(Started this in Paso Robles but finished at home.)
Friday night was Morgan Wade in Paso Robles at BarrelHouse Brewing Co. What a fun venue! I should have heeded the forecast of very cool temperatures because even though I was wearing a flannel shirt over a tank top, along with my Herc/Xena vest, I was COLD even before the sun went down. I almost bought an overpriced (but cute!) sweatshirt but I braved the cold and survived. It probably also helped to be surrounded by a bunch of people.
We went VIP for this show, which meant a short acoustic set then a Q&A with Morgan Wade. She sang a couple of songs (sounded really good) and answered a few questions. She doesn’t care for chorizos, her album is not just focused on one relationship, she’s from Virginia, she has about 150 tattoos. We took group pictures (so no selfies, alas!) and then it was time for general admission to fill out the area.
Opener – Meg McRee – I dug her vibe and I enjoyed her songs. The guitarist with her was AMAZING. She definitely has the gift and I wish I had remembered her name! As for Meg McRee, I very much liked her set and I’m definitely leaning on getting her album. She was that good and I know I need to broaden my female artists horizon.
Morgan Wade – Morgan puts on a fantastic show! It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a show where I didn’t know the words to most of the songs (but the husband did, as he’s the fan in this instance). I loved watching and listening to the crowd sing her songs back to her. It was great. I think I’ve heard all the songs she sang and she sounded as good as her recordings. Maybe even better. I LOVE when artists sound good live and she sounded great. She had a fantastic band supporting her and at the end, when she was giving some of the audience some attention, the band kept playing until she walked off the stage. I really enjoyed her show and I would see her again. She’s has a raw sound that just catches your attention. Seeing her live has most definitely expanded my regard for her. She even did a cover of “Jessie’s Girl,” which I just loved!
I ended up buying a t-shirt and baseball cap. The t-shirt is definitely mine but I think the hubby is going to take the hat. I also bought a BarrelHouse blanket so that we could have something to sit on during the show, even though we ended up mostly standing. The weather was COLD but maybe I’m glad that I resisted buying that sweatshirt. If Morgan had been selling a hoodie, I probably would have bought one…
BarrelHouse Brewing Co as a venue is pretty cool. I would definitely love seeing another show there. Oh, and the beer is pretty good too. 😉 We were smart and ordered a car to and from the show so that we could enjoy ourselves and not have to worry about driving and parking and limiting our alcohol intake because of the drive back.
We stayed a couple of nights in Paso Robles, so Saturday we checked out some of the sights. Our first stop was Morro Bay. We were so close to the coast and I wanted to see the ocean. The bay counts, doesn’t it? It was a beautiful and crisp day and the view was very lovely at Morro Bay. It was too cold to touch the water but it was nice just to breathe in the ocean air and take in the blue skies and water.
After Morro Bay, we headed to San Luis Obisbo for some pizza and beer (Woodstocks Pizza) then more beer (BarrelHouse SLO Taproom and Speakeasy). We stopped back our room then took a car to Firestone Walker Brewing Company for more drinks and for me, dessert. It was a good time.
We left Paso Robles early Sunday morning. It was cold and super crisp and we were home before check out time. It was a lazy day.. The Best Western in Paso Robles was pretty decent but I’m glad to be back home. Leaving so early made for some lovely shots on the way home though…
Shots taken along California 41…
All in all, a great little mini-vacation. Oh, and we’re off from work on Monday too, so even better!
