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The Rrazz Room in San Francisco is evolving in to a popular place to see very intimate shows. Replacing the Plush Room, or as Katey Sagal dubbed it, the "Plushier Plush Room", it is easier to get to by public transportation and seems to quite popular. So popular that for date night, I hauled Frank down to see Oleta Adams a full week before she performed.
Personally, I love to stand at Will Call while the hostess pours over the list of people who may enter and those who are not on the list. The man in front of us plied his way in by giving some story. Did he really pay in cash the week before? Or did they see the octogenarian and decide that he couldn't possibly be lying. Either way, he was in. We were next. And we were not on the list. Luckily I had the reservation printed and the hostess scoured the list one more time ... and then she looked up, rubbed my arm, and said, "Honey, we'll see you next Thursday!"
To be honest, I am not sure how the mistake occurred. We both had it on our Yahoo Calendar and sure enough, the alert showed up a few days later. I could claim stress, but I guess I was just so excited to see Oleta again that the days could not pass quickly enough. Especially since 15 years have now passed since our initial introduction.
Back in 1993, I moved to St. Helena and worked at a couple of restaurants. I was told that I couldn't march with my graduating class if I wanted financial aid in the fall for student teaching and I was just beginning to address the fact that my life was about to take a turn down a different path. Sinead O'Connor's Am I Not Your Girl and Oleta Adam's Circle of One were the soundtracks of my summer. In constant rotation as I drove to work, drove to San Francisco it would happen on many occasions that I would leave my car with Oleta singing Get Here and walk into Tom's apartment with the same song playing.
Prior to our first date with Oleta, a friend asked us to drive up the hill to witness some papers being signed with a notary. It affected our schedule but we were happy to help and modified our date night. We didn't know at the time it would be our last time to see our friend. So walking in the door of the Rrazz room a week later there was a sense to me that I was walking in with not only Frank, but the ghosts of the past as well.
I think I cried a little more easily when I was younger. I look at my list of favorite movies and probably 90% are a favorite because they hit me on an emotional level. Oleta got me twice on our night together. She is a small woman and sat at the piano for the 2+ hours of music. We were seated about 10-15 away from her and once the sound was adjusted for the drums and bass, she transported me to another plain. She seems like a good soul and has smile that can light up the room. When she wasn't singing, she was keeping up on the piano and having a grand time.
I think it is a good thing to witness people doing something they love, not that it makes our lives look a little drab in comparison, but because it is good to keep one's eyes open and see what inspires us and what keeps us engaged in our jobs and lives. I also think it is important to appreciate the people in my life, to look at the one I love and be thankful that during a show like this, I have a hand to hold and someone to share life's experience.
