End of an era

We participated in an annual March ritual last night: The Allman Brothers Band at the Beacon Theater. We also went on a Wednesday night last year: March 13^th. [Lest you think I remembered that date, I will admit here and now that I did not, but my Google calendar did!] We have long steered clear of Tuesdays because Barry teaches early Wednesday mornings, and Thursdays because we usually leave early to drive to Sharon on Friday mornings (although we are unable to do that for the next couple of months while Barry gives a review class in preparation for the boards). But what we failed to take into account when we bought tickets for Wednesday night is that now he is teaching a course on Thursday mornings as well. Unfortunately, a sleep overage the night before does not compensate for missing so much last night.

The band is doing a total of 14 shows at the Beacon; they started on my birthday (March 7^th) and are doing 3-4 shows a week through March 29^th.

Early this year, following the announcement by core ABB members Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks that they are leaving the band after this year, namesake and co-founder Gregg Allman said in an interview with Relix, ”This is it—this is the end of it. Forty-five years is enough and I want to do something else, anyway.” Of course, the Allman Brothers would be neither the first nor the last band to say that they will no longer perform together and come back a few years later with a “reunion” tour.

It was a great show. No “Whipping Post,” but they did a mix of old and newer material, for the most part sticking with the shorter versions of their songs (which can go on and on). They have not yet posted the set list from last night and I was not taking notes. When we bought the tickets with a request for accessible seating, which we need because it is too much walking for me to go from the car to the venue, we were given two seats in the FRONT ROW a bit to the left of center. This is the second time we have sat in the front row for the ABB at The Beacon; the first was some years ago when Barry bought incredibly expensive tickets for my birthday. Earplugs are a must for the ABB no matter where you are sitting, but in the front row you can actually feel vibrations in your chest. I guess we were a bit younger when we did this the last time because it took a little getting used to last night. But we seem to be none the worse for the wear, other than the sleep deprivation, this morning.

Here are a couple of pictures Barry took with his iPhone:

   

All I know this morning is that I am not even going to try to do any Lumosity because my scores will plummet and I hate to see those downward trends in the plots they provide. A few months ago they added a step when you first log in:

Scientists have demonstrated that mood and sleep can affect cognitive performance. Record these data to track your own trends.

How do you feel today? (a series of 5 “smiley faces” going from very sad to very happy)

How many hours did you sleep last night? (≤5, 6, 7, 8, ≥9)

I am not quite sure what they do with this information, but it is a stark reminder of how much mood and sleep can affect cognitive performance.

With the arrival of spring, it is supposed to be a bit warmer the next couple of days. I am sure we have not seen the last of the frigid temperatures, but we can still hope. And for those families whose loved ones were on that Malaysian Air flight, we can hope an answer is found soon.

Love,

Rebecca