Oh.My.Goodness.

Last night I had an unbelievably fun night. I took Josh to the Jason Mraz concert in Spokane for his birthday, which is coming up in a few weeks. He is a big fan and I thought it would be something he would always remember from his golden birthday (turning 10 on the 10th). The show was at the Lilac Amphitheater in Riverfront Park. We wanted to get there early to get in line since it was general admission, but didn't get there until 5:00 and the gates opened at 5:30. There was a looong line and I was afraid that we wouldn't get good seats. But once we finally got through, we saw the concert area. The stage is set right by the river and seating is on a hill facing it. I let Josh pick where we sat. He chose a spot on the right side of the stage about a third of the way up the hill. It was a great place to sit and we were both so excited. We still had a while before the show, so we went to the vendor booths and bought noodles and teriyaki chicken for dinner. We sat and ate and watched people and talked. And then at 6:30, Bushwalla took the stage. I had never heard of him until earlier this week when I read about him writing songs with Jason Mraz. He was the host for the night and was so entertaining. Funny and talented. He was actually singing near the entrance when we came in and if I would have known who it was, I would have taken a picture of Josh with him. After a little warm up, he introduced the opening act, G Love and Special Sauce. My sister had told me a little about them, but I had never heard their music. It was great and definitely "dance in your chair" inducing. After about 45 minutes, they left the stage and the crew began transforming the stage for the main event. Josh and I sat and watched with great anticipation. He commented on the bongos and the background. He asked me what time it was. We talked about the lighting and sound crew. He leaned over and hugged me and said, "thank you." He finally asked for his sweatshirt but then said, "Maybe I'm not really cold. Maybe I'm just excited." So was I.

Then the lights changed and Bushwalla came back on stage. The band began to come on stage and Bushwalla said, "Now here's my good friend, Jason Mraz!" As expected, the crowd exploded and everyone all over the hill stood up and began to move. Josh was yelling and clapping. I was watching him more than the stage. I couldn't help but smile. He was loving it! His face was beaming and he was dancing. So was I. So were a few thousand other people all around us. It would have been impossible not to. The music was amazing. The atmosphere was electric. The setting was perfect. We loved every single minute. Josh was most looking forward to "I'm Yours," his favorite song. After just a few notes, he recognized it and turned around and looked at me with a huge smile. He sang along to the whole thing.

I'm not sure who loved it more--Josh or me. I loved the music. I loved Jason. I loved how he got the whole crowd involved and even got me to dance. I loved sitting outside under the stars and fall moon and experiencing it all. I loved sharing it with my almost double digit aged son.

I couldn't help but think, after the show...

Concert tickets...$80

Dinner at the show...$16

Souvenir hat...$20

Sharing my son's first concert with him...Priceless

(I didn't take my camera because the park website said they weren't allowed, but they were. The one of Josh was taken with my phone. I was disappointed but the lady sitting next to us got my email address and said she would send me some of her pictures. She even took a few of Josh for me. I'll share some when they come.)