Time is Tight

It was a Saturday morning and I was in a GREAT mood. Not only was it my favorite day of the week, but we had some BIG weekend plans. Later that night, Neil Diamond was kicking off his 2008 tour right here in our hometown of Minneapolis/St. Paul, with shows on back-to-back nights. Michelle has been a huge Neil fan since the age of 12 and hasn’t missed a tour since. After seeing him in concert myself shortly after we met, I quickly became a big fan, too. So whenever Neil goes on tour, the Stimpsons are always in motion.

We had scored third row tickets to the opening night show, and FRONT row tickets for the following night. As if that wasn’t enough, we also had front row tickets for shows in both Sioux City and Omaha later that week. Yep, that’s right – we would see the first four shows of Neil’s tour that year, and all of them up close and personal. We also had tentative plans to see him a few more times in other cities. Seeing so many concerts on the same tour might seem crazy to some, but it’s what we do. And we have a TON of fun doing it.

Fun at Macy’s
 
On that Saturday morning, we were doing last minute shopping at Macy’s for new “concert tops” for Michelle. One complication of being in the front row for so many consecutive shows is that a lady has to find something different to wear each night. It would simply be a tragedy for Neil to see her wearing the same cute top more than once.  Guys, on the other hand, are no problem. I actually wore the same bright red Hawaiian shirt to all four shows. This was my “front row” shirt for several years – up until the point it faded from red to pink, from so many front row appearances.

I was patiently browsing the ladies department with my Sweetie, when all of a sudden I heard this super funky beat coming from the ceiling speakers. The volume was set surprisingly high, and there weren’t many other shoppers that particular morning, so I could hear the music loud and clear. Next thing I know I’m dancing around the store – making a fool out of myself – enthusiastically playing my imaginary bass guitar. Normally that type of behavior might embarrass Michelle. But not today. We were out on a mission for fun.

What was this song, though? I had to find out. This was 2008, so I didn’t yet have a smart phone with the technology to provide such information at a moment’s notice.

Our day continued to be a big dose of fun and silliness, with anticipation and excitement for the upcoming Neil concerts, on four out of the next six nights. All day long, I had this funky new song stuck in my head.

 
Touring Along with Neil

That evening, we had an absolute blast at the concert. It’s really exciting to experience the first show of a big world tour – so much buzz and excitement, with fans who have traveled from all corners of the globe. Front row the following night was spectacular. And we had a fantastic road trip that week as well. One of our favorite annual traditions is to drive through miles and miles of green, six-foot-tall corn on a summer concert road trip. There’s no place better than Iowa for that experience, so every summer we look for an excuse to make our way through this corn-belt state.

 
Neil’s tour ended up in our record books that year, as we attended shows (in the front row!) all over the country. Twice in New York, three shows on the west coast, and five in the Midwest. Ten shows total for the two of us, plus an additional two for Michelle when she and her aunt Jane took a special trip to see Neil at the Hollywood Bowl.

Some of our highlights include an epic experience with front row seats on back-to-back nights at Madison Square Garden, where we were caught on camera for Neil’s Hot August Night – a concert DVD that was filmed during those two shows. We also celebrated New Year’s Eve with some of Neil’s band in Fresno. And of course, there was the time in Grand Forks where Neil pulled Michelle out of the crowd and serenaded her with September Morn, finishing off with a kiss. That one even made the local newspaper.

 
We absolutely loved each and every concert experience, and we could have easily done more. If you haven’t seen Neil perform live, I highly recommend it. At age 75, who knows how many more times he’ll tour?

The Song Revealed

To my frustration, it would be several months before I heard that funky Macy’s shopping experience song. But when I finally did hear it next, it was playing on Sirius radio in my car. This gave me both the artist and the title. Success at last! I discovered the song was Time is Tight, by Booker T and the M.G.’s. As soon as I got home I downloaded it onto my MP3 music player, so I could jam to this funky tune any time I felt like it. I found myself wanting to know more about Booker T and the M.G.’s., too. I was really digging their music.

Time is Tight never fails to get me in a good mood – it’s one of the songs on my Happy playlist. It always gets me on my feet and moving. I’m usually playing my trusty (air) bass or sometimes the keyboards. Often both. This is no small feat, especially while driving. But I just can’t help it.

I also can’t help but recall my introduction to this great song – in the ladies department at Macy’s, on that fun Saturday in the middle of July, back in 2008.

So, hats off to Booker T and his M.G.’s – who at the time of this recording in 1968 consisted of Al Jackson Jr. on drums, Donald “Duck” Dunn  on bass, and Steve Cropper on guitar. Man, these cats can play.

Here’s the original, up-tempo version of the song (complete with a one minute keyboard intro). There’s no video, so you can just sit back and enjoy.