21 September – lundi
- It’s the last day of summer! Not that the weather cares about all of that. We’ll still have (mildish) summer weather for the foreseeable future but at least the nights have gotten cool enough for me to have the window open when sleeping. I like sleeping with the open window. I don’t mind the noise of the occasional cars that drive by.
- I get to work early. I disarm the alarm, put my food in the refrigerator, fill up my water tumbler, then head to my desk. I’ll probably start drinking tea in the morning, so add that to the routine. At my desk, I turn on my air purifier, pick up the walkie talkie and turn it on, turn on my printer/scanner, open the window for some fresh air, turn on my iPod, then turn on my computer. I unlock the front door, water the plant outside on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, then I head back to my computer and log on. Those are the things I do before I start work. If the phone rings before 8 AM, I do not answer it unless it’s one of the registrars. I’m always happy to speak to them. Everyone else? Well, they can wait until we’re officially open. 🙂
22 September – mardi
- I’ve got Riley Green playing on the boom box again. “Imagine That”
- My hair tool sizzled a bit of skin. Hopefully it doesn’t bother me too much today.
- The sizzled skin didn’t bother me too much. I wonder if it’s going to scar. I hope not.
- We finished Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed this evening. I’ll have more to say about it later in the post, I think.
- Oh, happy Autumnal Equinox! We’re heading towards sweater weather! How long will it be before we get there? We shall see. 😉
- I might be settling on my November novel. It’s actually a prequel of sorts to my current story. And just this moment, I realized that if it’s a true prequel, then it’s not just the FMC’s story. It should be the MMC’s story too. Or maybe the secondary characters are the MCs. Or maybe it’s something else all together. Whirling thoughts! The story is called “The One Before the One.”
- My vinyl of That’s Just Me arrived today. Yes, it’s autographed by Riley and his doggie Carl. How cute is that?
- My other delivery was Swan Song: Diana, my sister by Charles Spencer. This was a sort of impulse buy but I thought, why not get it and have it stand with Prince Harry’s Spare.
23 September – mercredi
- I just realized that Sullivan Stapleton has a (new) girlfriend while looking at his IG story this morning.
- I keep thinking about my November novel and I think I need to incorporate my MCs into the story where they aren’t yet together but they have near misses over the years. Where does it all begin? Is it that baseball fan fest? Or maybe even before? I like thinking of how I can bring it all together. I have all these snippets but can I stretch the moments into 50k plus words? Maybe I can.
- Listening to Riley Green again, this time with my headphones on. His voice is so close. “That’s Just Me.”
- We see Riley Green this weekend and I don’t know yet what I’m going to wear. Then I think, why am I worried about it? It’s not like we’re going to meet him and I’m going to get a picture with him. Alas. Still, what am I going to wear?!
- I ordered a couple of things from As ever because I was notified of the limited edition bookmark. Yes, I bought a bookmark, as well as more peppermint tea. The book mark sold out as an individual item within half an hour, it seems. As of this writing, it’s still available in a couple of limited sets. Maybe I should have ponied up for one of the sets. I’m just not one to buy lemon ginger tea. Another time, perhaps.
24 September – jeudi
- Riley Green on the boombox again this morning. “Pave All Them Red Dirt Roads”
- Just before I woke up, I had another weird, detailed filled dream. Alas, I don’t remember any of it. Boo. Oh, I remember someone mentioning the TV show Seal Team but I don’t know in what context. Dreams are so weird.
- Today’s high is supposed to reach the 90s. This is not autumn, folks.
- The house across the street finally sold. At this moment, the gate to their backyard is open and I can see into their yard. It’s just dirt. And I noticed that there’s a light on inside the house. I wonder when they move in. I wonder how many cars they have and if they’re going to park on the street.
- Remember the stuff I ordered from As Ever? The items were delivered today! Jeez, even Amazon doesn’t deliver that quickly to us. Crazy, right? The bookmark, “Only gets better,” is now saving my place in Charles Spencer’s latest, Swan Song: Diana, my sister. Maybe I’ll make some of that peppermint tea and read a chapter or more during fall break.
- Riley Green again. “My First Everything” (Acoustic) You know, there’s something about how comforting his simplicity is. It doesn’t mean he’s simple, it just means that there’s comfort in his music. Put him on and you can sink into the songs with a nice steadiness.
25 September – vendredi
- Riley Green on the boom box – “She Wrecked Me”
- Yes to Friday! The Homecoming Parade will be going on downtown, so that’s probably what we’re doing after work. Super sweet. I’ve got my Liberty HS shirt ready for the day.
26 September – samedi
- Quick one – We’re at the Shoreline!
27 September – dimanche
- Riley Green was lovely.
- Woke up at the Shashi Hotel at about 8 AM, got ready, and were on the road about an hour later.
- Got home and just relaxed.
RILEY GREEN: Cowboy As It Gets Tour 2026 – Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View
Saturday night was Riley Green at the Shoreline! Would he be worth the anticipation and excitement brewing in my fangirl heart? Would I walk away adoring him more? Let’s find out!
Short answer: yes and yes.
Some words on the opening acts first.
- Hannah McFarland – It was just her and her guitar. She has such a lovely voice. She impressed in her short solo time on stage.
- Kashus Culpepper – I really dug his vibe. He has a good, steady voice which lends to a more bluesy delivery. I feel like I’m going to end up buying his music. Bet it happens.
- Randy Houser – I know Randy Houser has been around for a long while and we might have even seen him in concert before. He put on a good show and was energetic and commanding on stage. I’m glad he performed “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight.”
Duck call sounded at 2120 hrs and the last notes played just before 2300 hrs. Riley put on a fantastic show. I was on my feet for most of it and I am so glad we were just 16 rows from the stage. I actually thought to myself, “Wow, he’s so close.” It was so great seeing him live. He sounded just like he does on his records. He doesn’t dance around on the stage (not even for “Think as You Drunk”), preferring to play his guitar and sing. (He does walk around but he doesn’t strut his stuff.) He has a good energy about him and he was engaging with the crowd. He even got a kiss from a grandma and held a baby girl. Goodness me! He knows what he’s doing, doesn’t he?
The crowd was enthusiastic and lots of folks were probably in their happy inebriated state but it made for good times all the way around. It was pretty even keeled, even with the long bathroom lines (and why did I have to go so many times?!). I wore my fan club shirt but didn’t see anyone else wearing the same, though I’m sure I only saw a fraction of the concert goers. I did get a comment on my hoodie, which was the tour one and had either sold out or was not available at the concert. Yah for ordering online! I already had the concert t-shirt, so I didn’t need to hit the merch booth. Good for me. 😉
I recorded snippets of all of Riley’s songs so that I could have the playlist. I did record a couple of whole songs, I think. I’ll have to look back on my videos.
Riley’s Playlist:
- Different ‘Round Here
- There Was This Girl
- Damn Good Day to Leave
- Hell of a Way to Go
- In Color
- Georgia Time (w/ Kashus Culpepper)
- When She Comes Home Tonight (w/ Kashus Culpepper)
- You Look Like You Love Me
- My Way
- Cowboy As It Gets (w/ Randy Houser)
- Cowboy in Me (w/ Randy Houser)
- Think As You Drunk
- Should’ve Been a Cowboy
- Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue
- Jesus Saves
- Go Again (w/ Hannah McFarland)
- Don’t Mind If I Do (w/ Hannah McFarland)
- Change My Mind
- I Wish Grandpas Never Died
- Worst Way
- Dixieland Delight (w/ Hannah McFarland, Kashus Culpepper, Randy Houser)
So do I like Riley Green as much as I did before? YES. Do I like him more than I did before? YES.
Riley was just as I hoped he would be on stage. He sounded good, he was engaged with the crowd, he played up his charm and had a good time. He didn’t shatter any pre-conceived notions I might have had about him. He was simply a man on stage, singing his songs, appreciative of the love and adoration we all showed him. He went out there to give us a good time and he succeeded. Well, I had a good time. 🙂
Would I see him again? YES. Would I like to meet him and take a picture with him someday? HELL YEAH. But until then, I’m quite content with listening to his music whenever I please and the memory of this first time seeing him in concert.
I’ll probably talk about the Homecoming Parade in my next post. Until then, Happy Fall Break! 😉