Concert in the Garden - Johnny Lang

The other day I was talking to my friend Patty and she had two tickets to a concert in the garden which she had given to a mutual friend  Cavelle.  She did not think he had found anyone who wanted the second ticket  and if it was still available, I could tag along to the concert.   The ticket was for a Concert in the Garden at the Atlanta Botanical Garden and to my luck he had not found anyone to go with so it was mine.  I had not heard of Johnny Lang (the artist), but how can one turn down a free ticket, time with friends, and a concert in the garden. Especially if the weather is good as there is no better place then the garden to see a concert. In preperation for the night, I did a little research and found that Johnny Lang is a young amercian blues, gospel, and rock singer from North Dakota of all places. (Spending 10 years in South Dakota myself, I figured he must be worth listening to if he is now appearing at the garden)  He started playing guitar at the age of 12 and has not looked back since winning a Grammy in 2006. After this on line information gathering session and a couple of listens to his music, I was ready and my excitement to attend the concert was even more.

Friday night was the evening and Cavell and I decided we would walk from my place (6 blocks from the garden).  After he arrived and we strapped on our folding chairs – off we went. The short walk down the busy Piedmont Road would be a huge contrast from the quiet garden but it was a good time to catch up with a friend. It also saved us the parking fee and who doesn't love saving a little money.  $$$$$

After a few minutes we arrived at the garden and walked down the long drive covered by the canopy of the trees. The Atlanta Botanical Garden is such a majestic place and with my membership, someday I will have a blog entry dedicated to a visit but tonight is about the concert. As we walk along the sidewalk past the parking entrance, we can hear the opening act playing in the air. We quicken our step as we still need to find Patty in the crowd.  We show our ticket at the gate and off we head into the lush gardens of roses and other blooming flowers towards the great lawn in front of the orchid house.

We soon spot Patty and her husband and quietly unfold our chairs to get comfortable for the evening of enjoyable music. Johnny Lang does not disappoint as this young musician does an excellent job performing hits from his albums. The people watching is great as people begin to relax and have a good time dancing to the rhythm. (even if they lack rhythm) The evening is wonderful with the large office buildings lit up in the evening sky. There are a ton of stars out,  not a cloud in the sky, and a crisp cool breeze to keep us refreshed and the bugs away. I am not sure

the weather could be any better for a concert in the open air above the great lawn. Finally I am able to enjoy first hand one of these concerts I hear from my porch on any given Friday evening. After a couple hours of listening to music and having a glass of wine,  the night ends with a quick encore and off we head. As we walk down Piedmont Road back to Cavelles car, we are happy he parked at our place as the traffic is a little heavy. It sure will be nice when the rest of Piedmont Park is complete and I can make this walk almostly entirely through the park which you can read about in A Park Expands.   Cavelle jumps back into his car and heads out.  I stroll back to my home to get ready to retire for the night after an enjoyable evening with friends and good music. 

Thanks Patty!

I’d give this evening ***** for an overall rating