Vacation: Day Two

Saturday was the main event: the Okee Dokee Brothers concert at the Ordway Center in downtown St. Paul.  I love the opportunity to take our kids into the downtown area of these big cities.  The skyscrapers, parking garages, and general hustle and bustle are so foreign to them and our Northwoods life.  It is good for them to be exposed to these new experiences and see what it's like to be in a city.  

Nolan had a pretty good idea of what to expect since we took him to their concert last year at Orchestra Hall, but this was Olivia's very first concert and I would say she was downright confused for the first song or two.  She knows and loves the Okee Dokee Brothers and recognized them and their songs right away, but was unsure of how she was supposed to act.  Once she saw the other kids clapping along, she joined in and was absolutely mesmerized for the duration of the concert.  Nolan was extremely stoic, to the point where Eric and I asked him repeatedly if he was having fun.  He always gave us a resounding "Yes!" with a big beaming smile, so I think he was just taking it all in.  The concert was amazing; they played all of our favorites and a few new songs from their upcoming Winter themed album.  

Before the concert, I had overheard someone mentioning that Joe and Justin were going to be coming out to sign and meet fans after the concert.  So as soon as we left the concert hall, we made a beeline toward their merchandise stand and bought their book, "A Thousand Star Hotel," in case we were lucky enough to get them to sign it.  Sure enough, they came out and since we were there right away we only had about a 5 minute wait before we got to meet them.  The kids were both star-struck and very quiet, but we had them sign our book and got a picture with them.  

In their concert, Joe and Justin said that they make music so that families will grow up singing together.  Their folk music is truly an art form, and I know our family has enjoyed singing  and listening to their music together daily.  It's beautiful and so artistically crafted. We had a great time at the concert and look forward to our next opportunity to see them!