"If You're Looking for Wonderful..."

Chantal swung through town on Tuesday night as she's opening for Five for Fighting on their tour. I got my tickets a while ago and was really happy when the night finally arrived to offer up some relief from the daily repetition.

It was a nice (though slightly chilly) evening as Mom, Kris, Jessi, and I headed up to the House of Blues. The upstairs wheelchair seating there doesn't allow for much of a view at all, luckily we were able to talk the usher-type guy into putting us right down by the stage. That worked out great, I had a perfect view of the stage.


Chantal sounded fantastic, even though she said her voice is bugging her so close to the end of the tour. Another familiar face joined her on stage: Kevin Fox, who I had the pleasure of meeting back in St Catharines and Windsor. Along with drummer Randy Cooke, they played Time, Spoke in Tongues, Surrounded, Feels Like Home, Wonderful, Ghosts of You, and All I Can Do, though the order may have been a little different. They all seemed to be having a blast, as was I.

Chantal told everyone she'd be signing autographs in the lobby after her set, so we went out when she finished. I got in line with everyone else and couldn't help but crack up when I got to the front and Chantal just looked at me and said "...What are you doing waiting in line?"

We chatted briefly and I headed over to the couches and waited for her signing to be over so I could give her some little early birthday gifts (her actual birthday is today). Before too long, all CDs were signed, all pictures were taken, and she came over and joined us. I gave her the gifts and we chatted for a little while. It was excellent to see her again, she's such a sweetheart and always so kind to my family and me. Eventually, she left to go rest her voice and get ready for a hectic day of traveling the next day. As she left, she stopped, grabbed something off the floor, and set it on my lap. It was a dime, she gave it to me and called it my "lucky dime". Simple and small, but it made me smile.

By the time we got back into the concert hall, Five for Fighting was already a few songs into their set and all the good vantage points were taken. I like the band, but I'm just a casual fan, so we only hung around for a couple songs and took off. It was a relatively short night, but a wonderful one.

The drive home was rainy and crazy due to the aftermath of a several-car accident caused by someone who stole a car. The freeway was closed down in both directions and our detour ended up aiming us back toward Cleveland at one point.

Once we got back on track, we all stopped for a quick bite at Denny's and headed home.