First of all, I wanted to thank everyone who stopped by on Friday (my birthday) and posted birthday wishes for me. I read every single one and all your posts made my day all the more special! 
I had a great birthday weekend that included two GREAT concerts. The best thing about these concerts (other than spending them with my hubby and daughters) is that they were outdoors. The first one we saw was the 1980′s Austrailian band Crowded House, a an outdoor Amphitheater where you bring your own blankets and chairs and enjoy the concert under the stars. This has become my favorite way to see concerts, especially on a cool summer night with a clear, star-studded sky overhead. Crowded House was awesome live — I loved their Austrailian accents, and the music was fantastic, too!
The second concert we saw was Pink Martini — a Portland, Oregon based band. It’s a twelve member “little orchestra” that crosses genres of all types of music, from classical, to jazz, to old-fashioned pop. This concert was held at the Oregon zoo, again outdoors where you bring your own blankets and chairs and relax and enjoy under the stars. Some people brought picnic dinners, or you could buy all kinds of food there. Since we ate beforehand, we saved room for dessert and had “elephant ears”, a fried dough pastry brushed with butter, then sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. YUM!
So, have you ever been to an outdoor, blanket and chair kind of concert? What did you think? Did you like it, or do you prefer sitting indoors when you’re at a concert?
Janelle Denison finds it hard to believe that it’s been nearly 25 years since she first started writing romance novels. At first, it was a way to pass idle time while her husband worked swing shift, but before long it became an obsession to get published. Luckily, she kept at it (it took her over 5 years to get that first book published!) and is now a Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, and USA Today Bestselling author! Now, after selling over 45 plus novels, she finds that her Plotmonkey pals help to keep her stories fresh and unique, and she can’t imagine writing a story without their input. Janelle lives in Oregon with her husband, Don, along with two teenage daughters that keep life interesting.
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Glad you enjoyed your birthday Janelle :) I do like outdoor concerts. I saw Aerosmith that way years ago, and in Chicago we have a venue calle Ravinia, which hosts outdoor concerts all year long. Carrie Underwood has been there. It’s a lot of fun.
The 2 brothers from Crowded House released a CD a few years back (okay, 5 or more even) that I just love. They are fabulous musicians.
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Crowded House was just as good LIVE. I love when that happens!
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And also meant to say that I’m seeing Carrie Underwood in concert at the end of September. I can’t wait! I’ve been wanting to see her in concert for FOREVER!
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I just wrapped up the summer concert series here at SPAC which is both and indoor ampitheather and outdoor seating. It’s a fantastic place for a concert- the sound and acoustics are amazing. It holds upwards of 25,000 people. I love the shows outside. Bring your own food and only water to drink, no booze, unless it’s the orchestra or ballet but that’s ok. Enough idiots are willing to pay lots of money for a drink while there.
glad you had a great birthday!!!
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I have to agree that the outdoor acoustics are amazing!
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When I lived in Tucson we used to go to outdoor concerts all the time. I’ve been to a few here – Jimmy Buffett and Toby Keith – but they’ve been at a big amphitheater and it’s not really the same as what you’re describing. Like you, I enjoy sitting out under the stars watching. It’s very relaxing to me.
Glad you had a great birthday!!
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I had an awesome birthday weekend — thanks!
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sounds like a great birthday. I prefer the indoor variety of concerts. I have been to many outdoor ones, but as those are typically done in the summer and I live in a humid area, sitting outside sweating while not moving is just not my favorite thing!!
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I don’t think I could sit outdoors if it was humid, either! But the evening weather here is gorgeous! Cool with no himidity. I love it!
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I love going to outdoor concerts. Up until a few years ago almost every concert in Nashville was held at Starwood and I always bought tickets to sit on the hill. You couldn’t bring in your own food or drinks, but it was so much fun to sit on blankets to watch a great show. Unfortunately, Starwood is now closed and all concerts are now in the Bridgestone arena or over at LP field(really only the CMA festival).
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We were able to bring in our own food, which was very cool. Drinks you had to buy there.
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Glad you had a great birthday.
I have only been to one outdoor concert during the day and enjoyed it. I did see a couple of outdoor theater show and really enjoyed them.
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Pat — It’s now my favorite way to see a concert!
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I love going to outdoor concerts. Give me a warm summer night and I’ll go! Glad you enjoyed them.
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I’m so there, too! Most of the outdoor concerts are coming to an end for the summer, but I’ll be doing it again next year, too, definitely!
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Hey Janelle, that sounds like fun. I have never been to an outside concert like the one you described, but I hope to one day. I love the idea of bringing a blanket and or packed meal to sit under the stars and enjoy the music.
Sounds like you had a heck of a birthday weekend. AWESOME!!!
Peace and love,
Paula R.
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If you get the chance to go to an outdoor, under the stars kind of concert, give it a try, Paula. It’s so much fun!
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Hi Janelle,
Your birthday sounds like you had a good time. Good music, family, food what more could a person want!
I’ve been to numerous outdoor concerts which I enjoyed. One of our local radio stations used to have 3 or 4 over the summer that were free they were always packed. Finding a place to hold them was a challenge so they started having just one toward the end of summer but they aren’t doing that at all anymore. The last one I saw was Wayman Tisdale he was really great. Sadly he has since passed away from cancer. He signed CD’s after the concert which gave me a chance to meet him briefly. 
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It’s great you were able to meet him in person before he passed away, Donna.
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I prefer the outside settings but it also depends on the venue.
I saw David Koz a couple years ago in a very initimate setting at Lake Tahoe and it was wonderful. I like the up close and personal settings. Then, Hubby and I went to see Tower of Power two weekends ago at one of the local casinos. The outdoor setting was wonderful and watching the sunset over the Sierras was breathtaking. Now add the drunk we sat in front of my hubby who spilled his beer all over my sandals
or the couple who sat two rows in front of us making out for the whole concert. :*&#!: Hey, get a room!!!
I will diffently think twice before attending another outdoor casino concert.
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Ugh. There’s nothing like rude people to spoil a concert for other people! :*&#!:
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Living in Northern CA, I’ve been to many outdoor concerts; Shoreline Amphitheater is outdoors only.
The cool outdoor events are the Shakespeare in the Park plays I used to attend when I was young and living in New York City. Two of the plays I attended were rained out (as the stage wasn’t covered either). Many stars would act in these plays and many stars would be in the audience, too. Those were the summer days.
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I think I need some elephant ears!! they sound to die for
but I dont much enjoy outside concerts; I get hot too quickly and then there are the bugs
but glad ur b-day was a success!
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The elephant ears were AWESOME. And luckily, there were no bugs at all!
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Sounds like you had a nice birthday. Here in the Chicago area there are plenty of out of door concerts, trouble is that they are usually too crowded for my taste. Some people get rowdy and ruin it for others, so we tend to avoid most gatherings…
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Happy you had a wonderful Birthday. We used to go to outside concerts once per week when I lived in NY. I absolutely loved them(other than the mosquitoes). They had them in our local park during the summer until school started. Some people would bring dinner and eat under the stars while the music played. So far I haven’t found them here in Ft. Worth, TX.
Hope this new Birthday year brings you good things.