. Search Eliza Doolittle tickets now!"
Not long after, Eliza got up and I grabbed her too. I didn't get enough time to rehearse so I went with something totally unique, "I enjoy your music." She too spent some time talking to all of us as we also tried to coach her into finding a waffle stand. Very cool girl....
Soon after, each member of the band walked by and spoke to us and said "Goodbye." They were going elsewhere as the restaurant did not serve waffles.
After waiting a century for the check (very common in Brussels), the guys from the band came back in and stopped by our table. We told them that our Google search yielded "Sold Out" results only. Bummer. The guitarist, Charleston, immediately said no problem and asked for our emails. Five minutes later, he came back by our table and said we were his guest for the following evening.
The next night was great! We found a perfect spot to the right side of the stage. This was Eliza's first "headline tour" as they call it in the music biz. Her opening act was the singer Sherman who is a name to remember. In the spirit of supporting singer/songwriters, check his stuff out. Begin here.
Eliza started off with a very 50's-like song called "Missing." Her entrance was grand and worthy of the "favorite video clip honors" that we got from the show. Bare with me as I hadn't found my balance at the time of filming. I assure you it gets steady after 10 dizzy seconds. Enjoy the video (and break in reading) below....
Untitled from Robert Williams on Vimeo.
She played her entire catalog including Rollerblades, Mr. Medicine, Skinny Genes and the most popular "Pack Up." For those of you who know me, I have spent a great deal of time traveling around enjoying live music. This show definitely made it in my top-ten.
After the show, we happened to run into Eliza's manager who we had also met the night before. He told us that Eliza and the band were coming out to say "Hello." We stuck around and waited for them to sign all the tickets and take pictures with the fans (me included as noted in the evidence below).
Though Eliza retired for the night, the guys were kind enough to include us "senior citizens" in their quest for a late night pub. We went to the Sablon area to socialize with our new friends over a few cold one's. The guys were quite humble and nothing short of entertaining. We spent the evening talking about bands, soccer, the U.S. and the formation of the their band.
As Jamie and I left, we reflected on how odd it was that the very band that we've listened to the most since arriving in Europe was the very group that we now considered "our friends." And the random events that made it all happen are well worthy of a lifetime memory. We wish the best of luck to Eliza Doolittle and her band and we insist you all visit her website at www.elizadoolittle.com, buy her music at itunes and spread the love with a "likey" at facebook and a tweeter on top!
Pack up,
Robert
As I am sure you have heard on the radio, this is Eliza Doolittle's most popular song.... Enjoy!
So very very jealous!What a great story. I would have given a lot of money to see you stammer through telling them you enjoy their music. Classic!
ReplyDeleteSMR
ReplyDeleteI am proud of you for reading that much. When I went back to proof read it, I actually had to take 2 breaks. Wish you could have joined us that evening.
...Very cool American Couple in Brussels! Can we get YOUR autographs?
ReplyDelete