perpetual groove on moon river

Here we all were on Tuesday, cutting up in front of the Lucas Theatre!
What was the occasion?
It was the annual Usher Appreciation Night! For that evening, we were served by Haley Naugle and Erin Muller, in thanks for all we do throughout the year.
What were we served? Pizza and salad and sodas... and even beer and wine! I definitely partook of the pizza, especially as they had gotten a deluxe veggie, especially for me, with artichokes included and cheese excluded. So very good!
We also were treated to a movie just for us! This year, the 1961 "Breakfast At Tiffany's" was the favorite of the majority of us. How very appropriate that turned out to be! In multiple ways, it featured the song "Moon River", co-written by Savannah's own Johnny Mercer with Henry Mancini, the fellow in charge of music for the film.
The movie was such an excellent choice in another way, too... especially as we were treated on several occasions to a scantily-clad, young, blond, muscular, hottie - the 33-year-old George Peppard! Ooh la la!

So, here I am again with my fellow ushers. I'm on the right, front row, in the purple top. I'm flanked by Ann Meyer, in the hot pink with the white shirt, and Nell Nelson, wife of Jeff. He's standing behind Susie Ingram, the woman in the vertical green and white shirt, near the middle of the front. (You may recall that she went to the Bananas playoff games in my stead). Her friend, Susan, is on the far right end of the front row, in a top that looks like Susie's, but a bit bluer.
Susie won an award for Best New Usher! Jeff and Nell won for Best Ushers! I won a Lucas T-shirt in the raffle!
(smile)
Let's see, who else do I know? Lois and Joe Buttner, toasting the occasion, are in the back row, between me and Susan. Penny (in the front with her jacket over her arm) and Lonnie (man in the pink and orange plaid) are a fun couple, too.
The last person that I know that I know is Jean Purcell, on the far left front, in the black top and muted floral skirt. She knows my Aunt Barbara and John, too! Small world!
(smile)
That was such a lovely night at the Lucas!
Tonight was... not so much.
It was a concert event.
You know what that meant, right?
Good music, rowdy drunks.
Sigh.
The two bands were local boys gone national, not that I was familiar with either group. Passafire, who began in Savannah in 2003, opened the show, playing for the first hour. I never heard any of their tunes, just the bass notes pumping through the doors.
After a thirty-minute intermission, Perpetual Groove, which got its start in 1997, took control of the stage for two full sets. There was another intermission in-between, for folks to take a smoke break.
I missed their first set completely and most of the second.
How was it that I missed the show?
Joe Montesimo and I had been assigned the onerous task to "tag and release" those attendees who were going to imbibe beer and wine. For four solid hours, that's exactly what we did. Check the ID to make sure it said September 16, 1995, or earlier. Apply the plastic bracelet to the proffered arm, giving care to not catch arm hair in he sticky tab and to not affix it too tightly.
Over and over and over and over and over and over...
Susie came by at one point and brought me a soda. Someone else took a bottle of water to Joe. When he and I were finally released from our positions, we grabbed a seat to rest our feet and enjoy some of PG's light show and hypnotically soothing music.
After the long jam had ended and the next began, he left.
Two songs later, I followed suit.
I'm glad this one is done.
i thank God that the next time I cross the threshold, it will be for a brand-new musical, "Johnny Mercer & Me".
Hallelujah!