i wrote part one of this travel log back on April 17. The plan was to write part 2 here when I got home a couple of days later. Two jobs and decent weather for spring sports had other ideas.
So, here we are on May 17 and I’m going to try to recollect some long lost thoughts here.
Previously on…I had caught a show in Nashville and arrived at my sister’s near Ft. Worth.
My first full day in Texas was concert day, so we headed into town for lunch at a place called Game Theory. They had mini pies, some solid brussel sprouts and at least one juicy IPA.
Just around the block was Rahr & Sons Brewing, who released a hazy IPA that day called Hazy DC. Of course they had an AC/DC cover band playing. And of course I grabbed a wrist band.
Then Lydia and Travis took me to a little slice of heaven called Holocron. Yes, a store of nothing but Star Wars.
I came really close to buying that DJ R3X bluetooth robot. I still might online.
As if that didn’t tickle my nerd fancy enough, we stopped by a pretty legit record store next.
I walked out of there with several new vinyls.
* Steve Earle–Townes
* Bruce Springsteen–Greetings From Asbury Park
* Bruce Springsteen–Born To Run
* Grandmaster Flash–They Said It Couldn’t Be Done
Then it was on to the main event: Turnpike Troubadours at Billy Bob’s.
We were able to get general admission tickets ahead of time, but then got upgraded to front pit thanks to some connections. Like I say, if I don’t know a guy, I know a guy who knows a guy.
So, there I was in the front row for the return of one my all-time favorite bands.
They did not disappoint. We were standing stage left, just in front of lead guitarist Ryan Engleman and a stack of speakers. I have seen since some people complaining about the sound quality of Billy Bob’s. I can see that. It is a large honky tonk bar. But where I was sounded great. Evan looked like he lost the lyrics a couple times early, but that wasn’t much of a problem as the crowd sang along to every word all night. I would put it my top 3 concerts in that regard–the crowd singing ever word.
This was a couple of nights earlier, but it was the same:
A show worth the 23 hours of driving that it took to get there and back? Absolutley, without question. Once they found their groove, they killed it. Welcome back, boys. We missed you.
Some of my videos from the show:
And one can’t go to Texas and not seek out some good ol’ Texas BBQ. If you are going to do it, go big. So, we headed to Goldee’s the next day. Goldee’s was recently voted the top BBQ joint in Texas by Texas Monthly, kind of a big deal down there. And when we got there, it had the line to show for it. But at least they had a cooler full of free Lonestar while you wait. I sampled the brisket, and would definitely get it next time, if there ever is one. But I went for the 1.2-pound beef rib. The crust was not chewable, but the meat underneath was pretty solid. Still wish I had gotten the brisket though.
The next day, I was planning on working at at Metroflex Arlington, the home of 8x Mr. Olympia champion Ronnie Coleman. Working out there is another bucket list item for me. That is where I was heading when this happened.
After changing a tire on the interstate and spending a couple hours at a Honda dealership, I was on my way, but not in time to get to the gym if I wanted to avoid another night in a hotel.
I did make sure to get some Whattaburger before leaving Texas. It was…disappointing. In-n-Out kicks the crap out of Whattaburger any day. Yeah, I said it.
I Am Weez 