Last night, my hubby and I attended the Cheap Trick concert in New Orleans at the Saenger Theatre. A few hours before the concert, we checked in at the Copeland Towers. We decided to spend the night in lieu of driving an hour back home after the concert. Dinner was at The Velvet Cactus located off of Harrison Avenue in New Orleans. Andrew and I had eaten there with friends, Jeff and Joanna and their son Jackson, before the Hall & Oates concert back in June. I really enjoyed it, so I suggested we eat an early dinner there before the concert. Barry ordered the Corona Shrimp Tacos (grilled shrimp, Creole slaw, pickled red onion, pico de gallo and topped with chipotle aioli) with a side order of refried beans. 
I ordered the Cabo Quesadilla (grilled gulf shrimp, applewood bacon, fire-roasted corn, mango, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese) with a side order of chipotle cheese grits. YUM! (I had leftovers which we ate for lunch today.) Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel and watched a little television before getting ready for the concert.
The concert opened with a band from New Orleans called Supagroup. Neither Barry nor I had ever heard of them; however, they put on a good show with lots of enthusiasm. I guess I would be enthusiastic if I was in a band opening for Cheap Trick. After about 45 minutes and a brief intermission, Cheap Trick took the stage. This was the first time 
Barry saw Cheap Trick live. I had seen them once before in August of 2009 with Son #1. They had come with Poison and Def Leppard at the New Orleans Arena. Cheap Trick was fantastic that evening, and fantastic last night. I’ve always thought Robin Zander (lead singer) was a cutie. Of course, Rick Nielsen (lead guitarist) wore his iconic cap and played on a slew of custom-made guitars, including a five-neck guitar. He even had a guitar that was a comic book version of himself. Nielsen also enjoyed showering the audience with guitar picks. The group played 18 songs with no encore. It was the first concert that I have ever attended that the band did not play an encore (observation not complaint). They performed all my favorite songs: “If You Want My Love”, “The Flame”, “I Want You to Want Me“, “Dream Police”, and “Surrender” (with Sean Yseult). Sean Yseult is a rock musician that played bass with White Zombie. We learned last night when she took the stage that she is married to the lead singer, Chris Lee, of Supagroup. I’ve always thought female rock musicians are cool, especially if they can shred guitar or play drums. There are not many of them. It was an AWESOME date night with my hubby and Cheap Trick.
In Other News:
This morning, Barry and I picked up my momma and we breakfasted together at District Donuts in the Elmwood area. This was our first time eating breakfast there. I ordered a Miso Praline Bacon and Sunny Side Up Egg with a small mocha latte and a NOLA Cream donut to go. My momma ordered a Brown Butter Drop donut with coffee. My hubby ordered a Breakfast Burrito with a café au lait and a Salted Caramel donut to go. We did not intentionally leave my daddy out on our breakfast excursion. He is currently visiting my sister and her family in Atlanta. However, we did bring home a Chocolate Glazed donut for Andrew. He was sweet enough to take care of the dogs while we were in NOLA for the evening. Sweets for the sweet!
It is back to reality, dear reader. Last weekend, I was in Orlando for a coaching conference. This weekend, I was in New Orleans for a concert. The week in between was busy with work-related activities and flew by rather quickly. The start of the new school year is swiftly approaching, so my schedule will be changing from easy-going to more structured. I will have more of a routine which will hopefully help me with my health and fitness goals. This upcoming week is pretty much my last week to play for the summer. Is the summer break or summer season winding down for you? Are you ready for a new season? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Happiness!
“mommy’s alright
daddy’s alright
they just seem a little weird…”
~ Cheap Trick, “Surrender”
The Kat Files 