Rocky Mountain High, Part IV

Pat Green!

So Sara's husband Chad got home from Houston, just in time to escort us to supper and the Pat Green concert.  Bless his heart, he was a good sport about it, too, because he must've been just exhausted from travelling. 

Chad is a great guy; thoughtful, funny, smart, hard working, well-traveled.  You know.  All the things Sara is, only with a simmering sort of temper and he won't be rushed. (Fair's fair...we all have our flaws, and I can't mention hers without mentioning his....) Here's a picture, just so you have an idea of who I'm talking about.

They're perfect for each other!

Anyway, back to the day...

We got all cleaned up after that exhausting hour in the hot tub and a nap, and set out for Protos, a Napoletana pizzeria.

It was packed.

(This would turn out to be the theme of the evening...)

After a short wait, in which we had a glass of wine (beer for Chad), checked out the other patrons' pizzas, glared at people who were lingering needlessly over ice cream and memorized the rather fabulous menu, we were seated and ordered. 

So, I did not know that the traditional way to get pizza in Italy is to have it uncut.  It's supposed to just come out in a big old pie and you slash away at it with knife and fork, like a flat steak.  So that's how we ordered our pizzas and I spent some time wondering if I was coordinated enough to eat pizza that way. And not drop it all over my Pat Green jeans.

I'll put a link to the menu for you, so you can lust after the pizza...

We EACH ordered a pizza...the Atomica, the Roman and the Pontiff.  Check 'em out!

And there was some mix up in the kitchen, so mine came out already cut, despite having been ordered otherwise.  Ah, well....not a big deal, because it smelled GOOD. I teased her that there went her tip, and we commenced to eating.

One of the great things about eating with Sara and Chad is that we got to share everything.  We'd order different dishes and then happily cut it up and hand portions around the table.  And discuss them as we ate.  That was the most fun!

So right in the middle of the sharing of the pies, the waitress comes back with an uncut version of my Pontiff pizza and apologetically puts it down on the table. I felt bad for about 2 seconds, then we all but arm-pumped over the free pie.  YES!

We staggered out, finally, to head to the Grizzly Rose for Pat Green!

(I KNOW.  You thought I'd NEVER get there.  Well, we're not there yet, kids...)

The Grizzly Rose is a huge country western nightclub/dancehall sort of place on the outskirts of Denver that manages to attract all sorts of big name entertainers, one every weekend.  The best way I can describe it is to tell you it reminded me of how Gilley's in Texas was portrayed in Urban Cowboy. Almost exactly. The same atmosphere, the same big dance floor, the same long bar, the same women wearing string tank tops and holding a Bud Lite, the same guys wearing Tony Lamas and awful dude cowboy hats.  (Now we're all going to have to rent that wretched movie so you can see what I'm talking about...)

The place was packed.

Beyond packed.

Apparently, Sara H. and I are not the only ones who love Pat Green.

And there are no seats, for the concert.  You all just cram in on the dance floor area as close to the stage as you can, and rock out.  You don't leave for a beer, you don't leave to go to the bathroom or you'll never get back.  One guy in front of us had brought an actual six pack and we were admiring his planning. 

It was hot and almost hard to breathe for a while. I was surprised at how close we actually were to the stage, really.  I'm a terrible judge of distance, especially in buildings, so I'll have to ask Sara the distance in feet, but I could see Pat's dimples and the buttons on his flannel shirt, easily. And not on the screens...in real life!  Did that give you an idea? :)

He's a great entertainer. Of course, I think Pat Green could probably stand on the street corner and sing "Do you know the muffin man..." and get people going.  He doesn't take himself too seriously, and he really and truly has a good time interacting with the crowd and singing.  I loved that he didn't just play current hits, but dug back into the vault for Cannonball and Three Days and Take Me Out To A Dancehall.  There were about four times that I just held my hand over my mouth and stopped, just stopped everything, because I realized that I was THERE and that was PAT GREEN, and I could see his dimples. (Marina, back me up here, girl....) Of course, it was just me and Pat....and 2000 of his other biggest fans.

It was amazing.

*sigh*

Incidently, I had the coolest jeans in the joint.  Apparently, Miss Me hasn't hit Denver as big as it has hit Miles City and Midland....

To be continued...