Tim McGraw Concert

I took my mom to the grand opening of the new event center at Treasure Island Resort and Casino last night.

We had great tickets to the sold out Tim McGraw concert. Third row seats just off the corner of the stage. McGraw performed for about 90 minutes and put on a great show. He didn't  play all of the songs that I like, but I guess that is to be expected when he has as many hit songs as he does. Twice during the show McGraw stopped and signed autographs for fans lined up along the edge of the stage.

Mom really enjoyed the show and was teary-eyed when McGraw performed his hit song, "Live like you were dyin'."

McGraw played a few new songs from the new album he has been working on. He said he had no idea when it would be coming out because he was, "On Curb Records." Curb records pushed the release date of the new album from late 2008 to 2009 . A greatest hits album is scheduled for release in October.

The event center seats about 2,800 and according to a Treasure Island news release, "Every seat in the house is within 125 feet from the stage." 

Based on ticket prices and a seating map available on Treasure Island's website, if the show last night was truly a sell out, they sold more than $537,000 worth of tickets. Not bad for 90 minutes worth of singing.

I wonder how much of that goes to McGraw?

In comparison, if the Brooks & Dunn show sells out, the total ticket value is slightly more than $437,000. The Martina McBride show (which I will be attending with Heather) if sold out, will bring in more than $210,000.

It is a nice venue, and if you can afford the ticket prices, is worth every penny.

Mom brought her camera, a Sony Cybershot point and shoot digital, and I took photos for her. The event center is camera friendly as can be seen by the above photo, one of 95 photos that I took at the show. I guess some of those photography courses I took in school finally paid off. I'm glad I got a degree in Mass Communication. It helps a great deal washing cars...

Depression and Mom's Impending Death

Sunday was one of those days that bring reality to the forefront.

The first reality I faced was the reality that I did not get to wake up and go to school Monday morning. For the first time in five years I was no longer a college student. It was a little depressing if only for the fact that as a graduate I feel like I have been ostracized from the community that I have called home for so many years. I realize I have a degree now and have no reason to feel that way, but for some reason I feel that way. I am sure that will pass in time.

The depression was compounded by the fact that I received more potentially bad news from my mom. My mother is a terminal cancer patient and her oncologist recently told her that there were no more treatments or drugs that could be tried, that they had exhausted all medical options. Her doctor indicated that she might only have one to three months left. Her abdomen continues filling with ascites so quickly that the doctors have installed a drain to relieve the pressure on her diaphragm to make breathing easier. This past weekend, her hospice nurse informed her that the persistent itching that she has is a signal that her liver may be failing. I guess it is a common symptom of liver failure. I am taking her to see Tim McGraw on Saturday and her nurse told her that this might be the last time she goes out to something like that.

If the end is at hand, I don’t know if I am really ready for that. She has been fighting cancer since before my daughter’s birth. My daughter is now four years old, four and a half actually, and I will have to figure out how to explain to her that “granny” is dead. I’m not really sure how to do that and the thought of having to explain that to her brings tears to my eyes. I can deal with death; I just don’t know how to explain it to a kid.

Monday was a much better day. Once I escaped the confines of my workplace, I hurried home, hit the shower and picked up my girlfriend. We went to Newt’s for dinner with some friends. The burgers were great, as usual. It was an outstanding night to be out. The only bad part was getting home at 12:30 a.m. and not getting to bed until 1 a.m. I was not a happy person when my alarm disturbed my dreams at 6 a.m.

I will get back to my post on T. Boone Pickens and his plan soon, maybe as early as tonight. I watched Third Congressional District DFL candidate Ashwin Madia’s first television spot and will share my thoughts on that tonight.