Facebook | Gaelic Storm Concert

Facebook | Gaelic Storm Concert

So here it is people! Pictorial proof that I have met Gaelic Storm. In fact, fiddler Jessie came before the concert and taught me how to use the credit card machine. I had a dorky-fan moment because she came up to the booth and asked if anyone had taught me how to use it yet, and I said, "Oh my gosh, you're Jessie Barnes!" Like she doesn't know who she is!

I worked with a very nice young man named Scott and his dad Les who was kind enough to watch the booth so that Scott and I could go see the show. And what a show! During "Me and the Moon" Steve and Patrick divided the crown into 2 groups (difficult with no center aisle): the whiskey group and the light group. I was in the whiskey group. During the line "I brought the whiskey" we shouted out the line and Bob Fossey'd the heck out of our little jazz hands. The other group got the line "he brought the light" and they sang the line and waved their cell phones. In the end my group won the enthusiasm contest based on pure bias, I'm sure. Whiskey? Light? Seriously, who would win that bout?

I was totally enlightened about Patrick's Russell Crowe story. All this time I've been telling it wrong! I owe Paddy a deep apology because all along I've been telling people he punched Russell Crowe in a pub brawl without really knowing who he was. I WAS SO WRONG! Not that he'll ever read this, but I'm sorry, Patrick Murphy, for ever implying that you would have gotten into a bar fight with Russell Crowe. The real story is so much more interesting, and I'm hoping I get enough of the details right here to do it justice.

Patrick used to manage a pub in Santa Monica called O'Brien's and back when L.A. Confidential came out, Russell Crowe, and his people were all there for the wrap party. Mr. Crowe (I can't call him Dickhead, as much as I would like to, since his people might be trolling Internet looking for people who do such things to sue for Defamation of Character, even though everyone knows he IS a dickhead) sat at the bar and lit a cigarette. Now this was right after the law passed that prohibited smoking in bars in California, so Patrick told Mr. Dickhead - I mean Crowe - that he had to either put his cigarette out or smoke it outside. Mr. Crowe said something unintelligible through his cancer stick and his body guards started beating Patrick to a pulp. At some point, Patrick points out that this is an infair fight, beaing that it's 3 against 1. The Gladiator agrees and says, "Let's go, you and me, and I'll even let you ave the first punch."

Patrick, being unsure whether this real, or some sort of sick joke, says, "Really?"

And Russell Crowe, apparently never having dealt with an Irishman before, says, "Yeah. I dare you to punch me."

Hello!!!!!! Dare an Irishman to punch you? What do you think is going to happen???? So Patrick popped him in the nose.

And what does Maximus do? He tells his body guards, "Get him."

Patrick's friend Chucky hands out the most fabulous and completely obvious advice in the history of mankind when he says, "Run!" So Patrick takes off and manages to outrun Aussieboy's thugs.

The whole night was so fabulous, and the band came out to mingle afterwards among the commoners. I came away with a free shirt (my wages for the evening), and my very own copy of the album What's the Rumpus? which includes the song "The Night I Punched Russell Crowe" which I paid for. But I saved my allowance for it like a good little girl so I won't go into debt over a CD. Yay me!

I have a new goal in life. I am going to be the crazy Southern California fan who will always sell merch at Gaelic Storm concerts if they are within driving distance of my home. I will go down in history as the most reliable fan ever. They can always count on me to help out when they're in my area.