The kids are in daycamp. The "Harmony" soundtrack is blaring on the family desktop. My roots need a serious touchup. Tickets are safely in the purse.
It's Duluth, not Atlanta. All the little towns in the metro area aren't just being picky for its own sake. They all have their identity and they take great pride in it, long before Atlanta proper became a mega city.
I went back and looked at my earliest posts. I had a lot going on in my head at that time. Grief, from losing the baby. Fear of voicing fears, in case that made them come true and get worse. Relief that life went on and got better. Comfort that some things never change, good and bad.
Barry's music and this blog helped me work through some tough raw feelings and some old baggage.
There's always baggage. There are struggles now, with kids, work, community, and politics. But it's not so overwhelming. Manilow Magic is a safe retreat to recuperate and feel the range of emotions required to both heal and celebrate. There's a stronger foundation to deal with them now and different ways of coping.
Sorry, guy, I'm not taking this as the "final" appearance. There was another "final" tour not too long ago and don't forget how Harmony took root in this area. (I still can't believe I got to savor that play right in my own back yard and even had a change to tell Bruce how much I've enjoyed his creations over the decades.) Barry's shows will always rank among the classics because there's always at least one song where the band starts up, Barry just points the microphone at the audience, and lets them take it. "Can't Smile" is up there with "Piano Man" and "Hungry Heart" in that regard.
It's become easy to enjoy the great moments for what they are and not mourn them when they're over but celebrate that we had them at all. I had a ton of thoughts over my "ideal" wishlist of songs that I hope to hear tonight, knowing good and well that the time limits and Gwinnett would never allow for it. Instead I'm looking forward to the surprise.
Break a leg tonight, gang. I'm always rooting for you.
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