On The Road Again?

Yesterday, nine days after returning from the lengthy tour of Europe, I figured: well, I've been in one place long enough. The urge to jump in a bus and move from city to city, country to country, was simply too strong. I needed to see mountains, or landmarks, or both. So I grabbed my passport, headed toward the airport, and...

...no, no, that is not what happened. (I shudder a little at the thought, actually.) But I did take a short trip yesterday with my oldest son, Jackson. This trip was not all about me or what I wanted to see or do--this was the continuation of a birthday present Jackson received last week.

We gave Jackson two tickets to see one of his favorite bands, The Postal Service, in Kansas City. Since I have not seen Jackson for more than five of the last nine weeks, I was very happy to be the one to accompany him on this trip. Jackson did most of the driving, so he could get the idea of what it is like to drive around KC. After a stop in Waldo (could not get through KC without a quick stop at Waldo Pizza), it was time to go downtown. We were parked in a garage that had us both laughing at the maze-like route people had to take after parking--several winding halls and eight "EXIT" signs later, we emerged. (Yeah, we both took photos.)

Then it was on to the Midland Theater. This is a beautiful 1920s era theater in the heart of downtown Kansas City, on the north edge of the Power and Light District. Crowds of people were all around downtown--in addition to this concert, there were several events in the area celebrating the Major League Soccer All Star Game. But there was no greater buzz in KC than around the entrance to the Midland. Jackson stopped for a photo inside the lobby:

A short while later...it was time for the Postal Service! What an amazing show. Their music is fairly quiet and electronic/keyboard based, so I was worried about how it would translate live (I think Jackson was as well). But they were energetic, crisp and--in a word--fantastic.

Jackson was in heaven! What a great time. Afterward, we walked around the streets along the busy Power and Light District. One of Jackson's other favorite bands, Silversun Pickups, was just finishing up playing a concert on the P & L stage, and we stood on the perimeter and listened as they ripped through their encore (grainy photo of it below). A great way to finish the evening!

This morning, it was breakfast, back in the car and home.