Welcome to the pond

BeauSoleil Concert Report

I'm back from the BeauSoleil concert and I had a great time!! The band was awesome as always and gave us a great show with lots of energy and enthusiasm. They played a total of about an hour and forty minutes, and the songs they played were, in order:

- A song that I haven't heard before. It was a two-step rhythm and mentioned a woman named Marie.
- Le Hack A Moreau
- Peux Pas Me Refuser
- Chanson d'Acadie
- Zydeco Gris Gris
- Les Blues de Creve de Faim
- Cher bebe
- Chanson de Mardis Gras
- Varise
- La Femme Qui Jouait Aux Cartes
- La Fleche d'Amour
- Bye Bye Boozoo
- Les Fleurs Fleurissent (with a full band arrangement!)
- Tu M'as Fait Rire
- Chanson Pour Ezra
- It's You I Love
- Gitane Cajun I and II
- La Terre De Mon Grandpere and a waltz for the encore.

All the songs were spectacular, of course. They pretty much stuck to songs from the new album, with a few old favorites thrown in the mix. If I had to pick some highlights I'd pick Zydeco Gris Gris, Bye Bye Boozoo, and It's You I Love as the best songs. They didn't play "Me and Dennis McGee" though, which I was very much hoping they would play. Michael Doucet spent the evening making jokes and telling stories between songs. He even made a joke about Michael Moore not winning best picture at the Oscars. I really appreciated how he told a little about each song and about the culture and history behind Cajun music. I also appreciated that he said what each song title was! Too many musicians don't do that in concerts, they just play.

My mom took me, and we got really good seats!! We sat in the lower balcony section, right in the middle, three rows up. They were perfect seats and we could see the musicians very well.

Before the concert I was in the building where the merchandise was sold, buying a DVD. I happened to overhear that Michael would be signing autographs there after the show! So I definitely headed there after the concert and got my DVD insert signed, along with a signature for a friend of mine. Michael told us that it was 100 degrees outside when the band performed the DVD concert and that he didn't even know they were filming it! After that I shook David Doucet's hand and told him good show, and made a complete fool of myself by calling Jimmy Breaux by his brother Pat's name. Jimmy, if you ever read this, I'm so sorry! I was just so excited to meet everyone that the name Pat entered my mind before Jimmy.

It was a great honor meeting all three of them, especially Michael. I suppose he's just a regular joe just like the rest of us, but to me he's a musical legend. I always thought it would be special to meet him, and now I have met him! Autograph or not, that's a moment I'll never forget - even if it happened so fast I'm not sure it happened at all.

Once again BeauSoleil made me a happy guy by playing live in Eugene and giving it their all. This is a night I'll never forget and I cannot wait until the next time they come around!