Nickel Creek Concert (Part 1)

I've become a big fan of all things Chris Thile, including the bluegrass/progressive acoustic band where he got his start, Nickel Creek. I saw the announcement last year that the band was getting back together after a 7-year hiatus, and that there would be an album and a tour.

When a tour date was announced for the Tower Theater, I was poised and ready. I fired up my web browser - and was able to get one ticket. No available pairs. It was a good location - basically front and center, so I grabbed it. I asked Darling Wife if she still wanted to go (seated separately) if I could get another single. She did, and I was able to get a second single seat.

Fast forward to the day of the show. We had the first ticket I ordered...but not the second. We searched and searched...and couldn't find it. I went to my e-mail to look for a confirmation...and I didn't have one. I have no idea what happened - I have a clear memory of ordering the second ticket, but there's no record of it. I guess there must have been a final confirmation ("click here to complete your order"), and I didn't click it. I'm still mystified....

I looked online to see if tickets were still available...and a few were. It looked like the venue had reserved some seats and had released them at the last minute. There was most of a row available in row CC (right-center, 8 rows from the stage.) I grabbed it (taking care to actually complete the transaction), and we were good to go.

The Secret Sisters

We got there a little before the 8pm showtime. There was an opening act, The Secret Sisters, and I wanted to see them. We found our separate seats - Darling Wife with the first ticket, a fantastic seat, left-center, about 15 rows back, on the aisle. She told me to take the better seat, as I was the one who really wanted to see this band.

The Secret Sisters went on a little after 8:00, and we *loved* them. The band was two sisters from Alabama who sing roots/country songs. One sister played acoustic guitar on some songs, and they were backed by an electric guitar player and a drummer. The vocal harmonies sounded great, and I know I've heard some of their songs on WXPN. They were very well-received by the crowd.

I did some Googling of them afterwards, and they're not unknowns by any means. They've gotten attention and help from some big names (most notably, Jack White and T-Bone Burnett).

During the intermission, I told Daring Wife to come sit with me. There was an empty seat to my right, and two to my left. If someone arrived late with those tickets, she could go back to her seat - but if they didn't, then we could sit together.

Shortly after 9:00, no one had arrived to claim those seats, and the house lights went down and Nickel Creek came onstage.

(To be continued)