Episode 6: Bright Lights from the 9th Row

August 14, 2012

Remember that talk I was having with Judy? The one where I told her she had a decision to make–that she could either trust the love and go with it or lose a unparalleled relationship. It only took her but a moment to decide. And just like that, she blew through her wall. Just one of a million reasons why I love her—she’s just amazing.

With our dance back in the swing, it was time to go dancing!

Rob Thomas was playing the Mountain Winery on August 15 (2010) to support his charity, Sidewalk Angels Foundation. I couldn’t believe it! Mega-performers usually select the 15,000 seat HP Pavilion as opposed to the intimate, outdoor 1,700 seat former winery (which has the best acoustics in the Bay Area). A quick look on Craigslist stuck gold…9^th row, dead center. Woohoo!

It was a beautiful night, warm and clear. From its hillside perch, we could see the twinkle of the entire Silicon Valley. If you aren’t inspired to kiss here, you obviously have no pulse.

We didn’t know exactly what to expect as we found our seat. Strange, there were no drums on stage. Wait, not enough amps either. There was a full-sized piano, a slide guitar….and that was about it. Rob came out with just two wingmen, each carrying an acoustic guitar. OMG! We’re going to spend the evening with Rob Thomas, completely unplugged!

Rob played all the Matchbox 20 hits, with some of his solo work. ‘Smooth’ was just him and two guitars, “Unwell” was him solo on the piano. Unbelievable! He was charming…openly honest with his thoughts and feelings. It was such a pleasure to see a superstar who appeared to be just a down-to-earth guy. We felt honored to be there, under the moon and stars, listening to perfectly clean harmonies: a piano, a guitar, and one truly gifted multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter. And best of all, Judy looked at me and said “You have my heart”.