Sunday, May 31, 2009

Clay Walker and the Bugaboo

Have you ever suffered from Phantom Hat Head: where you wear a hat all day and after you take it off, you still feel like it is on? I am suffering from Phantom Car Syndrome. Even though we are home, I still feel like I am moving 80 mph down the highway. We began our trek to Atlanta and the Clay Walker concert this past Friday after I got off work. Tobey and I arrived in Duluth, Georgia on Saturday afternoon and as luck would have it: our hotel was a little over a block from Wild Bill’s. We didn’t have a lot of time to spend looking around but we did stop at the Gwinnette Place Mall and then went back to the hotel for a nap before the concert.

Tobey napped and I spent a good hour on my hair. By the time we left the hotel every curl I sprayed and burned into my hair was gone. Tobey didn’t even think I did anything to my hair, which is always nice. We stopped to get a bite to eat at Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse that was located near the mall off of Market Street. We wanted to go someplace that we didn’t have at home, like Applebee’s, Chili’s or Olive Garden.

The décor inside Bug’s was nice and very lodgesque. Homey even. We ordered the Bunyan Onion which was a huge, yummy blooming onion. I had ordered their beer battered fish which boasted 6 fish flanks with coleslaw and fries. Tobey ordered a crab cake and steak fillet combo. At this point our dining experience went downhill, fast.

The booth next to us was checking out and had problems with their bill, seems they were billed for items they never ordered. Red flag number one. Then I overheard the booth behind us talking with the manager. The manager informed them that he couldn’t replace their chicken because he checked in the back and “All the chicken was the same way.”

Our order arrived and Tobey’s crab cake was blackened. I told him it looked burnt and that Gordon Ramsay would not have sent that out and that he needed to send it back. But Tobey didn’t want to make waves and just ate it anyways. He finished the crab cake and began on his steak. After a few bites he wanted me to taste his steak. It tasted spoiled and the edges of the steak were feathering. I have never seen a steak do that before but it looked all shades of nasty. The fish I ordered was okay but was half of what the menu described. The menu stated the meal came with six fish planks, my order came with three.

We called the manager over regarding Tobey’s steak and he explained that their steaks come in cryovac packages and if the cooks don’t let the steaks sit out 20 minutes after un-cryovacing them – well this is what happens. He said if the gases are not allowed to dissipate they get seared into the meat. Yum. Not. He offered Tobey another steak which he declined as his stomach was reeling from the few bites he ate of the bad steak. Plus we had to get to Wild Bill’s.

We arrived early at Wild Bill’s and got to our seats. We were seated next to Kim and her husband from the fan club. I really hate saying I am part of a fan club. Last time I joined a fan club I was 12 and it was for Shaun Cassidy. I know, Shaun Cassidy. Really. I won’t mention I sent him a letter inviting him to dinner. He never responded. Wanker.

The warm up band was fairly good but I have no idea who they were. They seemed to favor Billy Currington covers. Kim was our little Charlie Bucket and received one of the six golden tickets for the Meet and Greet. I used this time to get the camera settings just right which in and of itself was a booger. Then finally….Clay took the stage.

All I can say is: WOW.

All Tobey could say was: “____“, I guess he wasn’t as impressed but I love that he was willing to drive the 18 hours round trip, over 1,000 miles and spend two nights in a hotel for me to have this experience. The show was awesome. I have to say that Clay was just as gorgeous in person as he is in his promotional shots. The music was just as good too. Tobey and I have gone to concerts were the bands were so horrible in person that we have walked out, not so with Clay. He rocked it out.

Clay played a selection from his new album that is due out this summer. He played the standard “Clay” songs and for an encore he threw in some Skynard. I loved every single second.

I have uploaded a few pictures from the concert and you can find them under my Slideshow link on the right. I did take over 300 pictures at the concert and yes, I did feel slightly paparazzi-stalkerish, but hey, when am I going to get to see Clay again?

Finally, we stopped in to visit with Lil Martha, Matt Damon and Porkchop. We visited with them at their house and got to see the beautiful pond they just installed. Then we all headed up to Rodeo for lunch. Matt tried to order the 40 gallon Mungo beer but alas it was too early in the day for alcohol. We finished our visit by going to see Mom. She was fine and sends her love.
And now at 7:00 p.m., I am going to bed!
~ame

1 comments:

Glad you had fun - Matt regrets that we went to lunch too early for the Mungo beer. We'll have to make a note of that for next time!

:)

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