A much-needed taste of Texas in PDX

I've tried to spread my love of Texas "Red Dirt" country music all over the Portland metropolitan area and even up to Seattle.

Some of my friends have really glommed on to the musical genre, including my bestie Emily and her hubby Greg. The two of them heard my favorite band, the Randy Rogers Band, was coming to Seattle, so they invited me up to join in the fun. Unfortunately, the concert fell on a Monday, and after a long weekend in the San Juans, I just wasn't up for it.

Luckily, I had a second chance.

My good friend and high school hoops teammate Whitney just moved back to Portland from Sherman, Texas. While in the Lone Star State, Whit also acquired a love of RRB, so she was privy to the fact that the band was making its way down the West Coast, stopping at the Crystal Ballroom Tuesday.

Yeehaw! I counted the minutes until I could see Randy, Brady, and the boys, and I was not disappointed.

Mickey and the Motorcars opened, and then Randy followed. He played for about an hour and a half, and we were maybe three rows deep, right in the middle. It was like he was singing directly to me. He was singing directly to me. I could tell by the way he kept tossing his guitar pick in my direction (although I never ended up catching it).

I know it's dark, but can you see my ear-to-ear grin? I'm RIGHT IN FRONT OF RANDY ROGERS!

I go through waves of extreme homesickness for my beloved Austin (would you still classify it as homesickness, even if it's not technically my home?). This was just what the doctor ordered.