Old Blind Dogs

Imagine getting to spend four or five hours up-close-and-personal with one of your idols...say, your most favorite band? That is what happened to me on Thursday! For real!

I'll back up a couple of weeks, when we found out my favorite Celtic band the Old Blind Dogs were coming to Oklahoma. Tahlequah is only a couple of hours away so we decided if the weather cooperated we would take a ride over on the motorcycle, get a hotel and see the Dogs play! A side note: Jessie was not pleased. The Dogs are her favorite as well and they were playing in a bar and she is only 20. I have heard several rants about our-screwed-up-drinking-age-limits-in-the-USA over the past few days...sigh, poor kid. It really isn't fair.

The weather was gorgeous. We both got off work early on Thursday morning and headed out about 1pm. We planned a stop in Kilkenny's pub in Tulsa for lunch. I had apple cider, Rick, a beer and we both had fish and chips. It was our first time to eat here and we both enjoyed it very much. There are quite a few antique shops in the area so I'm thinking we need to go back soon! A wash up and we were back on the road to Tahlequah.

Got into Tahlequah around 4:30 and decided to find the bar before getting a hotel. We wanted to be fairly close since it was going to be a late night. Granny's Attic was on a lightly busy street and had just opened up for the evening. (Another site here.) We were welcomed by Matt who served us a beer and said Sam, the owner, would be in shortly. When Sam arrived we soon found ourselves with a new best friend. Before we knew it, he was on the phone with a hotel getting us a Jacuzzi room at a discounted rate; right up near the front so we could keep an eye on our bike! We learned the Dogs were friends of his and he was excited to know we were fans and had come all the way from Stillwater! After we finished our beer we left, checked into our hotel, had a quick nap and shower. The only thing to mar the day so far was that Rick and I both were getting ill with the dratted first cold of the season. After a refreshing shower we headed to a Chili's we saw down the road.

We arrived at Granny's Attic that night to find the Dogs smoking cigarettes out front. OMG! My jaw dropped! Those of you who know me know I am most painfully shy. I stepped thru past them (blushing) and couldn't stand it...I turned around and grinned and said "Hi Jonny, we came all the way from Stillwater to see you play." Of course, being from Scotland, they have no idea where Stillwater is. Rick told them how far and them being boys had to ask about the motorcycle. I showed them my ipod with all 11 of their albums on. After a bit of chat (Oh heavens, their accents are divine!) Rick and I went inside for a drink...another beer. We drifted upstairs and found a table right next to where the Dogs were going to play. OMG!

Sniffling, remember ~ we both have colds, we chat and watch the various band members ~ mostly Jonny and Aaron, setting up for their set. Fraser and Ali (the new piper) were busy with chatting up the college girls according to Jonny. Next thing Aaron plunks his beer down and sets next to me! More chatting, Aaron tells us of adventures flying back and forth from Scotland over 16 years. He takes another look at my ipod and tells me the album I have called "Live" is not recognised by the band; they never authorized it's creation or release! Then here comes Jonny and squeezes in between Aaron and I with his beer. Up jumps Jonny, grabs a pen and paper and we are helping him remember the words to Hollis Brown. OMG! We forgot one line and could never think of it, but Jonny figured everyone could get the jist of the song without it. The Dogs tell us they are friends with Sam the pubs owner and they were there because they had two days between venues and called Sam up with an offer.

The waitress comes with more beer and Aaron insists on paying. OH MY GOD! THE DOGS JUST BOUGHT US A BEER! I am literally in heaven. It gets closer to the time for them to play and all four are in and out and back and fourth. I have been instructed by Jessie to film as much of the performance as possible on her flip video. It is more like a jam session than a concert. Very informal and loads of fun. I get most of the important stuff on video for Jess. I completely forget to take pictures; and only get a few. We sing along and clap and scream. Jonny sings Hollis Brown; remembers the verse we couldn't think of and turns to me in the middle of it, points at me and says "That's the verse we forgot!" I'm ginning like a bloomin' idiot!

During intermission Aaron makes me come look at t-shirts. He says I have to take one home for Jessie since she couldn't come. OMG! I pick one out and know Jess will be thrilled with it. (She hasn't let me wash it as yet...) All four of the Dogs at some point sit with us during their break. Aaron gave me the shirt, Jonny tries to buy us more booze, and Fraser and Ali come and chat motorcycles. Fraser has his license but hasn't bought one yet. He can't afford the one he wants and nothing else will do. All the Dogs curse and drink like Scotsmen. Odd eh? I'd say they were quite smashing drunk by the end of the set but everyone knows Scotsmen don't get drunk. I am over the moon. It has been an enchanting evening! Rick and I were very careful not to drink too much as we were too far to walk back to the hotel!

The Dogs disappeared quickly after their performance. I know they had to be up early the next day as they only had a short time to get to their next venue. I am so pleased to find my hero's are down to Earth, real and Scottish to the core.

On Friday, we pack up the bike fairly early and hit the road. We take a different route back than we came in. We have a stop in Cushing to eat at Rodolfo's ~ Mexican is my all time favorite food. Then it was home to loads and loads of laundry, bills to pay and a carpet of dog hair to vacuum up. Jessie is still inconsolable at missing seeing them. She is in luck though; they told me they would be back again soon....

Thank you for staying and listening to me babble for such a long time. I think my brain is rather addled by all this excitement. I've spent the last two days recovering my wits and trying to shake this darn cold. Thanks to all who've read this far...you are huggable.