What an amazing weekend! I tried a few of our #EventsToBeScene and thoroughly enjoyed myself. If you have an event in mind that you would like to suggest, keep them coming! So many great local events fly under the radar and I want to discover all of the ways there are to enjoy Abilene.
This weekend, thanks to a recommendation from one of my students, I attended HSU Theater’s Friday night performance of Steven Sondheim’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. These young adults have some incredible talent! Incredible vocals and comedic timing kept all of us in the lively Friday night performance rolling with laughter.
A complicated and hilarious adventure inspired by the ancient roman playwright Plautus (set to music of course), this comedy has a “little something for everyone.” If you missed HSU’s week-long run, you can experience the sidesplitting story via the 1966 film. HSU’s next performance will be a drama entitled The Shadow Box. They will be taking this performance to an international festival in Edenborough, Scotland this spring! You can buy tickets for the show and donate to the trip online at hsutx.edu.
Although we had our Friday night fun, Saturday night we decided we hadn’t had enough, so we took a little trip down to the Neon Parrot Lounge to see the Eric Sommer concert. Let me just say, this guy has some legendary guitar skills. He used a unique steel pick technique and the results were a lively combination of rhythm and pitch. You can listen for yourself right here!
I got the chance to meet and talk with Eric before he went on stage and his genuine passion for performing struck me. He really was the nicest guy and even sent Michael and I home with t-shirts and signed posters! Getting the opportunity to chat with him really made the evening special, as I felt like I encountered a new friend. He told us that he just absolutely loved playing in Abilene, especially at the Neon Parrot. He began this relationship with Abilene and the Neon Parrott because of his connection our very own Jon Howell (more on him in the March issue of Scene). He said that he loves finding smaller venues with such an incredible sounding stage (he was right; it did sound incredible), and we can only hope he continues to make his way back down to the Key City.
As we sat, sipped and listened at our booth in the Neon Parrot, I started thinking how lucky we are to have a venue that is so diligent about providing live entertainment. A few good drinks, a comfy seat and a talented live musician are a rare combination of incredibly enjoyable experiences. Here’s to more live music at the Neon Parrot! If you haven’t made it out to one of their shows, you are missing a grand experience.
Follow me, and Scene, on Instagram and Twitter.
@bajaelsol and @AbileneScene
Leave a Reply