Tennessee road trippin'

This has been a great experience. A few months back, I got an e-mail from my buddy Brad in PA out of blue for the first time in a year. I can't say it was exactly unexpected. He normally does reach out to me, if I don't contact him first, whenever tour dates involving any member of Led Zeppelin are announced. The question, invariably, is which date or dates shall we go? It's been our habit for the last six years.

This January, however, when I got Brad's e-mail, it was slightly less expected, as the nearest concert was 500 miles south of me in DC and farther for him all the way up outside Philly. But Brad said, not missing a beat, "I'm thinking of heading down to Knoxville -- and if so, maybe catching the next night's show in Chattanooga. You in?"

Sure. I could use a little spring road trip. Don't get down to Tennessee much. Why not?

So he picked me up in DC last night and we drove halfway to the gig. We stayed in a place in Salem, VA, that had a sign out front that read, "WE LKY RAT." Great, our first impression of the place is that they "likey rat." But I think the sign was missing a few letters and juxtaposed a couple that were there but was trying to say "WEEKLY RATE" instead. Even though it was indicating no actual numerical rate either! There were no rats in the place and no bugs either. It passed our inspection. I slept well. We woke up and hopped back onto I-81 South for much of the remaining 250 miles to Knoxville. This place doesn't likey rats either. This is working out for us.

Now I'm sitting with Brad inside the Knoxville Civic Coliseum waiting for the main event to begin: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss with T Bone Burnett. They need a good band name, by the way, so you don't have to say all three names or even the first two. Go ahead and leave suggestions in the comment box down below. (Update: The Golden Gods.)

I'm gonna be blogging about this show and tomorrow night's on LedZeppelinNews.com, so go check it out there. Suffice it to say I'm looking forward to my eighth and ninth times seeing Robert Plant in concert -- and my first and second times for Alison Krauss and T Bone Burnett.

Well, the stage is set, and opening act Sharon Little is finishing up her last song (see horrible photo), so I'd better get off this thing!