Two dates in four days

Last night, I was privileged enough to attend a fantastic and very private intimate performance by one of my favourite artists in the whole entire world, the talented Jann Arden.

I went as a guest of my guy, who was invited by a friend of his, a gentleman well-known for throwing fabulous parties in celebration of his birthday. The only problem was that when he originally hosted the party -- back in March -- Jann had to cancel at the last minute on account of a very unexpected illness that required hospitalization and provided a bit of concern for all her fans.

Jann was eventually able to reschedule with our party host and, in the midst of her relentless tour schedule, sacrificed the sole day off that she and her crew would have enjoyed during the stretch from May 6th to 15th. All of this in order to live up to her responsibility and perform for our host, and us. In fact, Jann revealed to us last night that March's gig was the only time she's ever cancelled a performance in 30 years as an artist. Truly a professional!

And last night? Well, she was amazing, as always. After my guy was lucky enough to be one of seven friends invited backstage to a meet-n-greet with Jann, he and I situated ourselves front and centre (naturally, as we're both huge fans!!) for her performance. Let me assure you that we were pinching ourselves at our good fortune -- standing a mere seven or eight feet from our heroine. And I tell ya: her much-publicized weight loss has left her looking svelte and trim, healthy and even more beautiful than ever! I mean, we all loved her before, just because she made no apologies for who she is/was. And now, she's healthier and looking absolutely fantastic!

She sang a substantial set of about a dozen songs, but the real gem was, as always, her between-songs banter. Anyone who has ever had the privilege of being entertained by Jann knows that she's equal parts songwriter, singer, and stand-up comedian. Love. Her. Sense. Of. Humour. Absolutely hilarious!

OK, I'm gushing now, aren't I? Well, that's the kind of evening it was -- a mere 100 people or so in attendance, a small and intimate venue, plenty of booze and appetizers, and entertainment by the best in the biz. I'm still all giddy like a schoolgirl just thinking of it!!

Oh, and did I mention that we're also seeing her in concert on Monday night as well? I had purchased those tickets long before I was ever invited to last night's intimate and interactive performance and, instead of feeling like Monday may be a let-down after such a fantastic performance last night, I look forward to my second date with Jann in four days. I'm all aquiver with excitement!!