I’m off on a plane today - again. I just got back last week from a trip to visit family. Today, I’m going back to Minneapolis to visit my sister again. Only this time it is for some really fun adult sister time. Sans kids.

We are going to see Van Morrison in concert!

I haven’t been to a full-fledged large scale auditorium concert, in well, lets just say a very long time.

In fact I think the last time I went to a concert in Denver it was still called McNicohls Arena and John Mellencamp was the headliner. This was before John Mellencamp was formally known as John Couger, and way before John Cougor Mellencamp. (I think he had a bout of Prince confusion back then).

I remember the concert becuase he had a terrific female violinist that rocked the night away and hubby and I danced from the stands until our feet hurt.

Most of the other headliners stuck to a more predictable script, but their greatest-hits sets went over well. John Mellencamp punched out defiant versions of "Authority Song" and "Crumblin' Down," but it was violinist Miriam Sturm who redefined the character of every song with her taut virtuosity.

That must have been sometime way back in the 80's.

Now Its not that I don’t love music. When I go see live music these days it’s usually to see a local jazz band in the java hut, or a mediterrain singer in a little bistro in Adge. The thought of battling long wait times on the phone, or the internet, to buy the tickets, well, huh. Then there's hassle of the parking, crowds and shuffling off to your seat with the 10,000 or 50,000 other lovers of the whomever todays hit wonder is. Well, it just doesn't thrill me anymore.

Unless it's Van Morrison.

For those of you not in the know, he’s the one who made the Moondance and Brown Eyed girl hits back in the day. But he’s not an old has-been fart. He’s been making music consistently every year since the 60's. He continues to write and record great Irish jigs, jazzy stunners, and a few classic rock songs as well. He has recorded with all the greats, and is considered a great. As far as I can tell he has over one hundred CD's still in production. He apeals to the young and old.

I'm happy to say I don't think I'll be the oldest one at this concert tonight.

He rarely performs in the USA. Last time he was here in my home state of Colorado, I was off visiting a sister in Detroit. I vowed I wouldn’t miss his next concert. Only when I made that vow I didn’t have kids.

Now I've got K. And I had to be, well, persuaded to leave her for the night. For the whole night.

It's not like I'm abondoning her or anything. She'll be in her own home with her Daddy. After all, to a little girl, what could be better than Daughter and Daddy time?

And I'm rushing the trip. Today I leave on a plane to arrive at 5:00 pm. Just in time for a quick dinner before the concert. Then, a quick breakfast in the morning and back on a plane. I'll be gone just about twenty-four hours. That's it!

This morning I told her how she is going to wave me goodbye as I get on a plane. I’ve been preparing her for a day without mommy. She replied, "Daddy taking me to playground. Mommy gone. Daddy and me going to playground."

I guess I’m with one with separation anxiety.

Ok, bye - It's time for some good old fashioned dance and sing along, fun!