the pain is finally over

I have bad luck with concerts. Ask anyone who follows me on Facebook. My status updates are constantly "this show got canceled" or "that show got canceled."

This pattern has been especially painful and annoying in relationship to my favorite artist, Brandi Carlile. If you are not familiar with her work, look it up. UH-MAZ-ING. But my luck in seeing her in concert this summer: not so amazing.

Let me just give you a little time line of my pain and suffering:

July 2010: Brandi plays at the Red Butte summer concert series. Joe and I had been at a wedding in South Dakota. We planned to drive home in time, but we got delayed an extra day due to bad weather.

August 2010: Brandi is scheduled to play at Lilith Fair in Houston. I book a flight and make plans to stay with my good friend, Stephany. Two days after I book my flight, Lilith Fair is canceled due to "poor ticket sales". (Steph and I still had a great time!)

September 2010: I NEED to see Brandi so I track her down in Vegas and book a 4-night trip. Then I realize she's not the headliner -- she's opening for Sheryl Crow. Gag me. I really don't want to pay $75 to hear 5 Brandi songs and 40 Sheryl songs. While I'm trying to decide whether or not to buy the tickets, Brandi announces an acoustic show in Salt Lake only three days after the Vegas show. So excited! It's the solution to my dilemma -- skip Sheryl Crow, enjoy Vegas, and come home a few hours early so I can make it to the Brandi show here! Perfect!

If only it worked out that way.....

So I'm in Vegas. Sheryl Crow postpones her show. Brandi and her band have nothing to do for three days. So what do they do? They head to Salt Lake three days early and put on an impromptu show on Sunday night! WHILE I'M STUCK IN VEGAS. I was nearly in tears when I saw the announcement on FaceBook. It was the epitome of irony.

It gets better.

During that show, Brandi announces to all her adoring fans (except me) that they will be playing ANOTHER impromptu show in Salt Lake the following night. WHILE I'M STILL STUCK IN VEGAS. Can you honestly believe this?

She played her debut album, "Brandi Carlile," in its entirety on Sunday. She played her second album, "The Story," in its entirety on Monday. I finally got back in town on Tuesday just in time for the third amazing show, during which she played her new album, "Give up the Ghost," in its entirety.

The Tuesday-night show sold out months ago, in just a few hours. That makes me the TRUE fan, right? But somehow, I ended up feeling like "leftovers". There was such an energetic feeling in the intimate venue, as if Brandi and all these people, who had been there the two preceding nights, were now best friends. And I missed so many of my favorite songs :(

But I can't complain. Brandi rocked it. She always does. Her songs are sexy, her voice is sexy, and she is sexy. I tracked this woman through 4 states and 6 concerts in the last 3 months. That is true devotion! And it was worth the wait.