A morning to catch up at our favorite coffee shop and our first of four shows!
Muddy Mo’s. We occupied a corner near the piano, since that’s where we all feel comfortable, and got down to business! The coffee shop bustles with people coming in and out, and it was fun to observe all the different age groups and dynamics at play throughout the day. At one point I even forgot we had to go get ready for a show because I was having such a nice time recounting our past few days’ stories for all our blog enthusiasts and people watching. But we did have to go eventually.
The sky was open and blue and very — I repeat — VERY warm. The kind of warm you dream about in winter and seek out during snow. The heavy, blanket-like heat that encases you like a smothering lover, laying it’s weighty, dense wetness all across the city, daring people to find respite, challenging anyone to even move. It is suffocating without a breeze, and only less so with one. This was the setting for our Thursday night gig. The one piece of solace I could find in all of it was the fact that these South Dakotans are a hearty folk, ready for hail in the spring and furnace-like temps in the Summer. They approach the weather like an old friend with whom they share many inside jokes, shaking their heads as it approaches, saying things like, “Well, look at her. She’s gonna be feisty tonight.” Or raising their eyes upwards and announcing, “Oh, he’ll settle down and break up over the river. He’s just here to give us a scare right now.” So unfazed. Wearing sweaters even. I literally saw someone sitting in the shade wearing a BLANKET! When the world begins to end and the weather comes straight from Mount Olympus or the book of Revelation, look to the South Dakota people. They will be our saviors.
Anyway, Rudy found a shady patch under a tent that Heather and Nate (again, South Dakotans…prepared for ANYTHING) had brought for us and them to sit under, and for us to set up merch. Here he is, the picture of what every single human there would have rather been doing.😂
The opening act was a loved local named Monte Gulick. He kicked off the night with a sweet mix of classic, mellow acoustic rock. At one point he launched into Neil Young’s, Harvest Moon, and my sweetie insisted we dance. I typically would never turn down an opportunity to be in the arms of my Jared, but I felt a little exposed since no one else was dancing. He said, “Who cares! We’ll get them to dance!” Well, we didn’t. But after a few seconds, the eyes of three hundred South Dakotans blurred in the distance, and all I saw was J. The local radio station, the DAM FM Rock, was there and captured this sweet photo of us.
One of our “Super Fans”, Greg Enright, grabbed this awesome family shot of us in the middle of “Fallin”!!!
Getting “Dressed Up” for the fans!
“Love”
My little lamb, exhausted from the heat, but still a happy heart and as sweet as a peach!
All the “Super Fans” were out! This is our buddy, Nate, absolutely CRUSHING the new CS trucker hat! (And that smashburger too!) Note: if we don’t have the style T-shirt you like, just do like Nate and customize that bad boy! Looking good, my man!!!!
Greg and Tiff!
Heather and Rudy getting inspiration for the a song, “Slushie Tongues”!
Nate (keeping it classy), Heather, some Fredeens, and Veronica!
Sound guy, Brian Adams (the one and only, he says)
After the gig and the outpouring of fan love and fun, we were starving and ready to jump into jammies and chill. Heather had placed a beautiful veggie and fruit tray in the trailer fridge. What a hostess!!! We enjoyed every delicious, crunchy, cold, veggie…but none of the grapes, because…
Rudy took them all.
And that brings show one to a close! Three more to go. Thank you, Yankton. Maybe tomorrow the weather will be nicer to us.
