Menage à Trois Bingo

I just went downtown and picked Tammie up from work, and we went together to City Hall...and now we have a MARRIAGE LICENSE! Sometime in the next 30 days, we're going to get Rosa and Sean to come to dinner with the three of us, and Chris will marry us (he's ordained with the Universal Life Church) while the other two are witnesses.

We're not making a big public deal because we don't want Tammie's and my changed legal status to make our relationship with Chris seem less important, so I'm not making announcements on Facebook or whatever, but I had to say it somewhere. The three of us are still planning a ceremony of some sort for all of us, but it will be a while before that happens. Big parties are 'spensive.

Last fall, I started seeing them around town. Posters advertising a Billy Joel appearance in St. Louis. I was desolate, because I didn't think we had the money to buy tickets. You don't want to know what they cost. *cough* $85 each *cough*. But my loves came through. We got tickets as an anniversary present.

Ever since, I've been anticipating the concert. And paranoid that we'd forget about it until we'd missed the date. (We're not so much for the scheduling, to say the least.) Or that we'd lose the tickets. (ohari anticipated that possible problem and bought electronic ones. Print 'em whenever you want.)

It was Wednesday night. We did not miss it. (Buttercup does not get eaten by the eels at this time.)

Our seats were about halfway up the first level, and a couple sections back from the stage. When we arrived, about an hour early, and settled into our seats with our snackage and T-shirts, the stage was utterly devoid of any piano. We spent some time trying to figure out where the Piano Man was hiding his instrument, and how it would be brought out. Eventual consensus was that it must be under the stage.

And so it was. Only a few minutes late (does any concert ever start on time), a large square opened in the surface of the stage and a piano was elevated out--facing the other direction--and Billy Joel's flying fingers started into the intro of "Angry Young Man".

Many of the songs in the early part of the show were almost as old as I am. "This is on my album Cold Spring Harbor that came out in 1971. I played it when I opened for Harry Chapin at the Kiel Opera House." Everybody Loves You Now. The Entertainer.

Between songs, he chatted to the audience, commenting to the various sections on the relative shittiness of their seats. But as it turned out, the piano was on a turntable, and everyone got to see his face for at least a few songs.

Only song I didn't recognize: "Zanzibar".
Most audience participation: "Piano Man" (natch), on the last encore
Played by audience acclamation: "Captain Jack" (from a choice of "Summer, Highland Falls", "Vienna", and "Captain Jack")
Silliest moment: "We have our very own American Idol moment for you. He's been on my road crew for 25 years, and now he's going to sing for you. If he sucks, just boo him off the stage. He'll be doing a religious song, a sacred song...Give a hand for CHAINSAW!"...who proceeded to sing "Highway to Hell" with lead guitar by Billy Joel
Most virtuoso moment: "In honor of another St. Louis native, Scott Joplin, I'd like to play the little-known "Root Beer Rag"
Number of St. Louis Cardinal hats thrown on stage by the audience, worn for a song by Billy Joel, and tossed back to the audience: 2


( Discography )

Really big fan. Yes. *nodnod*