I'll Be Back Again

I wanna go, but I hate to leave you

that was one of the songs she sang..the great old Beatles song..she sang to me, she sang to me

I was looking forward to seeing Shawn Colvin at the Lobero so off I went to the 8:00 PM show...first some dinner at the Cafe with some visiting karate masters from the republic of Chad, then to the Lobero...

Friday night and the parking is pretty tight so I parked on Carrillo...so this is the famous Santa Barbara night life on a warm winter's evening...pretty cool...where are the gangsters? where are the drunks?

I hung out on the Lobero sidewalk and a homeless lady came up to me and we chatted for awhile...she likes the old Lobero entrance and so do I...the new improved facade is ok..but there's two little booze booths outside...you can drink but you can't bring it in the theater...

uh Encore Lobero, lose the alcohol vendors..it's a tacky and tasteless distraction

ok so the doors open and the place looks good... but big screens on the walls are advertising banks and wine ...geez is that really necessary? ok the new seats are more comfortable but still if you're six feet tall or over, you can't stretch your legs out...same problem as the old seats!!

then a guy in a business suit comes out on stage and talks some jive and says no cameras....respect the artist and your neighbors, he says...I mutter something under my breath that I can't even repeat here

ok so Shawn Colvin comes out and the show begins...one woman with a guitar..I was fixated on her for two hours...man this chick is good..her voice is flawless and guitar playing superior..she is old school..the real deal...even with a few microphone issues-cutting in and out- the sound system was crystal clear and superb......after a few songs Shawn started talking and telling stories and joking with the full house....

"These Four Walls" she played off her album of the same name...this song is seriously beautiful...I was spellbound..

then after an hour, Shawn says she's got a friend she invited to sing a few songs with her and Jackson Browne walks out on stage with an old guitar....the crowds hoots and hollers....

so there's about fifteen ushers guiding people to their seats and one gal usher wearing some erotic perfume sits next to me..I was looking for an opportunity to take a picture and when Jackson walked on stage, I whipped it out..the usher gal looked at me like I committed a crime....I told her "sorry" and she said well as long as I don't keep doing it...taking pictures that is..I said "don't worry" ...don't worry baby

so Jackson Brown and Shawn did a few songs and Jackson stopped once and "whoops I fucked up the guitar part" and started again...he heaped a bunch of praise on Shawn and said he was a big fan like the rest of us...Shawn said "well it doesn't get any better than this"....

so after two hours, the show ended...thunderous applause brought her back for an encore, and Shawn did three more songs...this gal from Texas, this doting mom to a 15 year old daughter, this crazy gypsy favorite aunt, this fiercely independent musician is a master of this art form...

and it's something we must never, ever lose