Paradise in the middle of nowhere.
October 30, 1995, I was celebrating my 27th birthday with my Mom at Best Buy. Seeing as how I've bought anything I really wanted when the mood strikes me for a few years, it seemed like the perfect gift... for me to wander and find something which strikes me, then head for the register. I was looking at a series of CD's when I turned and saw Christine Lavin's most recent title, "Please Don't Make Me Too Happy", sitting on the shelves. The name seemed familiar... then it hit me. She was the one who sang a song called "Sensitive New-Age Guys" which I heard through a friend. The song was cute and poked fun at the stereotypes associated with the new-age movement in a healthy and lighthearted manor, so I decided to give it a try. Now "Guys" was not on this album, but I decided that if she was able to strike gold once, perhaps she was able to unearth a nugget or two again. Little did I know that she was a gold miner's dream. I started playing the CD, and by the time we got to the red light on the corner, we were both in tears. We pulled into the Kroger parking lot and sat through the rest of the CD. It was magic...
Christine had a talent to bring out emotions, touch hearts, and bring a smile, all with nothing more than a pen, a guitar, and a soft angelic voice which bubbled with personality. That weekend I bought every CD in her catalog that I could find from Best Buy, and ordered the ones I couldn't from Rounder Records. I have never regretted the purchases.
In 1995, I brought my mom to Christine, and in 1997, Mom brought Christine to me... almost. For my 29th birthday, we were supposed to attend a concert at the Main Street Theatre in Mansfield Texas. Unfortunately, Christine had to cancel at the last minute due to illness.
Then came February 11, 1998. The concert was rescheduled for this date, and we were determined to be there. It was around 5:30 when we arrived in Mansfield and though we expected to find people lined up around the block to buy the last remaining ticket, we were pleasantly surprised they weren't. It was still early.
Main Street was almost dead. The cars passed by in trickles of traffic as opposed to floods, and the shops, from True Value Hardware to the Bridal store were closed. Only three shops remained open: The barber shop, the spanish oriented video store, and a pawn shop. We pulled around behind the theater to find a parking space, but there were no marked spaces. What we did notice, though, was that there was a two hour parking limit on Main Street and the Back Stage Cafe next door was opening in an hour, so we parked behind a small subcompact car with Missouri plates and walked over to the Pawn Shop.
The owner was a pleasant man, but seemed distracted by the television playing in the corner of the room. As we were looking at his wares trying to decide if we wanted to make any purchases, he broke his trance and started talking to us. It seems he was interviewed by reporters earlier that day because of the Diane Zamora trial. It all happened there in Mansfield, and never realized the secrets of the little town we were in until he reminded us.
We walked back towards the van and noticed the Cafe was open. It was about a half hour earlier than the sign mentioned it would be, but we wandered in and purchased an all you can eat buffet and two drinks.
As we were getting our food, we noticed a lady dressed fairly nicely talking to a younger gentleman and we couldn't help but notice that she looked vaguely like Christine. Having only seen her in still photos, it was difficult to tell, but neither of us asked. If it wasn't it would have been embarrassing, and if it was, we would be interrupting a personal moment. Whatever was going on, she was in conversation, and to interrupt either way would have been plain rude. We just had fun in conversation.
One of the owners of the Theater came over and we discussed the history of the theater as well as the design of the cafe, the pictures on the walls, basically anything we could, and found out that the Main Street Theaterwas more than a cultural mecca, it was struggling to survive. The theater was blessed, however with a wonderful staff of volunteers who worked for tips alone, and that despite the hardships of the theater, they weren't giving up. I admired his spirit. Some people would give up a dream, but he was willing to see it through.
Mom and I continued to speculate as to whether Christine was sitting behind us or not... but neither of us approached her. When I think of opportunities I've missed, it reminds me that some of Christine's songs also reflect opportunities missed. Songs like "The Moment Slipped Away" (a self-explanitory title) or "Somebody's Baby" which tells of how no matter how insignificant a person you see in passing may be to your life, they are important to someone, and we may never know how important they truly are, or "Jane" which tells the story of a friendship which was supposed to last forever, but oh how time can change two people's lives... and what questions did we leave unanswered because we were afraid to ask? Another example, "The Scent Of Your Cologne", which touches on memories and how we would have lived things differently if we only had the chance to do it again. It was Christine in the car, and in the Cafe... and we didn't ask. Looking back though, I'm glad she felt comfortable enough to be so near without fear we would corner her like a zebra surrounded by lions. Respect, friends, is truly a two way street.
Showtime was approaching, and we left our seats and went to the theater. It was a very intimate setting, with only 150 seats. We were about seven rows out from the stage, but the seats were cramped. We stood to stretch out, and walked to the back of the room where we saw a set of folding chairs. We asked if we could use them and took our seats at the back of the audience. Even at the very back of the room we could see every detail. There were no bad seats. None. Christine was on stage, painting fingernails. Yes, all the rumors are true... Despite being a celebrity, she is more personable than she has to be. That's what makes her a class act above and beyond just being an entertainer.
The Christine Lavin Concert Experience - Feb. 11, 1998
Before the show - The Show - Intermission and Afterwards
Check out the Christine Lavin Homepage at http://www.christinelavin.com.
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