Sarah and Zorana

Ken and I don't go to a lot of shows or concerts but we go to some. It feels like a lot of work to get organized, and the money is a thing too, and life being busy, it's all a lot, but when we actually go ahead and do it, it's amazing. We were supposed to see Sarah McLachlan last year on the Fumbling Towards Ecstasy 30th anniversary tour. Sarah had issues with her voice and had to cancel the tour. I think she cancelled a week before our show? I can't remember. I was sad. When tickets went on sale the Peterborough show was now on a Sunday which made me sad, until Ken saw that there was a show on a Friday night at Casino Rama. We decided to go for it. 

The concert was so so lovely. The opening act was named Tiny Habits. They were very enjoyable. Between acts I was able to talk to our seat mates, who happened to be a teacher that I used to work with at Harry Bowes! Luce Robert taught in the French Immersion program and I never taught her class, so we didn't really get to know each other, but we each knew who the other person was, except that I called her Nathalie - her sister's name, oops.

We loved the show. Sarah was sublime. The only not fun part was getting out of the parking lot. EEK! We got home so late. I think it was 2:30 in the morning by the time we got home. We actually watched an episode of Only Murders in the Building siting in the car waiting for the traffic to move. It was worth it though. I can't believe I'd never seen her in concert before. I listened to her music so much in university. So much!

Saturday we were tired but it was a beautiful day. We questioned our judgement a little going to another show but there was nothing to do but accept our fate. This time is was down to Crow's Theatre, to see a show called Octet. It was about a support group that met in a church basement. They all had various addictions to screens and sang about their experiences. The subject matter was relevant, thought provoking, and handled in a really brilliant way. The music was amazing. It was really a magnificent show. I didn't think I would get to see this one, I thought life was just too busy, but I'm so so so glad that we made the effort to go see Zorana in this show. It was so worth it. (And thank you to Alice for doing my cute hair!)

Oh and one word about the set. The set was made up of screens. The floor was a giant screen and the "church" windows were screens. The set was an interactive part of the show, it was done so well. 

The best part of seeing Zorana in a show is getting to see her at the end of the show. Goodness I love my dear friend. The last time I saw her was on Queen Street in the summer when Suzanne and Matthew were visiting. It turns out that she went home to a husband in distress, and it turns out he had a heart attack. It blows my mind that I didn't know about any of it until after the show. Jason is doing well now and and they are doing well, although the scare was really really scary and hard. I'm so grateful that Jason received the care that he needed when he needed it. 

I'm so grateful for the arts. I'm grateful for beautiful music, brilliant plays and the amazing visual aspect that makes the show a show. Spending cut backs in education seem to be looming large and the arts always seems like such an easy target, it's an expensive part of a child's education, but goodness, at what cost? Here's to the arts and all they do to make our lives rich and full and beautiful.

Oh and thankfully tonight was a much earlier night lol!